Is Piano as EC undervalued?

Applying to College
21

<p>sai2004 said, Quote: "Overvalued in my opinion. Just cause you play an instrument, is that any different than playing a computer game?"</p>

<p>oh my. where do I start?!... <em>takes a breath and tries to stay calm</em></p>

<p>a computer game... of little value in a long run, you sit in front of computer screen, and if anyone invests enough time into it they can beat a game. And so what?</p>

<p>music, piano, on the other hand. It can be considered an art, a science, a sport. It's much more complicated than a computer game. </p>

<p>Do you know how much work goes behind preparing a recital/concert? One may sit in the audience and think "oh, it looks so easy. They play for an hour, and they're having fun.."
For every minute of performance, much more time was spent doing the not-so-fun tedious practicing. Musicians work hard to make it look easy. For every minute of performance, musicians suffer from anxiety, as much as they enjoy playing.</p>

<p>Often, little intricacies play a huge role in pieces/performance. Musicians must work to understand these, interpret, and nowadays promote "originality" rather than imitation.</p>

<p>One must PRACTICE! Hours daily of training. Working on technique is literally physical training.</p>

<p>It's a BIG COMMITMENT. You constantly have to compromise social life and juggle priorities to prepare. Rehearsals are routine.
One learns from music. Often musicians have to rehearse with others (Chamber music=teamwork, heck I've learned management skills organizing my piano trio). </p>

<p>Music is DIFFICULT! unlike a computer game, not everyone can do it! Piano, just because a lot of people to do it, is especially unbelieveably competitive. But that's a different argument that I won't go into now. </p>

<p>...I wonder if you play an instrument. If so, you are missing something if you don't understand and believe in such a superficial idea. If not, then please don't pass judgement. sorry about the rant. But your assumption is undeniably inaccurate and somewhat offending.</p>

22

<p>Heh, I'm glad you posted that Junior. It took a lot for me not to say something about the computer game post!</p>

23

<p>Now it sounds like you have genuine passion for the instrument..but are you considering focusing on it throughout college (in your case, participating in a major music-related activity)? I know that other Ivy Leagues like Yale allow students with special talents in art or music to send in supplementary materials (i.e. recording of your music) when they send their application; the supplement will then be forwarded to the corresponding department for the dept.director to review. Princeton does not address this on their website, so you should try emailing them for information.</p>

24

<p>Thank you Junior- having played instruments for the past 15 years I too was dumbfounded by the comparisons (see above post). Perhaps the best way to show a passion for an instrument is to actually audition at the school when you go visit. This is something you must do entirely on your own initiative, as you will not see it advertised on any college websites. If you contact the orchestra director (or, in the case of piano, some other prominent figure in the department) for an audition I'm sure they would be happy to hear you play. Now admittedly luck WILL play a significant role in this- if you are able to impress whoever you audition for and the school happens to have an open niche for your particular instrument, that will undoubtedly greatly improve your chances of acceptance.</p>

25

<p>

so incredibly ignorant... I can also say that playing sported is overvalued in that its similar to playing a computer sports video game...</p>

26

<p>mark427,</p>

<p>I'm glad that people such as juniorinhs have spoken up. They understand the commitment and the intensity of excelling in piano.</p>

<p>Taking a step back to get perspective on this, understand that piano is an activity much like many other EC's. Longevity alone with piano may not "score points" with the adcoms -- mostly because they want to see more than sustained interest. They are perhaps looking for accomplishment and achievement beyond the norm. Consider another activity, such as basketball. There are thousands of kids who play basketball, but not many will be accorded an all-state honor or an all-league/sectional honor. The same holds true for piano. If you have sustained your interest in piano, what result can you present that shows how you've distinguished yourself? </p>

<p>In your application to Princeton (and other colleges), you may want to bring out this activity in your essays. It is a part of you that demonstrates interest, dedication and motivation to learn. If you have attained measured success in piano, all the better.</p>

