Juilliard Candidate?

College Majors Music Major
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<p>I am interested in applying to the Columbia-Juilliard Exchange. Academically, I am at the top of my class, which consists of approximately 250 individuals in a predominantly lower-middle class community. I will graduate with 9 AP courses under my belt, and two US History classes taken at Ohio Northern University. </p>

<p>Anyway, my academic pursuits are not the focus of this thread.</p>

<p>If</a> I Can't Love Her - Beauty and the Beast - YouTube
This is a sub-par recording done by my mother. Haven't nabbed a copy of the real show, but I recall it being better. Sorry. :D</p>

<p>While it is true that Juilliard is not a musical theatre school, I would love to take voice lessons from the institution.</p>

<p>Roles I have portrayed:</p>

<p>Jean Valjean in Les Mis</p>

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<p>This post can not remain here. You have violated CC rules by posting a Youtube link AND it has your name in it! Moderators will remove it. (hopefully, someone corrected that horrible, pinchy horn player!)
As for the roles you have sung/studied, they are all over the place- pop tenor, MT baritenor parts… Adam Pascal and Terrance Mann certainly don’t sing the same rep, and yet you are trying to do just that. In your video, you sounded just as you should have for a kid who was a junior in high school. I’ve heard better, but I’ve also heard worse, and that’s a really great piece- good job!
Julliard won’t care if you have 9 AP courses, and to do a VP degree as part of their double-degree program is nearly impossible. VP majors take more courses (languages, diction, opera workshops, etc) so that their time is greatly constrained. Grades are important, make no mistake, but it’s your audition that will open the door.
Do you have classical music experience? Neither Julliard nor any other conservatory will admit you without that- you can’t use MT pieces. Liking Italian opera is nice, but you’ll need to like German, French and Russian opera too, as well as Czech and English works that could be centuries old, or written in the past few years. Honestly, it won’t matter anyhow, because you’ll be singing Art Song and learning technique for the next 4 years!
Do you have a voice teacher? If you’re applying anywhere for VP,and most places have pre-screening requirements,your CD will need to be cut and in by November 1st. You should be going over these things with him/her. There are plenty of good schools, so compile a list of a couple of “reach” schools, several 'good fits", and a couple of "almost safeties (because nothing is a sure bet!).
This is the same advice that I offer to every young person: you may well be the “star” at your HS , but remember that every other kid applying to these schools is exactly the same, and the freshman class you get into is made up of kids who were all very highly thought of back home, so being unique is a thing of the past and it’s back to square one for all of you!</p>

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<p>This is the current Audition requirements for Juillard undergraduate music - voice pre-screening & live-audition rep. While you could perhaps get away with one legit musical theater piece, you have to fulfill the rest of the requirements as seen below:
Bachelor of Music and Diploma Live Audition Repertoire
• All compositions must be performed from memory.

  1. An Italian art song or aria from 18th century or before.
  2. An art song in English (not a translation).
  3. A third selection in any language.
  4. If English is not your native speaking language, please prepare an additional song in your native language.
    Please note: An aria from an opera or oratorio is welcome, although not required.</p>

<p>Your voice is lovely. Hopefully you are getting classical training and can fulfill the audition requirements. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Youtube is OK for now; from the CC Terms of Service:</p>

<p>“Given the heightened filtering of unappropriate contents on YouTube, we are removing our prohibition to links to that site on a trial basis.”</p>

<p>More kudos here on your voice - outstanding! If you’re looking to try to go for both academics and conservatory-level voice, in addition to Columbia / Juilliard consider Northwestern, Rice and Michigan.</p>

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<p>The Juilliard/Columbia program is tough to get into, and it isn’t really a dual degree program (unless someone has changed things quite recently). In the Juilliard/Columbia program, you get admitted to the program and are at Columbia getting your academic degree, and during that time you take lessons with a teacher at Juilliard but you don’t do ensemble work, theory or any of that, it is strictly lessons with a teacher at Juilliard. Then, once you are done with the academic degree, you can move on to do an MM at Juilliard (and there are no guarantees, they audition students in the program after they finish their academic degree at Columbia, and if they aren’t at a high enough level, they don’t go to Juilliard). I haven’t heard of anyone doing that program on voice, but if all they are doing is studying with a teacher at Juilliard while doing the part at columbia, it seems to me it might be possible (could also be that the Voice program doesn’t participate in the joint program; your best source of information is to e-mail or call the Juilliard admissions office). </p>

