This may not be the best time to try to get a sample lesson or even contact a professor because everyone is probably busy with figuring out who is coming next year
I posted this on the other thread and it may not be popular, but when a thread like last year’s “journey” thread goes over 100 pages, I wonder if it is harder for newbies to access info. That is a lot of pages to read! Maybe the search function helps but I do think some folks might want to post their own thread/question to make it a little more accessible for others. PM’s work great for establishing connections and chatting and also have the virtue of being private.
Again, don’t expect many to agree with me Just thinking of the future.
@NYsaxmom Thank you! Is Belmont a religious school? I thought I read somewhere it was and my kid is very atheist. He was totally fine with DePaul and St. Olaf though so if were more liberal leaning and not in your face I think it could be ok!
MusakParent, I think I have your son’s twin. He has also been studying classical piano for 13 years. He a tenor/baritone who has been studying voice for 5 years. He also plays folk guitar and bluegrass fiddle. He is also interested in composition and has been studying for 4 years. To top it off, he also has perfect pitch and also considers it a blessing and a curse. The only difference is that he is interested in Music Education (yes, he knows its K-12) and Collaborative Piano.
We just finished our first tour of schools. We toured Crane (great facilities) and had lessons and a tour at McGill ( 3 lessons-great teachers) and Eastman (4 lessons-great everything). He also attended camp at Ithaca. He has a very good idea of where he wants to go, and, in fact, only intends on applying to four or five schools (this makes me very nervous).
I look forward to sharing your experiences over the next year.
@ScreenName48105 Thanks for your comment. He is aware. He also loves his high school band director so who knows, maybe he really sees himself there. Or he’s mentioned music psychology, music therapy, music…anything.
He knows he doesn’t want to primarily be a performer, but he also knows that the more you play, the better you get. More will be revealed…
@papdad, my son is looking at many of the same places. Was McGill worth the trip? He’s doing a summer program at Eastman in July and has visited Ithaca already. Where else is he applying?
I’ll dip my toe in here. My junior wants to study classical bass but is not going to be in the top tier of applicants so I’m open to suggestions for less competitive options. He started private lessons halfway through 7th grade just so he wouldn’t continue to be stuck in his public school’s lower orchestras. He has really fallen in love with it since 9th grade, but I know there are kids out there playing at the grad school level in 9th grade, so I guess we’ll see how it goes! He plays in the jazz ensemble and pit orchestra and is another one of those all music all the time kids. He only recently decided that he wants to pursue music in college.
He has good grades and very good test scores, but is not very academic and not aiming for schools that are super selective. I’d love to find a “music with an outside field” option, but I’m not sure what the “outside field” would be.
He is doing a bass institute at Oberlin this summer and a camp in Phliadelphia, and then the bank account will be empty! Hopefully these will give him a better idea of where he stands in comparison to his peers and whether he should give it a go. He’s also auditioning for a youth symphony for the first time this summer and taking piano lessons.
Current list is small and includes UMD - College Park and Temple (3 bass faculty at each school!). We will probably look at other public schools in the mid-Atlantic, including in-state options. I don’t know how to gauge how competitive schools are beyond the top 20-25 or so, and the private schools are a big question mark.
Welcome @PAPDAD I look forward to following your son’s adventures! He sounds so much like my kid. My kid would love opportunities to do collaborative piano too but wouldn’t want to major in it.
Is it possible to dual degree at Eastman? Is the conservatory well connected to the university?
We will see you this summer at Eastman. He did it before and loved it (much more than Tanglewood). As for McGill, it really depends on the student. The building is REALLY beautiful, but REALLY old. The performance spaces are great. The teachers were wonderful, He had 2 hour long lessons and one 2 hour lesson. No one charged. Montreal is great (although everyone smokes). It is not a very social place. You can only live in the dorms as a freshman. It also seems very incense (even compared with Eastman). It is also really cheap. If those things sound good, it is definitely worth the trip (you will also eat very well while you are there) .
At the moment, the plan is to apply to Eastman, Ithaca, Peabody, McGill and Crane.
MusakParent. You can both double major and double degree at Eastman… The main (River) campus is about 15 minutes away by shuttle (that leaves every 45 minutes). The double degree with the University takes 5 years, but they have a program where the 5th year is tuition-free. Also everyone get merity aid. Usually 30-60%. Let me know if there is anything else you need to know.
HI everyone. Although my S is only a sophomore, I thought I’d start following this thread. Doesn’t even feel like a head start, quite frankly, because there’s so much to learn. I only discovered class of '22 thread last week, and as @compmom has said, it’s hard to go through over a 100 pages of such useful/valuable information. Thanks to all of you on CC, I won’t feel so lost! S will be going to a midwest camp this summer, so we’ll be checking out Northwestern, U Michigan, Oberlin, and possibly CCM and CIM- just the general campus tours. Seems too early to meet professors yet and do lessons. Coming from the W Coast, we have limited time for tours of schools on the E Coast, esp NYC, where son wants to study. Hoping to weed out at least some midwest schools where S can’t envision himself in at all. I look forward to learning from your experiences!
@Busy_Momma greetings! I am in NYC area and know the options here pretty well - have met directors and so on. Happy to discuss when you are ready.
@papdad sounds like we’ll see you on the audition trail! S19 is planning to audition at Eastman, Ithaca and Peabody as well as Berklee (he loved the five-week) and possibly Rutgers. Like you, I’d like him to find a few more.
@PAPDAD I hope that you toured the new Wirth Music Building at McGill in addition to the Victorian Strathcona Music Building you mention. One is new and high techy, the other old and classic.
@Busy_Momma, what instrument/program is S interested in? I am nearing the end of the journey with my percussions S. We are from the Pac NW and only looked at one school on the west coast. I’m happy to share some reflections on travel, auditions by video vs. live, etc.
Aside from the difficulties of newbies accessing information in mega “journey” threads, which I previously posted about, I also wonder about the privacy issue for our kids. This forum feels intimate but thousands are reading some of the threads. PM’s can be a great way to form connections over this difficult year.
Well said @compmom! I also caution making decisions based on opinions shared in any group here. Everyone’s experience and journey is going to be different!
Our forum is expected to be a friendly and welcoming place, and one in which members can post without their motives, intelligence, or other personal characteristics being questioned by others.
