I forgot the obvious. Rebecca Clarke has written wonderfully for viola. Her Passacaglia might work for your D.
I love Clarke’s Viola Sonata, but it’s a major work of greater difficulty. I believe Clarke has some other shorter works that might also be considered.
I’m curious what your D’s teacher will advise! Viola was a secondary instrument in our household, so there is much I could learn. And I agree with Compmom above, thanks for thoughts other than Covid and politics.
Oops…your D plays viola…for some reason I thought voice. Obviously you were able to pick through my answer for the relevant parts. Glad some others responded.
Wow, thank you both! Lillian Fuchs might be perfect. Lots of levels and different technical focuses. I have asked my daughter to take a listen. Lots of other names to explore here too! I think she might like Clara Schumann. Thank you again!
I’m so glad I read this thread. I had no idea that audition requirements might change in the midst of the process. I just looked, and now I’m seeing advisories that there may be live online auditions, after recordings are reviewed. Kid has been totally swamped with early action applications, and with making recordings, which is a new thing for him. Up until now, the only time that he had to submit recordings was as a prescreen for a couple of competitions, and I think that they were less concerned with the quality of the recording, than just that it be a video recording that demonstrated ability, and that it was the work of the competitor, so that they could know if the competitor was in the ballpark of the level required for competition.
He’s previously done very well in live auditions. I think that the tension heightens his focus, whereas for others, nerves may adversely affect live audition. With recorded auditions, one could possibly do a hundred takes, and submit the one perfect take, plus the quality of the recording location, equipment, and its positioning may have an effect, too. He’s been trying to go to make recordings almost every day, with the goal of having some to submit next week for a music supplement (not as crucial, since the conductor there is familiar with him and his playing), and also to submit for NYO/NYO2. I don’t think that he’s very happy with the results - he’s having to learn how to do this, by trial and error, without any advice or input from anyone, because of the pandemic. He goes alone to a closed house of worship nearby, and tries out making recordings in different locations in the building, trying out mike placement. This, combined with playing catch up on his heavy academic load, has had kid really running on fumes, but he’s managing it. I think that he would be very happy to know that there may possibly be live auditions, or at least live on-line auditions.
I do think that the lack of in-person training and performances is affecting his inclination regarding a dual degree program vs a BA with instrumental major. He says that it’s very hard to keep up the same level of motivation, with no live performances for which to prepare.
I keep thinking of the mother on The Waltons, who now and then would say, “Damn this Depression!”, when it was adversely affecting her family. Damn this pandemic!
I’m glad my heads up could help someone! Seeing the changes definitely took me by surprise.
Yeah, my daughter is really struggling with everything this year. Her academic workload is insane, especially coupled with the online format, and of course audition preparation is such a high priority right now. She did manage to get three EA applications off by the 11/1 deadline. Those are for public universities, for university admission only, not music-specific, but still, it’s progress!
She balked at doing any recordings in time for EA. (Most of the schools we’re looking at do not require prescreens - or at least, not this year.) Even so, it’s only four more weeks until she’ll need those recordings. I think we’re going to be on our own for those, which was not originally the plan.
Hello, everyone! My son is applying for jazz guitar for 2021. I just left a long first post on the somewhat moribund introductions thread here: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/22957819/#Comment_22957819
In short, we’re looking at Oberlin, Berklee, DU Lamont, USC Thornton, Univ. NCo, UNT, and possibly NYU Steinhardt, CalArts, New School, and maybe maybe CU Denver.
Anyway, while we do have a few early 2021 deadlines, there are also at least two full applications (some including audition or prescreen videos) for early December in our future. And my son has not even opened his Common App yet!
For the record, he is barely stressed about it at all. That’s my job, apparently.
@stringbird - my S was definitely asked in a couple of his auditions why he selected the piece he did (it is a very modern, unusual piece for the vibraphone) so it’s a good idea to have an answer in your D’s back pocket (so to speak). Personally I think the question is just a way to get the applicant to warm up and talk…in my kid’s case, I think the fact that he picked something so ‘out there’ was an interesting topic so they could get to know him better.
First time music applicant mom here and would love some advice on timing and expectations. DS is a HS senior trombone player and has already turned in all of his basic applications and even a couple of his prescreens (for schools that had Nov 1 and Nov 15 deadlines). Some of the smaller schools that encouraged him to apply said they would “fast track” his application, but I’m not sure if that meant academically or musically. Will we know anything soon from any schools? I’m hearing about all of these rolling admission acceptances but wondering if music majors know anything before the spring (besides whether or not they made it to the next round of auditions)?
