<p>Yes, there seemed to be a HUGE number of voice applicants. I wish we knew how many they are taking. I know the program is large, but I don’t know the exact numbers. I also don’t know how they deal with the BA or BM option–do they let some people in for BA, others in for BM–I don’t know. Still, all the students we talked to (they were freshman) felt they got plenty of individual attention from faculty. In all cases faculty have been approachable, communicative and supportive. So large may not be bad at all. Also, the opera program (by separate audition in the fall) is quite small, maybe 20 to 30 at the most, mostly sophomores and above.</p>
<p>so… I had an audition at MSM on March 3rd (master of music, violin performance). I contacted my first choice teacher about a month prior to the audition, and was supposed to meet her at 2pm. The meeting was set up mainly because she indicated in our first email that she wanted to meet me and talk for a while after the audition. I was at the lobby an hour before the meeting (I didn’t really have anything to do, because my audition was done at 10am), waited for her for about 2 hours, and she never showed up. I emailed her right before I had to leave to get to the airport, and also left my phone number for her to contact me. I didn’t hear anything back from her for 6days, so I sent her an another email about 4 days ago. Still nothing!<br>
This is very weird and disappointing, because she seemed like she was very interested in meeting me at least on the email. I don’t think my audition went horribly (not as good as some of the other auditions this year, but went well overall), and I also know some of her students who’s been telling me that she is a very nice person.
I am still waiting to hear back from her, but nothing makes sense to me right now. I didn’t do anything that could have been offensive to her, and it doesn’t make sense for someone to not check his email for 2 weeks. Even if she didn’t like my playing during the audition, I still think she should have showed up for the meeting she set up.
I think it’s possible that she just forgot about the meeting since she is usually extremely busy, but don’t understand why she has been ignoring my emails.</p>
<p>I decided to go to NEC, so it doesn’t really matter that much anymore I guess. However, I am still wondering what is actually going on, and am still hoping that she is not doing this intentionally. </p>
<p>If anybody has an experience similar to this, feel free to let me know.</p>
<p>Well, I think you shouldn’t worry too much about it or think that it’s your fault or anything. I met a teacher last year at my music festival (a big name, principal of one of the world’s best orchestra and chair at a very good school ) and he was supposed to contact me back during the fall to schedule private lessons and I waited for like 3 weeks, trying to phone him and e-mail him. To learn later that he was on tour in Asia and could not contact me before.
Also one of my teacher was supposed to write a recommendation for me, and I kept e-mailing her and phoning to know how it was going (it was in nov-dec) She wouldn’t answer. She phoned me a few days ago, telling me that she actually went through a lot (family thing) and her mind was really not on this.</p>
<p>So don’t worry, the teacher has probably a good reason not to contact you. And if she doesn’t, maybe it’s better to know now how she treats her students than to find out once you’re already in her studio and stuck for the next 4 years of your life.</p>
<p>Aychoi84:</p>
<p>Most of the best teachers are very busy and some are much better performers and teachers than they are organizers or communicators. I have heard of one major teacher accidentally triple booking themselves for lessons with prospective students (and the teacher did manage fit all three in for a lesson). </p>
<p>Some teachers just simply don’t respond to email. In fields other than music, I find that is the case, as well. Many older people are not terribly comfortable with technology and find that it takes an enormous amount of their time and energy to respond to everyone that emails them. We too have sent many emails that have not received responses. More maddeningly, many of ours were sent to admissions offices where you would hope that one of the skills people would have is the ability to respond to emails! Even when we have gotten email responses from some teachers, they have often been somewhat erratic (for example, three weeks later; or do not respond to the question asked at all). Frustrating at times, but not caused by anything that you or we have done.</p>
<p>NEC is a wonderful place for violin, so you are fortunate to have that option and are wise to have taken advantage of it. Best of luck there.</p>
<p>Aychoi84,
I have learned from experience that a lot of artist/musicians are rather disorganised, particularly when it comes to rganising their own schedules. amd they tend to forget even the most important appoinment when theybecome engrossed in something engaging (one hopes it’s teaching!) Never let any such incident (without more) make you doubt the teacher’s sincerity or your own ability or charm! Congrats on the NEC acceptance. Good job and great choice!</p>
