Hi, looking for advice. My son was invited to interview for music composition at UT Austin, meaning he passed the pre-screening process (yay!). Does anyone have any insight into what this means (is he likely to be admitted, or do they interview far more students than they will admit)? Also, what is the interview process like there? How should he prepare? We’ve read what’s on the web site, but any additional info would be appreciated. My son wants to double major in music comp and computer science, and I see that they have a music comp professor with experience in both, so I am guessing that he will get some questions about his dual interests. We are also a little baffled about the process - we understand that he can only be admitted to one major as a freshman, and he listed CS first and music comp second, so frankly we were a little surprised that he got a music interview. He hasn’t received a decision from CS yet. Tagging @compmom @SpiritManager as you both have been so helpful in the past. Thanks so much for any information!
HI TexasMom2017, and congratulations to your son!
Which is your son applying for, the BM or BA in music composition? I noticed that the BM program has streamlined/condensed some theory/aural skills to allow for more electives of choice. But a BA still has more room for CS. Both are intense curricula: is he hoping at all to do a double degree, double major (sounds like this is his goal), major/minor, or waiting to see? Do you think he could end up doing CS with composition “on the side”? (I know someone working in Silicon Valley in the CS industry who did the reverse, and majored in music…)
What is the process for admission to the CS major? Does it happen before attending or after the first year? I noticed the BA in music composition does involve admission later.
What is his instrument? (My composer daughter hasn’t touched an instrument in years, except for piano for theory. I am always surprised at how many composition programs require an instrument/voice but perhaps it is to contribute to orchestra.)
You may have seen this info on the site, about interviews at UT Austin, but I am posting anyway, because it might make others have an easier time contributing to your thread:
Interview with the composition faculty (if invited):
•One piece or a movement of your choice, performed a cappella from memory on the instrument/voice selected for this application.
•Answer questions designed to test your aural ability and general knowledge of music theory, such as terminology, identification of chords and intervals, and sight-singing.
•Please bring one hard copy of each score submitted electronically with the application. The scores will be returned to you at the end of the interview.
This is for both the BM and the BA in Music:Composition.
Is the piece or movement to be performed a cappella, a piece written by your son, or from a repertory list, or just anything he wants. It would appear to be the latter but at first I thought it would be one of his own. So just making sure.
Any testing of knowledge on theory and aural ability is usually for placement purposes, but if covered in an interview it does help to brush up, of course. It might or might not affect admissions chances- I don’t really know but you could ask. I think my daughter may have called about this years ago.
The best part of the interview for a composer is the last part listed, discussing one’s own music. He should think about composers he admires, the aesthetic(s) he is drawn to, what his process is for composing, and what he would do if a teacher disagrees with either a big idea or a small detail in a piece he is writing.
With the exception of Juilliard, in our experience, interviews tend to be much more relaxed than expected, even fun : ) I do think that for composition, they tend to be interested in what kind of person you are. It can take a strong will to stand up for one’s ideas, for instance, but also a measure of humility to learn from others. And working with musicians is part of the job too.
Is he accustomed to talking about his work?
Curious, does your son like doing computer or electronic work in music? There are many potential intersections of his two fields : )
Very exciting, sorry not to be more helpful!! Hope he can actually enjoy this: it really is possible.
I can’t help with particulars at UT - I recommend emailing the department there and asking about the dual degree procedure. Most schools do not allow a dual major, unless it’s two BA’s. Is that what he applied for in composition, or a BM? If a BM I would assume he’d need to be accepted to both schools/programs. But schools vary in their policies, and I’m sure they’ll clarify it for you if you ask.
As for interviews - that is equivalent to an audition for a performance major. There are a few composition programs which do not require it, but most do. The acceptance rate will depend on the size of the program. At Bard Conservatory, where my son attended, they interview somewhere between 10-15 depending on the applicant pool, and they accept 1-2. Some years they’ll put a student on a waiting list, some years they’ll have no waiting list at all - if the 1 or 2 accepted students go elsewhere, they’ll have no comp students that year! On the other hand, a larger program where there are 8-15 freshmen comp students each year may interview 50 students and accept 20 or so, assuming a lower yield than a smaller program like Bard’s. I don’t know the size of UT’s undergrad comp department so cannot make any guesses there. For grad school a program may receive 150 applications, interview 15, and accept 5, with a few on the waiting list. Not sure that helps at all!
As for preparation for the interview - they will expect him to speak about his music, about his goals, about his aesthetics. They’ll probably have his scores there to discuss. Some interviews, at conservatories like Juilliard and Manhattan, also have a composition component and can be a multiple day process. The point of the interview is to see if he’ll be a good fit with the program or not.
Thank you both for your comments! In answer to your questions: At UT, he is applying for BA in music comp for the reason you suggested (to make it easier to double major in CS). Actually it would be a double degree, since they are in different colleges, and he would likely do BA or BSA (rather than BS) in CS for the same reason. Getting both degrees will be hard enough as it is … luckily, he has a lot of AP credits. He will find out by March 1 whether he’s been admitted to his first-choice major (CS), and if so, my understanding is that he will enter as a CS major and apply to add the music comp major after he’s completed 30 hours. (They do allow dual degrees, but you can only have 1 major as an entering freshman.) But he wanted to go ahead and apply to music anyway as his second choice - he really is determined to do both, and I think he wanted to show them that and also get some indication that they will let him do both. He plays oboe and keyboard percussion in the school band, but he is strongest on piano and that’s what he did for his pre-screening audition. I imagine that for his interview, he will play the same piece he played for the pre-screen (a well-regarded piece of videogame music - not a conventional choice, ha ha, but it’s a challenging piece and is consistent with his interests). He is working up some Bach and Mozart pieces for another audition, but he started those recently and can’t play them as well as the first piece. I really don’t know whether he has any interest in computer/electronic music - that hasn’t been his focus so far, but who knows?
If he is doing a double degree, and with the apparent flexibility of the BM program compared to some others, maybe he will end up doing a BM/BA. Or maybe he will end up focusing on CS and just doing some music classes. Is this kind of flexibility built into his options over time?
He sounds talented and multi-faceted. Good for him! I hope you will let us know what happens.
My impression of admissions, to be frank, is that those who write “good enough” classical music tend to get into classical programs. There are a lot of kids applying who don’t really know how to do a handwritten score, for instance, or write closer to pop. I think it is a mixed bag. Admissions certainly seem to notice raw talent so amazing accomplishments so far aren’t needed. it really is all about the music.
Since it is really all about the music, my impression, as I said, was that interviews, with a few exceptions, are pretty chill and I hope he has a good time talking about his music with the faculty there.
ps I have absolutely no idea, but is it a good idea to play the same piece in the interview as he submitted for prescreen? Maybe he should ask. I would think they might want to hear something else but I really really don’t know.
Thanks @compmom that’s all good to know. Honestly, I don’t think he cares too much about the music degree per se (he doesn’t want to teach) - he just wants to make sure he can take the comp classes that he wants so he can learn. Sometimes it’s hard to get those classes if you’re not in the major (I don’t know about UT). And good point about the piece he’ll play at the interview - I’ll suggest that he call ahead and ask.
Can he study with a teacher there privately if he wants? Just curious.
Hmm not sure but worth looking into. Although I think he would really like to go the BSA in CS / BA in music comp route if he can get into both.