<p>Hi, this is my first post. My son is a sophomore in hs and we visited a few colleges over spring break. I know it is early, but boy, am I glad we did. We had no idea how the whole music major/audition etc works. He is a decent alto sax player and has played both the bari and soprano sax, too. He is not quite sure what he wants to do, but he knows he wants to do something with music. I am almost certain not in performance, probably music ed. How difficult of a process is this? He does very well in school...top 5 in his class so getting in to different schools shouldn't be a problem. We are not at all looking at ivy or conservatories. What I don't know is how does that work in terms of music. If you don't audition well, are you completely out of the school or can you possibly major in something else? I have skimmed bassdad's posts and will sit and make numerous notes from his experience, but any suggestions on where to begin? How many openings are available usually at schools? Are all schools hugely competitive? He is good, but from reading posts, i am certain not as good as some/most. He takes privates and will do two band camps at u of illinois this summer. One a group camp and one strictly saxophones. He would love to go there....any ideas on how they work with music? On a side note, how hard is it to make their or any marching band? Clueless on that too! Any suggestions would be most appreciated. I had no idea a week ago how this all works and I must say I am overwhelmed!</p>
<p>Welcome to the rollercoaster, please strap yourself in and remove any loose objects like eyeglasses, etc.</p>
<p>U of I has a decent music program and it is not highly competitive to get in. Their music ed program is very good so you're in luck there. Sounds like your son has the academic credentials needed to get in. </p>
<p>Getting in the marching band there is not terribly difficult. Many members are not music majors. It is expected that Music Ed. majors be band members; that is not the case for Performance who are expected NOT to be band members. This is pretty much the normal rule at all schools that have marching bands and Music Ed programs.</p>
<p>Confused already, it gets better as time progresses. Good luck!</p>
<p>First the easy question - the Marching Illini are one of the best-known marching bands in the country and there will definitely be some stiff competition for places there. EDIT: OK, so I got the easy one wrong. I did not see Imperial Zeppelin's post before submitting mine and I bow to Zep's knowledge on this one. I would have thought it was harder with the top programs, however. END EDIT. There are literally hundreds of other schools that have marching bands. Many of them accept just about anyone who is interested in participating. </p>
<p>Now the harder ones. There are a number of paths that can be taken by a student interested in music - performance major, music ed major, BA program, music minor, taking the occasional music class and studying with a private teacher while attending college, and probably several other combinations that I am not thinking of. Depending on which route he wants to take, the answer is somewhat different.</p>
<p>For most performance programs, the major factor will be the audition. Music ed programs generally require an audition (sometimes to lower standards than for performance majors, sometimes not) plus an interview and academic achievement will often be considered much more than it would for a performance degree. Many BA music programs do not even require an entrance audition - admission is based on the usual criteria, but may require an audition and/or barrier exams at some point in the program in order to complete the degree requirements. For all of the above, there are schools that are extremely competitive for admission and there are schools that accept a very large portion of their applicants.</p>
<p>Your son, with your help, will need to focus in on his objectives over the next year or so and try to decide which of the many options is right for him. It sounds like he likes marching band. Is he also interested in jazz? How about playing for musicals in pit bands? What about more classically oriented saxophone ensemble playing? Answering those kinds of questions may help you narrow down the list of potential schools and teachers. Depending on which way he wants to go, the strategies may be a bit different, but there are lots of helpful folks on this site who can help you find the information that you need. My own experience tends toward string students and performance degrees, but there are probably lots of others who can address saxophones, marching bands, jazz, music ed and so forth.</p>
<p>Sophomore year is not too early to start looking, but realize that skills can improve DRAMATICALLY in the next 2 years. You might be undercutting him by assuming that he will not be a competitive player by the time of auditions.
My son (a violin performance major-to-be) sounds today like a completely different player than he did even 6 months ago. Some of the most excellent mus. ed. programs require an audition and he might very well be in a position to do well by then. I would start by casting a wider net and then narrow it down as things clarify. As time goes on, you can ask some of the professionals that he works with what his chances might be.</p>
<p>Just a quick note to validate my Illini comments. One of DD's HS friends is Music Ed major at U of I and a marching band Section Leader. She has many comments regarding the effort to getting non-music majors into shape for the band, either musically and/or marching. </p>
<p>This mantra seems to ring true for all the Big 10 schools that we visited and comments from music majors at these schools, although I don't have the first hand intelligence at the other schools.</p>
<p>Thanks to all of the replies. I agree 100% with what you are saying. He is improving so much and loves to practice. I actually love it when he does because it sounds so nice! Unlike those earlier years! I am not at all familiar with music so he may be on the right path and I am not trained to really be objective. As a mom, of course I think he sounds nice, but after reading some of the posts, I know we have not pursued it as much as others and that is my concern. I am thrilled to have found this board. A wealth of knowledge and very kind people. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>My son really did not get serious about music until sophomore year of High School!</p>
<p>jmmmom, welcome. You can't go wrong in following Zep's or BassDad's advice, and I'll echo that it's not too early to start looking.</p>
<p>There are a few music ed threads linked in the post here <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/5196658-post30.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/5196658-post30.html</a></p>
<p>I'm the parent of a string player, so I have no experience with any of the marching band aspects. You might look at two national music educators websites MENC MENC:</a> The National Association for Music Education and MTNA [url=<a href="http://www.mtna.org/membership.htm%5D404%5B/url">http://www.mtna.org/membership.htm]404[/url</a>]. Both have a great deal of info, and lots of resources and links.</p>
<p>There is also a national band or marching band (educators) association, but I can't recall the actual name. Try googling a few permutations of the word combo, and I'm sure you'll find it.</p>