<p>Wow…I did not know that at all. And, truthfully, not sure if that would have played into her decision if that had been d’s first choice. However; ironically d is now attending the first public university in the country to admit women and men on an equal basis (1855)!</p>
<p>Another fantastic thread to read through. I wish everyone well (students & parents) on the auditions. I’d only like to add a few things - flu shot, gatorade, portable humidifier (I think there is a thread about Swiss Air units which are terrific) and for the vocalists a portable steamer, for the dry hotel rooms (again there is a thread somewhere). I have no idea at this time what my younger D (the flautist) will persue, with three years to go this is a thread that I’ll certainly bookmark.<br>
Best
JD</p>
<p>Hi all. I’m looking to audition this year as a flute major. In addition to conservatories, I’m looking at “safety” schools in the Midwest…michigan, IU, Northwestern, and University of Minnesota? Does anyone know anything about Immanuel Davis (the flute prof) at Minnesota?</p>
<p>flutestar, welcome. I don’t know the depth of your training, talent, and experience so when I (and many others) hear “safety” as a term applied to audition based or driven music performance applications, it typically will make one wince. There are “safeties” musically,
but some of those you propose as safeties typically are musical and academic reaches for many. Flute, like violin, is one of the most competitive admission pools.</p>
<p>You may be at the top of the heap, you may not. If you fleshed out some detail regarding your years of training, immersion experiences, and your academic stats, it may help others in guiding you to or away from specific programs. If you are playing at a high level, and you and your instructor consider yourself of conservatory ability, most often the choices of teacher/program selection should be done in conjunction with your primary private instructor.</p>
<p>You may be well versed in music based admissions, you may be “clueless” or anywhere in between. In any event, I would suggest you read this <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html</a> if you haven’t already.</p>
<p>I’ve pulled up a few of the flute titled threads from this forum. You might get some insights there:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/224146-schools-flute-help.html?highlight=flute[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/224146-schools-flute-help.html?highlight=flute</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/689159-mcgill-boulder-flute-performance.html?highlight=flute[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/689159-mcgill-boulder-flute-performance.html?highlight=flute</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/656219-northwestern-flute-audition-unfair.html?highlight=flute[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/656219-northwestern-flute-audition-unfair.html?highlight=flute</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/484442-good-colleges-not-conservatories-flute.html?highlight=flute[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/484442-good-colleges-not-conservatories-flute.html?highlight=flute</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/307288-good-flute-performance-schools.html?highlight=flute[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/307288-good-flute-performance-schools.html?highlight=flute</a></p>
<p>Another good source of info are the Master list threads. If you go to the last post, you’ll have the latest list of those accepted at various programs. Looking for past posts by specific users, or school name may reveal additional info.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/618208-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2009-a.html?highlight=master[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/618208-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2009-a.html?highlight=master</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/424909-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2008-a.html?highlight=master[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/424909-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2008-a.html?highlight=master</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/310197-master-list-music-school-acceptances.html?highlight=master[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/310197-master-list-music-school-acceptances.html?highlight=master</a></p>
<p>Most folks here are more than happy to help. My knowledge lies in strings, but others here can offer more flute specific advice.</p>
<p>I think it is a mistake to assume that conservatories you are considering would be uniformly at a higher level of competitivenesss for flute than the schools you have listed as potential “safety” schools. Don’t know anything about the music school at Minnesota, but I know Michigan and Northwestern are highly competitive for flute. Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University is among the top music schools in the country so it would be very risky to consider Indiana to be a safety school for any area of music performance. </p>
<p>Good luck with your college applications and auditions!</p>
<p>For the original poster, not to add to the problem, but other places to consider might include conservatories at Oberlin, Lawrence, and Ithaca. Also Bard (double degree, 5 year program, also has an instant admission day). UMass and other state universities have BM programs with good faculty.</p>
<p>I would say that 4 up to 8 auditions is good, but others may correct me.</p>
<p>Are you a senior?</p>
<p>Have you done any summer programs?</p>
<p>Have you studied theory or musicianship at all?</p>
<p>Have you made a prescreening CD or DVD yet?</p>
<p>Have you visited any campuses?</p>
<p>What is your financial situation (no need to tell us, but it is a big factor with conservatories, since merit aid usually covers only a fraction of costs).</p>
<p>I think you will have to find some way to narrow it down. Taking sample lessons in all of those places is not going to be possible, especially with just 6 weeks to go before the deadline for application. Doing the applications will be stressful, and that many auditions will be exhausting.</p>