<p>One thing I can tell you, regular Juilliard undergrad or the joint program, it is a tough, tough admit in voice, and they are getting kids coming in who are already working at a pretty high level, who have had worked on classical repertoire at a high level and had diction training, etc. I have seen singers at the high level pre college level, and they seemed pretty impressive to my non trained ears. </p>

<p>To be honest, knowing what I do of the general admissions level at Juilliard, I think it would be a long shot to get in, even admitting I don’t know a lot about voice. One thing to do that has often been suggested is to try and find someone, maybe a local college level voice teacher, to evaluate your level (I realize this may not be financially possible or due to where you live), to see where you stand. Optimistically, sometimes kids get into Juilliard based on potential rather then where they are, least according to popular perception, and sometimes I have heard that especially with kids from certain backgrounds they will be more open to admission, but I have to be honest, I am not sure how much someone could count on that for admission if at all.</p>

<p>Others who are more familiar with voice can talk a lot more intelligently, there are people on here who are teachers themselves, who can probably talk in more detail, and please take what I say with some measure, because I am not that familiar with voice. In terms of alternatives, if you have your heart set on music, couple of thoughts I have would be 1)If someone thinks it is doable, you could theoretically take a gap year and work on your voice training to try and bring it to where it needs to be (not saying that is easy or even possible, depends on how good you are and how much you need to do) 2)You could also go to college, maybe even at Columbia, and study with a teacher privately (many of the teachers at Juilliard, Mannes and MSM in NYC teach privately as far as I know, so if you went to a school in NYC that is a possiblity, or at get lessons at the school you are attendingl) and then try to get into an MM program or whatever they call it in voice:). From my limited knowledge of voice, one of the things that may make that kind of path easier is that with voice, they tend to mature later, it isn’t the craziness you see on instruments where if you haven’t hit x point by the time you are 15 or so, it is really, really hard to get into a track to get into a high level music school…that said, it is still very competitive with a lot of young students at a high level attempting admissiion.</p>

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<p>Also consider Oberlin and Eastman School of Music/U Rochester.</p>

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<p>I totally agree, the director at my high school has had me sing some challenging songs. But for anything that was in front of an audience, I was trained to the point where I didn’t sound that terrible. :wink: </p>

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<p>Yes. Thank you for the additional insight though!</p>

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<p>Indeed I shall! As an attendee of the Columbia-Juilliard exchange, I would only be taking lessons - correct me if I’m wrong - once a week. I do not intend to attend a performing arts school full-time.</p>

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<p>Very true, and almost a relief to hear it! :D</p>

<p>I didn’t want to make my post incredibly long by quoting you all, but I have read all of your comments. Thank you for taking the time to respond and offer your thoughts!</p>

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<p>VP auditions will require sight singing, in addition to your prepared pieces in contrasting styles and languages. This means you should be able to read music. Also you may be asked some music theory questions and given some ear training exercises. At some schools the written theory exam and ear training are for placement only but you could also be asked in the audition as well.</p>

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<p>It’s not impossible that you could get into a conservatory. Singers often start late; I know a number of working professional singers who didn’t start learning classical rep until their late teens or twenties.
Juilliard-Columbia, however, is very improbable. You might be able to get accepted by a Juilliard teacher as a lesson exchange student through J-C-B, but to get into the Juilliard-Columbia, you must show something extraordinary; a high level of raw talent AND a developed musical sensibility. You probably don’t have time to reach that kind of level in the time you have. Remember, getting into Columbia-Juilliard involves standing out among ALL applicants, not just other singers.</p>

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<p>I think maybe your hoped for plans need to be clarified. You do not want to go to conservatory, music school, or major in music, and get a BM, is that right? And you do not want a double degree program, combining a BA (in music or another discipline) and a BM or combining a BA (in music or another discipline) and MM, is that right?</p>

<p>I don’t know much about lessons or programs available to college students at Juilliard or other conservatories. Many times it just comes down to private lessons with a teacher, whom you may find at a conservatory, in a nearby city, or even in your own school. So I am assuming that you could go to many colleges and find a private teacher to give you lessons, either for credit or just to work outside of school.</p>

<p>I also just want to clarify whether you want to do classical vocal performance, or if you want to do musical theater. There is a musical theater forum here, and also people can give suggestions for that here on this thread (Hartt, NYU?).</p>

<p>I may be reading this wrong, so correct me if I am. And I really enjoyed your video, nice voice!</p>

