This thread might be helpful in giving you an idea of how and when schools will notify based on experience of other music students applying.
@tripletmama I am so sorry you are going through such anxiety and struggle. With everything you said, I would pull my daughter out in a heartbeat. I am not a believer in the FUD methodology. Does it work for some kids? Sure. Will it push your daughter hard and perhaps to a higher level? Maybe. But at what cost? It reminds me of the movie “Whiplash.” Yikes. She is clearly passionate and hard-working so I would love to see kids like that paired up with motivating, positive teachers, mentors and programs (just as qualified and knowlegeable but without the mockery, stress and mind games.) Having said that, my daughter has worked with a few “extreme” teachers and she was able to shrug it off and felt it helped make her stronger in a world of competition, rejection and needing to be the best. Plus you are so close to the end of having to deal with this crap that she might prefer to just grin and bear it and be seen as having the strength to push through it.
It sounds like Berklee is where she wants to call home and maybe she will increase her scholarship money with her second audition so perhaps you can make it work. Hopefully, you will get more money than expected through financial aid if it is just based on your income (plus other college kids) so you never know. I can tell she is doing everything in her power to get into her dream school but reluctantly open to other good options (great list BTW!)
My daughter just turned in applications for Berklee and Roosevelt (CCPA) today so it’s a huge relief. Common Ap is super close to being finished. My goal was Oct.1st to coincide with financial aid submission so we should be good, but took some reminding & double checking from me. Thank goodness she is having an easy senior year and cut back on theatre classes after school! It’s helped free up enough time to make this crazy process manageable.
Not sure how you balance everything with 4 kids but I’d sure be hyperventilating in a corner full time if I were in your shoes! You are doing awesome and WILL survive!
That same thread the previous year had been my lifeline @AmyIzzy. It’s amazing info.
@tripletmama hang in there. I am so sorry for all you are going through. Knowing that Berklee is your D’s top choice it would be very useful info for you to see if anyone out there with a kid at Berklee that is also there with FA would be willing to PM you with some of their details. I feel confident that your D can increase her merit scholarship with a return audition but the financial aid piece eludes me. And according to friends, you won’t get that info until March or April which stinks. Also know that you need to get as much as possible the first time around with Berklee because they don’t take appeals AT ALL.
Personally I am selfishly hoping for a great offer from TNS! I think your D will get one there as well. And if she doesn’t do know that they DO take appeals there, not just one but you can even appeal the appeal! That’s the only way my D ended up there and as you know she loves it. Deep breaths… you’ll get through this.
I’m kind of thinking as I type here and possibly mostly venting. But in my secretarial duties today I discovered ONE school my kid wants to audition at asks for a 17th or 18th century song in Italian and an English song. My kid’s Italian piece is 19th century I just noticed. His English piece is 17th century. This Italian piece is really great for him and well developed. This piece is fine for every other school he is applying to or considering applying to.
Back to the drawing board? E-mail and ask? Throw it in for the prescreen and see if there are complaints? Honestly if this school were lower on his list I would not even care at all but it’s a school he likes quite a bit. I haven’t even told him yet.
Tripletmama - I hope your meeting went well and was productive! Your D’s school situation sounds like a nightmare. I’d pull too if you’re not happy with the resolution. But my kid is homeschooled on paper so I’m crazy like that. LOL.
@MusakParent, I don’t think it hurts to reach out to the music department at a particular school to inquire/clarify. Some are probably super picky while others might be very laid back and flexible. It’s amazing how varied the song requirements for prescreen or auditions and essay topics are in “Stage 2” of the process which my daughter is just approaching now. She is done with the common ap but wants to give it another look before sending through. We reviewed the portfolio requirements for NYU Clive Davis and I think she just went from it being one of her dream schools to not sure if it’s worth the time and effort to apply (especially since the acceptance rate is around 20% and they don’t give much money.)
Question for the experienced members. If trying for early action, do most schools schedule those auditions when the Ap comes in or do they wait until SAT scores, transcripts and references arrive? For example, I know Loyola New Orleans has the early action weekend November 9th so the sooner we can make travel plans, the better.
We were able to schedule our EA Lawrence audition online yesterday without everything being in? It’s also the weekend of nov 9.