<p>Just a tip, Aychoi84, and one that I’ve picked up after waiting politely for people (and fuming) for years. Assume that everyone with whom you ever come into contact needs a day-before reconfirmation or appointment reminder, and a followup phone call if they’re not where they said they’d be 10-15 minutes after the appointed time.</p>
<p>And in the reminder email, don’t say “are we still on” – which offends reliable people. Just say “Just wanted to let you know I am looking forward to our meeting at 2 p.m. tomorrow. Here’s my cell number. Please call if for any reason you’re running late…” or some such.</p>
<p>I realize that doesn’t assist you now, but I am sorry you went through that disappointment. Don’t take it personally.</p>
<p>Our “showup time” was 2:30 pm Monday. We got to the lobby, very crowded and very hot. They drew lots for the 16 singers. We were 12. They were already running 35 minutes behind they said. We were given a warm up time of 4:35 pm. So we left and went and sat at Barnes and Noble (no place to sit at Curtis). We got back at 4:30 and they were running futher behind. (And also the 4:30 group had already shown up to draw their lots). D went to practice room (which was so hot the harp strings were popping). And they had the windows open. There was 32 minutes of practice time. (not with accompanist - you only talk to the accompanist on stage - he was non verbal and sweating profusely) Then D waited about 15 minutes before she went in to sing. One judge and several current Curtis students were watching. Big lights on the stage. You sing the first song and they choose the second. They had already posted the group from the morning sessions that got callbacks. 8 singers out of the 32 they heard. They posted at 7:45 pm the list of afternoon singers that went through - 6 singers out of 25-30 singers. There was also a session this morning - 4 singers made it through. We were told by Chris Hodges - head of admissions that 150 undergrad applicants for singing applied and they invited 80 to audition. Callbacks were for 12:30 today and were to be finished by 2 pm. The lobby was full of cellists today.</p>
<p>Exactly our experience, POTO Mom! No warm welcomes at Curtis! (or Juilliard, for that matter). Frankly, if D had not been uber-familiar with Curtis (we’re “locals”), that whole experience would have done her in. How did your daughter do?</p>
<p>Perhaps POTO Mom would not know that the lobby was full of cellists today if she was not there to witness it…fingers and toes are crossed for her daughter to be at just the right place! :)</p>
<p>Reported to me, not observed first hand.</p>
<p>Yep. Lots of cellists there today. The call back list for cellists goes up at 7:15pm.</p>
<p>Supposedly was warm/muggy in the practice room and equally warm in the audition room - but no change from room to room, which is nice for a strings player. Piano in tune and pianist only missed one cue so that was nice (a welcome change from other accompanists.)</p>
<p>At 3:00 or so, Hodges was reported to be making origami swans for the little siblings of cellists auditioning upstairs. </p>
<p>So net, net: climate was warm and people were warm today.</p>
<p>Prospective opera students were sighted as well. Many tall ones I’m told.</p>
<p>Crowded and a little behind today for the cellists but smooth.</p>
<p>4:45 now … 2 hours 30 minutes …</p>
<p>Thanks Lorelei. My D did not make callbacks. We went back to get a letter to hand into our attendance office at school. However, after talking to some Curtis students and getting the “vibe” of the place, it just reinforced her earlier conviction that she wants to be at Oberlin. So, we just chalk it up to a learning experience. I really did like Philly though. She did, too. Curtis is building a new facility to be ready in 2011 that is going to have some freshman dorm space. I think that’s a great step for them.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear POTO but we got the same news tonight. Only four made it and it’s a real who’s who list to say the least. Who knows, maybe mine will be at Oberlin as well.</p>
<p>speihei and potomom, and others–Curtis is a rough audition (one of the reasons my daughter decided to withdraw, among other reasons). Her teacher told her that she should audition there only if it were her heart’s desire to be there, and the truth turned out to be "no."I hope you enjoyed your visit to that neighborhood of Philadelphia, which certainly is charming, and that the weather didn’t make your stay too difficulty! Now the hard core waiting begins…</p>
<p>I’m adding the link <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/897086-things-we-learned-music-application-process.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/897086-things-we-learned-music-application-process.html</a> of reflections made at the close of this audition cycle.</p>
