<p>I didn't see any forums for Tanglewood so I thought I would start one! If you were accepted, please give us your thoughts and advice!</p>
<p>I just got an acceptance letter for the young artists orchestra yesterday 3/18 and I'm super excited!</p>
<p>Any past alums are also welcome to post about their experience :) </p>
<p>My son loved it. I hope the food has improved, though.</p>
<p>My son went last year and is headed there again this year. He loved it last year–and didn’t mind the food. I think he sticks mainly to salad. Any specific questions? He’s a violist.</p>
<p>dec51995 and Hunt -Can you reassure me the program is well supervised? My s, violinist is also going this summer and has always gone to much smaller programs before. Any tips on where to stay when visiting? I know the area can be pricey. Thanks, </p>
<p>How old is your son? Kids were free to roam to town when free, responsible for catching bus each morning to rehearsal. Curfew at 11:00 in the dorms, I believe. My son loved the freedom, and I didn’t hear about anyone getting into trouble. Book EARLY for hotels is my best advice. Availability goes down fast and prices rise.</p>
<p>He is 16 and h.s. sophomore. We are very excited about this program for him but I know the program is not as sheltered as other ones he has attended. </p>
<p>I’m following this thread with interest. My 16 yo dd, a violinist, was also accepted at BUTI. I’d love to hear about your son’s experience with his chamber group. Thanks!</p>
<p>My son loved his chamber group coach–probably the best he’s ever had. His group was good, too, except for one player who didn’t practice enough. My son was pretty happy with the chamber music, and chamber music is his top priority, even over orchestra. Another thing that really put the experience over the top for him were the BSO concerts.</p>
<p>If you’re planning to visit on the weekends, book your hotel room now!</p>
<p>Lots of freedom during the day (outside of attending rehearsals) with a curfew time in the dorms. The kids tend to move in packs on the Tanglewood grounds, and they have reserved seating for concerts. A bus takes them back and forth to the dorm area.</p>
<p>Thank you for your comments about the chamber group and the concerts. That’s really good to hear.
What about personal practice time? I think it was in another thread in these forums where I read that practice time may be hard to fit in at BUTI. </p>
<p>My son had no complaints about a lack of practice time. The students get 3 private lessons included in tuition. We paid extra for an additional 2 while he was there. He worked on his own repertoire for lessons and master classes.</p>
<p>Thank you for the information. Will definitely help in making a decision.</p>
<p>This thread is proof that each student will have a different experience at each festival, there is no universal truth. My D went to BUTI, string player, and the chamber group was so-so. Coach was not great, yelled and threatened a lot. This is hit or miss I would imagine. The chamber groups are assigned at the beginning of the program, and that’s your group for the whole festival. Chamber music is definitely NOT the emphasis at BUTI. Orchestra is every day and is the main focus. There are some chamber performances but they seemed like an afterthought. There was some time to practice, but the days are very full. Other festivals are designed with time carved out for practicing and personal musical growth; that is not BUTI.</p>
<p>Supervision: there is the freedom to go into Lenox. It’s a short walk from the main BUTI facilities. The students usually travel in groups, but that’s not required. Here’s something we didn’t know: the rehearsals take place on the Tanglewood grounds, which is a bus ride away from the main BUTI campus. So every morning there is an assigned time that the students need to get themselves to the buses. It’s not a short walk to get to the Tanglewood grounds, so don’t miss the bus!</p>
<p>Food is terrible. The dorms where the students stay are very old. There was a mold issue in some of the dorm rooms last summer, with the very high humidity every day; there is no AC. </p>
<p>None of this takes away from the strength of the program. Very high level orchestra program. They do a lot right. </p>
<p>The composition program is very good (assuming it’s the same–my son was there six years ago). The access to concerts is a huge extra benefit.</p>
<p>Thank you for sharing your D’s experience, HappyCello. Doesn’t make this an easy decision, but we sure appreciate knowing!</p>
<p>My daughter’s experience- violin YAO was overall excellent- bring bug spray and she even used a mosquito net over her bunk - got bit a lot, comfortable shoes for walking, spending money- great little places in Lenox they all liked to go to for ice cream, burgers, etc…The orchestra experience was top notch- she loved Paul Haas and David Hoose especially, and her chamber groups were good- they actually had a change of personnel for one piece but most groups seem to stay the same- think it was because of instrumentation requirements ( it’s been a while not totally sure)- not a player problem. Time to practice is really the student’s responsibility and not always easy to do- she did get time in, but there was also the issue of fatigue- they are long days, it is hot and no AC and especially by the last two weeks, so many violinists were icing- from the demanding playing schedule. Getting to hear the concerts in the evenings were a huge highlight- she still talks about particular performances from that summer.
My son did the 2 week percussion- very very good experience as well…he was in a different dorm- less bugs:)
Best wishes…It is a magical place and a great experience for any young player.</p>
<p>It’s good to hear that BUTI allows students more freedom to come and go during down time than Interlochen. We are curious about how much down time students have at BUTI. One camp my child went to was not very demanding in terms of rehearsals and private practice but what could have been free time for spontaneous card games with friends or walking to town was filled with mandatory “fun” activities like dance or talent show. My child felt that <em>requiring</em> students to sit through so much of this stuff was infantile treatment. Is there a lot of mandatory group stuff like that at BUTI? Six weeks of that might be too much. </p>
<p>HI @math4bap I asked my daughter and she said no, there weren’t any mandatory activities. There were activities in the dorms led by the RA’s but nothing was required. Free time she said depended on the day-some days were busier than others, and it would depend on how much more you would want to practice after the day. She went to the concerts many evenings but that wasn’t required either. On Sundays and a few Saturday nights she and her friends went into Lenox for dinner or brunch (Sunday). Hope that helps- best wishes!</p>
<p>Does anyone know how to find the 2014 BUTI Lifebook? The links we could find seem to be broken. Thanks! </p>
<p>Thanks, mymble, that’s really helpful.</p>