We’ve scheduled four auditions without everything being in—Berklee, Ithaca (requested, not yet confirmed), Lawrence (regional in NYC) and Syracuse. Once he’d submitted the common app or their app he was able to sign up. Hasn’t been able to do the ones with prescreens, obviously.
One school hasn’t scheduled auditions yet but did invite him to a “shadow day” where he can attend classes and rehearsals. Has anyone done this? It’s not an official event, he’s just going to go down. Wondering if this functions as an audition or pre-audition?
We actually did schedule an audition for the College of St. Rose on Nov. 17th but they’ve been actively recruiting her and have her down as a “prioriity scholar” so I wasn’t sure if that was an exception. The other early one we are hoping for is Berklee, although I don’t think they call it “early action.” It’s presented as making decisions on a “rolling basis” but sounds like the earlier the better to audition for Berklee, so hoping for December 9th. Roosevelt isn’t early action but they are probably going to allow her to audition in late October when we visit so she doesn’t have to return during audition season.
If I remember correctly, as soon as you submit your application/common app. it will trigger an email to schedule your audition date. I do not think all test scores or teacher recs have to be complete just your basic application.
Berklee seems to open their dates one at a time until full. We had to wait for the Dec date to open before we could schedule. If you are given an earlier date just email them to request a later date.
@tripletmama I can’t even imagine trying to do this with more than one child at one time. Hang in there and thanks for the heads up about the rented bass. I think my son is settled on doing a video audition for Indiana (which I found out doesn’t give academic merit to music students anyway!)
I think this is the weekend I need to get out the cattle prod and be mean mom. One of his schools has a priority deadline of Nov. 1 and needs both the school app and the music app in by that date. Since I don’t really know how long he’ll need to wait in between the school and music apps, I’m giving him an October 10 deadline. His main essay is in the “too terrible for anyone to read” stage, and that appears to include him! He won’t go back and work on it.
@akapiratequeen There are upcoming shadow days at the two schools on my son’s list that are near home. I think he’ll go to one, if not both of them. I see it more as a way to increase his comfort level on his actual audition day since he didn’t even visit all of his schools much less do trial lessons. For one of the schools, it sounds like he would be more of an observer.
@MusakParent I do appreciate the frustration. I think it’s fine to call and ask if you can do a substitution. I would NOT just use the other ones without permission. VP tends to have strict protocol so I would never assume it’s OK to do something different without getting permission (and note if anyone would buck the rules it would probably be my D…and not always with the best results).
If the school says it’s fine take them at their word. However, a perspective from further down the road is that the ability to learn music quickly is highly valued. Your son is still young so the schools may be fine with him presenting a different piece at his age. And with talent, it may be OK. So talk to the school.
His other choice is to start working on 2 new pieces. You could talk with his teacher to see if this is wise or not. The teacher may vote against it knowing your son’s abilities best…and if the time is too tight the teacher should know. If he could, however, get comfortable enough with the new pieces and make sure the beginning portions are very strong for the pre-screens as they may not listen to all, it could work. And then continue working on them for winter auditions. They are not looking for perfection but talent. I don’t know why certain music is chosen but someone is making that decision probably for a reason (certain shows, technique, needs).
My D had to do a Bach piece for a grad school audition. There was no calling the school at that age asking for something else. She got it as far as she could and prayed they wouldn’t ask to hear it. They didn’t. It took until grad school and a trip to Germany for her to gain an appreciation and understand for singing Bach. Mozart would have been easy for her to sing. Bach…not so much…probably why it was on the list.
Good luck on it…we’ll see if other vocalist reply as this is only my opinion…and could be wrong.
@MusakParent , I second what @bridgenail says above… Also, I think I know that school, LOL! It is absolutely reasonable to shoot a quick email to Con admissions to ask if the 19th Century art song will suffice (perhaps name the song and composer). Otherwise, like @bridgenail says, have your S bring this to his teacher right away…they should be able to choose an alternate very quickly, just in case.
