Fall Cycle 2010 Audition Experiences

College Majors Music Major
161

<p>D and I were there for auditions today. NJ Mom of 2, I think my D auditioned just ahead of yours. Panel: Sax, Clarinet, Flute (Kaoru Hinata?) At MGSA’s “Woodwind Day” 2 years ago I saw Prof Hinata conduct a nearly 2 hour flute master class. Very professional and tirelessly patient and encouraging to HS kids of wildly varying ability. It must have been grueling for her, and I remember marveling at how she was so focused and so positive with each kid, right to the end.</p>

<p>D is discovering that it is important to establish a dialogue with the audition panel. Last week she had emailed the clarinet professor about a possible sample lesson (which hasn’t worked out yet due to a death in the prof’s family). However, the audition started with a conversation about the email and logistical possibilities for a lesson and sitting in on a studio class, etc. D became a person and not just a numbered auditioner. At the conclusion of the audition, she thanked the members of the panel for their time and for listening to her play, which prompted them to thank D and add some positive comments.</p>

<p>However, less than hour before that, D was ready to leave without auditioning and ready to cross MGSA off her list, because the impending multi-hour wait in the “warm-up” room would cause her to miss her orchestra rehearsal in Philly later that afternoon. I politely mentioned our predicament to the very nice “lady-in-charge,” and she arranged for immediate auditions for D and apparently also for a flute (NJ Mom of 2’s D?). The MusEd interview was also expedited (she really liked those guys), and we managed to leave at a reasonable time. D says MGSA is definitely still on her list, primarily because the connection she established with the clarinet professor during the audition far outweighed the administrative snafus. She will be following up with the prof to see if it could possibly be a “good fit.”</p>

<p>In half-hearted defense of the administration, apparently an abrupt need for a faculty member to leave early caused a reshuffling of Group A and Group B and Group C, and threw the schedules off. As ashamed as I am to have helped my D “line-jump,” I am pleased to have found administrators willing to do something to help a couple of kids get to their orchestra rehearsals on time.</p>

162

<p>We had an absolutely dreadful experience at my S’s first audition two years ago at a school that won’t be named (I never wrote about it then, because I didn’t want to sabotage his chances by dissing the process, and now he is happily elsewhere so the name of the school doesn’t matter, but it is a highly popular conservatory that is discussed at great length here on CC!).</p>

<p>There were no assigned times for this audition either, and the kids were corralled into a space to warm up (with other auditioners, and some helicopter parents) that was chaotic and disorganized. There was no place for parents to sit comfortably, and many sat on the stairs. The auditions began at 11:30 a.m. and went until 4 p.m. My son was called dead last, at 3:45 p.m., after having sat there the entire afternoon waiting. No lunch had been provided (or a break to go get one), so he was hungry (he doesn’t like to eat much before an audition). There wasn’t even a beverage provided, and there wasn’t even a nearby machine. Kids were afraid to leave, in case they were called, so a few parents went off to fetch drinks for the parched kids! After waiting for four hours, he played for about ten minutes, max. He thought the adjudicators were just as exhausted as he was.</p>

<p>After going on several other well organized auditions, we realized how badly run this one was. When the entire process was complete, I wrote to the director of admissions at the music school (who had been extremely interested in my son, calling him on the phone, etc) and outlined my grievances (politely) and suggestions about how they could improve the auditioning process. I did get a very nice email back, thanking me for my feedback, and acknowledging many of the problems I had mentioned.</p>

<p>I know for a fact (from other kids who have auditioned subsequently) that they took to heart a number of my suggestions, and have corrected some of the worst problems (like lunch, and wait times).</p>

<p>So, I do think that if someone has a dreadful experience, it is worth providing feedback. I also think it is best to wait until the audition season is complete. </p>

<p>Finally, I would be careful about providing too much identifying information about student and school with which one has grievances, since I have always believed that the admissions folks read these boards. Just my three cents! :)</p>

163

<p>Clarimom: About hotels, I reserved a room at the Hudson Hotel, about ten blocks away, for $175/night (Juilliard/MSM rate) for my daughter’s Juilliard and MSM auditions. I am told it is quite a charming hotel. The only downside to this rate is that it’s a small room with only one double bed, so my daughter and I can share. If you are bringing along your husband or if your child is a son this cozy scenario might not work. There is a YMCA about a block from Juilliard, but I have never actually found an opening there. You might have better luck.</p>

