Music Grad School Rejection...Confused, help?

College Majors Music Major
1

I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong place…

So I just got rejected today from the Boston Conservatory. I applied for their masters program in multiple woodwinds (oboe, bassoon, flute).
Anyway I was in love with this school and thought it was a match school for me. It wasn’t a top-tier conservatory as far as instrumental music goes, but it was better than the state school I’m currently at and anyway I thought it would be okay for me. I’d be considered a little bit behind as far as being an oboe performance major goes (but I started later in life and…long story but I’m good. Not “the best of the best” but good), but I’m well-rounded and versed in all three instruments and my auditions went way better than every other school I applied at, so I was really optimistic. I even had a trial lesson with one of the oboe professors there, and I liked her a lot.

I’ve heard so many people tell me that their instrumental music program is not as competitive as their other programs (MT, dance) and that I must have done REALLY terribly to not get accepted or even waitlisted, especially since I play two “unusual” instruments. (I didn’t personally think the oboe/bassoon thing would matter, since this is a conservatory after all).

So I’ve basically spent the whole day crying and I don’t know what to do with myself because if I couldn’t get in there, then what future could I possibly have in music? I’m super discouraged, I applied to other schools but this is the only school I wanted to go to and the only one I applied to for multiple woodwinds. Should I consider switching careers before I get even deeper and waste more money? My depression is full force today… :((

2

I really can’t comment on instrumental music, but I sincerely feel for you. Rejection is hard, at any stage of life, and it is a somewhat frequent occurrence for a performer. Take a deep breath and wait to make any drastic decisions until your head clears. You have other acceptances in hand, so you do have options. Others on this forum might have insights that can help with your specific questions. Best of luck to you!

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I actually don’t have any acceptances in hand yet and am waiting on another rejection from BU (that audition I KNOW I bombed)…

4

Sorry I misunderstood. But the advice still stands. Wait out the other applications. It won’t be that much longer.

5

First, my sympathies. I know from personal experience how this hurts.

Now, sorry to be very blunt - I know multiple oboists from absolute top schools, top festivals, top teachers’ studios who are working Starbucks, driving Uber, etc. and maybe catching a handful of gigs or have a few students but can’t manage without a day job. (Frankly, the same holds for top graduates in other instruments and voice as well.) It’s great if you have unlimited time and funds to continue studying, but as you note, that isn’t reality for many. What were your plans post grad degree if Boston had worked out?

Do you have a good relationship with your current teacher, someone in the school administration, orchestra conductor, etc? I would see if you can schedule a talk with someone who knows your playing and background, but also knows the current state of the business. It is easy to envision a BM, then onto a fine grad school, then maybe New World or a fine regional orchestra, then a “real” job that pays the rent, but sadly this progression is rare. Not to say that it absolutely is out of the question - I don’t know you or your playing - but, using this experience as a reality check may help you either sort out other career goals, or show you a different path to achieve what you hope for as an oboist or multi-instument specialist.

6

A friend who wanted to be a screenwriter told me how he got to meet one of his favorite screenwriters of all time, so of course he asked for career advice. The advice was this - if you can imagine yourself doing anything else, do it. Only do screenwriting if you cannot imagine another path.

This is probably decent advice for any career in the arts.

As I’ve told my own son many times, now is the time to pursue your dream. If it truly is your dream, take this rejection as a sign that you need to double down and work that much harder if you really want it. You are young, and you presumably don’t have children to raise or a mortgage to pay, so it will only get harder later on. If it isn’t your dream - or you have other dreams that would make you happy - that’s okay, too. Maybe it’s time to try something different in that case.

That being said, it’s always good to give yourself a little time - but not too much - to grieve a lost opportunity. But then you’ve got to get right back to it. You’ve got other decisions coming, and it’s not like you can only apply once if those don’t pan out. Perhaps you can reach out to the teacher you took the lesson from and ask for honest feedback about your application. Then you will know what to work on for next time.

Best of luck to you!

7

Deep breath. You sound as if you feel you’ve been rejected from the bottom of the heap. Boston is Boston, and it’s a very desirable place for woodwind players in particular to study, so the competition will be fierce at any of the Boston programs. In any case, these decisions are always very complicated, even with just the oboe. Add in the complexities of a multi-instrument program, and the decision may have been made based on the needs of the department, not on your audition.

