<p>How much of an impact does an excellent audition or supplemental cd have on admissions, provided that music is my passion? Does the Music Dept. have a say in admissions? (If they were to give a strong recommendation)</p>
<p>I have no clue how much it helps admissions, but the music department does evaluate you and tell the admissions office what they think.</p>
<p>It used to be the case at Stanford (and very likely still is) that an excellent audiiton can help you as much as being a recruited athlete... or was it just a very strong athlete? I think it actually was a recruited athlete. Pretty crazy, don't you think?</p>
<p>An excellent audition, especially on an instrument that might be in demand for one of the musical groups, is a HUGE leg up in admissions. If the music department wants you, your application will move from the "regular" pile into the pile of people whom someone actually wants there.</p>
<p>BTW, by sending an audition you do not make any commitment to the music department.</p>
<p>But what if I perform very well on my audition and I am interested in majoring or minoring in music.. How much does that help?</p>
<p>You get accepted to the university, not into any specific major. Once you are in, you can major in whatever you want. Music Dept will evaluate your audition. If they'll want you (as a potential major, or as a potential ensemble member), it'll help with admissions, but you still need to have all the competitive grades and scores.</p>
<p>My daughter did a live audition as a classical vocalist that she felt went very well. When she was accepted RD, the admissions officer who presented her case to the admission committee added a handwritten note to her form admissions follow-up welcome letter stating: "Congratulations,.......! I hope to hear you performing on campus soon!" We think that her successful audition was a big factor in his support of her application.</p>
<p>"the admissions officer who presented her case to the admission committee added a handwritten note to her form admissions follow-up welcome letter stating: "Congratulations,.......! I hope to hear you performing on campus soon!" "</p>
<p>Do you mind if you clarify that? So the auditioner wrote that comment and that was placed on her application?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Sorry for the confusion, yahoo. What I meant to say was that after my daughter received her offer of admission to Stanford, she received a second letter that was signed by an admissions officer who introduced himself as the ad com officer who presented and supported her application during the admissions committee deliberations. When the admissions officeer signed the letter, which appeared to be essentially a form letter encouraging her to accept Stanford's offer of admission, he added a brief, handwritten personal note indicating that he hoped to hear her performing on campus soon. This gesture was very effective in making her feel good, and feel that she was really seen, appreciated, and wanted.</p>
<p>The point that I was making was that it seemed clear that my daughter's passion and talent for singing was salient in the admissions officer's mind when he supported her application during the ad com deliberations. I strongly believe that my daughter's live audition, and the presumably positive feedback that was conveyed about her to the admissions committee by the music faculty member who auditioned her, was a key factor in her standing out and being accepted for admission.</p>
<p>In other words, if you are a talented musician and have a passion for your music... go for it! If it is feasible, I would even recommend a live audition on campus over submitting a CD. Given Stanford's policy of not interviewing applicants, a live audition is a unique opportunity to make a person-to-person contact during the admissions process. Let your passion as well as your talent show. Also, in addition to listing your music-related EC's and honors on your application, make sure that at least one of your essays gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to your music at a high level. Good luck!</p>
<p>What do you think, is it better to have a passion for jazz music rather than classical music. The point is that I love Bach's music for example and I think I am pretty good in playing it. However, I am not sure whether Stanford would consider this as a major contribution to their university. Maybe they are more pleased with jazz so I can join a band or so?</p>
<p>Do what you love. If it's classical, that's great. If it's jazz, that's great too. They just want to see you passionate about something so that it drives you to excel.</p>