Going test optional for music schools

My son is a Junior jazz sax player looking at music schools (including some within larger universities). He has a good GPA, but isn’t looking for a very competitive, academically elite school (like Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, or Vanderbilt) and is very resistant to studying for or including standardized test scores. (He hasn’t taken any yet aside from PSATs, and would need to work at it to get his scores in a good place.)

Some of the schools we are looking at don’t require SATs this year, but might for his year, though most are test optional (U Michigan being an exception). He’s a good player, will probably do well in auditions according to his teachers.

Would love your thoughts. Thanks.

Most free-standing conservatories don’t require SAT / ACT score. My jazz son was very sure to apply only private conservatories, was very busy for all about music and already had a very competitive artistic resume by his junior year, we didn’t push him to take SAT / ACT test in his junior year. When October in his senior year came, he changed some schools in his list and added one school which required SAT / ACT score. During time for all prescreening recordings and applications / essays on top of music activities, he ended up taking a SAT test first time without studying. It was very stressful November.

So, every time SAT / ACT questions come up, for those students who are looking for audition-heavy music schools, I always recommend “Take SAT or ACT before senior year starts” to get a score ready. Students can decide to submit a score or not (depending on application requirements). Auditions are most important for those conservatories but there are many great music schools within university for jazz studies that “usually” require SAT / ACT score. And music schools in university may have a lower SAT / ACT score threshold for music major students.

1 Like

The fantastic jazz players (but not high academic achievers) from my kids’ public high school in the Northeast seem to get into U Mich without having the academic qualifications. It’s an excellent place to go to for jazz performance, plus he’ll have gone to a respected school, not to mention that those kids got some “merit” money that brought the cost down to close to our in-state flagship. So I’d “motivate” him sit down and take at home a full practice ACT under timed conditions, and a full practice SAT under timed conditions. Grade them together, and ask him which test he thought was better for him, and whether he thinks that with a little review/test prep, he could do better on that test. If he’s willing, then hire a tutor to come in and prep him for that test, register him, and have him take it. This could all happen over the summer.

It would be a real shame for him to miss out on U Mich, if it’s the right place for him, out of fear of having to submit a mediocre standardized test score. I strongly doubt that the jazz kids from our high school who got into U Mich, but were not academically high achieving, had fantastic SAT/ACT scores. Overall, it must be that for jazz, U Mich is putting the most weight on the audition.

2 Likes

Just here to add that for music majors, SAT/ACT scores are not always used to disqualify admission if the scores are on the lower side, but they certainly can and do come into play with merit money allocation at many schools. So depending on your financial need or the necessity of good merit scholarship for your family, you may wish to emphasize the importance.

It will likely be the last standardized test of his life, and a solid score is very attainable with even a month’s worth of moderate preparation over the summer. I would really encourage him to do it and get a score he feels is respectable. But that’s just my take on it!

2 Likes

Temple has a test optional application form. Boyer’s got an amazing jazz department (winning all kinds of awards lately). The only issue is that test scores are what got my kid a lot of $$ merit money. They still have music scholarship $$, but the academic far outweighed that. Not sure if it’s the same at other schools or not.

1 Like

This is my favorite list of test optional schools (in non-COVID times)
FairTest | The National Center for Fair and Open Testing

He could consider taking a test (if and when safe in terms of COVID) and then decide on whether to submit. Sometimes scores go up in later high school because of courses taken (and sometimes not!).

But the only reason really to do that would be for merit aid at test-optional schools. That said, one of mine applied test-optional and got merit anyway. I think it varies.

There is nothing wrong with applying test-optional. And there are many schools to love besides UMichigan. That Fairtest list is long!

If he is resistant, I don’t think it is worth pushing him. It can be his decision and there won’t be any dire consequences if he applies to schools that don’t require tests (except for merit, possibly).

You could check with schools to see if any of them don’t require scores for merit aid. In music, that is very possible. And if he doesn’t need merit aid, the whole issue is moot and he can safely skip the tests.

1 Like

I don’t think many of the music schools my S22 plans to apply to will require standardized testing. He will be much better off spending his time practicing. Wait, who am I kidding, he wouldn’t study for the SAT if his life depended on it! So, no… I’m not worrying about it at all. He will probably need to take it for his in-state safety, but I am not going to push him to study.

2 Likes