Slight concern here about how long it is taking to hear back about trial lessons - been a couple of months now for some key teachers
I had the same issue! What helped me, though may not be the best idea, is to send a short audio clip of her playing. I think when they realized how serious of a musician I was and what I could bring to the program, they were a little more willing to schedule a mock lesson.
Thank Ty iu - she had sent her resume but maybe a clip would work! Worrying thing is some of these teachers are the main person forore than one school. So they a re email very busy and do a lot of touring etc - should DD be concerned that this is indicative of not being around to teach as much as she might think?
Could be, but it depends on faculty position I think. Adjunct teachers are usually on campus a couple days a week to give lessons, whereas department heads and such are there pretty much daily.
Here are a few opinions:
Summer time is not a great time for some teachers. Many are gone at festivals. It is also their break. You may have better success in the fall.
Not all teachers reply and do lessons. My Dās UG teacher as a rule did not respond to requests for lessons. She would wait for the audition and then offer lessons to students that she was interested in.
Iām not sure that I would push too hard at this time (or read too much into it). Others are free to disagree with me. I would simply check if any teachers could give lessons in the summer. If no reply from some, I would try again in the fall. If no reply at that time, you can reach out to music admissions (you can do that even NOW) and ask them the best way to approach teachers. Music admissions can probably give you some insight into ābest practicesā at their schoolā¦and maybe damp down the worry. You may find out the teacher is in Europe all summer.
Andā¦teachers can be cool during the audition process (not all, but some) and suddenly very warm after auditions. Remember to think of it from their perspective too. They donāt often want to overpromise. Soā¦be coolā¦relaxā¦try your best to get lessonsā¦at some point if you are patient and persistent to a reasonable degreeā¦those lessons will start happening.
And, yes, interacting with schools and teachers is āpart of the processā. What do they like (your kid)? What makes them feel bad? Is the school/teacher easy or hard to work with? Your opinion may change over time (back and forth). Still as a parent you should try to stay neutral, particularly now, when itās still early.
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Small sample, but slightly opposing experience. The only sample lessons my S22 did were during the late summer-- early August, to be exact. He did two lessons- he emailed each teacher about a month ahead of our trip and said that he was going to be on campus on such and such dates and would they be available for a sample lesson?
Both were there and agreed to lessons and were very flexible with times and dates. The downside was the empty campuses but it was still kind of covid-times so I was fine with it.
Side note, my S had met and worked with one of the teachers during a summer program through Artsbridge, which was virtual at the time, however, the connection with college faculty ahead of the audition season was invaluable. I definitely recommend doing at least one summer program if possible.
Iām sure some profs are still a bit busy with grades (especially those on trimester who are still in class and about to get to finals), so give it some time and then perhaps send a follow up email.
One teacher, we were told, never answered emails, even after acceptance. We called admissions and they contacted him. He was very welcoming so you canāt always judge by their communication, apparently.
So this is getting real! S24 is going to record his first videos early next week on polished pieces that he has been working on all year and performed for his junior year recital. I have always been a fan of concert blacks but we are debating having him wear a dark green sweater and chinos. He looks so much better in green and is much more comfortable in a sweater than a button down. (dark hair and very pale) Is this a ridiculous question, ha!
After that he is off to his summer program and 6 weeks of glorious immersion in music and no college talk!
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While concert black is generally considered standard attire for classical instrumentalist auditions, in my opinion it would be totally fine for your son to dress as you describe. I would recommend keeping to solid conservative colors as you state, rule of thumb is to avoid any attire that would be distracting to the viewer.
From what we have learned about pre screen videos for college, festival and now professional auditions, the reviewer will be primarily focused on the sound. However, you still want good quality video with a professional appearance.
Kudos to your son for being ready to record this early!
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Thank you! That is reassuring! We will see how they come out, he is ready to move on from these pieces and has a concerto and other pieces to prepare for the fall. Hoping that they will be usable, esp for supplements.
