<p>I know you said no upstate NY....but maybe take a little peek at Ithaca College. I have heard Jewish life is strong there, Ithaca is a cool town, the music program is solid....</p>
<p>Thanks for the clarification about music ED, Fiddlefrog. That puts a completely different light on that ED application.</p>
<p>Crud. Now that I cancelled the ED app and submitted regular decision, I feel like an idiot... ><</p>
<p>Anyway, I have applications for the following schools at the moment:</p>
<p>BU
UMD
Vandy
Appalachian State
U of S. Carolina
Tulane
U of Washington
East TN State
CIM/Case Western</p>
<p>GAH. This is frustrating, and it feels like I'm always in flux when I'm doing this. Vanderbilt is looking better and better, even though I'm still totally in love with BU.</p>
<p>Fiddlefrog, why do you think that BU would be better than UMD? I mean, I know you're a student there and are definitely happy with it, but what are some of the pros and cons when you compare them?</p>
<p>Macaroni...I have heard the UMD orchestra and the BU Symphony Orchestra. The strings in the BU orchestra are really quite good. In fact, for four years, I attended ALL of the BU Symphony concerts and the strings were always quite good. </p>
<p>I will say...that performing arts center at UMD is really gorgeous.</p>
<p>Re: that ED application...this will give you the opportunity to compare offers between schools. It sounds like you have some great options, and the potential for some great acceptances if you auditions go well. It is very possible that your performance and financial aid awards will vary quite a bit from school to school. This gives you the chance to pick the offer that overall meets your needs the best. Applying ED (assuming you got accepted) would have meant that comparison would not have been possible.</p>
<p>Good luck to you!!</p>
<p>
[quote]
this will give you the opportunity to compare offers between schools.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Not only to compare but sometimes you can negotiate when you have the offers in hand. You can't do that for ED. Good luck.</p>
<p>I didn't mean that BU would necessarily be a better school for you overall than UMD. I just think the violin faculty at BU is stronger. I have spent a month at UMD (at NOI), and met much of the string faculty there and at another summer program. It's certainly a very good group, and the cello studio is extremely strong, but for violin, BU has both higher-profile performers (not counting the Guarneri Quartet, as most UMD students see little of them) and, to my mind, more effective pedagogues than UMD. </p>
<p>That said, UMD really shines in some areas in which BU is awful, i.e. facilities.</p>
<p>Hey Macaroni,</p>
<p>Best of luck to you! College considerations for musicians are especially tough.</p>
<p>I hope you won't take offense at the rest of my post, but some of what's been written has confused me. I'm professionally in the field and this thread (not your posts alone) suggest some things that aren't quite reality. </p>
<p>1) Are you using the words want to be a professional "fiddler" literally, or are you really going the classical route and calling yourself a "fiddler" as slang? I ask because the search for schools is different. The admissions standards for your list of schools is very mixed - not clear to me where you're heading.</p>
<p>2) CIM and Case Western are two separate schools. (You may know that, but others don't seem to.) They are not connected in the same way that Eastman is part of the U of Rochester or Peabody is part of Johns Hopkins.</p>
<p>3) The concerto rep you've mentioned looks light for CIM or other top tier violin schools. Typical CIM undergrad auditions include Tchaikovsky and Sibelius concertos at the top end of the repertoire spectrum and Mendelssohn and Wieniawski II at the "lower end" (not to be dismissive, but I have no better term for the concertos commonly taught early in the concerto repertoire progression). Dvorak and the Prokofiev concertos are also typical. I know you didn't say Mozart or Kabelevsky was your audition concerto, but others reading the thread may not be aware of what's appropriate. CIM's website mentions Ravel's Tzigane as an appropriate concerto alternative - one of the roughest "concert pieces" in the violin literature.</p>
<p>4) CIM requires a DVD prescreen. Other top violin schools - Juilliard, NEC, Indiana, etc also have similar requirements. Time to get moving on all those decisions! </p>
<p>Since you're at Interlochen, you should have good access to teachers and current and previous students who have gone on to conservatory/music school. Based on your knowledge of others' outcomes and your teacher's help, you're in a better spot to judge your violinistic chances during the audition circuit than many out there. I just wanted to clarify your considerations and thoughts for others lurking out there. Again, best of luck to you!</p>
<p>I'm the CC'er whose D is a violin performance major at Vandy. She just started about a month ago and loves it. It was really an excellent match for her. She loves her teacher - she felt she quickly focused on what was needed. My D likes the three teachers there very much - there's a lot of exposure to all the studios through performance classes. She has no trouble finding practice rooms - including one in her residence hall. </p>
<p>Vanderbilt is a wonderful place. The freshman are housed in the Commons (check out the website - absolutely beautiful, brand new and an experience of its own). 10% of the students are Jewish. Hillel is very strong and you can be as involved as you want to be. It's housed at the Ben Schulman Center for Jewish Life. My D just ate at the Kosher Vegetarian restaurant there called Grins (Yiddish - pronounced Greens) and she thought it was great - on the meal plan too. It's a top 20 university - and climbing. I think if you can visit you'll love it. </p>
<p>Vanderbilt was also ranked #2 in financial support for students. I was quite amazed at the level of support. They have also made a commitment to classes coming in next year and beyond that students will NOT carry any loans when they graduate.</p>
<p>And then you have Nashville - The symphony is in a new concert hall (students get a discount) and they attract top artists (Yo Yo Ma is next on the bill). But if its fiddling you're after - it's Nashville. Vandy has faculty specializing in fiddling. I understand there are many gigs available for music majors. </p>
<p>As you can see - I think it's a wonderful place. I went with my D to her audition there and was a wee bit skeptical knowing nothing about it except that it was in the South. After audition weekend I was sold. And the best part - my DD is truly happy there and convinced it was the best match of all the schools she considered.</p>
<p>Feel free to private message me if you have any questions or want any further information. - Hi Stringfollies!</p>
<p>Hey, Fiddlestix. Thanks for your input. I definitely don't take offense at anything you've said; those are all issues I'm constantly thinking about.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>When I say "fiddle," I mean "fiddle." As in Celtic/Irish, bluegrass, and hopefully klezmer (I know, I know, fiddle is the wrong word for that). Classical music is great, but it's not what I want to do with the rest of my life.</p></li>
<li><p>I know CIM and Case are separate; I've talked with admissions reps from both schools and have sent in my Case app separately. As soon as I finish my CIM essay, it's going in.</p></li>
<li><p>My repertoire is a big source of worry for me. I have had the misfortune of six years of "light" teaching, meaning zero emphasis on technique. I hadn't played a three-octave scale until I arrived at Inty. This is my second year here; since I began work at Inty, I've learned Mozart 3 and 5, four mvmts. of solo Bach (including E major prelude), Kabalevsky, and will be starting on the 2nd mvmt. of the Tchaikovsky shortly for my Louisville audition.</p></li>
<li><p>Again... big worry source. I have a major problem freezing up during auditions.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks for writing. I would rather have someone be very realistic and not all fake-supportive and fake-approving, etc. If I seem like a weak candidate, I definitely want to hear that, so thank you.</p>
<p>UPDATE ON SCHOOLS:
Erased Washington app
Added: SMU, Louisville, Rutgers
Thinking about: Bard
Don't care about: USC, Tulane, ETSU</p>
<p>CURRENT LIST (in vague order of pref):
BU
(Bard?)
Louisville
CIM/Case
Rutgers
Vanderbilt
UMD
SMU
App State</p>
<p>There is a very active klezmer violin presence at New England Conservatory--in the Contemporary Improv department. Have you considered maybe Northeastern University and seeking out private instruction with NEC teachers?</p>