<p>I'm a junior now and this summer is my last year to really prove myself capable of all these fancy schools. I'm in an orchestra and this year I got chosen to do a solo. Doing this solo will cost me an estimate of $4000. I know doing a solo is a great opportunity but even thought I'm not majoring in music, is it really worth the cost?? My ec activities aren't that plentiful either. I feel so inadequate of everything except my rank in school.... HELP!! Doing this solo is probably the "most outstanding" thing I would write down on my apps.</p>
<p>Why do you have to pay to perform a solo?</p>
<p>What else would you use that money for?</p>
<p>How much can your family pay for your college education? That money might be better used toward your books, etc.</p>
<p>@happymomof1 Solos usually cost a lot because you are in the “spotlight” I played cello pretty much all my life bc my mom has been growing me up telling me it’s good for colllege. But i just started college researching and I’m scared this won’t do much help in standing out of the rest of the applicants. I’m actually not $$. hopefully financial aid will cover but idk my mom says for cello, anything is possible weird but she like depends everything on me playing this instrument.</p>
<p>That is just ridiculous. 4000for a solo. Is that for a new cello and lessons from yoyo ma?</p>
<p>Practice practice practice…</p>
<p>Where is the solo? Carnegie Hall? Is it somewhere really impressive, like playing at the White House for the president? If not, I cant really see how a solo will impress a college. Would it be a cool experience? Sure. Worth 4K? No, and it’s not a ticket into college either. </p>
<p>I can’t imagine why it would cost you $4000 unless you are thinking you will get a designer dress and throw some big after party–or some other detail you left out. Many children have solo’s…they usually don’t cost much if anything–just the cost of being part of whatever choir/band etc.</p>
<p>Sounds like you are hoping for financial aid, and maybe your family doesn’t really have that money to spend. I would save that money, or maybe take a look at why it would cost that much and see if you can trim down the cost. </p>
<p>Ultimately, do it if your family can afford it and you WANT to do it, don’t do it to get into college.</p>
<p>Well 1500 to be on stage and at a hall in queens college nothing big, extra cello lessons for the solo, renting a better cello for a few months, then like the dress, hair, makeup, etc. I do want to do it and I know I thought it was crazy too so I asked my mom and she said if it’s worth it she’ll have the money to do so, I still and will never understand her theory… but I’ve been asking around other people who have done solos half said it’s worth it, the other said I don’t think so. ughhhh Im scared I won’t get into any decent college wow…</p>
<p>Have you heard this? [Behind</a> The Scenes: How Do You Get Into Amherst? : NPR](<a href=“Behind The Scenes: How Do You Get Into Amherst? : NPR”>Behind The Scenes: How Do You Get Into Amherst? : NPR)</p>
<p>It gives a glimpse into the job the admission teams have to do. You will hear about amazing students…that get rejected. Why? Well, you have TONS of amazing applicants…and they can’t all be admitted. The admissions team admit it is not an exact science. I think the important thing to remember is be yourself and pursue things that are important to you. Let the real you shine though in your applications. Don’t be afraid to take a risk! For goodness sakes, imagine reading hundreds of applications where everyone is perfect. Then you get “that one” that makes you laugh…or cry…or whatever, it makes you go wait, who was that? I want to have THIS person in our community. </p>
<p>Remember that having a mix of people, perspectives, interests etc make for a better learning environment. It is not only the top students with the most amazing EC that get admitted to great schools. Interesting people, people who have initiative, people who are quirky… etc. also get admitted to great schools too. </p>
<p>Lastly, you are choosing the school as much as they are choosing you. Don’t forget that!</p>
<p>So you pay 1500 to be on stage? Wow…this sounds like a pageant music thing to me.</p>
<p>Hair makeup dress, do for cheap. Or you saying the 1500 is to pay to practice on the stage?<br>
There has to be a cheaper way to go for heavens sake.</p>
<p>Consider submitting a music supplement with your eventual college applications. Your preparation for the recital should provide you with the 10-15 minutes of material for the submission. Look at the music supplement submission requirements from those colleges that may be of interest to you. If you don’t yet have such a list look at the requirements for the Stanford and Princeton art/music supplement. Typically you will need a solo recording, resume, and letter of reference from a music teacher.</p>
<p>You do not not have to be a potential music major to submit an art supplement.</p>
<p>In practice a strong music supplement can help your application – sometimes significantly.</p>
<p>Having something like this can definitely help your application, though perhaps not to the extent that it is worth spending so much money on if this is beyond your financial means. Having a music supplement, as fogcity suggested, can definitely help your application. However, I don’t think that you necessarily have to participate in this solo in order to put together a supplement (though a solo performance would of course make it more impressive).
I would think about whether or not it is worth it for you personally, whether having that solo experience would be something that you really want to do and would enjoy. Since it’s so expensive, don’t participate if you don’t really want to just for you. It’s not going to make enough of a difference on your college applications for that to be the sole reason you pay so much.