164

<p>Reading about these horror-audition experiences has made me realize how lucky we have been with two very well-organized auditions (IU and CIM) in the past month. I have to credit those folks for being very professional, keeping perfectly to (or in the case of IU ahead of) schedule, and maintaining a comfortable atmosphere for the kids down to every detail, including refreshments and a big pool of volunteers and staff to answer questions. We still 5 auditions to go.</p>

165

<p>I appreciate Allmusic’s perspective of being discrete and not mentioning specific schools and providing them direct feedback on issues so they can improve. If they were my neighbor, coworker etc I like to think that is how I would behave. However I think the whole purpose of these boards is to get school specific information. School interviews/auditions really are a two way street to a great degree but many of us don’t know others who have auditioned where we or our kids are auditioning. These are grown professionals who have themselves been through probably hundreds of auditions on the other side of the table and they have full time administrative staff to help them prepare. I would think they would be trying to put their school in a favorable light to attract the best musicians from competing schools. They are also going to be mentoring student musicians. In my small town almost every adult is nice when young people are nice to them. I am most impressed by the adults who go out of their way to be nice to all of the young people including the shy or frustrated. I would evaluate the instructors similarly. I think the discussions about this recent experience has been an exceptional example of very good perspective from multiple points of view helping others gain insight on how to approach auditions at the named school as well as other similar circumstances.</p>

166

<p>Clarimom: For Juilliard auditions, you may want to look at the Hampton Inn Times Square North. It is on 8th Ave. by 51st St (so a block from Broadway and within a 2 to 5 minute walk of two subway lines that will get you close to Juilliard). It is 0.8 miles from Juilliard, so you could also walk there in about 15 minutes. In a car it is about 3 minutes away. The online reviews are very positive; its average review score is one of the highest for any Manhattan hotel and any hotel with a similar average is usually more than double the price. We got our first two nights at $149 and the third night at $169 for a room with two doubles. </p>

<p>As NJ Mom of 2 says, you could also try New Jersey. A summer ago we stayed in NJ for almost a week and went into Manhattan every day. You can get very nice rooms in NJ for much much less than Manhattan. This time round we didn’t want the hassle of getting into Manhattan on top of getting around Manhattan–there will be enough stress in our lives already. Some people are much more relaxed than us, though! If you do choose to book in NJ, be certain that you have good connections into Manhattan and back.</p>

167

<p>Not sure of the travel logistics but as for a NY Hotel with very competitive rates and a nice quiet atmosphere you might want to try Club Quarters across from Rockerfeller. Easy to get around from, great rates, good service, and very clean. CQ is a little different than full service hotel in that it is designed for full on business accounts for companies who have emp. who travel a lot, but they always have additional rooms for public sale.</p>

168

<p>Just got back from NEC audition. Very formal overall. Sang in warm up room, then had to go down to meet accompanist. He was very nice, very efficient, simply played my openings. They came and got us at once. Went into the audition room, very large room, I was quite far away from the panel… about 5 or 6 people, they all introduced themselves then asked me to go stright into my first song.</p>

<p>Sang it, then they requested a second one. Didn’t think I would do the whole thing, but I did… As soon as I was finished, they said thank you and pointed to the door. It was all over in about 5 minutes. No questions, no nothing.</p>

<p>Lots of rennovations on the building, but looks like it will be nice when it’s all done. Jordan Hall is lovely. It smelled nice, too. :-)</p>

169

<p>Regarding a hotel for Julliard – do you live in a big city now? I think one of the biggest factors would be adjusting to living in Manhattan. Julliard is in Lincoln Center which has its own subway stop. We love NYC… so exciting.</p>

<p>Anyway, where do most Julliard students live? If most live nearby, I would try and get a hotel closeby. But if most live elsewhere and take the subway everyday, I would get a Manhattan hotel near the 1 subway line. </p>

<p>[Belleclaire</a> Hotel - New York](<a href=“http://www.hotelbelleclaire.com/index.php]Belleclaire”>http://www.hotelbelleclaire.com/index.php) is where we most recently stayed and I highly recommend it. Just checked Friday March 5 and they have doubles under $170. There is an amazing grocery store as well as a tiny but exciting diner right next door. We loved the feeling of the area too. You can catch the 1,2, and 3 subway trains. </p>

<p>Lincoln Center has lots of construction so arrive early! Good Luck and we’ll look forward to reading about the audition experience.</p>

<p>Note about this hotel: They have rooms that will sleep 6. If you’ve ever tried to find that in Manhattan, you will know how rare it is!</p>

