@stringbird - the music theory test is almost always for placement purposes only. Of course, people should check each school of high interest but in general its a placement test and can vary a great deal in how it is administered (in person asking a few questions or a one hour written test).
Please note that not all kids go to schools that offer AP Music Theory. Some may not have the resources to do it on their own. It would be a shame for schools to pass up “talent” over theory skills that can be taught. So many schools seem to make allowances for this (in my “opinion”). And…usually vocalist are in the shallow end of the theory pool…having come late (in some cases) to music study. Compared to pianists…vocalists can have only rudimentary skills in theory…and that’s fine. So a school like Oberlin may look at it “holistical”…meaning are you at least on par with expectations based on your background. I think a bad theory test may only matter IF you had taken AP music theory but did not have a good grade/test scores nor good grades in school…that could be a red flag to a music school. But with no AP Music Theory background and basic to good skills in theory…she should be fine. I wouldn’t let her sweat it too much!
I’m glad that she was able to visit a music school campus! And yes, we gave up on the big tours in general once we learned we could get a music school tour which was much more relevant.
And btw…was going to edit but got caught up in work…my D had a few friends in “rudimentary theory” at her UG. They were accepted and then based on the theory test, they had to take a no college credit theory class to get caught up so they could enter college level Music Theory 1. Do note I said “non-credit” course. And Music Theory 1 was only offered fall semseter. So that can put you a bit behind. But there is soooo much learning in music school…it’s just one area - theory…so it was very manageable for her friends. It did not impact performance etc. And they could graduate at the same time. The school had a way of catching everyone up and getting them through the curriculum regardless.
If concerned after the test and after acceptance, it would be something to check. All schools, to my limited understanding, have different ways of offering music theory.
Your D’s self-study should be useful. She might talk with her private viola instructor also about her concerns if she hasn’t done so - I’m sure thee will be sympathy and advice!
Has she googled “music theory websites”? There are a number of interactive programs that she can use to test herself and/or learn aural skills, figured bass, clef reading basics, etc. Many are free and others are quite reasonable cost. Many conservatory kids use these as extra practice. She is actually better off without a specific theory teaching approach as these vary from school to school. (fixed Do, movable Do, number system, etc - it can be hard to quickly mentally switch from one system to another) The self instruction should be quite helpful with familiarity and practice in theory subjects.
Also, google: music theory admissions tests. There are a number on-line - some with answers, others not which is very frustrating!! I believe Lawrence has an on-line example of their test - was this somewhere you had considered?
I remember one of “ours” taking a theory placement “for real” at a major conservatory. Our kid was placed in second year, but opted for first which was incredibly wise. Kid was shocked that some friends were placed in no credit remedial level classes. These were top players on their instruments for entering classes at major music schools. No musical dummies - just not quite as familiar with the formal theory aspects tested on the placement exam. They all graduated on time - somehow the theory sequence was made up.
Thanks everyone. For the record, I totally agree about not stressing out over this. The concern was Oberlin-specific. They say this on their Undergraduate Applicants site: “As part of the application and audition evaluation process, the admissions committee considers your music theory knowledge.” We haven’t seen that anywhere else. Just like @bridgenail says, all the other schools we’ve looked at are careful to say the test is for placement only and is not considered in the admissions decision.
In an unusual twist for our family, my daughter was the one nervous about this. We only learned in August that her opportunity to take music theory her senior year was being cancelled. By then, the school year was upon us and there was not a lot of time. So there was no point in worrying. But she worried anyway, poor kid.
@Musicaspirant yes, actually there is an old exam from Oberlin itself online, from back when it was a written exam, so my daughter was able to get an idea of what kinds of questions they might ask. The concepts are not difficult, she knows them, but she doesn’t know the words for them, and she doesn’t necessarily know the special cases. It is to her advantage that she recently switched clefs when she switched to viola. In my view, she will get enough mileage from plugging the vocabulary into her conceptual framework - and that’s what prep books are for. She’s been working independently out of an AP Music Theory prep book. She hasn’t had time to cover much yet, but she gets 100% correct on the quizzes. She won’t knock their socks off with her command of theory - but putting in more effort would not be optimal use of her time. She just needs to not be stressed out about it! For that, the prep book is enough.
