Hi, my daughter is interested in pursuing a career in music. She plays the clarinet and her clarinet teacher told her recently that she has what it takes to succeed in this area. I don’t think she is Julliard material, but she is quite good, has qualified for all county, all district, and all state band. She is going to be a junior in high school this fall. What should she be doing to prepare for colleges besides working on audition pieces? What are some good summer programs for clarinetist in high school to learn and network with other musicians that would help her get into some good colleges or conservatories? Finally, what are some of the best places/ colleges/ conservatories to learn performance on clarinet?
@notesmom, check your PMs!
To best make suggestions for your daughter:
- Geographically where does she want to study?
- How are her grades / test scores?
- Anticipated budget for college
She would like to go to college on the East coast. She would also consider the Midwest. She is a straight A student.
She is taking all honors and AP classes as well. She has not taken the ACT or SAT yet but suspect/ hope they will be decent. For budget, we would be able to handle a private college/conservatory. I just don’t know what else she should be doing to help her get into a good music school. I would appreciate any ideas. Thanks.
I am new to this site. What is are PMs!
Private messages. You should see a little envelope near your user name at the top of the screen (if you are on a computer, I think it is at the bottom if you are on a phone). Click on that to go to your messages.
The best resource, if you haven’t exhausted it already, may be in your own back yard.
Where has her teacher sent students for college/conservatory study? Take a look at those spots, perhaps scheduling a “trial lesson” or visit this year to meet potential teachers. Check with her current teacher that she is “ready” for this as a Junior. Sometimes students are making great progress and a teacher knows that they will make a better impression meeting with a potential college teacher in the fall of senior year rather than fall or spring of junior year. If, however, the current teacher OKs a visit in spring of junior year, this can take a lot of pressure off senior year.
Does she currently play in a youth orchestra? If not, explore the options. Playing in bands alone does not offer wind players the experience in independent playing they need for optimal development. If no orchestra, perhaps there is an auditioned wind ensemble with one or at most two on a part. Or, maybe there is a chamber music program or her teacher or band director could put together a woodwind quartet or reed trio or clarinet ensemble or similar chamber group of other serious young musicians. Use these ensembles as a school hunt resource also - where have the older youth orchestra clarinetists continued college study? How does she feel her playing compares to theirs?
It’s great that she’s made all-state, etc, especially as a younger student. Don’t, however, put too much emphasis on this as a predictor of future success. (I know you aren’t, you are listening to her teacher.) All-state quality varies greatly from state to state and many of the best music students don’t ever audition for these opportunities. The competition pool for all-state, etc may be diluted from the reality of the playing level of that she will encounter in looking for colleges and conservatories.
Good luck - exciting next couple of years!
I just sent you a PM.
Thanks!!
Thanks!
notesmom, there have been threads before on CC regarding clarinet study that you might find helpful. Here’s one: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1404150-college-with-good-clarinet-professor-p1.html
In answer to your questions in your original post: What should she be doing to prepare? This is a question for her teacher–she needs good solid technique and musicianship as well as preparation on audition pieces. So her teacher can give advice on her strengths and areas for improvement.
For summer programs, there are quite a few–again you can find lots of ideas on various threads here on CC. In addition to the various festivals, ARIA is a good ‘boot camp’ kind of experience (http://www.ariaacademy.com/), and there is also Buffet Summer Academy for clarinet (http://www.buffet-crampon.com/en/actualite/buffet-crampon-2015-summer-clarinet-academy).
There are good clarinet teachers all over the country. Since you’re interested in East coast or Midwest, ask her teacher for any recommendations regarding teachers. And, take sample lessons if you can. The challenge is finding a school environment where your daughter will fit in well, and then also having a clarinet teacher she will enjoy working with and learn from. The tippy top rated clarinet teachers of course have programs that are extremely competitive–sometimes only accepting 1-2 clarinetists a year.
I have been through this whole experience twice with my clarinetist son, so please feel free to PM me at any time in the process if you have any questions about anything. I can also give you more specific information on teachers, programs and colleges/conservatories.There are few other clari-parents who come on CC every now and then as well. This is a very helpful forum. Welcome aboard!
Best colleges or conservatories for clarinet study (performance major):
For Undergraduate Studies:
Oberlin Conservatory
Colburn School/USC Thornton School of Music
Northwestern Univ. Bienen School of Music
For Graduate Studies:
Yale School of Music
Rice University Shepherd School of Music
Colburn School/USC Thornton School of Music
There is a danger in making a post like the one above from @musicwind because what is right for one student is not necessarily right for another. While a post may be fine on one date, teachers move around, one school may be better for chamber music while another may offer much better opportunities for orchestral seating than another…
While there is nothing wrong with discussion, labels of “Best” should always come with caveats and extreme caution!
That was just my opinion, largely based on numbers of recent graduates who are performing in major symphonies.
Just to keep something clear… even though there is some overlap of teachers between Colburn and USC/Thornton, these are two entirely different programs with different requirements.