<p>My own daughter will have a double-major that includes music (piano/performance) and a science discipline. I think her commitment to piano was notable, though I'm not sure that it made a significant difference because she has solid academic numbers also. I would say that it didn't hurt that she could demonstrate incremental achievement in 12 years in piano study, competitions and invited state-level recitals/programs. She submitted a CD to her college's music department that included a sampling of about 30 minutes of music, spanning several musical eras, and incuding a full 3-movement Beethoven sonata (the "Pathetique"). By doing this, she was able to convey that the effort involved, if not a passion, represented time spent productively and expressively in creating really good, complex music.</p>

27

<p>In a sense piano is undervalued because colleges are only interested in having so many piano players - and they have many, many piano players to choose from. That's not to say they don't appreciate it; it's just there is a lot of depth there so colleges can be more picky when it comes to which piano players they choose.</p>

28

<p>Even if the college is not looking for pianists, however, it shows committment does it not? I am a pianist myself, have been playing for 13 years now, and with accompaniments as volunteer service and playing for my choir I think it is actually a pretty good EC, and it is really useful for composition which is another EC. If it's just playing for a hobby and you are committed to it, why not write an essay about it or show what you've done with it. As Pearl put it earlier, be proud of your piano ability, and dont be afraid to show the committment to it.</p>

29

<p>PIano is an AMAZING instrument. There's so much technically and musically that you can do with it and very impressive if done well. I just have a question: I've been playing piano for 12 years. I've won several state Competitions, was a guest soloist with three orchestras, and was a semi-finalist in an International Piano Competition. Is that enough to stand out to top colleges (HYPS) with piano as my main EC? Or is more national/international-level recognition needed?</p>

30

<p>ivorykeys8...I think what you have is fantastic.</p>

31

<p>Ivory, I think what you've done is great as well.</p>

32

<p>Why not "88" instead of "8" ??? ;)</p>

<p>
[quote]
I've won several state Competitions, was a guest soloist with three orchestras, and was a semi-finalist in an International Piano Competition. Is that enough to stand out to top colleges (HYPS) with piano as my main EC?

[/quote]

Yes, I think this is sufficient to demonstrate the extent of your dedication and excellence with piano. Congratulations on your fine effort! Depending on what your major will be in college (music/performance?), your accomplishments are the type of standout recognition that adcoms will look for. Obviously any national/international recognition would be terrific, but adcoms will certainly not look askance at your state-level achievements. Further, as you know, very few pianists are given the privilege of performing with any orchestra, much less three. Your semi-finalist standing at an international piano competition is great. Which competition was this?</p>

<p>Ultimately, any EC (with the exception of Div. I level athletic prowess) becomes secondary to academic factors, e.g., GPA, standardized test scores and academic rigor. Generally-speaking, EC's can offset some, but not all, shortcomings academically.</p>

33

<p>I do not plan to major in music, although I will likely pursue a minor (certificate in Princetonese) in it. And I agree, longevity is not enough. Although I haven't participated in many competitions, I have taken standardized exams and risen to a high level (passing the next highest exam gets you a diploma of some sort). My concern is that piano will not be a hook for me like, say, dancing is a hook for dancers, because playing piano is more common. I've committed a lot of time to it, and as a result I have fewer other activities to put on my application (e.g. Quizbowl Pres., Science Olympiad, etc). While I realize that it's about the quality and not quantity of your ECs, I'm discouraged that piano won't make me stand out as much as another, equally time intensive and equally difficult activity might. </p>

<p>I do plan on submitting a supplement of three pieces on a CD to Pton (actually they do have a form for fine arts supplements on their website...unfortunately I have to learn a Bach Prelude and Fugue). I suppose the best thing I can do in the admissions process is to emphasize the my dedication to and love of piano, even though it's not something that makes me stand out. Perhaps I could mention that while it's an unremarkable activity on HYPSM applications, the experience of playing piano IS remarkable for me... and then discuss its impact on my life without being too trite.</p>

<p>Looking at the ED board for last year's Pton applicants, I was a little discouraged by the imposing activity lists of many of those accepted. I'm the Vice-Pres of Speech/Debate team with awards at the state level and competition on the national level, as well as co-captain of the tennis team, and of course piano, the big one. The more minor activities are being a member of the Honor Board, NHS, and doing an 8 week science summer program. Although the list isn't extensive, I have put in quite a bit a time with the first three activities, all of which I've participated in throughout my four years of high school. I didn't go after activities to pad up my resume, but rather extensively pursued those I enjoyed. This is what adcoms keep telling us to do--but will they reward me for it? It's hard for me to understand what they're looking for, and if I have a decent chance of admission. As some people say, it's a crapshoot, and that's the way I feel as a somewhat "average" applicant to Pton. At this point maybe I should start focusing on the essays; they could tip the scale for me.</p>