Agree she will not be left floundering. Again Oberlin-specific (but I’ve seen similar stuff elsewhere) - there is a summer “jump start” class for music theory, worth half credit, and there are two different fall offerings with one being an “intensive” offering - worth the same amount of credit as the regular offering. So if she is admitted she will have extra work to do. I imagine that will be true anywhere she is admitted.
That is the link to the you tube channel for College Board AP Music Theory - it is all pre-populated with the 33 videos from last year’s effort to keep AP students ‘on track’ once lockdown began. I am pretty sure that the vocabulary she is missing will be on those videos. Wishing her the best of luck with applications in this very strange year.
Hi @Clara2021 , for viola we haven’t run across a program that is actually requiring a live accompanist this year. We wouldn’t feel comfortable with that. I might recommend contacting the admissions office directly with your concern and asking if your student can be “accompanied” by a recording of the accompaniment part. Please let us know what they say (and who “they” are, if you are willing), it could be helpful to another student.
My daughter has one “maybe” on her list - Bard - that says an accompanist is preferred but not required. If she decides to apply there, we are planning to write in to ask whether they would prefer a recording to accompany, or no accompaniment.
We visited Lawrence University. Currently it is top of the kid’s list because her recent Zoom sample lesson with the professor was apparently fantastic.
This was a basic college tour, not conservatory-specific, but our tour guide was a double degree student and was able to answer most of our questions about the conservatory.
Again, for anyone doing tours this year, I would recommend going through what’s available online prior to your tour. In Lawrence’s case, my daughter thought their official information was useful but not as useful as Oberlin’s. There is a lot of unofficial information available too, and Lawrence’s YouTube channel also turned out to be fun and useful.
Wisconsin is not handling COVID well right now, and Outagamie County in particular is not doing well, so we didn’t stay very long. We didn’t even walk around downtown. With that giant caveat, Appleton was cozy-looking! In my opinion it was a very comfortable size. My daughter was fine with the location, as she was with Oberlin. (Lawrence, of course, is taking the pandemic seriously, and based on their dashboard they seem to be doing a decent job. We weren’t able to go into one of the buildings on the tour because they were doing COVID testing in it. Everyone we saw was masked.)
Lawrence was also comfortable, if small. There were not many groups of kids outside and around. The kids we saw were usually alone or in pairs, but looked relaxed and comfortable. My daughter liked what she saw, and liked the fact that she would have a lot of control over what her education looked like.
Stopped by to check in on the next generation of music students and found this forum basically moribund. Fwiw, music in NYC is slowly but surely re-emerging. My son and his friends haven’t given up the journey. Music will find a way. I’m hoping you/your kids haven’t given up either. Even in these most challenging times - especially in these times - the world needs music. Would love to read about your/your kids’ stories, as I do every year.
Couldn’t agree more with the above. My lunch hours are no longer the same. And I would much rather read updates here…than the news! I hope parents and students still participate this year. Would be interested in hearing how auditions are handled this year. Hopefully once people pass pre-screens (that is a thing this year, right?) they will feel more comfortable sharing.
And…my D is continuing to perform virtually. She said to me: who would have guessed opera singers would have to become recording artists. In Aug and Sept she did recordings (alone) to be mixed with a chorus (in one case) and with other solo singers for a virtual opera. Lots of tech to learn and virtual conductors to work with. She also had to be filmed (luckily she has had on-camera experience). She still hasn’t seen the finally result but really enjoyed the creative outlet. Getting the emotional impact right was difficult by yourself…but all good skills. And…after 5 years of the same day job (and having to increase her hours there to a point it became less of a refuge and more drudgery) it made her look for a new job during a pandemic. She did get one where she can work from home in an area of interest and more flexibility. She said that she would not have made the effort before…and she’s so glad she did because it’s a better fit going forward. Still, she entering a “dry period” now…so it comes and goes…and there are still plenty of worries…but we all solider on and she has expanded her skill set so…hopefully in the long run it’s all good.
Looks like my son’s conservatory is unlikely doing “live auditions” for 2021-2022 and encouraging applicants to send video auditions by February 1st. A good thing is, virtual interviews will still happen. His school is all online / remote this semester (dorm is closed but a part of campus is open for off-campus students to practice) with 10% tuition discount. We expect an announcement for spring semester by Thanksgiving probably with some schedule changes. Dean thinks that school will be back “close to normal” in Fall 2021!!!
