I think she meant something even deeper than that - if the school does not see the particular value in what you present as an individual musician, than they are not the right fit.
One thing my son did was send to a bunch of places a recording that his teacher loved, but was afraid to tell him to send because if the faculty didn’t know the particular history of what the composer was doing(French v. Spanish pacing thing) they would think he was off. He decided it was a test as he thought the faculty should know. At the live audition he attended, he ended up explaining to the professor why he was performing it the way he was; the prof was satisfied with the explanation but warned my son that he would get questioned about it every audition…**. You can’t answer questions in pre-screening!
I don’t know if this is why he didn’t make it through pre-screening at some places, but he made a conscious choice to take a risk because of what he expects faculty to know.
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This is so important, but also so hard to feel and understand when you are a student excited about music programs that might not accept/invite you. I’m trying to think about passing prescreens as being requested to come audition, because as individuals and musicians, our kids have something the schools are seeking. Schools are looking for musicians, just like we are looking for schools. It’s hard to remember when the whole system seems to position the musician as “applicant” or even supplicant.
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Son’s GF passed the prescreen for Frost on clarinet- 
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I think it’s more evident later in the process, once the student has to decide among schools. Then the supplication can flip. This is true not just for music kids, but competitive admissions in general, the difference being that for music kids, the studio teacher is unusually important(more like the kind of thing most students don’t worry about until grad school).
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phew!! What a grueling schedule!!
My kid so far will have clocked three in person, two recorded prescreens, only one will require travel away far’ish from home.
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So, here’s what my kid has done/coming up.
Frost - done!
CU Denver - done!
UNT - passed prescreen
USC - passed prescreen
Loyola - in person in February
UArts - virtual in February
Berklee -audition date unknown
Applications still to finish for The New School and Columbia Chicago. Woohoo! I think that’s it.
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Im jealous you have a set plan. Ours is still a bit up in the air, awaiting on academic acceptances.
He visited Loyola New Orleans over holiday break and LOVED the city vibe. Fingers crossed he gets in AND the money works!
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I’m so glad you had time to go to NOLA, given the musical, and I’m so happy he loved it! The city is amazing. Well, I’ve only ever been there for 10 days, but what I saw and experienced was amazing. We’re in the same boat about acceptance AND money working out. I’ve also got 
We’re not completely set, because the dates at USC, UNT and Loyola conflict. I think we’re set on Loyola in early February, UNT in late February (only option), and USC…when? He’s filled out the change request form this morning. Thankfully, only two on his list require separate academic acceptances, including UNT, which he applied to back in October, so he has that one.
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In our family, one thing we think makes a great city experience is hearing live music on the street and wandering to find some incredible musicians in front of a cafe or on in a park. One of my favorite memories of NOLA was when we were taking a public bus from the Garden District back to our hotel, and there was some awesome music on a street corner. The bus driver pulled over and parked the bus so he could get out and listen, and throw some money in their hats. 
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Interesting…thank you for this note. I still don’t understand how the teacher is important in the process, if they have only seen my kid play for 10 minutes. Should we be trying to get more time with teachers while we’re there? We haven’t had luck getting answers from the two schools we’ve tried to contact.
ETA to clarify: I mean a sample lesson, class, introduction…not more audition time.
UMiami has shared some sad news about the passing of one of their main admissions officers. They ask that applicants be patient and understanding when we might not get answers. In addition to being sad news, the UM poster shared that it’s possible it would affect decision times.
University of Miami Class of 2027 Official Thread - #26 by UMiami_Ambassador1.
The teacher/studio professor is the primary person who will be guiding the student through weekly lessons and studio class. It would be inappropriate to ask for extra time with the teacher at the audition time as the absolute priority for the teacher/program is to rank and select candidates for their studios.
One can ask for a sample lesson with the teacher outside of the audition period. So generally before pre screening results are sent out or after all students are accepted.
Hope this helps!
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I appreciate your note, because it did sound like I wanted to do something inappropriate, but I didn’t mean more audition time. I was thinking about what you mention: a sample lesson. Or perhaps sitting in on a class or just saying hi for a brief meeting the day before.
