I know, such threads have been posted in the past, but I would like updated answers.
If a student is conservatory/state competition winner level for piano, how much will a musical supplement help at top Ivy League schools? Which schools may be more impressed than others?
In addition, which top schools have recently been trying to improve their music departments?
Many of the top schools already attract a number of strong musicians in their applicant pool.
Are you hoping that this music supplement will tip admissions in your favor?
Yes, that is what I’m hoping for. My stats/scores are already very good, except for my ECs(I only have Math Club and Science Bowl, and I’m the president and secretary of them, respectively) because of my focus on piano.
My S is a pianist and was accepted into a few conservatories (including Leon Fleisher’s studio). On the acceptance letters from Columbia, Duke, and Yale, their admission officers specifically mentioned their liking on my S’s music in their hand-writing notes. On the other acceptance letters, their admission officers did not leave hand-writing notes; so we do not know to what extent his piano music helped his admission.
If you already pretty much already have the stats to get into a top school and you are pretty certain about your level of talent, then my advice to you would be to contact the music director at the schools you are interested in by email.
Introduce yourself, let them know you are going to be applying. Ask for their advice with regards to admissions / would it be possible to play for them/ get a lesson /and discuss your musical fit into their program.
My son did this and heard back from many schools (although some ivies he did not hear from at all). Columbia invited him to come play, sit in on a rehearsal, and told him they would put him in a recruited pile/ go over his app before he submitted it to the school to help insure it got the best read. Duke and UNC chapel Hill went even further.
My son didn’t end up applying to these schools as he applied ED to Penn, but the Penn music director invited him to come play and take a free lesson, which my son did. My son instantly had a rapport/ it was the best lesson my son ever had and solidified his interest/intent to apply ED to Penn. My son applied Ed and was accepted, but he had the stats and EC’s already needed to be accepted…so it is hard to say if the music helped or not.
I do know emailing and developing a rapport with the music director helped my son make the decision which school he wanted to attend because music is very important to him… also the instruction he received from the music director was the best he has ever had… it was a whole other level of musicianship for him (and he is a top player in our state)… so a great experience even if you aren’t accepted … if that makes sense? Hopefully you live within driving distance of these schools … good luck!
Thanks for the great advice! I will definitely try emailing directors and get some lessons as well.
There is a wonderful music major forum here on CC. You might want to check it out.
Art supplements help a great deal. They should include a recording (can be cued to best 3 minutes-ask if admissions would like this), a music resume that details music studies, performances, awards, etc., and letters of recommendation from a teacher or director (can be two). You can even include programs or articles.
Harvard has increased focus on applied arts and in recent years has given credit for lessons, and performance in certain ensembles or organizations.
My musician kid did not contact anyone in the music department where she ended up until after acceptance, when she was deciding where to go. But nothing wrong with trying.
I think the level of playing should justify the supplement and the contacts with the department.
My non-music major kid contacted the music department chairs, the private instrument teacher on her instrument, and the orchestra directors at every school she was interested in applying to. She ended up applying to three schools that were her choices (she had a fourth parent choice). Of the top three, each one got back to her. One invited her to play in a special concert with their orchestra (Kyoto awards thing). She had private lessons with the three teachers on her instrument when we visited, and also talked to the music department chair.
This also happened at one school where she chose not to apply. The music folks were awesome there too.
So…have your kid draft a nice email to these folks.
As with others, my kid was solidly in the range for acceoted students (no Ivies or the like). She was told at all,the schools that they would love to have her (oboe and English horn player…who also had the instruments) but that they had no impact on admissions at all.
Still…the kid wanted to take lessons, and play in their orchestra…so,these visits were important, especially because she was not majoring in music.
Going to concerts at possible schools is really helpful.
I am not really sure if the music department evaluated my kid’s music or admissions just went by other things in the art supplement. In her case, I believe the letters of recommendation were key in her admissions, but they went well beyond music.
Every school is evaluating applicants with an eye toward the mix on campus, and the needs of campus organizations like orchestra, chorus, ensembles. “Character” is important too at many colleges, and the work ethic and dedication of a musician is appreciated regardless of major. The ability of a musician to contribute (and cross-pollinate) is key.
Sent you a private message.