Thanks for the voices of sanity bridgenail and dramasopranomom! Kid does have an Italian Handel piece he could dust off if he had to but it’s good to hear e-mailing and asking if a sub would be ok is not completely out of the question. I’m pretty sure for a least half the schools on my kid’s list he would shrug and say “oh well - forget that school”. LOL. He is not huge on rigid rules either but I think he would jump for this particular school. And yes drama, you know where I’m talking about! 
On the upside, he is not easily wooed by the boxes of fancy marketing material littering our house at the moment.
He does learn music quickly fortunately. He’s got a number of 2nd pieces he could use actually that should all be fine. I’ve just seen this particular Italian song really develop for him now that he’s had it in his voice for a number of months and the opportunity to perform it a couple times. It is what it is! I’ll have him e-mail this weekend and hopefully he hears back before he sees his voice teacher next week. Cue the circus music and the wine!
Well, I’ll vent for a minute. Pros: S has completed the applications to two schools and been admitted to one already. That’s the university applications, not the music school applications. He has some semblance of a music resume and repertoire lists we put together over the summer. We recorded some voice prescreen material this week and that went well. The four pieces he and his teacher chose really are nice for him and they’ll be even better by audition time. It’s almost fall break and a week off to work on the rest of the applications will be timely. S is keeping his grades up and and has a solid SAT score. The cons: he has a total of three schools on his application list right now. Yikes. He’s lost his voice all of the sudden and seems to be getting sick. I think he lip-synced his way through the choir concert yesterday. He told his choir teacher yesterday that ideally he would major in voice performance and strings education—that’s an excellent way to complicate this process! And he’s serious. He does seem sure about not pursuing cello performance. He’d decided he really really wanted to be a teacher, and then his choir teacher heard him sing his solos for the prescreens and said “you need more schools. And you should start with voice performance, or performance and education.” His private voice teacher thinks he will get pushed toward performance once he’s in college.
This just feels all over the place. I’m jealous of all you who are within driving distance of dozens of colleges. The west is too big and spread out. He has visited two of the three schools on his list. But we need more schools!! We are looking at adding Luther, maybe St Olaf. His choir teacher is suggesting undergrad only programs that would look out for him. We’re worried about paying for them without ending up in debt. We’re totally open to other ideas.
Break it to her at the right time and have her email the school. We just had the same issue for art song/aria. Daughter wrote to professor she had lesson with a few months ago to get clarity. Took the time to mention how interested she was in the school. She got an answer back the same day (on a Sunday). Good luck
Good job @Parentof2014grad! It sounds like you are exactly where you should be. Frustrated, worried, concerned and sometimes proud!
I don’t know what other schools to mention. I’ll leave that to others. But your son is the captain of this ship. Feel free to express your concerns (it may be best to have another school or two…how about)…and then you have got to sit back and see what happens. Let him know that despite your concerns, you will support his ultimate list (and then do it). Many of us had “grand plans” that didn’t work out…and our kids still found the right match. My point is: this is a part of the process. He is finding his school/major…even if it is a little messy.
Good luck. Hope others can help with schools. I think highly of both St. Olaf and Luther.
OK - my daughter had a freak out tonight. I helped her by putting all the college pre-screen requirements on a spreadsheet along with the competition awards requirements (e.g. YoungArts and Spotlight - an LA one). She has to focus on these first (deadlines of Oct. 12/15) are looming on those.
But - the real freak-out for her is when she realized that there are only 3 colleges she would even consider going to. (she’s a stubborn one). I told her to look at it another way - is there a place that she would go to for a year or two and then transfer to her top choice (Berklee)? She said "maybe one or two others - but when she told me them, they are top notch - not safeties. (I tried not to laugh). She said that she has worked too hard to not go to a top jazz school. She does work very hard - and went there this summer - but I wonder if some of this is because her triplet brother goes to the top ballet school in the U.S.? She actually works harder than he does - but has been playing jazz for less time. I’m having a hard time finding a safety school that she would even consider going to. Has this happened to anyone else? Does it work out in the end?
I found a list of schools on the Berklee website where you can complete music classes for less $$ and then transfer in. There is one in Ireland (I was excited about that since she has a UK passport from her Dad) and I happen to LOVE Dublin - but then I looked at the website and it looked pretty basic and I’m sure won’t be up to snuff for her.
