Guidance for HS Junior Violinist

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>D’s interests have changed since my earlier posts. D is a HS junior and violinist. We have followed the advice of this site by scheduling college visits now and by arranging lessons with the violin professors. D has visited and has had lessons at Temple, Duquesne, Susquehanna and Indiana Univ. of Pa. She will soon visit and have a lesson at West Chester Univ. D has had good experiences with the music departments and with the violin teachers at each of these schools. We also plan to visit a few more schools, perhaps Ithaca and Capital. D may even take a shot at Carnegie Mellon and Indiana (Bloomington). </p>

<p>D now wants to major in music performance. Earlier she was focusing on music education.<br>
D has decided that she wants to be the best musician that she can be and figures that music performance would be the better route to accomplish that. But D is realistic. She understands the challenges of a music performance career. She just wants to play well even if she never reaches a truly professional level. D figures that she could use graduate school to focus on a particular career after she devotes four years in undergraduate school to determine her level of musicianship.</p>

<p>Considering D’s change in plans and considering the type of schools that D has visited and will visit, would you answer these questions:</p>

<li>Does D’s basic plan make sense? She’ll never be a virtuoso but she’s a solid, well-trained, 17-year-old violinist, who has the desire to improve.<br></li>
<li>Do some music schools audition students for the music school in general, and after the student is accepted and enrolled, allow the student to select performance, education, composition, theory, etc. as a major? Or do most music schools audition students for a particular major?
3.If most music schools audition students for a particular music major, how much more difficult is it to be accepted for music performance than for music education? [One of the schools that D visited (total enrollment of 10,000) accepted 4 violinists for the class of 2012. We’re not sure if that was for the music school generally or just for music performance, but, considering the popularity of the violin, we figure that 20+ people auditioned for those 4 slots. That’s a pretty daunting rate of acceptance.]<br>
4.In general, does a music education curriculum restrict the student in his/her efforts to improve on musicianship? Or do some music schools expect as much musicianship from education majors as from performance majors?<br>
5.Which plan would you recommend: 1) a BM in music performance followed by masters in music education, or 2) a BS in music education followed by an MM in music performance?
6.What is the basic difference among a BFA, BS, and BM in music performance?<br>
7.What are the advantages and disadvantages of majoring in music performance at a small LAC with a good academic reputation and a good, but less competitive, music school?<br></li>
</ol>

<p>As always, I appreciate the expert advice of this site.</p>

2

<p>So many of your questions are intertwined, and so much knowledge and experience is already committed to numerous threads here. General advice: read through and bookmark the info you find. Use what makes sense. Sort through it and attempt to digest it, and adjust strategy to fit your needs. There are guidelines, but nothing is written in stone. What works for one does not apply to all.</p>

<p>The answers are my perspective. Where I can I’ll point you in a direction, and provide some links.</p>

<p>In order:</p>

<p>1) Yes, it can. BA or BM in perf or ed, or perf/ed to an MM in perf or MMed (or MA in an unrelated discipline) is common, and in any permutation. At this stage, kids are unsure, can’t decide, are torn between both, or simply change direction. The best advice is a good teacher at a solid program that will alllow/enable your d to explore, and still develop to the next level. </p>

<p>2) Some BA’s are non-audition, with a subsequent audition into the program or discipline. Many at BA level are audition based across disciplines. BFAs and BMs are audition based and tend to be judged on discipline specific standards, with performance majors held to a higher standard at many programs. These are guidelines and generalities. The specifics are found within each school’s degree outlines and admission/audition parameters.</p>

<p>3) As I said, the standards vary. Obviously Curtis is tougher than SUNY Purchase. Yet students accepted at Juilliard may not get in at Purchase, or Curtis. Is Juilliard the “better” program? It’s a function of relative talent, audition pool at each institution, number of openings, how the mix is split between grad and undergrad, or any number of
factors. The key is knowing relative talent, and level of competition for the institution. The best advice here is a number of objective professional assessments from performing professionals and conservatory level instructors in being able to assess a reasonable chance of audition success. Violin, like flute, are highly competitive everywhere, just by the sheer number of high level applicants.</p>

<p>Some additional thoughts on assessment, and the value of summer immersion programs, which I didn’t address but are covered here. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/674345-cello-player-what-do.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/674345-cello-player-what-do.html&lt;/a&gt; and a good overview link here <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/677983-if-you-just-beginning-journey.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/677983-if-you-just-beginning-journey.html&lt;/a&gt;
Some thoughts on teacher selection <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/390796-does-phenomenal-applied-teacher-really-trump-everything.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/390796-does-phenomenal-applied-teacher-really-trump-everything.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>4) It’s a loaded question, and depends on the specific institution. Programs like Oberlin, nd Hartt, many smaller conservatory level programs consistently produce both exceptional performers/educators. Many programs with dual major cross discipline programs do both very well, and without distinction. The key is knowing the faculty, and the institutional outlook regarding both disciplines. In many larger institutions, there are separate performance instructors and separate instructors for primary instrument for music ed majors, at others it’s a performance quality level of instruction. Lesson times may vary, from an hour for performance, and a half hour for music ed. Just knowing these differences can be an indication of the end result. Ensemble, orchestra requirements for music ed majors may be less than for performance majors, and in some larger programs, the top tier ipo’s may be restricted to performance majors, or by competitive audition across discipline. These aspects can be indicators as well.</p>