170

<p>Re. hotels in Manhattan- try the Double Tree Times Square. It’s an all-suite hotel (affiliated with Hilton, so go on-line and sign up for the affinity card which gives you some nice “extras”), with the entrance on the ground floor. Everyone has to have their room keys cleared by a burly, uniformed gentleman before taking the elevator up a couple of floors to a lovely lobby. There’s a pool and health club on site as well as a concierge to obtain theatre tickets or last minute reservation; and the rooms, with at least a fridge, microwave and wet bar are spacious, with the 1brs having a king bed, living room with sleeper sofa and huge marble baths. Because of how the place is constructed, the rooms are amazingly quiet and the location very convenient.
Julliard students live in the dorms if they can and pretty nice housing is provided. Frankly, I would never recommend riding the subway in NYC, especially to out-of-towners. Maybe it’s a personal thing with me, but it’s not as safe as it should be (think European subway systems or even the DC Metro) and can be confusing, which is not something one needs when trying to get to an audition.</p>

171

<p>Hello all!</p>

<p>I just did my Oberlin audition yesterday (voice). I flew into Cleveland Int. Airport (CLE) and stayed at the Sheraton for one night. As I traveled alone, I used a local shuttle service and paid $20 both ways (it was $39 originally, but it want down because more people were on the shuttle).</p>

<p>The audition was pretty formal overall and EARLY. My audition at UMiami was at around 2 PM, whereas this one was scheduled for 9:46 AM! Singing Dies bildnis that early was scary, but thank God I was in good voice. In between auditions there were various meetings that went over financial aid and the Oberlin experience. I also went on a campus tour led by the College students (it was an overall tour, not just for the conservatory). Before my audition, I got to meet with my accompanist and run through both my songs. There were an abundance of practice rooms which was a huge plus so I got to warm up before I met with the accompanist.</p>

<p>The audition panel consisted of around 5 people. I was asked to say my name and what I would be singing. I sang through both songs without stopping. At the end, they asked me if I had studied any languages, who I liked to listen to of my voice type, and if I played any other instruments. They said thank you and I walked out the door. The auditions were held in the Kulas recital hall.</p>

<p>Good luck to everyone!</p>

172

<p>I had my audition at Ithaca College yesterday.
We drove up from Long Island and rented a room at the Mariott Courtyard (lovely hotel, by the way!) the night before.
We were at the campus by 9:00 AM after getting lost twice (GPS’ fault…).
Registration was very fast and very simple. So was registering for an accompanist.
We were very entertained the whole time. They provided briefings for each instrument for approximately 30 minutes. The voice faculty joked around a lot while still being very professional and answering all questions thoroughly.
Auditions commenced at approximately 11:15 AM. My audition was at 11:24 AM. I had absolutely no time to warm up as the voice major briefing ended late at 11:10 and we had to track down the room which took around 10 minutes.
The jury (of 2) was extremely nice and welcoming. The accompanist was great. Absolutely no complaints.
I was able to sit in one of the halls and listen in on this fantastic kids organ audition for a while.
The sightsinging exam was at 12:30 in some lost corner on the 2nd floor, so that was a little challenging to find. It was EXTREMELY fast and impersonal, totaling around 3 minutes. No joke. </p>

<p>I really loved it. The faculty and students were extremely nice and helpful. The campus was beautiful, and it was an overall pleasant time.</p>

173

<p>Mezzo’sMama, I ride the subway in Manhattan all the time. It’s cheap and easy and not really scary. You can get laminated subway maps at any news stand, bookstore, and even the Juilliard bookstore, which is currently located in a trailer behind the school on W. 66th St. Of course, taxis are also an option, but in bad traffic the subway can be very efficient and cheap.</p>

174

<p>I would also recommend the subway. I’ve been riding it by myself for pre-college and lessons since I was 16, and I haven’t had a safety issue. That being said, nothing should worry you on your audition day, so if it’s too scary, take the taxi!</p>

175

<p>Clarimom, here are a few threads to peruse about Manhattan hotels.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/845139-new-york-new-york.html?highlight=manhattan+hotels[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/845139-new-york-new-york.html?highlight=manhattan+hotels&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/809267-nyc-hotel-recommendations.html?highlight=manhattan+hotels[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/809267-nyc-hotel-recommendations.html?highlight=manhattan+hotels&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/581386-ny-unified-hotels.html?highlight=York+City+hotel[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/581386-ny-unified-hotels.html?highlight=York+City+hotel&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/797412-another-manhattan-thread.html?highlight=York+City+hotel[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/797412-another-manhattan-thread.html?highlight=York+City+hotel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The last of the above is my own thread, from my son’s November recital at Juilliard.</p>