<p>As you can see, this is only my fourth post; I'm new on CC. If any of you could give me tips or other resources (books or other threads maybe) that might be of help in assesing and maximizing my chances for admisssion, please do.</p>

34

<p>Piano is amazing and there are so many different types of pieces you can play with it..I've played for 12 years and it was my main EC on my application, and needless to say, it didn't help me at ALL in my application, but I'm ok with that. Don't do piano just cuz you wanna embellish your app, if you really have a passion for it, then write about it in your essays and hopefully you've achieved in it.</p>

35

<p>I think music is an excellent EC, especially if you play a rare instrument. That's what I did - and I definitely think it helped to offset some of my grades as well as emphasize the theme to my application when applying to colleges.</p>

36

<p>bump
bump
bump</p>

37

<p>Mark427,</p>

<p>Given your lack of participation (and recognitions) in piano competitions, it may not be looked upon as as highly as you want. It is the unfortunate predicament that what may be a true "passion" for a student is not necessarily translated into a tangible factor that is distinguishable among the masses who play piano... or other instruments. It then becomes another item under the category of "activities" vs. "honors, awards, and recognitions".</p>

<p>I know by what you've described that you are advanced as a piano student, but comparatively-speaking, there are many students well ahead of your abilities, i.e., those who have extensive repertoires including multiple Bach Preludes/Fugues or complex, layered Partitas. I think it may be worthwhile to include in an essay; however, you will want to look closely at your EC's and assess which will allow you to shine among the many thousands who will apply to Princeton, if that is your aim. It's good to have Princeton as a REACH, but the reality is that it's a REACH for most all applicants. </p>

<p>If I could give you a magic formula, I would do so, but there is none. To prepare a sterling application, it begins with knowing yourself well and being able to communicate a true "voice" for who you are, what you bring to the party, and how you will contribute to the collegiate community and beyond. </p>

<p>
[quote]
This is what adcoms keep telling us to do--but will they reward me for it?

[/quote]

Yes, the adcoms tell you what they believe deep down is best for you, but unfortunately it doesn't always translate into points in your favor. There's no shame in believing in yourself and reaching high. The wise approach is to have contingency plans as well. If you believe in yourself, look at it as another journey in life and know that you will be just fine. As the saying goes, "wherever you go, there you are".</p>

38

<p>You can also talk about what makes those fugues and partitas so complex. What do they mean to you? Baroque musicians are rare nowadays :) Sometimes I think we're a dying breed (us harpsichordists at least). The intricacies of music are good examples of talent as well as a window of insight into your personality.</p>

39

<p>I wish piano (serious playing, at least) were looked upon more favorably. True, it may be that a lot of kids are able to play with a reasonable level of proficiency, but piano (or any instrument for that matter) requires dedication, practice, and heart. In sports, one can be good and play all fours of high school and get even more recognition than someone slaving away at the piano, but the athlete will get more favor with an admissions officer even though the musician may have spent more time with his activity. </p>

<p>As for some on this board, I am very impressed with your achievements in piano. I am a pianist myself, and wish I could have done what Ivorykeys8 has done (it's very impressive!). The only thing I've done with piano is pass levels 7-10 theory and performance of the CM exam (for those in California), played in the school orchestra as a Junior, and played for the church band, but other than that I haven't achieved much. And the worse part is this is basically my only EC. :( </p>

<p>Btw, writing a personal statement about a piece of music seems to be a good idea. I probably wouldn't write it about a fugue but maybe a Chopin ballade? No.1, which I'm playing, is a wonderful piece and I think I could really write about that. Who knows?</p>

40

<p>If I were to write about any composer in particular, I'd without a doubt go with George Gershwin. He wrote beautiful music and was KILLER on the piano. I'm not saying you should, of course...he's one of my personal favorites so I would.</p>

<p>Anyway, I'm pretty much in love with the clarinet solo in Rhapsody in Blue.</p>