<p>I didn't know if anyone may be able to help here... </p>
<p>My son plans to apply to the College of Music at FSU. He'll put his application in this fall and assuming he is accepted by the University (his academics are pretty strong, so he has a fairly reasonable chance), he would hopefully be auditioning over the winter.</p>
<p>His goal is to be accepted in a vocal performance program. We did a tour of the school this past winter and it's definitely his first choice school. The web site says they have on campus auditions as well as National Audition Dates. Two of those dates are in NYC. Being from Connecticut, that's a day trip / train ride for us as opposed to plane rides, hotels and rental cars (in short less $$$).</p>
<p>So the question becomes... if this is truly his first choice school, would going down for an on campus audition be more favorably looked on than auditioning at one of the national dates? Just trying to plan ahead. He'll also be applying/auditioning for other programs (second, third choice etc) and I want to start organizing the whole ordeal if possible.</p>
<p>If at all possible and if it is his first choice, go down for the audition. The one caveat I can think of is if the teacher he wants to study with is coming up to NYC for the auditions.</p>
<p>I have to ask: has your son actually been to the campus? As you’ll be told ad infinitum around here, it’s “all about the teacher”, and I’d have to say that for voice majors, it’s even more important. The voice is a “living instrument” and there has to be a huge trust factor at work; once damaged, a voice may never be the same, whereas if a horn is dropped, a good tech with a welding torch can work wonders. So, if your son has his heart set on FSU then he should definitely spend a few days there, taking sample lessons, checking out practice rooms and performance facilities. Summer isn’t always the best time because regular faculty may be away and because there aren’t a full compliment of students there, it may seem like there are plenty of practice rooms etc, when during the regular school year, one may have to orbit for a while to secure a room as soon as it is vacated!
It’s always better to audition on campus. At the regional auditions, there may be a teacher or even several there, but they are taped to be viewed by the rest of the group. No matter how good the tape, there is something missing, especially for singers. There is a “spark”, personality that comes across in person, and that can be crucial. Bite the bullet and book the plane trips- Good luck to your son!</p>
<p>We toured there this past winter (Feb.) but I’m rather new at looking into seeking out music schools… I didn’t even know/think that taking sample lessons was an option or I would have. Assuming he gets an audition date, maybe we can go down a couple days early and he can do so?</p>
<p>I guess I have mixed emotions about the “all about the teacher” theory. The issue being, he may love a teacher or go to a school for a specific teacher, only to find out that teacher is leaving or retiring the following year. Do vocal students change schools because their teacher did? I guess I can see that happening at the graduate level, but not necessarily the undergrad.</p>
<p>Although I do have to say that, while he’s not a vocal coach, one of the things that got my son to look into FSU in the first place was meeting Andre Thomas and getting a chance to work with him at a state music educators event.</p>
<p>My son is a 17yo kid with a very talented vocal instrument, but few 17yo’s know EXACTLY what they want to do. I’m looking for a very good, mature music program that will give him options. He could be there two years and decide that commercial music is for him. Or that he’d prefer to be a teacher. To me your undergrad is about growing and learning.</p>
<p>Sounds like going to FL to audition is the more safe route though…</p>
<p>MrFritz99, I agree with you about the teacher issue, although few on this forum will. I can’t imagine how one could compare teachers from just one sample lesson. I guess if he/she was really really bad you may know it from one lesson, but I don’t know that you could tell good from great with just one lesson. I suspect that most college level music teachers are probably in the good to great category anyway.</p>
<p>If you do go to Florida for the audition, most likely you will meet the applied music teacher. We met the trumpet teacher at three of the four auditions and even had lunch with one of them. At the fourth college, they were between trumpet professors but later sent a letter saying that we could come meet the new hire.</p>
