2nd round as in in-person audition? Best wishes!
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yes. Did NOT pass prescreen. Disappointing. Thought my son who plays the flute did enough to get a visit. We even traveled to USC from DC area to visit and were in shock and awe that they had ZERO representation among guests, visitors for the the classical music segments from our sub population. It was shocking but telling. Oh well. Onward and upward.
Music performance is such a super competitive. And Flute is the most competitive instrument I think. You have to be super to get past pre-screen.
Congrats to all who did and Good luck during Lives! You Got this!!!
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I think it’s a bit random. During UG audition time, my kid got invited to audition at a very elite conservatory, but didn’t pass the prescreen at a large public university’s music program.
I thought a lot of it had to do with how many openings were available for particular instruments and/or vocal ranges each year. Even if all the studios start out the exact same size, some will have students study abroad/drag their feet and take longer to graduate/transfer, etc. so the actual number of slots open from year-to-year will differ. I know Curtis, for example, doesn’t audition all instruments every year. @BoyFluteMom
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Next steps on our journey are: Mom to stop obsessing, kid to meet some January deadlines, and do a couple auditions in February. I think it’s natural to be a little nervous, because I want the best for my kid, but this is about his choices (with some parental input and reality checks). I need to stop wondering if there’s some unicorn program out there that checks all the boxes and that we don’t know about.
We have not heard from USC, by the way.
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I’m obsessing anyway… 
Has anyone heard from Gettysburg/Sunderman who applied ED or EA? Just curious if we will have to wait until Feb. 1 to hear.
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Any VP majors heard from Blair or Bienen?
We’re also waiting on UNT, and I imagine it will take a while. The program is so big, and the prescreen materials were not due until 12/5.
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I know of one VP major (soprano) who heard within the past few days from Blair.
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I thought VP meant violin performance, not voice… perhaps I’ve misread some things.
My son is a tenor and his best friend is a soprano and neither has heard so we will continue to not so patiently wait…
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Bienen just released its ED acceptances on Friday, so perhaps that delays their prescreen decisions-- knowing who they definitely have on their roster for the fall and where else they can fill? (we know a voice major who got accepted ED)
Best of luck/toi toi toi!
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Sorry to hear about Blair. Good luck with all the rest!
Sorry to hear JayJay. Classical music needs to do more to expand participation. LA in general does a lot but it is a surprise you didn’t find USC to be doing enough. I wish you the best - so many more schools yet to announce prescreen results.
When my son auditioned three years ago we stayed in the Hilton Houston Medical; it was very nice and within walking distance of Shepherd. I’ve stayed there twice more - moving him in and one visit in his sophomore year. 
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Thanks. I think the puzzling part was that it seemed as it the prof. wanted my son in the studio, so that threw him. I’m not actually sure Vandy as a whole would have been a good fit, honestly, but everyone says the teacher is more important than the school.
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Thanks! It does! Representation is deplorable nationwide and there is not much done to encourage expansion. I mean, there is in Jazz and popular music but not classical. We’ll keep working on it. It is a passion of my son’s to be an ambassador of sorts and to expand the opps for underrepresented groups and communities in this segment of the Arts.
Edited to add: Tonight he had his first gig performing solo at a holiday party for Major donors at his private Catholic school and he got lots of love so that was an uplifting end to a pretty dismal weekend full or rejections. Also, he has All-Eastern to look forward to in a couple of months!
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He sounds like a great kid!
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I think quite a bit is being done to encourage “expansion” but it is going to take time for any real effect. Curricula and repertoires are changing, for one thing. Harvard, for instance, changed their curriculum to encourage access and diversity of interests. as have many other schools. Even 15 years ago, the expectation was that you had done conservatory prep, to major in music at a top school, and that is no longer true.
In recent years, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Florence Price, Julius Eastman and other composers of color are taught in music history and performed by major orchestras and ensembles.
Many conservatories have outreach programs that help underrepresented groups attend their prep schools. Right now, people of color are prioritized for many festivals, residencies, grants and awards.
That said, classical performers and composers are still predominantly white, and the repertoire is still predominantly old white guys from other centuries. The old guard in music, many of whom still have tenure, are predominantly male and white.
So it isn’t that “there is not much done.” In academia and conservatories, there are endless panels, workshops and discussions on diversity, equity and inclusion. But I agree we are not seeing a change in the demographics of classical music students as yet. It would help if conservatories were more affordable, though of course there are middle and upper middle class folks of color for whom that may not be the obstacle.
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Agree with all the wise words of comp mom. To add to this, the brilliant Sphinx Organization, out of Detroit. My son has participated in their summer performance academies for the past four years. No org is doing what they do to promote diversity in classical music and for 25 years! The connections he has made via Sphinx have been invaluable - both peers and teachers (who helped him craft the right professor list for college). The summer programs cater to string players - so the flute player is sadly left out. But he would be able to apply for grants and such. Possibly be a future resource? Best of everything JayJay. Your son will find the perfect path.
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