Masters in music performance ( strings)

Hello! My daughter is wrapping up her undergraduate degree at a liberal arts college with a very strong music school (Bachelor of Music, cello performance). She is going to pursue her Masters in Music and will cast a wide net, geographically. ( She graduates in December 2019 and is taking off some time to research and apply). I assume her current teacher will help her, but as a parent, I want to know more about how this process goes. For example, do students typically tour the schools and take lessons with the professor before applying? At how many programs do kids typically do live auditions? Is prescreening highly competitive, or just weeding out people who aren’t appropriate for grad school? I welcome any wisdom or resources about the music graduate school application process! Thanks in advance.

One thing to think about is funding. Is she interested in a DMA? If so then a master’s that is part of a doctoral program may be funded.

Which programs will have her teaching?

There are of course some schools that don’t charge tuition (Yale for example).

Is she interested in orchestral playing, contemporary classical, or ???

She is interested in orchestra/classical, with the realistic expectation that she will be teaching, too. She is open to contemporary music, and likes to play it, but is pretty focused on traditional classical rep at the moment. So I think a program that prepares students for performance and teaching their instrument ( not music education or music teacher). I don’t imagine she will go for DMA.

So is your D applying for fall 2020 admissions? The MM applications for 2020 are open and generally due in early Dec (some places are due earlier). My D is applying for MM in vocal performance. From what I can tell, the process is pretty much the same as it was in high school - application including prescreen due before Dec 1, live audition if they pass prescreen Jan- March depending on school, decision March-April, financial aid awards a week or so after admission offer.
D knows a few of the programs because they were on her list as an undergrad, but has not toured all places. She will explore further if she gets through prescreens, as the cost can be prohibitive to fly in advance just to have a lesson and take a look, and not be a serious contender. I believe she is applying to 5-6 schools, but don’t hold me to it. This is her game this time around.

My S is one year out of his MM program. He applied to 5 schools. He had lessons at all the schools during the time he was there for auditions. Don’t know how competitive the prescreening process is, it may differ from school to school.

The two main differences that come to mind:

1.) As a parent my involvement and stress level was much lower! The schools were all picked by my D and her teacher. I gave her a budget. She traveled on her own or with friends mainly. Also since she wasn’t at home, I wasn’t living with it 24/7.

Another note: it felt less stressful bc she didn’t have to go to grad school. For UG, the whole high school community is working towards the college decision so if you don’t go, there will be questions. It’s a type of peer pressure. For grad school, the whole vibe is different. My D was on the fence a bit and decided to let the process determine her fate. But she had many friends (music and not) graduating and looking for jobs. She was very open to the possibility of a “gap” year or two…or maybe not doing grad studies.

2.) Money matters more in this round! So it was a lot less stressful UNTIL the last month when the money came in (or not). I was very unconcerned…until she started getting acceptance at expensive schools…then I got worried! I remember laying in bed the first night of a spring vacation staring at the ceiling when she got her number 1 choice with a decent scholarship but high living costs and still a chunk for tuition! Then she couldn’t get the teacher she wanted…and thankfully…that school went down the drain (thought my wallet … not me of course).

I don’t know for cello but for VP I do remember that my D and most of her friends got accepted at all UG schools (or missed one). For grad school, my D had a few friends who got no acceptances at other schools so they stayed at IU (who will take most of their UG as long as they have been progressing and the teacher supports them). I do believe that these students did fewer schools however bc they knew they could stay at IU. My D wanted to leave so she did more schools and had several offers.

Good luck.

thank you! Knowing she can wait til prescreens are over before visiting is helpful.

Thanks for such a thorough reply! I’m beginning to see there is not as much for us parents to do other than provide financial parameters and support. I’m happy to step back and let her and her teacher forge ahead.
Thanks!

In my experience, the grad admissions were much “easier” for me - the kid chose the schools, went to the auditions solo, and handled all of the paperwork/contact stuff. I just got to pay for the flights and hotels. Kinda missed those undergrad audition trips (although I know I’m glossing over the drama that some of them involved!).