I’d love to know more about decision timing, too, from parents who’ve been through this process. With some exceptions, the stringbird household is expecting to receive prescreen decisions in mid-January and final decisions in mid-late March.
I know if my daughter had applied EA to one of the schools on our list (Lawrence) we were told 12/15 decision date just like any other EA applicant, but she wanted more time to polish her audition pieces and didn’t end up applying EA there.
She applied EA to App State, which is a good in-state choice for us in that it has not (yet!) been deemed “too close to home” by my daughter. They will give us a decision on admission to the university by 1/25, and music school decisions should come out on a rolling basis.
If schools mean “fast track” like EA, your son would probably hear a result early. Typical RD, prescreening results / invitations for next-round audition will come in before Christmas or right after New Year.
Some music schools within university, music school (university) accepts first, then university (music school) decides. No particular school names come up in my mild but I heard about the cases.
Usually, acceptances will come in between mid February to March, until April 1st. You may want to see “Acceptance Thread” to get more ideas.
If after reviewing the information above from @JeJeJe, you still have questions, feel free to call the school’s admission office. They really don’t mind hearing from you! There is not one way all schools do things. Some do one acceptance, other do an academic and then separate music acceptance…all at different times.
All I know (from the past that may be irrelevant this year) is that usually in Dec, you start seeing activity for early decision and audition acceptances. So hang in there another 3 to 4 weeks and you’ll see the first hints of light at the end of a very long tunnel.
Today was prescreen recording attempt #1, in the safety of our living room, using an iPhone Xr on a tripod and all the tricks we learned last winter about light and sound. Ugh. Now that I have a better idea of what’s possible, I’m not satisfied. The room itself will be fine, though I may do a little more “decorating” for sound absorption. The problem is the Xr’s mic. It seems like it isn’t handling the dynamic range properly. We will try pulling the Tascam out again to see if it does better. If not, with my brother’s help I found a couple reasonably priced options for external mics with good sound. It’s great that we still have a couple of weeks to adjust, but I’m also still hoping we can somehow just get this handled by a professional. It’s ugly out there, virus-wise, but I don’t know if I have the ear or the temperament to get this to a good enough level on my own.
(My daughter’s performance of the pieces? It was good. Not perfect. But she has really made fantastic progress over the last year. I am fully aware that I don’t know enough to say this — but I think she’s got a chance.)
After much vacillation, she finally decided she wanted to apply at Bard and then went and did it right away. She now has 5 of 9 applications out the door (the written part, not the recordings, obviously). Passing the halfway mark on these turned out to be a big deal for her, a psychological milestone. She had a big grin on her face when she hit Submit on the Common App part of the Bard one and she hit that confetti button a couple times. She can easily get three more out next weekend. The ninth one, she still hasn’t met the viola instructor, so we shall see what becomes of it.
Hi all, I’ve been lurking for a little while, hoping to learn all I need to know to help my daughter through this process. So appreciate everything you all have shared!!! The college application process alone is ridiculously complicated without throwing auditions on top!
Brief intro: my kid is a good student who loves acting and classical vocal performance - she is not ready to choose between the two, and she is not interested in musical theater. She’d probably prefer a career in acting but she’d rather study music in college and she’s applying mostly to BM in vocal performance programs. Just to make her life a little harder, she’s also auditioning for a couple of BFAs that are slightly less intense acting-wise and allow more liberal arts and trying to choose schools with good BA acting programs (acting BAs are kinda rare). She would love a program where she could move between the two disciplines, or even dual degree in acting/theater and music (schools that offer this are also rare!), and she thinks she has a better admission chance as a singer, so that’s where she’s focused now. Ideally the school will offer her some merit money - she’ll most likely be a national merit finalist and some of the good $$ schools are on her list. She has actually made good progress with her applications, but lots of work left to do!
Question: have any of your kiddos (especially singers) done a live/virtual audition yet, and if so, what was your tech set-up and how did it go? Mine has her first (Miami/Frost School) in a couple weeks. We were able to have her prescreens professionally recorded at a studio (the voice at least, acting not done yet and will probably be different with COVID #s so high now!) so we haven’t had to perfect the home setup yet. She has been doing voice and acting lessons over zoom, and she’s done some master classes and lessons with professors that have seemed to go ok, but of course I don’t know what they are seeing and hearing! She has good USB microphone but I know she sometimes maxes it out.