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<p>@ fiddlefrog- there are certainly some working singers who “didn’t start learning classical rep until their late teens or twenties”, but it would be impossible to get into a good conservatory with that “lack” now. The schools have requirements for pre-screening and for auditions and they can vary from 2-5 pieces, which must fall within the classical repertoire, MT pieces are not allowed.
The old story that Frederica von Stade walked into Mannes wanting to learn to read music, was admitted to the conservatory and on the stage of the Met a few years later? Couldn’t happen now! She would have had to submit a pre-screening CD, pass that process to secure an audition, submit HS records, teacher recommendations,etc and compete for a spot against dozens of equally qualified candidates.
@ OP- There are many other fine options for you to consider, but again, you will have to be fully prepared to get through the audition process of the music school; Peabody/Johns Hopkins, NEC/Harvard, Eastman/U of Rochester, Oberlin, CIM/Case Western U…</p>

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<p>I have to second what MM wrote, that it is highly unlikely that someone will get admitted to a high level music program in voice or anything else, simply based on potential, even though voice has a different track for a number of reasons from instrumentalists, because the voice develops slowly and so forth, it is just as competitive and crazy as instrumental music with some variations. I’ll give you an example from the instrumental music world, one of my S’s teachers is a principal musician with a pretty well known orchestra. The teacher told their story, they weren’t really serious about their instrument (violin) in high school, yet they got into a top level conservatory in the late 70’s and ‘got serious’ there…and they would tell you that if they auditioned for conservatories today at the level they had in high school they wouldn’t be able to get into even second tier auditioned programs, it has gotten to be that high level.</p>

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<p>Again, from his second post, it seems that the original poster does not want to attend a conservatory, but wants to take lessons at one, while at college.</p>

<p>Here is the link to the Columbia-Juilliard exchange: admission is to the Exchange, not Juilliard itself, and the exchange includes instruction and ensembles, apparently (as well as use of practice facilities etc.)</p>

<p>Not sure what the audition requirements are for the exchange: perhaps they are on the site.</p>

<p>Again, to sejr, there are many colleges to apply to and all kinds of ways to meet the goal of also having vocal performance instruction. If you get into Columbia and then apply to the Exchange and get in that also, this would be a great route, but remember that there are many other paths you can take too.</p>

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<p>That would be a tough admit for anyone, but it certainly sounds like a wonderful opportunity. (Here’s the link:)</p>

<p>[Columbia-Juilliard</a> Exchange | Columbia University Office of Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/applications/firstyear/juilliard]Columbia-Juilliard”>http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/applications/firstyear/juilliard)
Good luck in your application process!</p>

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<p>Oops! Thanks for posting the link Sopranomom!</p>

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<p>If the OP is only interested in lessons at Julliard (and not college credit) he can sign up for adult education in the Evening Division. He can fufill his dream of Julliard if he attends any college in NYC.</p>

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<p>Interesting, I realize I was talking about the two programs combined, the exchange program and the joint program (in a sense the exchange program feeds the joint program, since you need at least one year of the exchange program). It seems like you do get both lessons and chamber with the exchange program and master classes. And it says that voice students can be part of the program, answering the original question.</p>

<p>That said, it doesn’t change the fact that it is extremely difficult to get into that program, it is easily as hard or harder probably to get into Juilliard as a full time student.</p>

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<p>There have been posters on this board who were accepted both to Juilliard and to Columbia separately - who were denied admission to the Exchange.</p>

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<p>Mezzo’sMama, I’m a current graduate student at Juilliard and have a master’s from Rice. I know what auditions are like, and personally would find preparing the repertoire required from scratch on a time frame like this most daunting, let alone without the basis of many years of lessons. That said, I have several colleagues who were admitted to undergraduate VP programs at good schools – not Juilliard or Curtis, but strong programs – on the basis of just a few months of voice lessons, so that suggestion was not speculative.</p>

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<p>Fiddlefrog-</p>

<p>While I am sure there are people who do intensive lessons for a couple of months and got into the programs you mention, I am not sure that means that is something that happens that often. The person in this case is applying to Juilliard and Columbia into a program that doesn’t accept people who have gotten into Columbia and Juilliard individually, so in this case especially, given the level of vocal students out there (put it this way, the applicant could very well be up against students in the pre college voice program, and I would be totally shocked if a kid with a couple of months of serious voice lessons to fill in gaps would get in over them). I don’t know voice all that well, admittedly, but I suspect a 'diamond in the rough"
like that might get in if they had some sort of incredible natural gifts or were something rare, like an amazing counter-tenor, but it still would be rare I suspect.</p>