<p>My son has narrowed his choices down to 2 schools - both large universities, as he wants the whole "college experience" package, including big-time football programs. He will major in Music Ed, with trombone as his primary instrument.</p>
<p>He met and had lessons with the professors (several months prior to the auditions), so has somewhat of a feel for what they're like. These are not schools that get a lot of mention on these, or other, boards. (He either was not interested in or could not academically be accepted at most of those that are mentioned frequently here.) So, he has little "outside" information that he can use to evaluate these programs.</p>
<p>I was thinking that he should speak with some students at each of the schools to get their take on not only the music programs as a whole, but also the trombone professors themselves. Who do you think he should contact to get the names of students? It seems like it would be awkward to ask the professors themselves. Perhaps the head of music admissions? Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance...this board is invaluable!</p>
<p>The easiest way to get those names would have been to copy them off the lesson schedule that is almost always posted somewhere in the vicinity of the teacher's studio. Since you did not think to do that while there, the next easiest way would be to go on the music department's web site and check the event calendar for student trombone recitals. Sometimes ensembles even publish rosters on their web sites. You could also do a search on the word "trombone" and see what comes up in close proximity. A search on the student's name from the main college web site will often turn up contact information, or you can reconstruct the email address with pretty good accuracy if the college uses a consistant format like <a href="mailto:john.smith@XYZstate.edu">john.smith@XYZstate.edu</a> for all of its students.</p>
<p>There should be nothing awkward about requesting references directly from the teacher. After all, the school wanted your son to supply references as part of the application process. However, the teacher and the dean of admissions may be prevented by university policy from divulging information about students. If nothing else works, you could ask the teachers or deans involved to give your email address to some trombone students along with a request that they contact you regarding the program and teacher.</p>
<p>If your S's private teacher helped choose these schools, then perhaps he has some personal knowledge re: previous students you could contact? You might also browse some online trombone lists, and see if any students or grads participate from the schools in question. Here are a couple lists I found via Google -- maybe your S already has a favorite.</p>
<ol>
<li> If they could do it all over, would they still go here? (and why)</li>
<li> What happens when teacher misses a lesson? Rescheduled, or taught by someone else? (and who?) Does this happen often? (My S crossed a school off his list when he found out the teacher - whom he really liked - was gone a lot, and substitute lessons were taught by a grad student. He learned this from current students he met at a conference.)</li>
<li> If the school has both performance and education majors, do education majors get a fair shot at orchestra spots? (I know of one school where ed majors always seem to get stuck in the "filler" spots.) What is the relationship between the two groups of students?</li>
<li> Do they feel they've progressed as a musician? Is the teacher too easy? Too demanding? Too critical?</li>
<li> All those questions related to music ed -- like where is the student teaching done? Is there job-search assistance as graduation looms?</li>
</ol>
<p>If you are already to the point of chosing between schools, then does that mean you've already got a couple acceptances in hand? If so, congratulations!</p>
<p>Contact the schools and arrange a visit. A couple of days on campus should answer many questions and provide detailed information about the programs and campus life. Trying to find some email addresses seems a bit unethical and may not be very useful. I would also suggest asking about the schools on this forum.</p>
<p>If time and finances permit yet another visit to each school, that would indeed be the best way to go. A few more things to look for:</p>
<p>How frequently do the ensembles rehearse and perform? A group that rehearses six hours per week and performs a major concert each month is quite a bit different from one that rehearses two hours a week and performs once a semester. How frequently do the ensembles play off campus? At which venues? Are there scheduled tours? If so, when are they and who pays for them?</p>
<p>What is the school policy on playing outside gigs? Some music students I know have been able to earn pretty good money by playing for weddings, funerals, private parties, etc... Some schools explicitly forbid this without clearance from the primary teacher, some promote it by facilitating contacts between students and potential employers, and others simply choose to ignore the situation completely.</p>
<p>How often does the school bring in guest artists on trombone? Do they stay long enough to teach a masterclass or just play a concert?</p>
<p>Are there any programs available in areas other than classical music and music ed (e.g. Jazz, early music, world music, music technology, music business, ...)? Even if these are not major concerns for your son right now, any of them could spark an interest and have a major influence on his future career(s).</p>