I would never ask them to give my kid special treatment on audition day. I hope those days are for fair and equal consideration of everyone. Financially, we can only make one trip to NOLA, so he would be looking for something to do the day before the audition (or maybe we could swing two days).
Re reading my post and I think it is not clear. By audition period I meant the entire time period of the audition process which for the teacher/program runs from when auditions are offered (passed pre screening) to when offers are made in the spring.
Asking for a sample lesson during these months would generally be denied and not looked upon favorably. Totally fine to ask for a lesson (can be remote) once your student is accepted into the school/program.
Ah, okay! Now I understand what you are saying, and it makes sense. So audition weekend is not a good time for that. Would you feel it’s okay to ask to sit in on a class or meet a current student while we’re there, or would that be similarly looked upon? Thanks.
Anything not involving contact with the teacher or audition staff is fine.
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One thing I was going to mention is given covid, an option now is asking if they would be open to a zoom lesson. We always offer to pay their typical lesson fees. My daughter missed a teacher on one campus we visited this fall and she offered up to meet on zoom which was great. That is at least an opportunity to get a read on teacher vibe and program culture and can give a teacher a sense of studio/program fit too.
I suspect it’s too late to be doing that now going into audition season, but maybe it might be an option after an acceptance that remains in the running. My daughter has a couple further flung schools we may not get a chance to visit again as well.
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Can you tell I don’t know what I’m doing? 
It makes a lot more sense to do things like this after acceptances at this point. Both because it’s appropriate and also because there’s not much reason to meet teachers at every school before we know what offers are made. Zoom is a good option if they’re open to it, after we know a school is in the running.
ETA: All but one school is what I would describe as “far flung” for us. None are near our part of the country, and all the cities could not be more varied and spaced apart. It’s exciting, but also makes it difficult.
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Correct. It’s best to wait until acceptance for some of your very valid concerns. There will be a “shift of power” after the acceptance. Some people overemphasize this (to a point of sounding greedy). I simply mean that it is the point when you KNOW they have accepted your kid…so now you can really dig in on the final concerns/questions. At that point, teachers are more accommodating. They don’t want to spend time on every “candidate” but will spend time on an “accepted student”.
My D had a hard time as a vocalist knowing exactly what she wanted in a teacher (classical instrumentalist who have been playing since 5 or 8 or 10 are better at this). We felt: aren’t they all good? It’s OK to feel that way. It’s a learning experience.
Plus, at this point, you really don’t have a lot of power. You have to show yourself and your talent to the teacher…and hope they “like” you. What are they looking for? I can only comment on classical VP…and hope that you can translate that to your student’s genre. In classical VP, some teachers are better with some voice types. My D’s teacher was particularly good with Mozart type voices. Some “heavier” type of voice she thought beautiful but told my D…I don’t know how to help that voice type….my experience is elsewhere. So an amazing singer could come before her, she would definitely “vote” for that singer to be accepted, but not offer studio space. She felt the singer would be better off with another teacher.
10 minutes is short. But remember, they have usually seen a pre-screen and they are looking at a music resume. That does communicate something. They also will respond to you as a personality. My D asked her professor why she offered her a space…and she said something to the effect of my D reminded her of herself when she was young.
That is why I stress being “authentic”. Show your true self…not what you think people will want to see. My D actually dressed a little “stylish” for classical music. As she walked out her teacher said…I like your dress. I guess diva sees diva…well my D’s teacher was diva…my D is still working on it…
Short answer (after my long response): at this point, he needs to take his 10 min shot (with background material submitted) and see what professors picks up on his background, talent, play, style etc. Hopefully a teacher or two will think…there’s a musician that I recognize and I can help. The teacher is very important is sheparding the student through the program, advocating for opportunities and helping him develop his style.
I hope that this helps.
Edit: My D’s UG teacher is still in contact with her and comments on her music. She graduated in 2015. Her grad teacher unfortunately passed away.
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