<p>Here’s BU: Audition scheduled at 9. D checks into CFA at 8. Sent to practice room in basement (NICE ROOMS!). Goes upstairs to studios at 8:45. Audition panel for D’s instrument arrives (3 of them), tells her to wait ten minutes, and then go in. She waits, and goes in. She plays the first movement of her solo. She plays one orchestral excerpt. She repeats the excerpt at the request of one teacher. She leaves. That’s all there was. In Starbucks by 9:30.</p>
<p>jazz/shreddermom,
Don’t know about jazz guitar auditions but my son’s audition at UCLA, (for drum set) last year was disconcerting. We sat in the court yard outside the music complex and listened to a young woman (an ethnomusicology student) using the most foul language (loudly) in conversation with fellow students. She didn’t seem to care if anyone of a half dozen parents were offended by her profanities. For my son, the promised audition time slipped by a half hour and he never was given the “warm-up” time that had been promised. The drum set provided by the school was minimal and had a broken snare drum - the wire snares were not able to contact the head - so it was really more of a high pitched tom sound.
He was asked to play something “original” for a couple of minutes and then fielded questions about a few lesser known pro drummers from the faculty. They seemed surprised that my son knew about these somewhat obscure musicians and that he had studied their music… which, of course, we thought was probably a plus. Nonetheless, he was not accepted into the jazz program at the UCLA School of Ethnomusicology and is very happy to be studying elsewhere.</p>
<p>First audition for son: My son and wife arrived at their hotel 8 hours late (just after midnight this morning after 15 hours of travel that was supposed to be 7 hours of travel). Weather today was awesome in Houston (75 degrees no clouds) especially compared to the minus 25 we are expecting back home here on Monday. My son auditioned in the morning and was surprised at how short the audition was (even though I had told him that auditions go by very very quickly). At Rice, violinists audition for a particular studio and thus play only for that teacher. The teacher was very warm, supportive and encouraging. The teacher arranged for two frosh violinists to miss a class to talk to my son and also asked him to come back to talk at noon. </p>
<p>The campus is very beautiful. The music building (Alice Pratt Brown Hall) is gorgeous. All of the students were incredibly friendly and helpful and seemed to love Rice. My son went to a theory class, attended a voice recital, and observed part of the orchestra’s violin sectional. The orchestra at Rice is among the very best college/conservatory orchestras in the US if not the best (okay: that is probably based on reports from Shepherd students and I’m sure at least several other schools make similar claims; but I think the success of Shepherd graduates in orchestra auditions lately gives some support to the claim). My son said that he has never heard a violin section with such excellent tone. </p>
<p>There were no theory or aural tests at all. My wife attended a 30-minute presentation for parents of prospective Shepherd students first thing in the morning. Campus tours and a general Rice information session were also on offer later in the day.</p>
<p>My son said that he would love to go to Rice: the physical setting, the student “climate”, and the studio teacher were all even better than he had expected (and I believe that he had high expectations based on what he had heard previously). The Shepherd School has a large number of graduate students and thus has relatively few undergraduate openings. The studio that he is interested in has very few openings for the fall, so his chances for admission are slim. Whether or not he is admitted, the day was a very positive one.</p>
<p>Thanks for that report, Violindad! I’ve also heard that Rice has the best orchestral program in the country. It sounds like the audition trip went really well despite the stressful travel. The weather sounds <em>very</em> nice! Everyone I know who has visited Rice has loved it, which makes me a little sorry it was not on my daughter’s list.</p>
<p>If proximity can be de-prioritized, I have always stayed in Elyria when visiting my daughter in Oberlin. It is right off of interstate and only about 20 minutes away from Oberlin. It has lots of chain hotels, cheap eats, and hotels with much cheaper rates than Oberlin Inn. I Usually stay at Country Inn and Suites [Hotels</a> - Country Inns & Suites | Hotel Reservations, Hotel Deals](<a href=“http://www.countryinns.com%5DHotels”>http://www.countryinns.com). as it has breakfast included. Also, if you are staying in Oberlin, the Lorrain County Transport bus system has several buses from airport that could prevent you or student from having to rent a car. My daughter takes it whenever flying in, they have a student rate for $4, and during peak student travel times have extra buses that are scheduled in.</p>
<p>Sorry, I just tried to add the schedule for Lorrain County Transit in Oberlin and found out the bus system is no longer. Transportation is now available through a different company and information can be accessed at [Oberlin-CLE</a> Airport Shuttles - Oberlin College](<a href=“http://new.oberlin.edu/transportation/shuttles.dot]Oberlin-CLE”>http://new.oberlin.edu/transportation/shuttles.dot) including schedule. Funny my daughter never told me…</p>