<p>If you can’t visit a lot of schools (and now that it is mid-October, I don’t know how you could visit many, before December 1), at least go on the websites and research teachers, curriculum, courses, location, playing opportunities etc. </p>
<p>Our daughter ended up picking locations (Boston and NYC) and narrowing down choices in those two locations (one in Boston, two in NYC) and then threw Oberlin in too. She had good reasons for these choices, after quite a bit of research. She also applied to two colleges, one a reach and one a safety, to have those options as well once April 1st rolled around.</p>
<p>These choices took more than a year of work. You may have done more preparation for applying than your post seems to imply. Or maybe you will just send out applications and CD’s to a lot of schools and make your choices when you hear back from that.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>" I’m looking at “safety” schools in the Midwest…michigan, IU, Northwestern, and University of Minnesota"</p>
<p>Michigan and Northwestern are HIGHLY sought after for flute. Even if you are the best of the best, you may not get in.</p>
<p>We went through the whole audition process last year for flute. D was not the best of the best but very good. She looked into conservatories as well as large schools. In the end, she took conservatories off her list and went with universities. She chose not to audition to Michigan after visiting the campus. In the end she auditioned to schools where she knew the professors and Indiana. She received acceptances to several schools…did not chose Indiana because of the size of the flute studio. In the end, she followed her heart, went to a big ten university with an amazing flute professor and an incredible campus and school…University of Iowa. She loves it there, loves her professor and never doubted for a second turning down the other offers! The only other school that was close to Iowa for her was Texas…in Austin, but she did not get in. Once again…the flute professor is someone she would love to work with, and this professor is also highly sought after in the flute world!!<br>
Yes, we are definately the exception to the process of most decisions I believe. In the end, I chose not to list all of her acceptances only because of the experience I had on another thread years ago with my older d. I did not want the public opinion to get in the way of my d’s decision…
About Minnesota…I have heard good things last year about the instructor there. We spoke with people who were also auditioning there. Also Michigan State seemed to come up as well as Wisconsin, But I do not know anything about these programs at all. </p>
<p>I wish you the very best. I know it is a very trying year. If you have any questions, you can send me a pm and I will be more than happy to let you know what we found…</p>
<p>First off, I want to thank everyone who replied to this or messaged me! I’ve been unbelievably busy, but I have been reading everyone’s posts. I want to reply to everyone but literally have less than 24 hours left before leaving for a 6 hour trial lesson trip haha, so I’ll do it really soon because you all have fantastic insight to all of this.</p>
<p>I have a couple of quick questions about trial lessons–</p>
<p>Is it considered standard for parents to be in the room during the trial lesson? (If it makes any difference, my mom’s a professional musician haha). I’m leaning towards her not being there, but I was wondering about what everyone else did.</p>
<p>Also, if you failed to discuss lesson fees beforehand, did you/how did you bring it up at the end of the lesson? </p>
<p>And what did you or your children wear to their trial lessons? I’ve heard not overly formal or overly casual, but would jeans seem too laid-back?</p>
<p>Thanks for everything!</p>
<p>Just a sampling. A title search “lessons” will pull up about three pages of threads.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/771852-payment-sample-lessons.html?highlight=lessons[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/771852-payment-sample-lessons.html?highlight=lessons</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/334339-taking-practice-preview-lessons-before-applying-conservatories.html?highlight=lessons[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/334339-taking-practice-preview-lessons-before-applying-conservatories.html?highlight=lessons</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/317185-road-trip-sample-lessons.html?highlight=lessons[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/317185-road-trip-sample-lessons.html?highlight=lessons</a></p>
<p>Quick answers:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>No.</p></li>
<li><p>Have a blank signed check ready. If a fee isn’t broached upfront, you can either ask what is the fee, or have the instructor bring it up. A simple “what is the fee” works.</p></li>
<li><p>Comfortable clothes. Business casual. Jeans might be, but one teen’s definition of jeans is not necessarily a parent’s interpretation. Dockers, khaki’s, might be more appropriate.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I never went in for any of d’s trial lessons. It was a lesson for my d to work with the teacher, not me. I did always meet the teacher and was able to ask any questions that I may have.</p>
<p>I cannot remember ever paying for a lesson, but we may have. Funny how some details are forgotten throughout the process!!!</p>
<p>D usually wore khaki’s or DRESS jeans. She would dress up the outfit with shoes, sweater or jacket. I guess I would call it a “young” business casual! </p>
<p>Our best times were the trips to the schools. Relax, enjoy… Even with such a competitve instrument as flute, we tried to look at this time (trial lessons) as the schools chance to sway us as opposed to the audition being your time to sway the school.</p>
<p>“Our best times were the trips to the schools. Relax, enjoy… Even with such a competitve instrument as flute, we tried to look at this time (trial lessons) as the schools chance to sway us as opposed to the audition being your time to sway the school.”
