<p>I play piano and my guidance counselor strongly recommends sending in a recording. How long should it be? How many songs should i play and should I just play parts of them? Do they necessarily want to hear the most difficuly pieces to play because my piano teacher says I should play Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy for one song, but it's so easy even though he says it's not and then he proceeded to say I should play from the beginning, which is so slow and boring. He said I need to play stuff the admissions counselors will recognize because I am not applying as a music major. Is this true? I feel like I should just play the most difficult parts of the most difficuly songs I know. He also says I should start from the beginning of all the songs. I just want to play the most impressive parts. I don't care about the beginning. What are your thoughts? Will this even enhance my application that much?</p>
<p>I would suggest you check the college site to see what they recommend that prospective music majors send in. Even though you do not intend to be a music major, that would give you an idea of what they are looking for. And it would still likely be the music department that listens to it, not just the admissions people. (At least, that is what I have heard.)</p>
<p>And no, you probably should not just play the most difficult parts of the most difficult pieces. They are not just looking for technical skill, but for musicality--how well you understand the piece and whether you can play it with the proper feeling, tempo, dynamics, etc. They want to see if you can play what you call "boring" parts well, not just impressive-sounding parts. And, as someone who once played "Clair de Lune," I do NOT find the first part boring, if played well. I loved playing that part because of the feeling I could put into it.</p>
<p>i definitely agree that it can be a beautiful song... but for college admissions i would think theyd want to hear stuff that shows more talent</p>