<p>I will add our story. It may duplicate everything previously posted but here goes.</p>
<p>S and I flew into Indianapolis, rented a car, and drove to Bloomington (70-465-37 South). There are not a lot of places to eat along the way so if you see something you might like, stop there. We checked into the Fairfield Inn at 37 and 3rd because we collect Marriott points, it has free wifi, and free hot breakfast (this location its 6am-10am 7 days/week). </p>
<p>S had an 8:30 meeting/essay writing with the other Music Education prospective students so we headed out early. If theres still construction going Left on 3rd, take 37 to 45/46 to 10th. S was wearing a black suit with subtle raised black pinstripe, a white button-down dress shirt, and a red/pink striped tie. He looked sharp and was not overdressed – there were lots of dark suits. I didnt see many of the girls outfits because they had coats. We went Left on 3rd because the construction guys hadnt really gotten started for the day yet. After curving around the cemetery, we turned Left on Walnut, Right on 10th, and Right on Jordan. The Jordan parking garage is on your left just after 7th. We parked and walked down a wet, slippery sidewalk toward Jordan – I didnt slip and Ss shoes werent new but anyone in slick shoes would have a hard time. The Musical Arts Center is easy to spot because of the orange metal sculpture out front. </p>
<p>S checked in around 7:50am even though registration wasnt supposed to open until 8am. We sat down and looked through his packet. There was a listing of classes and rehearsals that the students could attend later but S wasnt interested. It was fun to see all of the ballerinas arriving. S has a good female friend who will be majoring in ballet at Bellhaven in Jackson, MS next fall so the ballerinas make me smile. I wanted to wave but they were looking very serious. We agreed to meet back in the MAC around 11am. He had the 8:30 meeting/essay and a 9:30 listening/written musicianship test. I headed back to the car, took Jordan to 10th, turned Right, and took 45/46 to 37 and got off at 3rd. The IU campus is huge. D1 attends Ohio State but they only use a fraction of their campus for the undergrads. IU feels significantly larger. I stopped at the Fairfield breakfast and got myself another cup of coffee and played around on the computer in my room.</p>
<p>When I returned at 11am, we walked down to Mother (not Mama) Bears Pizza and got a pizza with 2 specialty pizzas ½ and ½. Then we browsed in the music store next to it and bought a What part of [complicated musical notation] dont you understand? t-shirt. S was looking tired so I suggested we go back to the car. He took a quick nap while I read. Around 1:30 I left him because he wanted to find a practice room. Singing helps him deal with stress. 
He had an interview at 2:30 that involved general questions as well as sight singing and singing back to the interviewer. He said that part was only OK. At 4:30 was his vocal audition and he said it went fine. I picked him up in the circle drive in front of MAC at 4:45 and we went to a Thai restaurant near the hotel. He dripped peanut sauce down the front of his tie. We went to a grocery store because he wanted to buy a novel to unwind with. They had a surprisingly large selection but he had a hard time finding one that looked good. We went back to the hotel, got a front-desk cookie, and he was asleep by 8pm.</p>
<p>Had breakfast the next morning and headed back to the airport. Get gas on 37 North because there is no gas once you get on the highways near the airport. IU has rolling admissions so hell hear in a few weeks. Next up in February: Belmont.</p>
<p>Mary TN
Thanks, very helpful information. We will be auditioning February 19-20, and renting a car, flying in and out of Indianapolis as well.</p>
<p>My wife and son just arrived at the Glidden House and they did not have our reservation. My wife gave them the reservation number, but they did not have that either. I had to email the hotel their email to us to get them to give us the reserved room. </p>
<p>I spoke with the receptionist who explained that when they are busy, their reservations go to another line and for some reason on that line, CIM-rate reservations do not come through. They are working on the issue. I would suggest calling ahead and speaking to the front desk to confirm that they actually do have your reservation. As well, take their actual email confirmation with you: the confirmation number is not enough. </p>
<p>I am sure that the hotel is wonderful, but do not want anyone arriving late the night before an audition to face the frustration of getting moved to another hotel. Because we arrived two days ahead, I think that someone else is going to get bumped unfortunately.</p>
