<p>I've posted here before but thought I'd post again.</p>
<p>My son is a homeschooled/part time college senior and will be applying to Vanderbilt this fall. The big draw for him is the music scene. He's never been to Nashville so has never visited Vanderbilt. I'm still hesitant about his applying to Vanderbilt. Reading all the threads, I'm just not sure this is a school for him. He loved the admissions officer that he talked with on the phone. The guy was very friendly and that left a good impression on my son but one guy doesn't make a 4 year college experience.</p>
<p>We are a conservative Christian family. He's a URM (1/2 Puerto Rican) who's not into drinking but is very extroverted and loves hanging out with friends and keeping busy. We are not wealthy (income under 80K) and have never been to the South (We're in racially mixed So. Cal.). I work for two gay men and my kids know and respect them, but my son's pretty politically apathetic and is turned off by strong liberal rhetoric. He can hold his own in a discussion but would rather expend his energies doing the activities he loves like teaching and playing violin, tutoring math, playing chess, doing sports, swing dancing, and having music jam sessions.</p>
<p>He a violionist (but not conservatory material) and loves all kinds of music: worship, indie rock, classical, and fiddle. He would love to be involved in the Christian music scene in Nashville.</p>
<p>He will most likely major in math or physics and has done a significant amount of college work in both areas and is currently doing graduate level physics research. He would be considered the math, chess, music, athlete type (though not a recruited one).</p>
<p>If it is important for your son to play, consider Vanderbilt’s policy on gaining a seat in the Vanderbilt Univ Symphony Orchestra. Our eldest decided to go to Duke partly because Duke’s Symphony is more casual and he could hold a middling ranked chair in the Duke Symphony. Playing was important for his mental well being and he liked the camaraderie at Orchestra rehearsals and private lessons as well. He was accepted to Vanderbilt but informed that he would have to audition after moving into his Freshman dorm and take his chances on getting a chair. (We had this same issue at Rice University when one of my sons was accepted there. )Considering that many violinists often outnumber other players, competition is pretty tough in a Conservatory for an active chair in their productions. Emory also has a strong music program and a very good college symphony. I hear it is pretty rigorous musically there.</p>
<p>You’ve raised a really good point, Faline2. I think I need to sit down with my son and talk about the realities of the competitive nature of violin in college. He’ll be recording an arts supplement, playing a Wieniawski Concerto and a Bach Sonata (or something like that) but he is not a competitor when it comes to violin, having only done one competition back in 10th grade. He’s been in a non-competitive University-community orchestra as a 1st violinist since 7th grade but he is <em>not</em> practicing 2 hours a day, believe me, and while his sound is strong and good, I wonder if it’s “good enough” to get into the symphony. Do they have lower level symphonies or just one?</p>
<p>Yes, we probably need to talk through this.</p>
<p>Rice actually sponsors a “second level” non conservatory symphony. Which my youngest (now at Vanderbilt and not playing there) would have qualified to play in–he was simply not good enough for the Rice conservatory symphony. Rice is a wonderful wonderful college where he did not win merit money. Vanderbilt does not really cater to students who can’t keep up with the Blair School of Music standard level re their symphony. Nashville is full of highly competent musicians. Their symphony is a reflection of the Blair conservatory with exceptions.