<p>Hi - My daughter graduated from IU in’06 violin. She was accepted into a great studio in the spring when acceptances went out. Everything was great until she called crying in Sept!! That teacher told her he had no room for her because too many grad students returned!!! When we had gone to orientation - where you do your theory placement and pass out of language, they said only 10% of students know what studio they will be in when they go in Sept. We, of course, were very happy to be in that 10%!! But, alas… So, s… hit the fan and my daughter insisted upon taking care of the studio situation herself. She didn’t want mommy to come swooping in! She ended up with some enormus apologies and red faces. They gave her a wonderful teacher - who despite a few Visa problems (he’s Italian) - made her into a FINE player. She is now a freelancer in LA… so it ended well after all. She said that the first week of school, everyone roams the halls trying to convince teachers to take them… I’d say that is a pretty lame way of doing things for a school as good as IU. On the positive side, she got an EXCELLENT well-rounded music education. REALLY strong in theory and history. I went to Cincinnati - eons ago - and I didn’t get nearly th education she did… Well worth the money! Leah</p>
<p>Sigh… that does seem rather odd, that schools don’t make a greater effort to pin down studio assignment prior to September. Doesn’t that make things a lot easier for everyone? I can’t imagine going to a school without knowing who you will study with. And I honestly hope that my own email arrangement with the IU prof doesn’t get overturned in September…</p>
<p>bratsche, is it IU that you chose? We just flew out there to see teachers, but everything is still so unclear, and the uncertainty is alarming…</p>
<p>I think I’ve more or less decided on IU, but I haven’t sent anything out yet so I won’t say I’m 100% committed… I don’t really want to be surprised when I get there, given that at least some of my decision is based on the agreement of this prof – let’s hope things go as planned. I’ll be an MM student at any rate so I’m guessing I’m less likely to be “bumped” unless there are unexpectedly large numbers of DMA students…?</p>
<p>The IU violin faculty certainly looks very interesting to me though – but I guess the problem is getting some commitment from someone before you commit to IU? I’m certainly surprised to hear this 90% figure, although I must say the only school on my list that has actually sent me a firm studio assignment in the admissions letter was Peabody. Of course at many schools there is really only one major viola teacher.</p>
<p>If it’s possible I’m thinking maybe you’d want to go over there for a few days and schedule as many trial lessons as you can get, and try to come to an agreement with one person on that basis. I can imagine it’s tough, though, esp when the violin faculty list tends to be very long.</p>
<p>I am late posting our experience at Duquesne. My apologies.</p>
<p>We arrived early in the morning for their last regularly scheduled audition date (Mar. 26). The staff had bagels, pastries, fruit, juice and coffee ready and waiting. That was nice as we had driven through Pittsburgh’s awful traffic for over an hour, and it was a freezing cold morning. The college faculty greeted parents, told the kids to take deep breaths and relax before playing their music, and introduced chairs of each department to answer questions. I was impressed with the music tech department’s presentation, but of course that is not my daughter’s major.</p>
<p>My daughter auditioned for the organ department. Dr. Labounsky is the organ chair, and she is very warm and grandmotherly. We had been to campus earlier to practice on the organ in the school of music; it is a terrible mohler, in an acoustically dead room that encourages you to play to quickly! Be warned to keep it steady as if the room sounded better than it does. Dr. Labounsky warmly welcomed me to the audition, saying she likes to have moms there. That was a surprise. She commented on each piece dd played, and then asked her to sight read a hymn, with pedal, and then sight read a simple exercise. </p>
<p>We ran through the music building to get to theory, being a bit late from the organ performance audition. Took dd 20 minutes, and started with easy stuff like key signature, naming notes. Moved to chord naming. We then had an hour break and went to the on-campus Starbucks for a break. Other kids from the audition there told us the upcoming musicianship test was also easy. DD was nervous about sight singing, and the VP majors we spoke with all said to go slowly and relax.</p>
<p>Back to the music building, and the musicianship test. Dd’s name was not on the examiner’s list, but took her in spite of this. I could not hear the exam through the door. Tone matching, in and out of your range, recognizing chords, singing triads above a pitch, clapping rhythm, echoing phrases the examiner sang or played on piano and the dreaded sight singing. Dd came out smiling. I went back and checked with the staff in the office to make sure the exam results would be counted since dd’s name wasn’t on the list.</p>
<p>It took about a week for the letter with dd’s acceptance to arrive from the music school.</p>
<p>Everyone was very friendly and nurturing and warm. I highly recommend Duquesne for the audition experience!</p>