<p>Help! ~ Does a HS wind musician NEED to take HS Band during Senior year, in order to get into a good Music Ed program? (My D will be in at least two highly respected high level outside orchestras as Principal!) Also, does not having a letter of recommendation from the HS Band Director affect acceptance? ...Thank you for any insight!!</p>
<p>My son did participate in HS band senior year only because outside youth orchestra required it. He did not have a letter of recommendation from his band teacher or anyone from the music department from our school district. It didn’t affect him at all. He is at Eastman. </p>
<p>Thank you so much for answering bigdjp! Congratulations on your son being at Eastman! I am glad to hear that we probably won’t have to worry about the letter of recommendation. Now we will have to check with the youth orchestras. Unfortunately, you need to be in band to be eligible for All-State and All-County, but she’s willing to sacrifice those at this point. She won’t however sacrifice youth orchestras! Thank you again bigdjp.</p>
<p>As with anything else in music, a great audition is most important even for music ed. If you don’t pass the audition, then you won’t get into the music ed program. Have your daughter do what she loves and she can write in her admission essay why she skipped band her senior year. We do know one music ed major (band instrumentalist) who was turned down at one of the schools mentioned on this forum because he failed the aural skills/sightsingimg portion of the testing for admission to the music ed program at the conservatory. He was accepted for performance but declined for music ed. Fortunately, he was accepted at 5 other music ed schools and is doing very well.</p>
<p>Thanks Momofbassist! I was surprised to hear that about that student being accepted for performance and not music ed based on aural skills/sight singing. That is good to know. I still need to find out if her outside orchestras will require that my D be a member of her school band, as bigdjp’s son had encountered. Certainly explaining it in the essay is an option or if asked in the interview.</p>
<p>A number of youth orchestra do require that students be members of their school bands, unless they have a good reason. Most students who skip band their senior year explain that with conservatory and other auditions in senior year, they don’t have time for it.</p>
<p>Thanks woodwinds! …Well, so far one of her youth orchestras definitely does not require membership in high school band!! In fact, the person in charge said they are two totally different things, so we don’t care about that at all! Love her!! :)</p>
<p>My D’s private teacher expressed his concern about how college admissions would look at “dropping” band for senior year. I really hope to hear from the folks on this forum who may have had any experience with this situation. She is Principal in two very highly regarded youth orchestras and also performs in outside pit orchestras (and will continue in the school’s pit). Will the colleges/music ed programs care if she doesn’t take senior year band??</p>
<p>Funny–my S’s private teacher actually encouraged him to drop high school orchestra (time drain, not much challenge musically). My S played in one youth orchestra and did coached chamber music his junior year but didn’t take high school orchestra. He also attended lengthy summer camps after sophomore and junior year. Senior year, he dual-enrolled and played with a university orchestra and in a semester-long university chamber group–and dropped the youth orchestra and coached quartet. It had no repercussions whatsoever on his auditions.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for responding dec51995! I am glad to hear that your S’s private teacher had that perspective; I feel that way, and then some. She also has intense orchestral summer camp experiences. Knowing it didn’t affect his audition outcomes is a big help. …I wish you and your son continued progress and all good things!!</p>
<p>Thanks! The only repercussion was he lost his popularity (rapidly!) with the high school orchestra teacher. As a result, he didn’t use the teacher for recommendations, but he had plenty others to choose from. And he couldn’t do All-State, but he didn’t feel this was much of a cost. Best of luck next year to your D!</p>
<p>symphonyart-- At my daughter’s school they know there are so many conflicts that they allow you to Independent Study Band or Chorus. Basically you practice the music on your own, take a few extra in school lessons (or after school) and attend the ensemble’s rehearsals a few times before the concert. (Obviously having to make up the work from the courses missed.) I’ve seen it work out well. </p>