<p>I was wondering, what is the general guideline regarding the Arts supplement?</p>
<p>I'd rate myself as an above average pianist (no competitions though, just 10 years of playing and a certification of graduation from the Royal Conservatory of Music) and sent a CD to Harvard EA.</p>
<p>Was it a wise move? What I mean is, is it generally only musical superstars who send in their recordings, and thus, making mine look pale in comparison? I got deferred, so I was wondering if that could have HURT me instead.</p>
<p>Also, I'm considering sending the CD to other RD applications (such as Columbia RD) and would like a second opinion on whether or not I should go for it. BTW, I am not considering going into music as a major. (most likely majoring in Economics)</p>
<p>it cannot hurt you. This is true for Columbia and MIT, and although I can't speak to other colleges I imagine it is generally true:</p>
<ul>
<li>When the admissions office receives your supplementary arts materials, they pass them on, without comment, to the relevant department (i.e. a few volunteer professors in the Music dept or relevant Arts dept).</li>
<li>If the professors are absolutely wowed, they may call up the admissions office and say "You have absolutely GOT to take [Joey the flautist] right this minute!", in which case it's a strong positive weighting in favor of the candidate</li>
<li>If the subject-matter experts (i.e. the professors) don't think it's anything special, they toss it aside and don't think about it again. Correspondingly, if admissions never hears back, nothing is done about it</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>That said, I was a classical pianist of 13 years when applying to colleges. I had a tape containing performances of:
- Schumann Piano Concerto, 1st Mvt
- Mendelssohn Piano Trio in Dm, 1st Mvt</p>
<p>Both were pretty tremendous virtuoso works (to the extent that a trio can be called one, anyway). The Schumann, in particular, I probably practiced 6-8 hours/day for the 2 weeks leading up to the taped performance, to the detriment of my classes.</p>
<p>That should give you, at least, one reference point for deciding on your submissions. The music dept at the various colleges to which I applied didn't think much of the tapes, btw, as far as I am aware.</p>
<p>if you've gotten published or otherwise recognized for it, it probably won't hurt. i would make sure it clearly said that this was intended as an arts supplement, rather than "additional info" that your admissions officer would have to read.</p>