I love to hear when adults are affirming, and it is so good for a mom to hear about how talented and mature her son is. It’s really an amazing feeling. I bet he felt really good. That makes Towson sound like a pretty great choice, as long as she would challenge him enough, in with the praise.
(I really am happy to hear about supportive adults. Young people get a lot of crap from adults who are supposed to be lifting them up. It’s a pet peeve of mine. It’s happened too much to my son and to my fake niece.)
We visited and my D was accepted to and strongly considered going to Baldwin Wallace (Cello and VP). She had done a summer program in voice there and had loved that. Her cello teacher’s much-loved professor was still there and had given her a cello lesson during that program and again a year or more later when she was considering going to school there. We were so impressed by the other students in this prof’s studio who let her sit in on a group lesson and chatted with her afterwards.
The school has a wonderful music Ed program and an incredible musical theater program, the combination of which possibly made for a cheerful and friendly ambiance.
She enjoyed the choir director who worked with the summer program. It was harder to get a good sense of the classical voice program as the musical theater program was especially prominent but we did get to see a rehearsal for an opera which sounded good and looked like fun.
Overall, the visit, audition, and application process was a warm and fun experience, with knowledgeable and accessible faculty.
That is one of the great advantages of attending a music program: finally being around others who get it and take it seriously (and geek out over the same things you do!).
Little does that person know that the music majors are THE busiest students on campus! They are required to take double the amount of classes than than the other majors PLUS are in rehearsals every night.
I guess ignorance is bliss🤪
If only they knew right?. I’ve seen quite a few people on message boards assume a music major is an easy in to a selective school. Hrmph!!
Adults can be one way. College students get it. When we went to Oberlin’s open house last year, we got to interact with several students and each of them spoke of the conservatory kids with such awe of them . They seemed to regard them as unicorns and looked like they admired. them because they have to do all this hard practicing and performing and balance school work and audition and try to have some semblance of a life outside of music.
During our second visit earlier this year for auditions, twice we bumped into Conservatory students who offered to walk us blocks and blocks to our destination when they realized we had no clue how to navigate the campus.
Both times both young women were double majoring. One in some science and the other pre-med. they were crazy busy yet were so kind to walk a couple of lost visitors so they don’t get further lost. And kindly answered all of this chatty mom’s 101 questions
That left such a great impression about music students with me.
I do think most people see BoCo as classical and Berklee as more commercial. But programs for classical performance and composition exist at both. Still I would not assume someone is turning their nose up about kids playing classical as opposed to what they imagine Berklee offers: they mayjust be stating what they think is fact.
Boston Conservatory at Berklee provides a progressive learning environment where students are challenged to realize their potential as artists and inspired to pursue their dreams. Long recognized for its specialized training in dance, music, and theater, the Conservatory’s recent merger with Berklee now combines this rigorous, focused instruction with unparalleled access to a broad range of academic and creative opportunities. Set in the cultural, historical, and educational hub of Boston, this extraordinary institution represents the future of performing arts education.
Oh, it was the way she said it. It made me feel like I needed to defend. I could have been wrong. I do think she was operating from some very old information, though, and you’re right that she thinks it’s a fact that Berklee teaches rock and contemporary music.
On this thread, you are the only one I’ve heard ask about it. It may be one of those things where a school is talked about a lot one year and not as much the next.
Does anyone have any auditions left? Or are we all moving on to a new phase? Waiting, I guess. And for me, thinking about money. For my kid, researching more about the schools he’s been accepted to.
My kid’s list has already self-narrowed, because he applied to a few expensive schools just to see if big enough scholarships came through. At two of them, they have not, and so those two are off the table. There are a couple more potentials out there that could change things up! Once we know what the affordable offers are, we have the money for one more trip.
Kid has 3 solid offers all coming in reasonably affordable. I’m pretty sure one is off the table because the music dept in question doesn’t respond to email reliably, doesn’t come off as warm and welcoming and kid is just over it.
Waiting on 3 that may also be contenders. And then ONE reachy reach that seems unlikely (financially, if nothing else) and more a grad school option.