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Welcome! I donāt know much about vocal programs so I canāt give you specific help. For S24 (classical instrumentalist) we looked at each school of interest and saw if they had a music supplement and if they have any specific suggestions for a supplement. We are recording specific videos so that he is at his best, not recitals since those can be of poor quality and it often is not clear unless you watch the whole video that this is a recital not a prepared video. I donāt know of montages, I donāt believe that is suggested for instrumentalists but others who have children in vocal performance may have a better answer. I would suggest looking for schools that she is interested in for other reasons and then adding in music. My understanding for non audition schools is that this can be a spike or addition to the application but your child would have to be a competitive applicant based on other factors. This forum is full of very helpful people but for school recommendations they may need more info.
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@kempnerlevine, you might want to read the Double Degree Dilemma essay in the Read Me thread here on the music major forum. It is really about different ways to study music, though I would add to it the path of BA in music, minor in music, or majoring in something else with extracurricular lessons (often funded) and performance (often for credit).
As for the supplement, they can include recording/video, music resume, and one or two letters of recommendation related to music (which can include comments on talent, character, work ethic, working with others, curiosity and interest in other areas etc.)
I think it helps to call schools to ask what they want and what they accept. For BA programs, whether majoring in music or not (you can still do a supplement even if you donāt intend to do any music!), we asked a certain Ivy and ended up cuing three minutes of one piece- thatās it! In our case the resume and especially letters of recommendation may have been more important than the recording, but of course that is not true for many.
If your daughter does not want a BM at a conservatory or school of music at a college or university, it is sometimes good to avoid the schools with excellent BM programs, because the best teachers and performance opportunities may go to the BM students. However there are many exceptions so this is another big question to ask.
In order to suggest schools, it might be helpful to know a little more about your daughterās preferences, in terms of size, location, academic interests, āvibeā and so on. Is she sure she does not want a BM? Is double degree a possibility? She can always apply to a variety of options and decide in April!
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Wow well done for being ready to record! dd has her rep sorted for each pre screen but some of it is new so def not recording until end of summer. Hopefully will be lots of practice etc at summer camp
He has worked ridiculously hard on these pieces this year to present at his junior year recital at his pre-college program. They fit a bunch of the prescreen requirements if he decides to go that way and definitely are wonderful representations of his best aspects so anything to make next fall easier. I am not convinced there will be much solo practice at his summer program!
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Well done to your DS - itās so good when it all comes together on time!
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Itās exciting that itās getting real! Woohoo!
Iām adding my voice here about clothing with the caveat that my kid is a jazz student. Classical students have different guidelines and standards. But I think the overall advice I would give is to repeat what others told me.
Dress like himself. My son dressed the way he normally plays, and he was comfortable. If a kid is comfortable in concert black, that makes sense. If he is comfortable in a green turtleneck, that makes sense. It eliminated an element of stress for my kid, to be dressed normally for him.
I realized later that what S wore either had no bearing on decisions, or it might have even made him more memorable, having worn a t-shirt, pink button down, and black jeans. (His rip in the knee apparently didnāt bother any professors. LOL.) I was very worried over this, and it turned out fine.
Off topic: Like mentioned above, sound is of utmost importance for a virtual or recorded audition. I would recommend considering a good mic if you are not equipped for recording at home. If an audition is live virtual, do trial runs with friends or family listening from different locations, to be sure everything works smoothly before you have professors on the line. This was another factor I was worried about, and I didnāt need to be. Having taken these steps, my son was successful at some amazing schools through virtual auditions.
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This would be the other critical piece to go along with dressing like yourself. If you are most comfortable in clothes with crazy designs and huge logos, maybe donāt dress entirely like yourself. 
Thank you! I do think that classical instruments are a little more conservative and we have been burned in the past which is why I am so concerned. My older S who now is an actor and does all auditions in comfortable clothing (jeans and a tshirt) was also a classical musician in high school. One competition his shoes were too small so he went in dark converse with dress pants and every single written comment he got mentioned that sneakers were not appropriate dress for a performance. It was ridiculous!
Hi there! Iāve been away doing graduation things and missed you all.
What is the difference between an art supplement and the audition requirements each school lays out for applicants? Is it for BA programs? For the BM, requirements were very specific, down to exact pieces they wanted played at some schools. We would not have been able to make an overall video to use at multiple schools.
Definitely more conservative, which is why I gave a caveat about jazz.
Iām sorry to hear about the shoes. That must have been stressful. My kid wore black sneakers for all his choir and band concerts. I think the music department had some loaner shoes for competitions. One time, I noticed his shoes were incredibly shiny, and thatās what they were. 