We thought large envelope that’s good to know
. So did my S’s. Just a brief letter on the music acceptance. I think his came around the 15th of March; he auditioned on Feb. 12.
@ Lucybelle , now my D is also deciding between Frost and Belmont let’s chat
@Cbest44 Hello! Quick question: did you audition in person? If so, how exactly did those auditions go? I’m auditioning in less than a month and I would love to know what to expect.
@helpfulmom did your daughter audition in person? If so, how exactly did those auditions go? I’m auditioning in less than a month and I would love to know what to expect.
@epbutler I don’t know if you realized that this is an old thread, but my D just auditioned for the commercial music program (voice) and I can give you a brief run down of the day:
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check in at 8:00 - We got there early and the lines were out the door. Lines were divided by last name, but you only knew this if the people in front of you told you or you actually walked up to the doors and looked for the signs. So, there were some cases of people being in the wrong line for awhile before realizing. At the front of the line, students are given a schedule and name tag, parents are given a packet of info and their schedule. There were blank copies of a “music activities list” and a “repertoire list” to fill out in case you didn’t bring one.
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Schedule info - Students are given 2 time slots: audition and basic musicianship test. You can get in a warm up room 30 minutes prior to audition. You practice with the accompanist (a student) 15 minutes prior to audition. Parents pretty much sit in one building for presentations while students come and go to their auditions. There were campus tours offered after all presentations ended at around 12 or 1. We were told music auditions would be complete by 1 or 2 and musical theatre auditions would be done by 4ish. You were asked to give them a number to reach you in case things were running behind / ahead and they needed to change your time.
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There was coffee, tea, water in the lobby area all day long. There were long bathroom lines most of the time and there really isn’t much room in the bathrooms. There were a couple girls trying to change clothes / do hair / fix makeup…I don’t recommend it!
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D’s Audition (YMMV) - You need 3 songs, 1 classical, 2 commercial. She was given the opportunity to start all 3, but was cut short on all 3. Parents were told at the info session that there was no “code” to this and it is nothing to worry about.
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The numbers: last year there were about 800 auditions, a little over 400 were accepted, and about 100 or so were awarded talent based scholarships. These numbers are totals for all music programs and were mentioned during a presentation and also printed on a hand out they gave us. They are not specific to commercial music. When we took a tour a year or so ago, we were told there are very few musical theatre spots (like maybe less than 30 if I’m remembering correctly) and that it was the program with the lowest acceptance rate. The rumor floating around was that commercial music had the next lowest acceptance rate due to the popularity of the program. Don’t know if that’s true or not.
Hope that helps!
I am new to all of this, but this thread is one I can offer some input to. Belmont is a wonderful school. Beautiful, in Nashville and close to the “commercial scene.” With that said, as a parent, if your child is not offered a talent award…move on. It’s likely time to discuss if this is the correct path. Belmont admits a good many to commercial voice, but the best ones get awards. MTSU is a great option and much cheaper with some of the same professors.
My son is leaving for Belmont next week, as a commercial voice major, with a specialization in arranging and composition. He was also accepted to MTSU, as well as Berklee and some other schools, but he decided that the Belmont environment, the depth and tone of the classes he sat in on, and proximity to Music Row were for him (he doesn’t drive and Murfreesboro is a half-hour south of Nashville; also, he felt that he’d be jumping into music classes as a freshman rather than having to frontload required academics. MTSU has some terrific teachers and programs–I’m hoping he’ll be able to engage with them as well; we really liked both schools. Both campuses were very welcoming, but the atmospheres are quite different and one might appeal more than the other. Belmont is a Christian school, by charter, and has some strict rules and requirements–yet…we’re Jewish, so it’ll be interesting to follow his experience there. He knows what to expect around that, although we are curious how they handle the “language” in today’s commercial pop music LOL. (But three out of the six future music majors in his HS choir here in the Northeast are headed for Belmont, BTW).
The tricky thing, at both schools, is that each university has a traditional music department (“the arts”) AND a music business/recording industry school and you have to figure out which department/school you’ll be in, where you’ll minor or specialize, and which school has the right combination for you. MTSU’s recording industry program is in the Mass Communications School, while Belmont has the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business. It’s complicated, so ask about it at each school. (As somebody who went to Berklee when it had one 2-track studio and one music business course, I am delighted at the options…and that the male/female ratio is way better than it was!)
We were at Belmont last week for Preview day. My son is a junior interested in the Songwriting major. He loved the facilities, the campus and the proximity to music row. He did not like the fact that the dorm rules are insanely restrictive (sign in girls/leave door open) but his parents like that rule 