That said, wait till April and look at your financial and scholarship offerings is my advice. My son at Vandy now --won a merit scholarship and took it. He turned down offers at four other colleges where he would have been assured of a spot in the orchestras as violist. (3 good LACs and Wm and Mary). Even at the University of VA where he had an honors admission…the seats in the symphony are hard to win. Because at UVA the Symphony is Town Gown and adults actually win many of the chairs…over students (boo…I think they need an All Student Symphony like William and Mary’s but this is a Charlottesville traditon to let townies take chairs…no one who lives in lovely Charlottesville ever wants to give up their UVA links). Violin is a pretty competitive instrument…there are other instruments that have fewer competent people playing them in other settings. </p>
<p>Also consider chamber music options at your colleges when your son sees where he is admitted. Some colleges like Bowdoin (where elder son was admitted) will do their best to put together chamber groups so that their students can still play. Every college has a different culture musically. It is important to be realistic.<br>
That said, there are many people holding chairs in the Vanderbilt Symphony Orchestra who are NOT in the Blair Conservatory on campus–people with raw talent who will not give up playing but are premeds or business students or engineers or whatever. It just happens that my Vandy son is a competent violist who was not dedicated enough to put the effort in to play at that level.<br>
Elder Duke son took private lessons for pleasure because playing all four years was an important part of his Duke experience and was essential for his mental health. Except for the top chairs, most Duke students left their instruments in lockers in the music hall and didn’t practice much. However, even at Duke (sans conservatory) most of the players were very competent, had played all their lives, and rehearsals were two nights a week and were long. Most students were off working on things like engineering and medicine career paths and had put music in a secondary place in their world. They played for the love of playing and they loved their Duke conductor. But they were NOT practicing two hours a day like most conservatory students. This is also an issue at Hopkins where there is a conservatory…so do your research and understand each of your schools. Most schools without conservatories…will be grateful to have your son show up to participate.
enjoy this process with your son…</p>
<p>Thank-you, Faline. Chamber music is an excellent idea. My son’s done a good bit of it and has been in a paid string quartet since he was 13 (of course, they aren’t playing majorly hard stuff for weddings!) and really enjoys it.</p>
<p>My son seems determined to like Vanderbilt despite my cautions. He said his friend, who attends Belmont Univ., heard the symphony and didn’t think they were necessarily all that good. I reminded my son that his friend is a rock musician, not a classical musician, and probably not the best judge. I am sure the symphony is outstanding.</p>
<p>My son’s list of colleges is a mix of ones with exceptional students who are probably exceptional musicians and ones where music programs aren’t as strong. (Penn and Harvey Mudd are two that would fit in the second category) </p>
<p>We’ll go through his schools and see what each has to say about private lessons, symphonies, and chamber music. I know my son would love to continue lessons but I know we can’t afford it unless he gets a really discounted rate. He would consider minoring in music at the right school, for sure, and I understand music minors at some schools do get lessons for free or at a discount. So much to know!</p>
<p>I believe our son got academic credit for his private lessons with a wonderful violist in the Ciompi Quartet and for his Symphony work at Duke. These credits were only partial credits and did not count as full classes. However, to do either is real work as the expectations are high and the teachers/conductors are doing substantive instruction. At Duke they also played for soloists, both instrumental and vocal and put on a couple of full-on Operas which was wonderful, and they also took annual trips to the Carolina coast to raise money for an outpost of Duke’s Cancer Hospital work. This trip always involved Duke students performing with local high school vocalists, and was something that meant a lot to the players. I know the Davidson orchestra goes on tour once a year together. Every school is different. Many Orchestra pages will explain the details on the college websites.<br>
My Duke son is a classical musicologist and a true fan of classical music and opera. Therefore one of his deciding factors in the end was to attend a college which hosts many performances from touring quartets and soloists. He saw so many wonderful performances by players who were on world wide tours right on campus since many colleges and bigger state universities serve their regions by hosting fab performance series. So if your son likes to attend events, keep that in mind as well.</p>
<p>Good points, all. My son did one tour with the university symphony (to Pittsburgh) when he was in 8th grade and he loved the experience. The other years, they went out of the country and I wasn’t comfortable with that. I’m not sure where they’re going this year but that is a highlight of a university symphony.</p>
<p>I think the academic credit isn’t too important; it’s more the ability to continue training and growing as a a classical musician that would be beneficial. Ultimately, I guess my son will need to decide if that’s what he wants to do!</p>
He said his friend, who attends Belmont Univ., heard the symphony and didn’t think they were necessarily all that good. I reminded my son that his friend is a rock musician, not a classical musician, and probably not the best judge.