Just realized that booking Airbnb accommodations prior to prescreen notifications is not practical as they will not give full refund unless you cancel within 48 hours after making the booking. It seems we are left with no choice but to reserve the more expensive hotels for the time being despite the cost being doubled or tripled, then look for cheaper alternatives after getting confirmations of the auditions arrangements, followed by cancelling the previous hotel reservations. Hope the less expensive options won’t have been booked up by the time S has his schedule confirmed!
My daughter survived her Berklee audition. So audition # 4 is in the books. She said it went very well, overall. Reading through the audition guidelines ahead of time was definitely helpful. They were running an hour behind, but had great student entertainment to pass the time, perhaps helped to ease the stress a little. It was very cool that she was able to meet the daughter of @DrummerDad18 and my husband was able to connect with him during the wait period. Looks like the girls will meet up again at the NYC YoungArts Regional Program. They both made it in! How awesome is that? Love how the “College Confidential World” can meet up in the real world. Such great people posting here so wonderful to meet in person when we can! She said the interview was very personable and relaxed. Her vocal audition was fine but she said one of the two professors in the audition room was very serious so definitely not as laid back as the other auditions, but she felt pretty good throughout each step. I guess it’s a waiting game now to see where she stands with Berklee. No matter how things turn out, it was a great audition experience for sure and I’m really glad we did this one as an Early Action choice.
@DrummerDad18 & @AmyIzzy congratulations to your kids on completing the Berklee auditions and surviving one of Boston’s coldest days so far this season. Sending you all my good wishes for best possible outcomes. All the best!
@UniversityMomOf2 re post 710 - Thanks for the update on microphones. I’m still curious about the attachable IOS microphones so if you could share some feedback once you get to use the IQ7 for a while it would be most appreciated.
After I pressed my point on the previous page about the importance of sight reading in jazz, I have to say that one of the bands that S is subbing for this month has none of their music written down - you just have to listen to their music and catch on.
@compojazzmom and @akapiratequeen - glad I"m not the only one that is stressing while my daughter on the face of it appears to be non-fussed. I think it might have something to do with our life experience that sometimes things don’t work out the way you want them to. I have a confession 
In my angst, I just emailed my daughter’s mentor at Berklee (didn’t tell my daughter - I sort of have a relationship with her mentor) and asked her what our daughter’s Plan B should be (if she doesn’t get the scholarships to be able to make it happen). I figure that mom’s are the ones to worry about “Plan B’s”. I specifically asked her if there are any good feeder schools to Berklee that she might recommend (I think she’s been to a few oversees). I’d feel a lot better if there was a Plan B for our daughter (financially more than anything). Our daughter keeps saying that Berklee (for instance) has good financial aid but when I look on their website - it says that they typically meet 40% of financial need. Not exactly taking my breath away. And we will have 3 in college next year which is also causing me sleepless nights.
Anyway - I admitted my angst mom move today to you all (my daughter wouldn’t be impressed that I asked her teacher from last summer). But - heck, if you don’t ask, you don’t get recommendations, right? I don’t want to smother my daughter but I also want to be able to sleep at night with some “Plan B’s” at least discussed.
Oh - and no pre-screens to talk about, except Berklee on Feb. 1 (still trying to change the darned time but no response).
I have to constantly remind myself to just hope for the best while trying to fulfill my supportive role behind the scene. :bz
@AmyIzzy and @DrummerDad18 - Whew! Sounds like Berklee audition went great!!! Congrats to have that one done. Congrats! Our daughter wants to have her combo with her so she is waiting until Feb. 1 in LA so I’m very jealous that your musicians have it in the bag early! What a relief.
@GoForth - I agree that in jazz sight reading is important (I have no knowledge of vocal) - at least according to the experts (the article from JB Dyas from Downbeat). My daughter claims she is working on that diligently. The Berklee auditioner told her to work on that for her next audition - so we expect that if she improves that, then the scholarship amount will increase. At the summer program at least, the scholarship amounts were $10k, $20k, $30k and full rides - so if she can increase her scholarship by $10k then it will be worth putting all the time and effort into sight reading.
@Amyizzy - i have no idea about CalArts and composition vs. songwriting. I can put you in touch with our daughter’s friend if that helps. Just DM me.
Can’t wait to hear about results and auditions…the rollercoaster has begun!
@tripletmama I don’t think there is shame in reaching out to your daughter’s mentor for advice. She can at least offer some insight into Plan B options which your daughter may or may not pursue. The idea of international colleges might be appealing, so her expertise in that regard might be helpful. But ultimately it will be up to your daughter-so even the best advice from her awesome mentor will depend on her interest, open-mindless and follow-through. And here’s the hard part-this is when you have to step back and acknowledge that you’ve done everything in your power and it’s on her. Yes, it might increase your stress and sleepless nights but she will find her way on her own terms. That could mean she puts college on the back burner for now or that she suddenly feels inspired and slays the Berklee audition with every ounce of passion she has resulting in a huge scholarship increase. I personally think her scholarship will increase by at least $10K which will help everything to fall into place, but I understand why you want to be prepared for all possibilities. Hang in there! Keep us posted on any advice you get from her mentor. She clearly has a cheerleader from Berklee with influence in her corner so that can’t hurt!