<p>There are also other ways that you can research the professor, a Google search will mostly likely turn up some information, and there is more than one internet site which provides student feedback on different professors. Also there may be forums and even facebook pages about the music department which may give you some insite into the professor.</p>
<p>At the college that my son ended up choosing, not only did he meet the professor before his audition, he had actually taken a master class with him the previous week because he attended a three day long band program for high school students at that college. Attending the band program that week may have possibly helped my son to get accepted and to get a scholarship because he was selected as first chair and soloist for that band program, thus he was already somewhat known at that college. You may want to check into the possibility that FSU may have something similar coming up.</p>
<p>my D is also hoping to b a VP major, and we visited FSU this winter. Did you take a tour of the music dept. itself? We were so impressed! D had a ‘sample’ lesson, which was more of a very informative visit w/ a prof. It was time well spent. We also did the same with Rice in Houston.</p>
<p>But, after 2 different school visits, I have decided to just wait until auditions to visit the other schools. It is just too time consuming and expensive to do all this travel & sample lessons. We will whittle down her list to a reasonable amount of schools (only including LACs w/ great VP programs), and when she auditions she will have the opportunity to see the campus. Having looked up the info on all the VP profs, i see they all have great backgrounds and successful students. So,how can you tell who will be best for your child by one sample lesson? We have decided to trust that being part of the faculty of an excellent music school with a great reputation means if her school list is good, D will find a wonderful teacher…</p>
<p>Ask the schools what their policies are with regard to switching teachers. Then try to find out from current and former students what the “real” policy is for switching teachers. My daughter’s local voice teacher who she had prior to college and still takes lessons from over the summer and on breaks has some horror stories to tell about kids trying to switch teachers. She has had 2 students leave school because there was so much drama around switching teachers. Another student, in a very prestigious musical theater program, ended up taking voice lessons from a non-school affiliated teacher in the city because of vocal damage.</p>
<p>For us, the question of Which Teacher? was not so much one of “is the teacher good/great/horrible” but rather one of “fit.” D3 took sample lessons from a number of teachers - thank you to everyone here who took the time to educate us on how the process works in the music world! - and as some have said, none of them were at all “bad.” But there were two teachers who she really clicked with during that hour and who seemed to “get” her strengths and weaknesses on a different level. </p>
<p>She’s looking forward to working with some of the other teachers at summer programs or maybe as a grad student, but finding the right person for her at that stage of her musical (and personal) development was crucial. </p>
<p>Another benefit of sample lessons was the opportunity to observe studio classes and meet some of the students informally, which was really instructive in terms of finding out about the culture of each school.</p>
<p>During a visit, it may be possible to sit in on a teacher’s studio classes, which can give some real insight. It is acceptable and reasonable for a student to ask a prospective teacher if he/she has intentions of going on sabbatical or may be considering changing venues. I know of several students who have been caught unawares when their teacher left (albeit without warning) after a couple of years; it was not at all easy for them to find the proper “Fit” and can sometimes even result in a student “losing” a year as they must begin recital preparations anew with a new teacher. No, you may not be able to tell “good from great” in one lesson,but you should be able to discern a teacher who speaks in language you can understand and who has realistic expectations. And, sad to say, there are bad college level music teachers, witness cartera’s comment about “vocal damage”. Again, this is a living instrument we’re talking about here: not something easily repaired.
At some schools, you just can not switch studios without practically signing your life away, and the life that is left at that school, can be made hell on earth. Try to get it right the first time- it’s really not so hard! And yes, students can and do switch schools if the teacher whom they love and respect relocates; hopefully a teacher will be honest and upfront about it.
