Fall Cycle 2010 Audition Experiences

College Majors Music Major
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<p>I had my last audition (woohoo!) at Case Western yesterday, and I was very surprised. I knew that they worked closely with CIM, but I had no idea how closely. Music students at both institutions take lessons and theory at CIM and music history and musicology at Case. Then, of course, all academic classes for both schools are taken at Case, and music ed majors at CIM take a lot of classes at Case. Many faculty are shared. There are also joint ensembles between the two schools. It seems that the students focusing solely on music generally go to CIM, while double majors and a lot of music ed students go to Case. Case’s music programs are BA’s and BS’s- no BMs, so they are a lot less time consuming then CIMs programs.</p>

<p>Anyway, I just thought people looking for a pretty good balance between music and academics might find it worth looking into- especially all you other crazy pre-med/music kids :). I’m not sure yet if it’s what I’m looking for, but I thought it was interesting.</p>

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<p>Hi Rachel!</p>

<p>Good luck with your audition outcomes and enjoy the respite from the audition season!</p>

<p>I wanted to “finese” your assessment of the Case/CIM relationship a bit. My clarification is motivated mostly because I’ve known several students who chose to attend Case thinking they were going to be CIM students in all but name only - and they were bitterly disappointed to discover this wasn’t true.</p>

<p>In order of your comments:</p>

<p>1) Theory sequences are different for CIM and Case students - CIM being more performance based and Case more pen and paper. As I understand it, Case students can petition to take the CIM sequence if their schedule allows. In reality, there’s only limited “mingling” of CIM and Case students in theory classes.</p>

<p>2) The Music History Dept is at Case - these courses do include both Case and CIM students although the requirements for specific courses may be different between the two schools.</p>

<p>3) CIM does not have an independent Music Ed major. Any CIM student interested in Music Ed would take Music Ed classes through Case in a Joint Program. The Joint Program is likely to take 5 years leading to a dual degree - BM and BSME. Most CIM students are strictly performance majors.</p>

<p>4) Shared faculty - if you are thinking that the studio teachers are shared, check each situation very carefully. Many of the Case studio teachers are CIM adjunct faculty who teach in the CIM prep program. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the teachers aren’t necessarily terrific - it’s just that a Case student isn’t very likely to study with the same studio teachers as a CIM student. </p>

<p>5) Joint ensembles - separate orchestras - CIM and Case do not share conductors or performance venues for orchestra. Wind ensemble and Baroque orchestra are Case based with CIM and Case participants. Bands and choirs are Case based - mostly Case students. Chamber ensembles are separate by school. The reality for performance is that there isn’t much intermingling except in wind ensemble as required for CIM students. Baroque orchestra tends to get mostly CIM string students.</p>

<p>6) CIM’s performance standards for admission are higher than Case’s, Case academic and testing requirements for entry are higher than CIM’s. The two schools are truly very different in their missions and admission requirements reflect this.</p>

<p>7) CIM students take general education courses through Case giving the CIM kids many, many choices in sciences, mathematics, humanities, etc. that aren’t always available at other conservatories. This also opens up double degree possibilities for qualified CIM students - CIM BM and a Case degree in another academic field.</p>

<p>My apologies, Rachel, if the above represents your understanding! As I said, I know some who were quite disappointed at Case based on misunderstandings they’d picked up about the amount of interaction they’d have with CIM students and CIM performance faculty - wanted to clarify for anyone else who might be looking.</p>

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<p>My daughter had her MSM audition bright and early this morning. </p>

<p>We felt so fortunate in the way the weather treated us. Despite dire forecasts, we were able to drive easily to Washington DC on Friday for a private audition Saturday morning (with a teacher at a different program, who had missed her audition but was on the East coast for a concert and agreed to have her play for him privately.) Following that audition, we drove from DC to NYC. The roads were clear and there was very little traffic. We arrived around 5:30 at the ultra-hip Hudson Hotel-- what an interesting place!-- and soon after went to dinner with some of my daughter’s friends and their parents at the Ivy Cafe, which is an Asian fusion restaurant at 72nd and Broadway (highly recommended, not expensive) and then went to hear the New York Phil with Gil Shaham as soloist on the Barber Violin Concerto. </p>

