Hi,
I was wondering if anyone knows how decisions are made by the voice panel on who to take on. Does every teacher choose students he/she wants to work with? Do they all decide together? Does it have to be unanimous? I am talking about big names like Curtis, MSM and The Juilliard.
Thanks for sharing and good luck to all the potential candidates!
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I don’t know if one can generalize, as each school may have a different process. It is my understanding that the entire voice faculty is present at the audition and scores the student according to some mysterious algorithm. Schools admit the top scorers, but likely will pay attention to have a balanced class (roughly equal numbers of soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor, bass-baritone). What goes on behind closed doors to generate the ranking is another mystery, but I could imagine more prestigious teachers or the department head may carry more weight, but that is just a conjecture!
After admission decisions are made, teachers may contact students to recruit them further, and students are free to contact teachers to ask for sample lessons and whether they have room in their studio for them.
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Of course a major factor is how many spots in a class/studio, which varies from year to year. A school like Juilliard may even have just one spot. The count includes undergrad and grad for a studio., I believe.
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Every school is different but for sure they will look at the voice type to decide what needs to be filled. Always alot of sopranos audition so mezzo voice has a better shot for example. For my kids audition at conservatories it varied who sat in on the audition - many times it was just a panel of 2 or 3 so not the entire faculty. The decision on who will be their voice teacher is a different process as well. At my kids conservatory you basically audition again and the faculty decides which professor is your voice teacher. It is possible to change but not easy to do. I don’t think any of the schools will tell you how the selection process will work during school auditions.
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I have also heard that the process starts with scoring by the panel. Then, I would assume the top scores in each voice type would be offered admission. And yes, a soprano with a higher score may be cut while a mezzo with a lower score could get an acceptance (due to the volume of sopranos). I would guess at this time some teachers may ask about personal favorites. If they just missed the cut, maybe at some schools a teacher could advocate for the student particularly if they are an influential teacher. I do know for grad school, the issue of roles and voice types can be a factor as well.
This is certainly a lot of speculation based on experience and rumor. I would bet all schools have a similar “general” process of a panel scoring auditions…but how clinical and/or flexible the process is after that would probably depend on the schools, traditions and personalities involved.
And, an important point here is to ALWAYS wait for an offer in writing. A teacher and/or panel may be very positive about your audition…only to run up against the needs of the whole dept and influential members of the faculty with different opinions/agendas.
A positive reaction is always positive. It does mean you did well and certainly are “good enough” for the program. Still, it’s best to wait for an offer…and then see which teachers are available.
It is a hard time right now. Everyone wants to read the tea leafs, understand the numbers, gain some insight…but in the end, you just need to wait. Good luck!!
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Thank you, everyone!
It is a very difficult period right now that can only change when we hear the final results!
Good luck to all the kids who are going into this!
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