No new news here for us. My daughter is struggling to balance her heavy courseload with audition preparation. Prescreen deadlines are coming up fast! She has one due 12/4, that’s only seven weeks from now. On the application side, not one application has gone out. She still doesn’t have her music resume put together. I am hoping she can at least get started on that this weekend.
For the schools my daughter is looking at, all prescreens are prerecorded. As for auditions, they are generally either prerecorded, or a combination of a prerecorded submission + an interview. Bard will let you audition “live” on Zoom or submit a recording.
It’s nice but also disappointing not to have to worry about travel arrangements for any of this. My hopes are dimming for visits to some of the further flung schools on her list, especially since our state’s coronavirus numbers are starting to climb back up recently.
I hope other people’s lists and preparations are coming along!
Welp…it’s good to know some things haven’t changed. No applications out when your time line said they WOULD be out…sounds very familiar! Hang in there…most kids get the important ones done…even at the last minute.
Heads up to other parents - as we go along, some schools on our list are changing their requirements and plans for auditions. About half now say they want auditions “live online” by preference, where before, most were planning only to take prerecorded auditions. This is both exciting and scary - for me! The kid seems fine with it. I’m worried about technical glitches, etc.
I’m also seeing more accompaniment-required references like @Clara2021 was mentioning - at least, for vocalists - haven’t seen it yet for viola - other than Bard’s “should be accompanied but it is not required” comment. (We’re still not sure whether she’s applying to Bard. This school year may be killing her interest in a double degree entirely.)
The other change is, we also have two schools that now either prefer or require that one audition piece be the work of an underrepresented composer, which means a female composer or a person of color. So if she applies to these schools, we need to find her one more piece. Currently all her selections are the compositions of dead white guys. My daughter has some favorites whose work she listens to regularly, but she says the pieces she knows are not yet within her technical reach. She has raised the problem with her teacher, maybe next week her teacher will have a couple ideas for her.
I gather that at the auditions where she plays the music of an underrepresented composer, she will be asked, “why did you choose this piece”. That got me thinking, is this a question the musicians are asked about all their audition pieces? It’s probably time for me to dive back into the old audition threads to find out more about the process, as a “live online” audition has the advantage of allowing some of that back-and-forth.
Hopefully this is the first and last time I ever see myself write something like this: I should have been rechecking schools’ audition requirements more obsessively! Even an extra two weeks’ lead time would have been helpful. I was feeling relatively organized and on the ball but I must not forget - this is still the year of just rolling with it.
That is an interesting question, “why this piece?” I’m not sure that my D was asked this question. I don’t remember being concerned bc the pieces were picked by her teacher. The “teacher” has such an important and respected role in classical music…that I’m not sure it is commonly asked. They may assume (and expect) that you are following the direction of your teacher.
Still they may ask you questions about the piece itself…or your interpretation of it. Honestly I don’t remember this either for classical voice. Her auditions were so short which is common. It was mainly just singing…and thank you. I do know that sometimes she was asked about “why our school”. Or “why this degree?” And “what others schools?” But fairly quick and simple…no deep probing. Since it’s a new requirement, she could have a thoughtful response, just in case, on how she connects with the piece, but it may not need to be a full essay.
And yes, new music can be technically more challenging. Hopefully her teacher can offer a good fit. Remember nothing has to perfect…especially if it’s new. But it should be something that allows her to showcase some solid skills but always with…beautiful, natural sound. At her age, the teachers know that she will need help with technique (it took my D until 25 to get control over her voice)…but SOUND…that natural built-in element…is very unique to each individual. So if she can make some beautiful sounds in the piece that will help. Hopefully she will find a piece she can connect with to help elicit those sounds.
The above is opinion and from a few years ago. So I could be wrong…and maybe the questions are asked more often now. Hopefully others will respond.
One more comment: I would guess my D would prefer a live audition. What would scare my pants off, my D would prefer…lol. Performers like to perform…live. Also my D was much more thoughtful about music than I understood. She liked talking about it with teachers (better than her know-nothing mother). If your D is already listening to new composers…she’s probs just fine in articulating that interest if brought up.