Of course, if you feel that you really want to do this and it would be a good experience for you, then you should definitely do it! (and consider the addition to your application to be a great bonus)</p>
<p>Unless this is a nationally recognized performance, honor, contest, whatever that college admissions folks are going to recognize as such, they aren’t going to care. I spent years with my kids in string orchestras and with all kinds of solo performances and it is a very rare one that matters. If you are being featured with a major orchestra at a major venue, it’s one thing, but I don’t know anything about any Queen’s College performance that is going to help you get into a top college. </p>
<p>If you are in that category, where you are that good, you would know what counts and what doesn’t and not have to ask, especially as you are in some program with some instruction.</p>
<p>How competitive was the selection process? Really, if it wasn’t highly competitive it isn’t such a big deal. If it was competitve, then the impressive part of the EC is being chosen, not actually performing. $4K is a lot of money, and I wouldn’t pay that for my kid, but even if you don’t do it you can still list “Selected to perform a solo at…” as an honor.</p>
<p>This seems ridiculous. What type of orchestra are you in? Many good youth orchestras will have concerto competitions and the winner will play at a concert, but there are not fees involved- the concert will take place at the regular venue that the orchestra uses for concerts. </p>
<p>Just playing a solo will not make you attractive to colleges. There are many musical honors that will make you stand out to colleges more than a solo. Youngarts, for example, or participation in auditioned music programs such as Tanglewood. Making an impressive supplement CD probably carries more weight than saying you paid $4000 to perform a solo. However, even a very high level of skill in music will not guarantee you admission to an elite school.</p>
<p>Alright thanks for the input everyone!!! I know it sounds crazy that’s why I was pretty shocked for something that my conductor has chosen me for I have to pay but that’s how it is because I’m in this private orchestra the New York Laureate Orchestra but thanks!</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about getting into a music program, but most of the time, if you have to pay that much ($1, 500) for something, it drops a notch or four in terms of prestige. I’m thinking of summer programs. </p>
<p>Can you post a link to this program, here or in the music major forum?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/</a></p>
<p>renting out one of the music halls in queens college is $$ and the soloist has to pay the most because I’m in the “spotlight”. There’s no rudiment of solos on our page but thenylo.com is our page. probably hasn’t been updated in awhile.</p>
<p>So you all pay to perform? And the soloist pays the most? And your pay to what? Rent the hall?</p>
<p>Who do you pay for? Do you sell tickets? And how long is this solo?</p>
<p>I know people pay to be part of teams, take art classes, etc. so I understand the concept. Like san franciscos girls chorus has an1850 years “tuition” but dont think they pay extra to solo and rent the halls, etc. But paying 4000grand for an evening of playing a solo? It’s kind of like being really good then having to pay extra to share.</p>
<p>Um…does that even make sense to anyone else?</p>
<p>That sounds crazy to me, unless you are applying to Julliard. That is a lot of money just to get one extra line on your list of EC’s. The fact that you have been playing the cello all your life is a significant accomplishment, that you are in an orchestra shows proficiency too.
Can’t you just state that you were “nominated” for a solo since that seems to be an honor in itself? I think your mother is overthinking this. Can you ask your guidance counselor about this issue?
This concert is not going to be the “one thing” that gets you into any college.</p>
<p>“if you have to pay that much ($1,500) for something, it drops a notch or four in terms of prestige.”</p>
<p>Agreed. This seems really strange to me. I’ve been involved in choirs all my life, and I’ve never heard of asking a soloist to bear greater costs at an event.</p>
<p>You should know that a lot, if not most of the “fancy schools” (and not so fancy schools) also accept art supplement sumissions to their main applications. Students with a special talent can submit audition CDs or DVDs in the hopes of distinguishing themselves to the adcoms from the rest of the pack of applicants, even if they don’t plan on majoring in the fine arts or performing arts. If you can’t find the form online with the Common App, e-mail Amissions at the schools you intend to apply to and ask for the link for their Supplemental Arts Application. The supplement asks for your name and any other identifiers plus a place to list the title(s) of what you are performing. They usually have a time limit per piece. The CD is then mailed in directly via snail mail along with the proper form to the individual schools where you think that such a CD might help. The CDs are either listened to by the adcoms themselves at the smaller schools, or are sent on to the school’s music department for evaluation. The nice thing about this is that you have nothing to lose. If they don’t like your CD it in no way compromises the rest of your application, but if they do, it could serve as “hook” material. </p>
<p>Instead of blowing $4000 for this one-shot solo “opportunity” you might want to spend a much smaller fraction of that to hire a sound engineer who has a good microphone and recording equipment to record you and provide you with multiple copies of the CD to send out to prospective schools. Ask your orchestra teacher or private music teacher where you can make an audition CD on a student budget, or you may be even be able to do it yourself if you have any friends who are music-software savvy and can record you with Garage Band or something similar.</p>