There are many threads about summer programs. I’m wondering if any one’s child or student you knew was recruited by colleges through the top summer music program.
15-year D is accepted in Curtis Summerfest Young Artists program with full-ride scholarship. Thanks for the forum! We are self-educated here and getting familiar with more top music school names. Can’t wait to read all threads over 250 pages and want to get the answer quickly: Do colleges (not Curtis) actively recruit the top performing arts students at the top summer music programs?
Hi @bigoec! Congratulations to your talented D for being awarded a full ride scholarship to Curtis Summerfest. To answer your question, from our experience, my D was recruited by her studio teacher while she was attending Oberlin Vocal Academy as a rising senior. It was very flattering and obviously made a big difference during her decision making process. I think overall you will find recruiting mostly done not by the colleges but by the studio teachers seeking desired talent in their studios. I hope this helps.
The college itself doesn’t recruit, but studio teachers may encourage a student to apply to their conservatory and/or studio if they feel they have a rapport with a promising student. Most major conservatories don’t need to recruit. But attending summer festivals is a great way to get to know teachers in a longer-term situation than a trial lesson.
This will be true for grad school too. Not just for recruitment so to speak, but just to get to know potential teachers and who you might want to work with. Also, it is nice to meet peers and build those connections
Her teacher is on the faculty of the conservatory and the principal in a major symphony. I’m wondering how much influence a teacher has in recruitment.
@Bigeoc, the answer varies from conservatory to conservatory and even within departments at some conservatories. In some places, the teachers pick their studios and have a lot of control of that segment of admissions. In others, (e.g., Juilliard), there is a voting system among the faculty of larger departments. In this scenario the individual teacher has less control. They might want a particular student in their studio, but if a colleague scores the audition low, the student could still be rejected or waitlisted. So the answer is always “it depends.” But attending the program and getting to know the teacher will always be a good thing. (She might learn that she is not a good match for this teacher, which is also valuable information.) She might spot a different teacher who wasn’t on her radar, who she really clicks with. (This actually happened to my daughter at a festival, and the results were life-changing, in a good way.)
Wow, it’s a long journey waiting for us, and will have many questions come out for answer here.
Yes, “it depends” on teachers and schools, as well on D is strong enough or not. It’s a two-way street.
One more entry-level question: Is it appropriate time to visit schools, and have trial (private) lessons with teachers in early August (vacation time)?
It’s perfect to us after the camp. lol, as we are thousands of miles away from Philadelphia and D will be back start her Junior.
Make sure to visit when school is in session – teachers and students will be on campus and you will get a better feel for the place. Many teachers aren’t around in the summer.
@bigoec, my two cents, I know it is tempting to start the visits early but I would suggest to start your D visits during her late junior year or senior year. Teachers receive many visits from prospective students and you would rather have a fresh and recent visit prior to audition for the sake of both, your D and teacher.
Most teachers are gone all summer–you can find them at various festivals, but it’s rare that a conservatory teacher would be in town during the summer.
@coloraturadad Good suggestion. We’ll plan to visit teachers in her late junior or early senior year. At meantime, D will make lots of progress during her junior year.
@glassharmonica Will schools accept visitors (tour) during summer? It’s 10 hours one-way flight (stopover). I’ll go to her final concert, and think about drive around cities to visit some schools on our list (not teachers) this time. It may help us to make the 1st round school selections.
I found when I was touring with my kids that colleges and universities offer tours in the summer, but the options are more limited. I never tried to tour a conservatory in in the summer.
@bigoec, you can email schools and ask. We stopped at Eastman, unannounced, once years ago while returning from Meadowmount in upstate New York. They were very gracious and gave us a private look at their recital hall and other highlights. My kids are of an age that our experience has probably become ancient history, but I would not hesitate to email the question, especially due to your distance. If nothing else, you can see the neighborhood where the conservatory is located. Sometimes that is enough to excite or alienate kids about a particular school.
We visited schools in the summer. We did not meet faculty or take lessons but we used it to get an idea of the campus, facilities, environment, music admissions people, show interest. We had no difficulty getting tours and time with someone in the music school. It may not be ideal but “beggars can’t be choosers”. We did the best we could and that included summer visits. If you’re in the area why not? My D enjoyed buying a t-shirt at each school and eating near campus. And for her summer program at her age it’s best to just think “exposure” as opposed to recruitment. Any exposure to teachers and/or schools is all good at her age. Good luck.
@momofadult, definitely I will contact with schools in advance and wish luck to have 50/50 chance to get tours.
@bridgemail, D is a photographer lover. She could shoot memorial photos from inside-out each conservatory.
Yes, it’s more important for “exposure” than recruitment. This is why we chose Summerfest as the best school with top faculties. The opportunity is a reward for her talent (since 11-12 year is recommended age to play the instrument), and we appreciate Curtis generosity to cover all her costs.
@bigoec : To add to all the great answers out there, yes, you could consider summer programs a recruitment tool for some professors. In the case of my S, it worked the reverse way as well - he was so keen to go to a program in upstate NY to a prof he’d heard so much about. After 6 weeks, he was sure of one thing - he would never study with that prof - the teaching style was just not working for him.