<p>Juilliard has one dorm building which they share with students of the School of American Ballet. SAB gets the lower floors, which are kept locked (these are high school students.) The rooms are set up as suites, with several double and single rooms, a couple bathrooms, and a lounge area. The bedroom portion is tiny. The views of NYC are magnificent. Juilliard has a special hoop-jumping program required for returning students to remain in the dorms. It is a series of lectures covering a variety of topics. Students are required to attend a certain number to remain in the lottery for a room, as there are always more students than rooms.</p>

<p>While we have found the education and experience to be amazing, and would do it again in a heartbeat, we did find the residence life staff to be less so.</p>

<p>The subway is a perfectly acceptable mode of transportation in NYC. While you are there, I think you should make it a point to ride it several times, just to get used to the idea. If you child ends up in NYC, you will both feel better having the reassurance that it isn’t as bad as you’ve heard.</p>

<p>However, for the audition itself, I think you should get a taxi. Or, if you are close enough, walk. (We walked. But the hotel we stayed at 6 years ago when S auditioned is no longer in business. I think it was only about 6 blocks or so. But we like to walk, and left early.)</p>

176

<p>Here’s the report from the field: Husb went with D this morning. Her warm up was scheduled for 9:55 with audition at 10:20. Upon arrival at Peabody, much chaos, large groups milling around, and D’s file was “missing”. Much scrambling to find file down in Admissions office. Then upstairs again to try to find a practice room. Well, hard to come by–every room was filled. Husb snagged a current student as a guide and they started a trek to find a room, adding nervous parents and applicants along the way. No one in authority was around to direct traffic. Husb finally snagged room for D and stood guard while she warmed up. Fortunately, D’s audition was with the head of the woodwinds dept and he was the sole organized person in the place. Had his auditionees in and out like clockwork. Then it’s time to sign up for theory and ear training. More chaos. Poor D doesnt have ear training until 2:50 (remember, she arrived at Peabody at 8:30 this morning!). Off to the Inner Harbor for lunch! The difference in procedures between conservatories is truly mind boggling.Fortunately, this was D’s 5th audition, so she is a seasoned pro. I shudder to think of her mental state if Peabody was her first.</p>

177

<p>Marjecat - Thanks so much for the “Peabody Report.” My S is heading down for an audition on Thursday. He had the impression from a prior visit that Peabody may be down on the less organized end of the scale but your report will help prepare him for the chaos. I’ll make sure he takes a copy of his correspondence file in case Peabody loses his file, as well!</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

178

<p>Wow, I’m so glad I read this, Marjecat. We are heading out in about an hour to drive to Baltimore for my daughter’s audition tomorrow. Now we know to expect chaos-- if it’s even a little better than it was for your daughter today we’ll be thanking our lucky stars. </p>

<p>Oh, yeah, and it’s <em>snowing</em> again.</p>

179

<p>I’m shocked at the Peabody report–we found them to absolutely be the MOST organized place of everywhere we went! Break a leg - and best wishes everyone!</p>

180

<p>I had my Stony Brook violin perf. audition today. We got there about an hour before my audition, and a very helpful student found me a practice room. The piano was out of tune, but I had a tuner handy so it was no problem. About twenty minutes before my audition time, I was taken to a green room. The walls were thin so I could hear people playing on the other side, but the acoustics were great (that was an ego boost). The audition was held in the recital hall, and none of the illustrious violin performance faculty seemed to be in attendance (the Emerson String Quartet is in residence at SB, and they seemed to be a focal point of the program). However, the admissions director, what looked like a few graduate students/TAs, and maybe some faculty for other instruments were there. They recorded the audition and said that they will play the tape for the faculty (At SB, most people admitted as music majors study with TAs or grad students, and the top few musicians study with the performance faculty). The acoustics in the hall were amazing!!! I got through my entire Bach Adagio, half of the first movement of the Saint-Saens concerto, and half of the Wieniawski D Maj. Polonaise. After my audition, my dad and I grabbed lunch at Jasmine, the dining facility at the Wang Center. It was a surprisingly good cafeteria; it’s an Asian buffet-style place with lots of space, and seems to be popular with the students. After lunch, there was a mandatory theory/ear-training exam. It was scheduled from 1:15-2:15, but it only took me about half that time to finish. Most of it was simple and straightforward, although there were chord progression dictations that I didn’t study and wasn’t ready for. I thought the students were friendly, the other auditioners of a high level of talent, and the faculty (what I saw of the faculty, that is) was very supportive. Off to Baltimore tomorrow for my Peabody audition; I’m definitely taking a copy of my correspondence file (thanks for reminding me Cambridge Mom!).</p>