<p>I applied to Williams RD and received an email the other day from the director of the jazz ensemble, who said that he enjoyed my supplemental materials and "gave them the absolute highest rating". My stats and ECs are competitive, though not particularly noteworthy. To what extent can a music supplement affect my admissions decision?</p>
<p>Well, it depends if the director has sway with the admissions dept or not. You really need to ask him directly if he talks to them. That is the only way to actually know.</p>
<p>I’d say that the director who contacted you has a fair amount of influence in the decision making process. You still have yo wait a couple of months got the final verdict, but my guess is that you should take this communication as encouraging.</p>
<p>He does have sway. It’s not like Division I football recruitment, but he talks to the admissions counselors and they listen. I know this because he told me.</p>
<p>@OP People in the know answered your question. No need to ask him now. Good luck!!</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses, everyone! I’m already getting anxious about decisions, but I’m glad that music has helped my application. Good luck to everyone else in the RD pool!</p>
<p>you must be pretty good</p>
<p>I play trombone. We’re an endangered species ;)</p>
<p>That’s it! </p>
<p>I’ve heard this said at a Stanford discussion session, “if we need a tuba player and we have five spots left, guess who gets one of those 5 spots? The most qualified tuba player.”</p>
<p>Haha that’s definitely true, though hopefully if I get accepted at Williams, it will be for other reasons, too.</p>
<p>You have a hook, trombonist!</p>
<p>If you get accepted, it will mean you are well qualified and you will add to the Williams community. As the mother of a trombonist who was accepted at Williams but chose to attend a different college, I wish you all the best. </p>
<p>Congratulations, you must be a very good trombone player!</p>
<p>Trombonists are in relatively short supply at Williams. There are certainly a few talented ones around, but they have varying levels of commitment. I’ll let you in on a little hint–if you are interested in classical performance too, you may be even more of a hook. The college Wind Ensemble currently needs more trombonists, and to my knowledge, there are no student trombonists playing in the Berkshire Symphony this year. </p>
<p>I was told by another music faculty member (not the jazz director) that my tapes were highly rated, and that this added considerable weight to my application. When an applicant submits a music supplement, it is forwarded to the appropriate professional(s). He/she reviews it and grades it in a formal process. Instrumentation requirements for ensembles are considered. If the grades are particularly high, the music department will argue a case for the musician’s acceptance to the admissions office. The adcom decides from there, of course, but they take the faculty recommendations very seriously. This happens to all applicants who send recordings, but my understanding is that the jazz director advocates for applicants relatively fervently.</p>
<p>Thanks! I’m definitely more of a jazz player, so I probably wouldn’t commit to classical until I get to campus and make sure I’d have time for it, but I know for sure I’d be doing jazz. I’m also a legacy applicant, so hopefully that will add a little weight to my application too.</p>
<p>This is definitely good news for me. I hope my schools of interest need a good clarinetist or bass clarinetist!</p>