<p>I meant to post something last year but never got around to it. On the Music Theater forum (who knows why I was reading it! Must have been from a search…) I got a tip that if one chose a hotel in Ann Arbor through Hotwire it would 90% of the time be the Holiday Inn near North campus, which has a free shuttle service, and would be very reasonable. We did that, and sure enough, it was the Holiday Inn, which was a perfectly serviceable hotel, although not in the charming part of Ann Arbor, yet very convenient to the music school. It did have a restaurant & bar, and lots of other music auditioners, as well as visiting composition students (and the professors) for the Midwest Symposium which was going on at the same time. But best of all was the shuttle. We didn’t rent a car from the airport, since I was timid about driving in winter weather coming from California. The shuttle took us to and from the Music bldg - both during the day, and the evenings when we were attending concerts. We just had to reserve for the morning run, and call in for pick-up when ready to return. We then rode the campus shuttles from North to South campus and back when exploring, which I thought was useful to get a feel for what it would be like to be a student.</p>
<p>The audition day itself was intense. Jam packed and scheduled to the nines. One needed to be constantly checking to make sure one was in the right place at the right time (which we sometimes weren’t.) There were more expectations for the parents to be in on some of the meetings than I anticipated. I got a few frantic phone calls from my son wondering where I was. There were general music meetings, and meetings just for the composition students, and a composition seminar to attend. Then there was the performance audition, and two separate panels of composers to present to. And concerts every night. We were there two days and managed to fill every minute.</p>
<p>The first day we explored on our own and my son attended some classes he picked himself (not on any particular list, he just asked permission of the professor before class started.) We were thrown off by the starting time of the class - we learned there is something called “Michigan time” which means classes start 10 minutes later than on the schedule! The kid hanging out in the hall we gleaned this advice from turned out to be a member of a quartet my son played with a few times a year. We didn’t even know he was attending Michigan, which was pretty amusing.</p>
<p>Everyone was super friendly and helpful, and forgiving when we didn’t do everything exactly as desired. And the music library was an absolutely fantastic place to while away any of the little down time we had, or when waiting for one’s kid. An amazing library.</p>
<p>Violindad, that’s awful! I feel guilty because I recommended the hotel so highly to you. It sounds as if your wife and son were able to get into the hotel. At your advice I just called to confirm our reservation for Feb 7. I hope the audition at CIM is a great success!</p>
<p>Glassharmonica: No need for any guilt! I had booked the Glidden House before reading your recommendation, I’m sure that the stay there will be wonderful, and it comes highly recommended from a variety of sources. Mistakes happen at even the best places; as all musicians know, what counts with a mistake is how it is handled. I think the issue was resolved very quickly and painlessly. From what I understand the problem has only occurred in the past with reservations made under the CIM code through an external agency that one gets transferred to when the Glidden is too busy in the inn itself to handle the reservation at that moment.</p>
<p>violindad, I know that I was the one who originally gave you the info re. the Glidden House, and I am really sorry to hear that you had problems. Please, make a call to the front desk and ask to speak to Tom- he is the general manager of the hotel- I am certain that he would want to know about the problem you encountered as well as the explanation you were given. If you are still there, please inquire as to his schedule-he’s probably back in Monday @8AM- and go introduce yourself and fill him in.We’ve stayed there a half dozen times or more, and the only check-in problem encountered was the “lack of the CIM rate noted in (my) reservation”. Now, whenever I make reservations, I call Tom and he handles everything for me. He also knows that I refer plenty of people there so I know that, if you ask for him, he’ll take good care of you.</p>
<p>When we visited last summer we ended up across town, has anyone had experiences here they would like to share?</p>
<p>88fingers, we’ve stayed at the Midtown, which is just a few blocks from NEC on several occasions when my daughter was involved with a radio show that is headquartered on the NEC campus. We weren’t footing the bill, but the hotel is on the raggedy side. On the other hand, it is the closest hotel to campus and has an attached garage. I’m sure their rates must be lower than the Colonnade, where we stayed on our most recent visit. The Colonnade has an NEC rate, which you can access by going to the visit tab on the NEC website. The Colonnade was very comfortable, modern, etc. They also have an attached garage (a separate charge). They have a nice, but not cheap, restaurant on the premises. There are other restaurants, less expensive, in walking distance. When we go back for auditions we plan to drive up on Saturday, spend the night at the Colonnade, and drive back Sunday. I hope this helps.</p>
<p>Re: Hotels in Boston
We like the Sheraton Boston. Not sure if they have an NEC rate but the convenience is great. You can walk a few blocks to both BOCO and to NEC and a short subway ride to BU. Parking can be difficult at BOCO, better to walk. There is a garage near NEC but it can fill up. The Sheraton is attached to the Prudential Center Mall so there is access to restaurants and many distractions without going outside. Parking is expensive though if you are going to have a car.