<p>The Hudson Hotel is probably not for everyone, but we really liked it; I don’t want to describe it in too much detail because I think that half of fun is being surprised by the experience of entering the hotel (which does not have a sign outside-- you will miss it if you blink.) Our room was very clean and comfortable in size, although some rooms are tiny. </p>

<p>We were supposed to report to MSM by 8 AM and because my daughter is not a morning person, we opted to take a cab instead of the subway, which would have meant a 10-minute walk on both ends. The cab ride on Sunday morning (I would not recommend this on a weekday) was swift-- but my daughter realized halfway there that she had forgotten her piano part. This is her 5th audition but the first with piano. The only choice seemed to be to drop her off at the school, and then for me to take the cab back to the hotel, go up and grab the music, and then race back uptown. I got back in plenty of time, but this added about $20 to our total cab-fare. I don’t know what she would have done if I hadn’t been along, or if it had been a weekday morning and traffic were sluggish.</p>

<p>The school was well-organized. There was a very cheerful work-study student greeting everyone who came through the door, signing them in, and directing them to warm-up rooms. My daughter had no trouble finding an empty one. Additionally, there was a special warm-up room with a piano next to the audition room (which my daughter described as a nice room with good acoustics). The holding room was occupied when they arrived, and the accompanist (whom my daughter had met with and rehearsed with for 10 minutes last week) gallantly threw the imposters out of the room (even though my daughter said she didn’t need to warm up further), so that they could do a quick run-through. </p>

<p>Although it was quite early in the morning, there was a full panel. They heard the usual amount of the concerto and only part of one movement of Bach. There was no theory exam.</p>

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<p>Couldn’t get a train after 9 am for NEC audition. If I am scheduled at 3 pm, do you think I’ll be able to practice from the time I arrive to the time I audition ?</p>

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<p>Had my audition at Crane. The overall audition went well, but I have to say the registration was extremely disorganized. The building was very large and complex, and there were no signs anywhere. Practice rooms were just scattered throughout, and there was no telling who or where any auditions were being held in comparison to the practice rooms. A104 was an audition room… and A105 was a practice room. Who wants to practice in that room?</p>

<p>Only one more now, just at Westminster.</p>

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<p>Bassplayer,</p>

<p>I had a student ask this question (can I get into a practice room early??) of the NEC folks earlier this season. My student was told “No” and based on my student’s actual experience, I wouldn’t count on practicing all day before the audition.</p>

<p>At least on this violin audition day, certain rooms were marked as reserved for auditioners with other rooms available to current NEC students who seemed to have them signed out. For violin - officially - students were assigned a 30 minute warm-up time with practice room assignment immediately before the audition. My student was able to get in about an hour before the audition time, but the audition time slot seemed to be first after a break so others weren’t already lined up for practice rooms doing their pre-audition warm-ups. </p>

<p>My guess is that it may all depend on how busy the practice rooms are with current NEC students and other auditioners. You can always walk around the building and move into empty rooms. I suspect asking for permission won’t get you anywhere!</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>glassharmonica - just wanted to say that we’re following your informative and chatty updates with great interest!</p>

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<p>Just a quick note about S’s New School audition today:
We arrived about 45 minutes prior to the audition time. Audition was on the 5th floor…we were met by the Director of Admissions who had S sign in and got him to a practice room right away. A couple of very friendly staff were circulating around, answering questions and moving students in and out of practice rooms. It was VERY quiet; I think because it was a Sunday. There were only 2 or 3 other students/families waiting, and the atmosphere was professional and relaxed.</p>

<p>Audition was right on time, S played the 3 songs he had selected with some excellent senior musicians for a panel of 2 faculty. He played for about 15 minutes, not many questions from the panel and then had a short (10 minute) interview with the director of Admissions, who was very pleasant and businesslike. She asked S why he wanted to study at the New School, and talked for a while about being impressed with his GPA and how important it is to be able to manage time well, especially because New York has so many distractions with the wealth of great performers who regularly gig there. I thought this was strange from an “arts school”, and don’t know what it means…if anything! </p>

