Hello,
So I’m sure this question has already been asked many many many times, but anyways, here goes…
So first off, my current dream is to be accepted into a prestigious music university in a double major: a music major for Violin performance, along with either a computer science or kinesiology (if I end up deciding that computer science may be too much strain) major. I don’t worry too much about the stress, I am a good student and get good grades with average in the 90s, have many interests and deals with a lot of stress all the time.
That aside, I started violin kind of early with private instruction, but unfortunately not as early as all those child prodigies. I started at the age of 8 years old, and am now 17. The problem is that when I started, I “wasted” 2 precious years with violin teachers with lower standards, and not many expectations. I did not do any competitions, however I did play in many concerts. Then, I started studying with a good teacher for a year, and got more serious. Then she moved away and I kept taking lessons online with her (not as good as physical, but it still worked at that level). Meanwhile, I have done many regional competitions every year and always placed first (though it was only for RCM grades 3-6). When it got more advanced in RCM grade 6,7,8, I still placed pretty well, some ups and downs, but mostly at least in the top 3. Last year, as I was getting more advanced, I found myself new very good and respectable teachers and I was able to get to provincial level competition for grade 8 and did decent with a 3rd place. I am also part of the community youth orchestra, and school string ensemble, and have played with different people and instruments in duets.
Though I certainly do not consider myself a prodigy, I have been told I have talent, and that on the musical side, my playing is unique and passionate. I am now finishing RCM grade 9 going into grade 10, and am graduating high school in June 2017. There are so many things I wished I had time to do, like auditioning for the national youth orchestra, going for the Canadian national music competition and auditioning for a solo in my orchestra with a grade 10 RCM repertoire, but I am not sure if I will have time. My technique, sight reading, theory/harmony and knowledge in general is lacking behind and I am working very hard to make up for it right now. I am expecting to finish all my theory/harmony for grade 10 before I graduate school of course.
By prestigious music universities, I mean Cleaveland, Jacob’s, Peabody or Oberlin, and that is my worry, I haven’t done any national competitions yet, and I will not have time to get my technique up to ARCT. Is it possible to get into such prestigious universities with only grade 10 concerto pieces such as Bruch/Kabalevski, passion for music and a good musical sense? The obvious better approach would be to take a gap year to prepare, however I’d like to avoid that as much as possible. I really want to move out, and I will also have my academics to worry about to get into my second degree, and I just don’t know how it’s going to turn out for a gap year… Anyhow, I really don’t want to waste any more time than I already have, I really want to be able to make it.
Oh how I wished I started violin earlier and made better choices…
Anyways, thanks for reading this far, you can give me your honest cruel opinion, encouragements or bashing, or whatever, as long as you give me valuable and useful advice.
Thanks!