@compmom I like your reference/term
"… ability of a musician to contribute (and cross-pollinate) is key. " Cross-pollinate. So descriptive! Thank you, I will be borrowing that word in my college discussions with parents.
Your ECs are excellent. Piano is a huge EC – it sounds like you spend a great deal of time on piano and your are quite accomplished. An EC doesn’t have to be a school based activity.
Cross-pollination really happens. A drama group may ask a musician for suggestions for music for their play. A visual artist may want music for an installation, or a musician might want a video for their concert. A dance might want a composer to provide a piece. And just sitting around talking. An economics major might find a conversation about music interesting and take a music class. These are all examples I have personally heard about.
I have a question. For those schools that already have a major music department (such as Northwestern), for a student not intending to major in music, wouldn’t a music supplement be of less interest because they already have more than enough music majors to fill their orchestras, etc.? This is just my hypothesis, but I could be totally wrong.
Applicants would not do a music supplement when applying to a conservatory or music school (Northwestern has a music school http://www.music.northwestern.edu/l). Applicants to those will be auditioning, often after prescreening. They send in samples of their work, whether for performance or composition, for the prescreening, if there is one, or prior to auditioning.
The “arts supplement” is a supplement to the Common Application, usually for those applying to a BA program at a college or university, whether a prospective music major or not. Generally these schools will have a “music department” not a “school of music.”
There are so many variations I hate to generalize. For instance, you can see that Bienen School of Music at Northwestern has both a BM and a BA program. (Also the use of the word “supplement” varies and can refer to the essays and other chores on applications to particular schools, as in the “NU supplement.”) It looks like both the BM and BA students submit materials (not the common app arts supplement) and audition, which isn’t the case everywhere.
Some schools that have a conservatory or music school on campus have separate ensembles and other music organizations for those who are not in the conservatory or music school. And some have ways to study music outside of the conservatory (like Oberlin or Bard). In that case an arts supplement for music added to the common application might be helpful.
It depends- things are different from school to school.
ps also I know of a student who didn’t major in music but submitted something about his music and got a scholarship offer from the music department- at a large university without a music school
So,e of these universities also have ensembles for non-majors. My kid majored in music at Boston U iversitniversity. They had more than a handful of ensembles for students who were not music majors. The non-majors were not able to take lessons with the music department applied faculty but they could take them with grad students…and they did.
I believe NU also has ensembles for non-majors.
@compmom is correct that every university is rather unique. For example, Yale has a school of music at the graduate level, and at the undergraduate level it has the department of music. Quite a few undergraduate musicians at Yale are not majoring in music, but taking performance courses with credit with graduate faculty members at its school of music. At least some music supplements are reviewed by graduate faculty members to identify potential students for undergraduate performance courses.
@prof2dad - At Yale the majority of the undergrads take lessons with graduate students from Yale School of Music - and do not study with the faculty. It is the exceptional student who is accepted into a professor’s studio.
@SpiritManager: Yale undergraduate students have two choices: taking lessons with credit and taking lessons without credit. Taking lessons with credit requires audition. The criteria for passing the audition are either the student shows promise for a performance career or the student can be expected to play at the graduate level in 2 years. Once the student passes the audition, he/she studies with a professor from the School of Music. Since it is a credit course, the lessons are covered by tuition and require no additional fee. In contrast, taking lessons without credit does not require audition. The student will be taught by a graduate student. There is a small fee to be paid. Note that Yale’s School of Music is highly prestigious. Some graduate students are international competition winners.
DS was accepted ED at Brown, not a music major. He plays two instruments, and for other schools his supplement included both, but Brown specified that only one instrument was to be included. He called the music dept and asked if they ever saw the supplements, and he was told that every video was evaluated by faculty in that instrument, ratings and comments were sent to the admissions office, and they became part of the portfolio. So we knew that his musical accomplishments would be taken seriously. Professors give lessons, but admission to that program is by audition. DS is in the program.
Brown also requires two long essays with the supplement.
@prof2dad My son has an MM from The Yale School of Music. He and his friends taught the undergrads. It is the exception, not the rule, to study with a professor. Which is not to say it’s impossible just rare. Also, as you’ve noted- these are exceptional grad students so not necessarily a bad thing to study with them.