All that being said, if what you’re saying about Boston Conservatory being the only program you’d like to attend runs deeper than the initial emotional catastrophe of rejection, maybe it’s time to step back and take stock, rather than pursuing further study only because it seems to be the next logical step.

8

Boston Conservatory is a competitive conservatory. I don’t know where you got the idea it wasn’t other than from people you know who went to Juilliard etc. NEC down the street is top tied for sure. BoCo recently merged with Berklee and is a school that is rising from an already very good reputation.

9

BoCo is very competitive and competition is stiff even in the instruments you auditioned with. You said you came into this late. Don’t get too down on yourself. It may have just been the simple fact that the number auditioning on Oboe was crowded this year. There is no perfect school. Handling rejection as a musician is just a fact of life. If you love it and can’t imagine doing anything else, pick yourself up and dust yourself off and wait on your acceptance to another school. It may just turn out better for you. As the mom of a musician and music school student, it’s self doubt that prevents you from moving forward. Good luck!!!

10

BoCo is much more competitive than it sounds like you were led to believe. People from other conservatories for some reason like to bash it sometimes, but any familiarity with the school will show you it’s quite good. The other aspect is that with such a specific program like the MM in multiple woodwinds, they probably only had one or two spots and even if you played really well it may have only taken one person to have a slightly better audition. It’s tough, but it’s the reality in our business. Whatever you do, don’t give up. Use it as motivation.

11

You have to be very careful with things like saying “BOCO is at the bottom of the heap”, it depends on the program. on the the teacher, while the typical level of playing at BOCO may not be as strong as let’s say an NEC or Juilliard or whatnot, it can be comparing apples and pears to say something like that. A program for multiple woodwinds on a grad school level could be really competitive, they may only have had a couple of slots and had a lot of uber top level students applying to it, because other programs don’t even have something like this. I know this doesn’t make you feel any better and music is such a harsh mistress because it is really, really hard to get objective feedback in it, so much is subjective, and something like an audition seems like a major measure, but it may not be, kids who got into top level programs can get rejected from a supposed safety, it happens.

I would wait to see what your other auditions look like before making judgements about yourself. For all you know, BOCO may not have been admitting anyone into that program this year, or may have had 1 slot between grad and ug (one year at Juilliard they admitted 1 flute…ug or grad were competing for that one slot).

If you really want to know, can I suggest something? If you could get to BOCO or another school post audition (I don’t know where you live), you could potentially look up a teacher at the school or another one and ask for an assessment of your playing on the instrument(S) in question (I don’t know if one teacher could do that, though, I assume with the BOCO program different teachers teach each instrument) and see what they say. It isn’t perfect, but at the very least you would have some idea where you stand.

And if your heart is still set on music, you have the option of taking a gap year, working on what didn’t seem to be as good, and trying again next year to audition (not always possible, I understand), find teachers to work with and push yourself.

And if it makes you feel any better, what you are experiencing all musicians experience at all levels of playing, it comes with the territory, you think you nailed an audition and you get the old 'I’m sorry to inform you…"…on the other hand you think you bombed an audition, and you get a really great offer out of it, it happpens.

12

One other thing to think about: Acceptance to a master’s program in the arts is not always just based on talent or skill. Master’s programs want to see in an applicant’s essay their reason for wanting to get a master’s. They want to know that you are not just going to continue your conservatory training or lessons but are getting a master’s because you NEED IT in order to pursue the next phase of your career. So for example when a visual artist apples to get an MFA, the people reviewing the applications are looking for students who have a specific direction and thesis they want to pursue (curation, studio work in a specific area, working in the arts to promote social causes). If you were wishy-washy about your reasons for wanting to get an MM and that came across at all then it is possible a player who was less skilled but clearer about their thesis and goals who did not play as well as you got the spot. It might be you need to work for a few years as a musician to sort out why you want an MM and then apply with a clearer direction and focus.

One thing about BOCO is that with the merger with Berklee they now have access to a wider and more diverse pool of students. It is very likely there are students from Berklee who are already known to the faculty who are applying to the master’s program and would have a leg up. Also the merger with Berklee might have triggered an increase in applicants who want to not only learn performance but want to have access to all that Berklee has to offer (film scoring, production, connections etc…)

I hope you hear from other schools.