Underrepresented composers are not necessarily new or connected to new music.
Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de Saint-Georges might be an interesting choice from the 18th century. He influenced some of the better known dead white males, and commissioned Haydn. His father was white and mother was a slave. Don’t call him the"black Mozart" though because that raises the question of whether Mozart was the white “Joseph Boulogne”! (NY Times recently had an article on him by Marcos Balter)
Barbara Strozzi was an interesting composer and vocal performer of the 17th century, and helped to create the genre of cantata apparently. She had an adoptive father who helped her career and helped her publish.
There are so many others…beyond Fannie Hensel and Clara Schumann!
Or, as mentioned above, the plentiful possibilities from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Hoping eventually this kind of affirmative action means that diverse composers are included in the canon and not played because of gender or race.
Thank you, @bridgenail , you are right of course! My daughter doesn’t talk about music the same way to different people. She seems to have almost an intuition of how deep to go with it. It must just be a musician thing. Good also to know about the “typical” audition back-and-forth. We have always basically just been handed music - at first via the Suzuki progression, but even today, it’s what the teacher picks. I consider my daughter still to be very much in learning mode, and that includes repertoire choice.
Thank you also, @compmom ! I’m going to go listen to the composers you named and see if they have anything for viola. This is a huge help, and gets to the basic problem with a late change to the audition requirements: if it’s not “in the canon”, and part of the point is to showcase one’s technical proficiencies, how does one even know where to begin? My old fears about whether my daughter’s technical level is up to par are resurfacing! Well, there’s nothing to do for it but look around and keep moving forward. If worse comes to worse, I guess we can drop these schools. That would be very sad and ironic though! For many reasons, I really hope we can find a suitable piece.
Check also Nadia Boulanger - there is a transcription for viola of her Three Pieces for Cello. (called,I believe, Three Pieces for Viola). Not technically difficult. If she truly needs to talk about why this composer was picked, she could talk for days on Nadia Boulanger’s influence on US (and worldwide) composers and musicians. Copland, Bernstein, on and on and on at the America School in Fountainebleau. Influence still felt and bragged about by those lucky enough to have encountered her.
Her sister Lili Boulanger died tragically young, but I believe also left some solo viola literature.
Lillian Fuchs Fantasy Etudes and Characteristic Studies are classic for viola technical studies - maybe something happens to fit your D’s technical strengths. Kind of a Paganini for viola.
I checked our files for Augusta Read Thomas and some other contemporaries. Pretty hairy stuff if you haven’t played the styles before. our kids played this in conservatory.
I’m sure her viola teacher will lead you correctly, but I agree: New requirements are irritating!!! (more, I think, to us observers and supporters than to the kids.)
Also interesting possibility of questioning. Something new each year. In the past, auditions were “run 'em in, run 'em out” - no to little time for chat or questions in our experience.
One of the step kids was asked to explain in writing about why a particular concerto was chosen for a competition with one of the “Big 5” orchestras. We laughed. The answer, as suggested above, is " the teacher picked it for development purposes and to show my strengths". Obviously, this was not the response that was included on the official entry form!
Best to you and your D - not a good year for this!
No idea who writes for viola and trying to stay away from new music composers due to concerns about technique…leaving out composers who I am certain didn’t write for viola…
women composers of various dates
Elisabeth Jacquette Delaguerre
Fanny Hensel (Mendelssohn’s sister)
Mariana Martines
Lili Boulanger (Nadia was eventually more of a revered teacher)
Clara Wieck Schumann
Amy Beach
Ethel Smyth
Rebecca Clarke
Germaine Tailleferre
Sofia Gubaidulina
Kaija Saariaho
(last two are contemporary and write for extended techniques)
composers of color of various dates
Florence Price
Samuel Coleridge Taylor
William Grant Still
Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de St. George
George Bridgetower (violinist)
George Walker
Francis Johnson
George Lewis
Marcos Balter
Anthony Davis
Vijay Iyer
(last 4 are contemporary and probably write for extended techniques)
again google!
I am so impressed that the schools are asking for this. Curriculum changes can help, but musicians need to start playing composers who aren’t dead, white, male and enshrined as “the great masters.” The schools are finally doing their part.