GREAT advice. We had a similar experience.And D always had her lesson alone with the teacher but invariably she or he would want to meet with us after for a brief chat.</p>
<p>Another way to narrow the list is to consider the environment. Living in Manhattan, Boston, or Center City Philadelphia presents a lot of opportunities but a lot of hassles and expense as well. What is worth more to you? Do you want a tight-knit community of like-minded students of a conservatory like Eastman or Peabody or do you also want the full collegiate experience of a large university?</p>
<p>There is nothing to compare with setting foot on a campus to get genuine feel for a given school, but do look at the <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/558178-music-school-visits.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/558178-music-school-visits.html</a> thread as well as the regular campus visits section.</p>
<p>As has been pointed out to you, you’re starting late on a huge task. You’re going to need to cull some of those choices sight unseen to make it manageable so you’ll just have to base it on whatever information is at hand. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I would think that you should NOT have your mom sit in on your trial session. As a parent, I never did so with my kids (either of them). This is about YOU and the private teacher, not about your mom. In addition, that she is a professional musician could be very awkward for the private teacher. The bottom line, your mom will not be going to college or studying flute with these private teachers.</p>
<p>It is quite fine for your mom to come along and MEET these teachers and then go off to get a cup of coffee or read the newspaper in a lobby someplace. That’s what <em>I</em> did…</p>
<p>Just my humble opinion.</p>
<p>Gosh, it’s been so long I had to really stop and think.</p>
<p>I did not sit in on any of my son’s lessons. I didn’t even accompany him to one school. But most of the time, the teacher took pains to introduce himself to me. One teacher even took us in his car for a backstage tour of the local symphony afterward. One teacher just barely jerked his head our direction before rushing out.</p>
<p>With D, it was very different. I was invited to sit in on all but one of the lessons. And at that lesson, the teacher invited us in to talk afterwards. One teacher went out for lunch with us and gave us a campus tour.</p>
<p>The other difference was that all of S’s trial lessons were treated like actual lessons - with payment. All of D’s lessons were combination lesson/ info session / meet the teacher, and were done without charge.</p>
<p>My suggestion is to follow the lead of the teacher and be prepared for anything. Have a good book in hand, and be ready to cool your heels in a waiting area. If you do sit in, try to keep your mouth shut (I am admittedly not good at this), let your kid do most of the talking (might want to prime them with some ready questions ahead of time.) Your job is to have check book in hand, and thank the teacher for their time. </p>
<p>When I do talk to the teachers, my questions generally centered around finances, and whether my kid seemed a good fit for the studio or not - questions my kids were less likely to ask themselves. (My kids asked more instrument-specific questions - size of studio, “method”, audition procedures before and after admittance, how many teachers and how they were assigned…)</p>
<p>Hi, I am also in the same boat. I am a high school junior looking for colleges with good music programs and also looking into conservatories. </p>
<p>Do you have any suggestions for colleges with good flute professors, and conservatories?
I want to be a performance major, and have looked into:
FSU,
Stetson, Ithaca, Cincinnati Conservatory, Carnegie Mellon, Peabody, Oberlin, Lawrence University, Adelphi, and New England Conservatory </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>A BIG NO to parents sitting in on the trial lesson. Mom has to let go sometime and having her in the room- musician or not- is a great time to begin. I actually didn’t even go over to the schools for 3 of the lessons my D had, and for another, I remained in the building, but certainly not in the studio. This lesson process is a time for the student to see how she/he works with the teacher, to discuss questions or problems and to see if this is someone with whom a 4 year, and maybe longer, relationship can be built.
As for dress, I’d go with “business casual”- a nice pair of slacks and a sweater or blouse, or a skirt with a sweater and tights ( it is winter, after all ). No jeans, no dressy dresses. We’ve found that, at least for VP majors, it’s not been unusual for faculty members to remember something D wore a year ago, so you want to make a good impression and let the teacher know that you respect him/her enough to present yourself well.
flutechica- don’t forget CIM, in Cleveland. They have an excellent flute deparment of no more than eight students at any given time (about 2 openings each year) with top faculty- check out Joshua Smith and Mary Kay Fink.</p>
<p>Interesting. In all trial lessons so far for my D, I have been invited in by the teacher to sit in on the lesson. I never asked, nor expected to be invited. I sat in the most unobtrusive place possible, but in all 6 cases I was invited in, the teachers insisted. In one case my H was there as well, and he also sat in by invitation, though we fully expected to go elsewhere. 3 of the lessons were at the conservatory or school, the other three were at the teachers’ home studios. 3 asked for payment (we offered to pay in each case of course, during the request process). I guess everyone’s experiences will vary.</p>
<p>I didn’t sit in on a single trial lesson, nor was I invited. I can’t even imagine sitting in on those lessons, frankly, because it was between my son and the potential teacher, not me and the teacher.</p>
<p>I also sat in on all but one of DD’s lessons. She had the lessons after auditions so it was part of the decision process. For that one it was her last and I did not travel with her to the school. With the others I was invited to stay and I could actually observe some things she did not. We were both so new to this. She was shy, had only decided the year before to major in VP, and wanted me to be with her in the beginning anyhow. By the end of the process she was comfortable to do it on her own. </p>
<p>What was really funny is that for one audition I was invited in at the end. I totally did not expect that.</p>
<p>oh ok. thanks.
also, i’m looking also for a couple of small colleges with good music schools/programs, not necessarily universities, and not conservatories either. just small colleges, because i prefer the feel of a smaller school vs. a big university. does anyone know of any good schools?
thanks again!</p>