<p>At first I thought that they were only auditioning drums today, but as we were leaving, a trumpet player was starting her audition. All in all, it was a very well run, organized audition with no surprises or mishaps…phew!
Jazzdrummer mom, Thanks so much for the good wishes, let me know when your S is auditioning and how it goes. Feel free to PM me with any questions!</p>

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<p>BassPlayer…try going down to the basement. There are a few warm up rooms down there that are rarely used by the NEC students. Also, no one will bother you down there. Good Luck</p>

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<p>On the NEC audition rooms, I can tell you our experience for vocal. The warm up room was assigned at 20 minute intervals. You could not get in early nor stay longer. As soon as you came out of the warm up room, you went and met with the accompanist. It was supposed to be for 10 minutes but it was, at most, 4 minutes. And the accompanist was obviously in frantic mode. Then they virtually ran down a flight of stairs to the audition room. It appeared that auditions were running early. It would have been better if they let you go into the warm up room earlier since they were hustling people around so quickly. I think it would have been OK except the accompanist was so stressed that he was playing fast also. Oh well, just felt really rushed.</p>

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<p>Bassplayer08,</p>

<p>If it is anything like when my daughter auditioned at NEC, there were not a lot of rehearsal rooms to go around. In fact, we had to be pretty insistent when it was her scheduled time to use one of them and the occupant showed no sign of wanting to leave.</p>

<p>You should probably contact the people at NEC to see if they can work out a location for you. If not, you might try heading over to the Boston University music building. I hear they have done some recent renovations and have a lot of nice practice rooms. If they are not having their own auditions that day, you may be able to practice there until it is time to head over to NEC.</p>

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<p>No problem getting a practice room at NEC here. No problems anywhere (Rice, Oberlin, NEC, BoCo, BU, Eastman).</p>

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<p>Audition at MSM today at 6pm. Very large panel. They did ask a couple of informal questions, like where are you from, etc. S sang two of the three songs he prepared and was out of there in less than 10 mins. No theory tests or anything like that. There were no activities, such as tours or admission talks. planned at the time when we were there, so we had to poke around on our own. We are local, so we drove into the city. Went to Grandma’s house on the way home for a nice home-made dinner. Restaurants have been fun, but nothing beats Grandma’s cooking - total comfort food. Met with a member of faculty for a lesson, too - what an impressive guy. All in all, it was a great day. </p>

<p>Best part of it all… That was the LAST audition!!! WE ARE DONE!!! YAY!!! Now, we wait…</p>

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<p>YIPPEE Tenormama. I know you will have all kinds of choices. It’s been fun seeing you at auditions.</p>

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<p>Thanks, POTO mom. Fun meeting you, too. Who knows, maybe we’ll be having drinks at parents’ weekend laughing about all this in a few months!</p>

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<p>Potomom and Tenormama, last year I “met” a dad online whose son is now also going to Oberlin with mine (jazz). The two boys have become friends and are playing in a graded combo this semester together–you never know what will happen! :)</p>

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<p>LastRoseOfSummer, I applaude your spirit, and wish all the best in audition results!</p>

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<p>Glassharmonica, I believe I stayed in the Hudson last March. This is the one furnished with Philip Starck furniture, right? We had a room which was tiny, and the guys next door had a drinking party till 3am! We didn’t dare practise in the room as we could hear everything that our “neighbour” was saying. For future reference, I would recommend the Phillips Club in Lincoln’s Square. It is a dog-friendly and musician-friendly place. I have been doing quite a bit of cooking for ourselves during our stay, so D can relax and concentrate on her auditon cycle. Very spacious living/dining plus kitchenette, with a winter special rate which makes it well worth the little extra price on top of a hotel room.</p>

<p>Good luck in the auditions!</p>

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<p>Thank you very much MuiMui!</p>

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<p>We liked the Empire, just off Lincoln Center. One block to Juilliard. We got a two queen rm for $179. It was tiny, but so elegant and clean. And under $200.nught in NYC is unheard of! Front desk made a big fuss over D’s audition. They’re used to Juiliard auditioners, apparently!</p>