I must respectfully disagree with badblonde’s statement…“that being part of the faculty of an excellent music school with a great reputation means if her school list is good, D will find a wonderful teacher.” For an instrumentalist, that may well be the case,for at the conservatory entrance level, the violinists, for example, are playing more or less the same pieces at about the same level. Voice students, not so much. They are often accepted on “potential”, some having 4+ years of lessons under their belts, some just having begun’ and the voice matures slower and at different rates. While a top conservatory may have excellent teachers who can take a graduate student and ready them for YAP auditions, there may well not be a teacher who has the time or inclination to nurture a young undergrad who needs work on breathing, diction or who is dealing with fach changes (yes, they DO occur and more often than you’d think!). Such a teacher might well be found at a smaller conservatory or even a state school or LAC. you just have to look. Pay attention to the overall program too; you want one where the younger student gets to perform, but most undergrads are not ready to sing full roles in complete operas, so be wary of sweeping promises. Do you want a school which has choral requirements, a music ed major (in case you aren’t sure right now that that is the way you want to go)? Those are important to consider and can narrow your list right off. Ask around, check with voice professionals in your area, other college students or ask for PM’s here, you’ll get help.</p>
<p>On the topic of a “fit” with a teacher, I couldn’t agree more that it takes time. My son and his current vocal coach got off to a very rocky start. This was certainly not his voice teacher but perhaps his first true “vocal coach”. The individual has a great deal of experience as a teacher and performer. He came very highly recommended by a number of other individuals, one of which is a friend and fairly talented vocalist.</p>
<p>When they started together, my son simply didn’t understand what was being asked of him and the vocal coach didn’t understand the feedback he was getting. In the end, the vocal coach wasn’t used to working with people as young as my son at the time (I think he was 12) and was speaking at a level beyond my son’s years. All that being said, they both stuck it out. 6mos in, there was noticeable growth in my son. 5yrs later, my son has a good friend and valued mentor in his vocal coach. When I attend a lesson I only understand about half of what they are saying as they speak in this short hand music “ease”.</p>
<p>If we had based our decisions on the “fit” of their first meeting, he wouldn’t have what he does today because he likely would not have continued.</p>
<p>for what it is worth - I would make the trip to campus.</p>
<p>My D auditioned at FSU for voice, and got accepted. She loved the campus setting and the students and teachers she met durig the day. After doing many auditions over the fall and winter (7) - she got to know and understand the pace, attitude, atmosphere of the school from the on campus auditions. </p>
<p>If this is really a top choice - I would make the trip. FYI - for Fall 2011, they were offering a out of state discount to all music majors of about 30% off out of state tuition.</p>
<p>According to the tour we went on a couple months back, only 10% of those auditioning for VP are accepted into the program - luckily my son plays the trombone and his chances are decent having made all-state this year. I’m not trying to dissuade anyone, but you should know the odds by area of study. The comments about the teacher are also valid, as we learned that many music undergrads will be taught by graduate students as opposed to the tenured professors…my son didn’t love that idea, but he will still audition.</p>
<p>I am sorry but that statistic is blatantly innaccurate. That 10% might be for some remote graduate voice program or a certain studio but I know for a fact (my aunt works in music admissions for FSU) that they accept far more than 10% for and undergrad. Grad it is more than 10% as well; however, it is still very selective for grad.</p>
<p>I am bumping an earlier thread I started that deals with these issues. My son is done with undergrad and is in grad school now. There are other things going on, but I cannot mention them at this time. Suffice it to say I do know what I am talking about. Not that I am trying to tell you what to do, but there are some truths in this business and it’s best to know them going in.</p>
<p>Not arguing - when we toured the FSU school of music, I specifically asked how many kids who audition there get accepted into the music program. The answer was, it depends on the area of study - for example, there are a lot more trumpet players out there than trombone players, so it’s harder to get in as a trumpet player. We had a voice student on our tour, and they asked about voice. According to the team, who we met with in their offices following the tour, it was stated that only about 10% of voice performance students get accepted as freshman. That may differ in they choose Music Ed or another major.</p>
<p>The person on here claims that their mother in law or second cousin works for FSU and that my stats are incorrect - but I was there recently and specifically asked the questions directly to the admissions staff, I’m not making up my answers. I don’t think they would either, but I’ll leave it to everyone else to determine.</p>