One school she really liked that may be a contender has some deadlines looming at the beginning of April that requre multiple essays, etc. Hard to know what to do! I don’t know if she has a favorite, we’ve pushed the need to see finances/keep an open mind bit. I kind of have a favorite for her though, I do think all great options.
We made both kids apply to affordable local option and both balked until they really looked at it and saw it was fine and even NICE. We live in a metro, plenty of kids we know end up close to home and pretend they aren’t and do fine. There is nothing wrong with sending your kid across country either of course! I think people generally are doing the best they can with the kid, time, resources, funding they have available. And some people can’t think outside their own bubble and ned to work on polite conversation skils. My kids did not attend traditional school (and we’re not religious and live in an urban area) so we got thick skin early about unsolicited opinions on life choices!
We are the same with 3 solid offers, and one that does not answer questions. That one is still on the table for us though, because Oh, and one reachy-reach both music and money wise, and one money reach are still out there.
Also this! Just the other day, my kid wondered if maybe he should visit the campus for a school that’s 3 hours away by car where he’s been admitted for Jazz Studies with scholarships. It’s the one that is really far from any music city, but it might be worth a look, right?
A few comments on all the naysayers about a career in music:
1.) They are right! It is hard. It’s hard to get to the tippy top. The hours are not for everyone. The competition can be extreme. The gig pay, in the meantime, requires other work. And, the “uncertainty” is not for everyone. (Still the uncertainty becomes manageable as you make connections and get called for roles…but many outsiders don’t get that). Still it’s hard to get started (meaning keep debt low).
2.) There is a middle class of performance (where my D is). You do need to teach or do other work. If you look at that as a failure…maybe it’s not a career choice for you. If you and all the other performers doing the same performance and teaching work, look at it as your lifestyle and way of making a living…then it’s just fine. A lot of people do this…and are happy.
3.) Your life will be a lot harder if you engage in black and white thinking. You either make it to the top or not. This is the most problematic view…bc in that case…most people will fail…and my D would be a failure by that definition. I get the feeling that the musicians who are negative may feel this way…and dismiss others “successes”.
Conservatories (stand alone or in Us or LACs) can be rife with this attitude (black and white), particularly when kids are in the early year of UG. I remember my D saying that a few of her friends would say “it’s the Met or Bust”. So yea, BUST for most!! If I could offer any unsolicited advice, it would be to watch this attitude in yourself and your kid.
I remember thinking when my kid got out of grad school and was auditioning and performing in small venues and being “successful”…that…boy my definition of success had really morphed…lol. I was thinking…just be able to pay your rent and utilities and not ask me for help on the basic…and we’ll call that SUCCESS…I don’t care if you are singing in bars and basements…it’s all good if you can pay your rent! By eating a lot of humble pie (not served at the Met), she’s made her way…at least in my opinion…
Yes!!! As we now wait for audition results for the very last time (DMA piano performance) I think back over the journey. It is difficult but wondrous, and I feel it’s a privilege to watch a child take this unique journey wherever it leads. I always think back to this speech, my son was in the last freshman class at Eastman to attend this speech by Dean Burgett before he passed. I love it, if you haven’t heard it, might be worth a listen… I hope the link works…
We still have Curtis audition for trombone next week. LAST ONE!!! Yay. The audition circuit as I call it is exhausting! But we are also waiting for all the other schools…
It made me feel like I needed to defend. I could have been wrong. I do think she was operating from some very old information, though, and you’re right that she thinks it’s a fact that Berklee teaches rock and contemporary music.
We live in a metro, plenty of kids we know end up close to home and pretend they aren’t and do fine. There is nothing wrong with sending your kid across country either of course! I think people generally are doing the best they can with the kid, time, resources, funding they have available. And some people can’t think outside their own bubble and ned to work on polite conversation skils. My kids did not attend traditional school (and we’re not religious and live in an urban area) so we got thick skin early about unsolicited opinions on life choices!
Oh, and one reachy-reach both music and money wise, and one money reach are still out there.
