It’s tough for me to say. My kid had experience with the relevant faculty member in another program. That person was one of kid’s specialty recommendations (other was kid’s conservatory teacher). So even though I know that the admissions officer evaluated the supplemental submission, the real info that they wanted was the faculty member’s opinion. My kid’s level was such that they probably could have been accepted at any conservatory in the country last year, had that been their chosen path.
All I can say for any future person who comes across this post, buried deep at # 194 in the thread, is if the applicant has specific known, recognized achievement in any special area, maybe they should reach out to the appropriate faculty member and send them the supplement, so that the faculty member can advocate for them with the admissions committee. Harvard prides itself on its performing ensembles - dance, music, etc. - and they admit very talented people so that they have good ensembles.
Yes, I did and I agree. I am not referring to whether they are listened to in their entirety. I am sure some applicants get rejected based on a preliminary read and those supplements don’t make it to the music faculty. My understanding is that AOs do NOT listen to supplements. Application instructions make it clear that admissions does not see what is in slide room so if a resume or rec is submitted through that only the music department will review it.
I am not aware that admission don’t see the resume and letters or rec. Assuming that is true, I can envision two scenarios that could result in acceptance without faculty listening to anything: sufficient info in the regular part of the application on level of music talent and achievement, and a review of the resume and letters of rec by faculty providing sufficient support for acceptance without any listening.
We did not get hung up on this. I am quite sure that supplements are not wasted. Clearly several applicants seem to make contact with the music dept. but we did not do that.
Precollege (Juilliard!), summer programs, awards, competitions, YoungArts- all ways to vet talent without a faculty member listening. Afterall, they are busy teaching, researching, doing music themselves! I do think letters of recommendation can be important too. Work ethic, working with others, leadership and so on. But I am speculating!
Well put! Harvard is a wonderful place to study or do music, and so are the many other wonderful schools out there. Students at top grad schools come from all kinds of schools and backgrounds
I have a feeling that the symphony conductor listens to many, if not all, of the instrumental submissions. He’s molded the symphony into the best non-conservatory, non-music school college symphony in the country. He’s put a tremendous amount of time and effort into it.
My child had absolutely everything on the music resume that would have indicated the highest level of musical achievement on their instrument, except Young Arts, which we found out about too late to apply for. On the committee remarks, they didn’t react at all to any of that. All they wanted to know was what the conductor thought of the quality of the music supplement submission.
The conductor may have listened to you son because the resume indicated a potential contributor. And also wasn’t there some personal contact? I forget…
He was familiar with my kid’s playing, didn’t need to listen to the supplement. But even so, the comments of both AOs were along the line of “Looks, good - let’s see what the faculty member thinks of the supplement”, despite the resume, and despite the fact that the evaluating faculty member was already one of the kid’s two specialty recommendations. So they clearly DO send submissions to be heard by the relevant prof, and I bet they do the same with other types of submissions, too, even if the person already has achieved a high level of recognition.
Can you imagine the reaction of the Theater, Dance, and Media faculty who were asked to evaluate the submissions of the class members who were already highly successful child actors, Broadway Musical Theater stars, pro dancers in prestigious ballet companies? Boy, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in that room as they evaluated these incredibly accomplished performers!
I don’t think faculty listen to all submissions and maybe not even many. I agree with @skieurope on this. There is a lot about your son’s situation that is not typical, including the personal connections.
Maybe one reason faculty might be asked to listen is when the application is otherwise borderline in terms of academics (not your son, but that could be a reason for some). For some applicants music could push it over the line.
I doubt very much that any time was spent by faculty reviewing the submissions of the “stars” you mentioned.
I wasn’t very familiar with the role that high achievement and contribution potential in the performing arts might play in Harvard’s admissions decisions, so this recent set of posts from parents with children who are impressively gifted musicians was interesting to read.
I suspect (but do not know) that many applicants who submit musical supplements are not at this level, and that @skieurope’s general observation is likely to be true. To perform at a conservatory level, but not seek attending a conservatory, seems like a sweet spot that few Harvard applicants are likely to occupy…but I’m glad some do and help to make some of Harvard’s performing groups among the best university groups in the country.
More generally on the subject of supplementary information, applicants would be wise to consider the maxims “less is more” and “the thicker the folder, the thinner the candidate.” The standard elements of an application reliably allow the strongest candidates to shine, and supplements of any sort should be pursued only when there is a genuine sense that one’s case is incomplete without it.
Actually many of the students at prestigious conservatory prep programs seem to apply to Ivies and other selective non-conservatory schools. I can’t back that up with data but that was my impression.
No doubt, and I’m sure they make formidable candidates since the discipline of learning and performing at that level surely translates more broadly. Somehow, however, it is my subjective sense reading this board that many applicants not at prestigious conservatory prep programs also submit musical supplements simply because many high school students are musicians, a wonderful pastime. As an activity, it is probably second only to athletics in the broadness of high school participation. This is why my conjecture is that @skieurope is correct, that many music supplements are never heard.
I’m a current first year and my music supplement was reviewed. I know this because I met the person who reviewed it and she remembered exactly what pieces I performed. Best of luck to you!