NEC used to have a rate at the Hilton which is right across Dalton St. from the Sheraton but I don’t think that they have that anymore. I found that the Colonnade was also pretty expensive. I think that in any big city you will find that the lower priced hotels are not as nice and I would also make sure that the neighborhood is ok. I would be cautious about walking at night in the back streets of Boston. Just another option for you to look at when staying in Boston.
If you have a car, we have stayed at the Holiday Inn on Beacon St. in Brookline. Not as nice but it is convenient to BU and the T is right outside the front door. If you are going to take public transportation, this could be a good choice.</p>
<p>There are also several nice B&B’s along Beacon Street in Brookline. Walking distance to BU and a T stop very close for anything farther.</p>
<p>Also can recommend the Buckingham Hotel, walk to BU. A little old and small, but very affordable</p>
<p>Reporting on this weekend’s audition. We stayed at the Radisson Midtown, which is very convenient–it is right across the street from USC and only a few minutes walk to music buildings. It is not fancy, but the beds are very comfortable and both S and I had a good night’s sleep before the audition. Fortunately we were awake and up by 8:00 am when were suddenly entertained by a clarinetist warming up in the hotel room next to us. That actually seemed quite an appropriate way to begin an audition day. We had a very nice time throughout the whole day. You begin by stopping at a greeter’s tent on campus, where you receive a map and directions and any other assistance you need. Auditions for my S’s instrument were scheduled for only 8 minutes each–but they were running behind, so I think some auditions went longer, as I think his did. There was only one warmup room for his instrument, so it was shared at any time by about 3-5 other people practicing. We also attended a music admissions information session, which was very informative, and a campus tour. There were a very large number of students auditioning on campus–I believe the admissions director said something like over 500 that weekend. The weather was sunny and about 65 degrees–something much appreciated by those of us from colder, snowy areas of the country. We were impressed with the friendliness of the admissions director, who was very personable and nice. In fact, everyone we encountered was very helpful and nice. The facilities and the campus are lovely. Be ready when they stop on the tour by the Trojan with the camcorder that does continual video feed online–we called DH at home and he was able to view us online waving at him. Fun! The only thing lacking at the weekend event was that the music school didn’t offer a tour of their own facilities. The USC admissions person who did the campus tour was not very familiar with music facilities, and so we never got to see inside recital halls or even get a real sense of where music classes are held. S and I did our own little tour afterwards to at least find practice rooms, etc. Practice rooms seem to be numerous and very nice. Today we had a little trouble with Prime Time shuttle being late picking people up at the hotel, so I’m not sure I would use them again. Also, my tote bag carrying S’s instrument was pulled by security for searching, which was a bit of a pain. The security agent removed each part of the instrument and wiped it down with some kind of cloth, and also ran the cloth all around the case. I made sure S and I were there were for the whole process so that things all got put back in the right place. Seemed a bit excessive for me–I mean isn’t it obvious it’s a musical instrument? Then after all that, it was taken back to be scanned one more time. Fortunately it passed the second screening–or I was going to ask if they maybe wanted my S to put it together and play it for them so they would understand what it was. All worked out, though, and overall it was a good weekend all around at USC.</p>
<p>When I auditioned at NEC, I stayed at the Colonnade for both my audition and sample lesson. I thought it was a great hotel. Our room had floor to ceiling windows and it was quiet, the bed was comfy, everything was clean. They let me practice in the ballroom whenever and for however long I wanted. My parents felt it was worth the extra money to stay there to have a nice room and a good night’s sleep before my audition. The restaurant was very good as well, it was right downstairs. Pending the weather, you could easily walk to NEC from there. We even went to the BSO and walked to Symphony Hall. I highly recommend it.</p>