Thanks so much for any insights you have!
I wonder if she has considered BA degree schools (such as liberal arts colleges) that offer some independence and relative freedom from gen ed/distribution requirements, where she could explore all her interests. Then at the grad level (or career) she could narrow it down. Or continue with interdisciplinary work.
Brown, Amherst, Bennington, Sarah Lawrence for example. Bennington has a top theater program but a small if interesting music dept. There is a winter field work term each year.
Just a thought.
She might like to read the Double Degree Dilemma essay, posted closer to the top of this music forum, which is really about ways to study music, using hypothetical cases, but would apply to theater as well.
Thank you very much compmom! I think I would actually die or murder her (tough call! 
) if she started to look for new schools at this point! She is not interested in a LAC (my oldest is a math major at a tiny/wonderful/perfect/amazing LAC but it’s not the right fit for this kid). Her list is all big schools (ASU, Oklahoma, Northwestern, UCLA etc.) and she’d thrive at any of them and have to compromise some at any of them too.
Welcome, @MathandSinging . Wow, auditions are beginning. That’s exciting! Your question is a good one, and I’m super curious to find out what you land on. We won’t have our first live/virtual audition until January.
I know it’s not quite the same as audition advice, but does your daughter have a voice teacher she is working with regularly? That might be a good person to ask. The teachers have been on the receiving end of this all year! For violin/viola for our weekly lessons, we have had less trouble with our mic setup and more with Zoom itself. The teacher had to walk us through adjusting the “original sound” setting described here: https://antonjazz.com/2020/05/zoom-for-music-lessons-clinics/
Good luck!
That is a super website, Stringbird, and I have no idea if my kid is using those settings. She does use zoom for voice lessons (and now for rehearsals too). We’re going to plan some experiments over Thanksgiving - different rooms, different speakers to play the accompaniment, etc. - and I’ll have her look at that. Very helpful - thanks!
@MathandSinging , you might take a look at USC. My daughter was a theatre B.A. there and my son was admitted for vocal performance but decided to follow his own path. Even if she was not able to double major (tough with a BM in classical voice but you’d have to check that out yourself) she could take theatre classes and there are so many student run acting clubs that she could participate in as much theatre as she wants. As a NMF, if admitted she’d get at least half-tuition and perhaps 2/3 tuition (half-tuition NMF Presidential scholarship plus University Scholarship). Plus they do have music scholarships which can stack. Deadline for merit scholarships used to be Dec 1 though so if interested check it our asap. Good luck!
@vistajay, yes! USC is on her list - she’s applying for the theater BA there (or will be, once she gets through their insane list of supplemental questions :)) - she likes that program - they have minor in comedy! My recollection is that you cannot dual degree between music and theater schools. But I’ll admit (here, not necessarily to my daughter!) I have done less research on the schools where she’s applying for theater/acting - just feel it will be more competitive to get those spots, and harder to stand out in the application process for her. Miami and BU are also on the list, but for VP.
My D did a BS in VP with an outside field of theater at IU. The ability to take theater classes was one of the reason that she chose IU.
It IS very difficult to mix the two disciplines particularly at large schools. Silos exist! She will probably end up concentrating in one area. My D was never able to do a play at IU but did a ton of operas. Still she was able to take theater classes…and never gave up on it.
Don’t forget that when students are young (Freshmen) and enter VP programs they will not be called on for the principal roles. So she should have time for extracurriculars, like school community theater for example (as @vistajay says). At IU, there was a theater in the city that had student written and performed works. Not everyone gets cast in every show…so there’s a lot of talent in these shows. At big schools near metro areas, there will be little concern about finding outside opportunites…and summer the first year is another opportunity for theater work.
If she does do theater, she should be sure to get a good voice teacher. Strong vocal and music skills can get you jobs. Many theaters incorporate music so having those skills can get you cast over other non-musical actors.
I guess my point is that…no matter how hard the schools try to “silo” you, try to get outside of that when possible to widen your skill set. A heavy concentration in one area really only works for the 1% of performers. Everyone else needs a variety of skills.
My D also auditioned for VP, MT and acting. She went with the excitement and money in responses to auditions. Also the fact that she could have some flexibility in studies mattered.
Good luck!