<p>5) The best route to a performance MM is solid instruction with appropriate faculty within an institution that provides ample ensemble, chamber and growth opportunities within a peer group of talent at least equal or higher than your d’s talent and experience. I’ve seen the best musicians only get better when surrounded by better peers. It is easier to strive to play up a level or two, than to have to play down or limit your own ability by “playing down” to the level of those around you. </p>

<p>As to what degree path, it would depend on where she wants to go. Depends on her talent(s), her strengths, her dedication, and her ability, and to a great extent luck, or willingness to keep auditioning in a highly competitive environment where the competition for performance is measured not by degrees of separation but by tenths of a degree. The choice is an individual’s. As a parent, do not dictate it. If you are willing to support her pursuits, by all means do so. Do not push or direct. She must come to her own decisions. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/460187-how-many-music-voice-performance-majors-find-jobs.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/460187-how-many-music-voice-performance-majors-find-jobs.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>6)The devil is in the details. The best way for actual comparison between and within institutions is by reviewing the actual degree requirement for each degree type within the specific undergrad handbooks. I’m not aware of a BS in performance being a widespread title, and I’m sure it must exist somewhere. The BS is often used in a mus ed degree, with the difference being more ed theory, cognititive psych heavy than a BA. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/561184-help-understanding-ba-vs-bfa-vs-bm.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/561184-help-understanding-ba-vs-bfa-vs-bm.html&lt;/a&gt; and BassDad’s explanation here <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>7) LAC’s, (and some private universities) especially those with attached, associated conservatory level programs often offer the best of two worlds. A conservatory environment and mindset plus the ability to explore academic or associated interests in a smaller, more personal environment than a larger university. Often, there are no grad students as “competition”, but one also loses the insight one can gain through association.
Overall environment, and potentially exposure to those with a more “academic” and less music 24/7 mindset. Merit, academic scholarships can also be a plus factor, although high prices can be prohibitive in the absence of merit/talent scholarships. It’s all a matter of fit, a combination of personal and educational needs and desires, coupled with the realities of talent and finances.</p>

3

<p>Thank you for this. My dd is 15, a sophomore violinist and is considering a music career but isn’t inclined to major in performance.</p>

4

<p>One more link, a discussion of BA/BFA/BM but also addresses some of your other questions.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/150983-music-performance-bm-bfa-vs-ba-path.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/150983-music-performance-bm-bfa-vs-ba-path.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>There were a couple of steps that my D did that I think were key to her being successful in the college audition process. She’s a singer, but I think you can probably find ways to replicate them for an instrumentalist:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>When she clearly became bogged down and some problems with her singing were not being solved, she changed teachers. That was not at all easy since she’d known her prior teacher since she was nine years old and that teacher had just taken the job of choir director at my D’s school, but it was necessary and paid off.</p></li>
<li><p>We sent her to a more professionally-based summer program after her junior year. In her case, it was the Washington Opera’s Opera Institute for Young Singers. The program gave her singing a layer of polish as well as a large dose of training in opera history, stage behavior, and steps to take for successful auditions.</p></li>
<li><p>Most of her musical endevors outside of school for the past couple of years were aimed at preparing her for college auditions. For example: she entered Classical Singer Magazine’s High School Voice Competition, not so much for the prizes and bragging rights, but because the judging was done in an atmosphere that was just like college auditions. By the time she started doing the real thing, she was able to concentrate on the job at hand and feel more comfortable.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>For potential college music students, the audition is the money shot. It’s what’s going to get you admitted and what’s going to get you scholarship cash. Make that the focus of your preparations.</p>

6

<p>Thank you for the feedback. We will follow up on your suggestions. I have one follow-up question in response to violadad’s advice that my D get “objective professional assessments from performing professionals and conservatory level instructors.” Would it be appropriate to get a professional assessment during the private lessons from the violin instructors at the music schools that we are visiting? We fear that such a question regarding D’s chances of gaining admission would put the violin instructor at that school in an awkward position. So far, the lessons have been just regular lessons with little or no discussion regarding D’s level of accomplishment.</p>

7

<p>Without phrasing the question to put an instructor in a spot by asking “Do I have a chance?”, I would position it as a more general series of questions:</p>

<p>"I realize much is variable but:</p>

<p>Based on what I’ve done today, do you feel I might be competitive from your experience with past audition pools?"</p>

<p>or</p>

<p>“Any particular area or specific aspects that you feel need improvement that might make me more competitive here?”</p>

<p>or something similar. You’re in effect asking for constructive, objective assesment based on the immediate lesson, not a prediction of future events.</p>

8

<p>Okay, violadad. Very good. We’ll use your suggested questions or something similar, which will promote an objective answer.</p>

9

<p>You might also want to think about getting the opinion of someone who your child is NOT interested in studying with. My son spend some time with one of the teachers at our state flagship. He had no intention of applying there and the teacher knew that. The teacher was extremely helpful in suggesting other teachers and schools that he would recommend for my son.</p>