Came across this quote a while back. Some of you may have seen it before so my apologies for the repetition. I thought it is a very good quote describing our children and some of the basis for our collective anxieties. Much can be said about “Parents of singers and musicians” as well and perhaps one day Mr. Ackert will go on the record for us too… Here’s to hoping and doing our part, tirelessly, day in day out! Hang in there everyone… Light is at the end of the tunnel for us. All the best.
"Singers and musicians are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with more day-to-day rejection in one year than most people do in a lifetime.
Every day, they face the financial challenge of living a freelance lifestyle, the disrespect of people who think they should get real jobs, and their own fear that they’ll never work again.
Every day, they have to ignore the possibility that the vision they have dedicated their lives to is a pipe dream.
With every note, they stretch themselves, emotionally and physically, risking criticism and judgment.
With every passing year, many of them watch as the other people their age achieve the predictable milestones of normal life – the car, the family, the house, the nest egg.
Why?
Because musicians and singers are willing to give their entire lives to a moment – to that melody, that lyric, that chord, or that interpretation that will stir the audience’s soul.
Singers and musicians are beings who have tasted life’s nectar in that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and touched another’s heart.
In that instant, they were as close to magic, God, and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts, they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand lifetimes.”
David Ackert, LA Times
We just got back from Crane School of Music. It was a great day at a great place–but for everyone worrying about sight reading–keep worrying.
S reported that piano sight reading was substantial, but not too bad. Everyone at the voice audition spent the whole day commenting on the voice sight reading. They said that it was not only hard, but nearly impossible. It was a fairly long (2 minute) piece with a lot of dissonance. They played the intro and had them sing. S is a VERY strong sight singer (strongest skill) and even he said that it was the hardest he had ever seen.
Love that quote @HereWeGoAgain2018! I was recently thinking about how our music kids really are a special breed! The stress and competition they have already faced in their young lives surpass that of many older adults I know! I remember my daughter dealing with a theatre director who was borderline abusive, bullying and demanding in a way that seemed on par with Broadway-level stuff…and still walking away with her head up and stronger because of it and with a beautiful reference from that same director a year later! Yes, there were tears and doubts along the way but she was forced to handle rejection, learn coping strategies, perform under pressure and smile through the pain at a very young age. This whole audition process is a new challenge but one that our kids seem to be handling with grace and confidence. Can’t always say the same for us parents, but we try! Lol. So bravo to all of us for raising these independent, artsy, gutsy, talented, determined kids. And for SUPPORTING them. I can’t tell you how many parents I know who are refusing to allow their child to pursue the arts in college, saying they don’t want to waste their money on a meaningless degree or for them to end up in the “poor house.” I have to bite my tongue-as many of them have really talented, passionate kids-and I just hope our kids appreciate our faith, love, and support. Maybe they’ll even recognize us when they land that dream job or earn their first Grammy : ) Thanks for sharing that quote-it is much appreciated!
@HereWeGoAgain - thanks for reminding us that our kids are a special bunch. Creatives and dreamers - with a tough exterior. Quite a combo. Our son is a ballet dancer and I think the same about him. Imagine looking at yourself in the mirror all day? That would turn me into a neurotic puddle.
I followed previous years’ threads and now I’m catching up on this year’s thread. D is applying for BM in Percussion Performance. Following up on the posts about sightreading, we met a percussion prof from Thornton last year who told us they require live auditions because live auditions are essential for determining if a student has an adequate sightreading ability. They don’t want to accept students who perform well on the prescreen but can’t sightread at a live audition.
@PercussionMam. Welcome! Thanks for sharing the info. about sightreading. Good info. to know.
Maybe you already shared - what schools are on your son’s list?
@PercussionMama , I am so glad my son did not know that when he auditioned for VP at Thornton last year. His sight reading was a perceived weakness and he would have been stressed!
Hello All!
I, too, have followed past years’ threads but just the other day stumbled upon this one…and thank goodness I did! Everyone’s posts have been extremely helpful and it’s comforting to know others are in this same rocky boat! Just an FYI that my D has applied to VP programs in classical voice; she is a soprano.
@Vistajay, when you S auditioned at USC, did he have to sightread in front of the entire faculty? Was it during his audition time? May I ask which school he chose to attend?
Many thanks!
Hi - my D is also a VP major. It’s an insane and stressful process. Thanks for everyone sharing their thoughts.
Welcome @highnotes2018 and others! It’s good to have comrades for the journey. Right now I am feeling a bit stressed because S’s non-music friends are starting to hear from their non-audition EA or ED schools. It’s nervewracking to have nothing in the bag and such a long process ahead when others are celebrating! Deep breaths!
I agree completely. My son auditioned for EDI at Berklee and also spent the summer there and only wants to go there. Some years they have let kids know by mid December but when we were there for his audition on Dec. 1st, we were told Jan.31. It’s hard to get him to complete the rest of his applications. As a parent watching I know he may not get into Berklee so he has to keep on with the process and finish his other applications. His temptation is to wait for Berklee. If they stick to the Jan. 31 deadline that too late to schedule with other music schools for auditions. He does have two other applications completed and in but they are reach schools too. Anyone hear that they are letting kids know earlier than 1/31 this year??
@Leao114 exactly! My S also EA auditioned at Berklee on 12/1 and is on eggshells. He did apply other places but auditions don’t even start until mid Jan. It would be so good to have one under his belt; in retrospect I would have pushed for at least one more EA.