Oh well - it will all work out, I’m sure. I guess I should be happy that she has a top choice (Berklee) - and two that she would go to (the New School and MSM). She is adding NEC to that list but I pointed out to her that she really didn’t like it during the tour - but then she said "well at least I’d be close to Berklee…
Well - at least she knows what she wants. But as the song says:
“You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometime you find
You get what you need.”
@tripletmama I personally think your daughter will get a decent bump in scholarship $ from Berklee at her Fall audition and easily get into the other two schools, hopefully with decent merit.The fact she got $20K from Berklee during the summer program is a very positive sign. So if she is stubborn, I don’t think you need to press the panic button because she is bound to get in and get talent scholarships from all three.I know you mentioned her academics are weak but the good news is that even places like University of Miami Frost (which is very picky academically) is known to place higher value on the talent vs. the academics when accepting music students. Maybe you can convince her to put a few more on her radar just for some extra peace of mind for you. I know she appears intent on going to the “top name” music schools but I saw this article which has some “hidden gem” music colleges she may want to consider.
http://musicschoolcentral.com/2017s-10-best-hidden-gem-music-schools/
Also, try to find colleges with a similar vibe to Berklee. I don’t know much about it but I heard that McNally Smith College of Music has a similar philosophy as Berklee. I personally think she’d love the Chicago scence so search some colleges there. Columbia College reminded me of the artsy Berklee feel (although not sure of the rigor of the music program) and Roosevelt CCPA was very impressive. Drexel might also be worth a look. What about Boston College or UMass if she wants to be in Boston?
If she REALLY insists on Berklee or Bust, I highly encourage her to apply to a local community college and take a year to get 24 liberal arts credits while continuing to work her craft with private lessons and gigs. Berklee will honor her scholarship the next year and she can enter as a Sophomore. So if she “only” gets the $20K that’s $40K times 3 years instead of 4. Just food for thought.
Good luck!
McNally Smith College of Music was great. My kid did a high school summer program there last year. But sadly it is now closed. We live in very close range of their former campus. I really was hoping another local school might try to absorb some of their faculty and programming but I haven’t seen any press on that for a while. There was a songwriting instructor there my kid absolutely loved. He was thinking of a more Berklee type route for a while but then after I took him on some jazz voice tours he decided a more academic/classic road was probably best for him for undergrad. I could definitely imagine him diverting from that for grad school if he continues on. I’m hoping he picks somewhere that has a jazz program where he could possibly cross pollinate a little on guitar or piano.
We visited both Columbia and Roosevelt CCPA and I think those programs could be fantastic. SUCH a great setting to be a performing artist.
@Parentof2014grad if undergrad only LAC schools with strong music like Luther and Saint Olaf are of interest others that might be are Lawrence University, Oberlin, Pacific Lutheran, DePauw, Bard? I am really hoping my kid ends up at one of these and he is too at this point. He’s applied to Lawrence, Oberlin, Olaf (still a little writing to get in for these). Working on convincing him to throw one to Luther. Luther has sent him handwritten post cards from faculty and e-mails him constantly. LOL. That is a BA program rather than a BM. Hindsight, I wish we had focused more apps on schools like this. But he was on a larger urban school kick for a while. He is applying to a range of schools and we’ll see how the numbers look at the end of the day. He has an application in to a state flagship and I suspect that will come in cheapest, he may get a little merit there. He may be in range for honors college. But now he has no interest at all in going there. So my husband and him may be butting heads if that comes in significantly cheaper than other options. I am considering having him dropping his other public in state tuition option. The program is just really inflexible for music and the application is very hoop jumpy. We’ll see. I actually really like that school but I think there is almost no chance he would pick that. And it will certainly come in higher than our other in state option.
My kid and his voice teacher did back up and change his rep list to accommodate this one quirky school’s requirement I mentioned above! He did e-mail music admissions at that school and got a very vague answer I suspect from was from a student who didn’t really know. It will be fine. He does have 2+ weeks to dust off this old song and if nothing else he can learn music by osmosis. I told him to set up a playlist of his rep on Spotify and listen ad nauseum.
@MusakParent Ooops-I did not realize McNally Smith College of Music closed! That’s too bad. I have seen many positive comments about their programs and the vibe there…