<p>My daughter was admitted EA to ND. She would like to continue playing her violin in college, but does not want to major in music (will most likely be a science major of some sort). We were wondering about the opportunities to play in the orchestra for a non-music major. As far as her abilities, she is the concertmistress for her h.s. orchestra, qualified for state here all three years of her eligibility, and was selected for the 3rd chair in this year's state orchestra. </p>
<p>Are there tryouts? What kind of time committment is involved? How many concerts are there a year? Are there summer committments involved? Are weekly private lessons included in the tuition? Another school she is looking at includes the weekly private lesson in the tuition. There are also lots of opportunities to play in small ensembles for $$ at this school. We will be visiting ND this month - who should she talk to in the music department?</p>
<p>Thanks for any help you can give us!</p>
<p>PutschCasusBelli - thought you might have some insight into this - saw your post on the 'alumni network'. Also, my nephew was accepted to CalTech and they are recruiting him to play baseball for them even though he was cut from his h.s. team junior year (great kid - 2390 SAT, etc.). I love the way CalTech has sports for their kids even though they RARELY even win a game. He said the baseball facilicites are beautiful - inground dugouts, palm trees, mountains. The only thing holding him back is the HUGE cost of attending (was offered very little scholarship $$).</p>
<p>oooo congratulations on that Caltech acceptance! As a fzx nerd, Caltech was tied for my #1 choice. One of the baseball recruits from my high school told me they sit in the dugout and calculate trajectories among other things. Now that's baseball! About music at ND:
There are auditions. These are held at the beginning of each year. One need merely sign up on the sheet in Crowley hall in order to be heard by the conductor, a one Mr. Daniel Stowe (<a href="mailto:dstowe@nd.edu">dstowe@nd.edu</a>). I think auditions are relatively easy, as I did terribly during mine and still made it in. However, the orchestra is worked relatively hard. The time commitment is variable. Most of the time, rehearsals are from 8 to 9:30 on Tuesdays, but this changes very rapidly. He usually sends out an email specifying time, and often this goes from 7:30 to 10 or later. I remember one instance in which we were rehearsing until almost 11. Further, he often holds back sections for sectionals after rehearsal. Sometimes sectionals are required at irregular times; for instance, an 11 o'clock sectional during midterms week (but he did check to make sure none of us had a test the next day, so no worries). If he feels additional work is necessary, rehearsal can be scheduled on Thursday night for the same timeframe as on Tuesday. It should be noted that all of this time is not without purpose, as the orchestra markedly improves throughout the year. Further, it really felt justified when we toured Florida over winter break (an entire week for only $150 a person, including airfare and meals). The orchestra does go on a tour annually, alternating between national and international locations. Weekly private lessons are not included in tuition, unfortunately. Thirty minutes a week will cost $240 for the semester, while an hour will be double that. As far as someone to talk to in the music department---walk into Crowley Hall and talk to the desk person, who will be able to provide some answers. But the biggest person to talk to is Dan Stowe himself, who has an office in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. Since I don't play a string instrument, I have limited knowledge of string groups on campus. I can't imagine they'd be nonexistent, but let's face it: violins sound like someone hitting a baby with a cat.</p>
<p>just kidding</p>
<p>I like to make fun of violins because several of my best friends at home are violinists who played with me in youth orchestra for years. I call their instrument irritating. They call mine a battering ram (but silly string players as they are, they don't know it's more like a bazooka!). But really, it's all in good fun. </p>
<p>I would email Dan Stowe and set up an appointment. He happens to like violins a lot, or at any rate needs some good ones. Good luck!</p>
<p>PCB - Thanks for the great information!! We will try to make sure that a Mrs. Edwards who is arranging all the particulars of D's ND campus visit includes a short meeting with Mr. Daniel Stowe!</p>
<p>It occurred to me that I missed the question regarding number of concerts per annum. There are two per semester, plus one each day during a tour.</p>
<p>PutschCasusBelli (a most interesting name!) - thank you again!! I assume the two concerts a year are on the Notre Dame campus?
Also, as a non music major, do you find it hard keeping up with the orchestra requirements and your regular work load for your own major?</p>
<p>I actually withdrew from orchestra. I am in the Double Reed Choir and the Symphonic Winds. Further, I am learning to play the contrabassoon. I had to make a choice for my sanity. I could only keep two music ensembles, and I found orchestra to be less fun and more time-consuming than the other two. As a reed player, I enjoy the big sound and inflexible schedule of Symphonic Winds more than the orchestra. Symphonic Winds is basically an orchestra without strings, so my choice was pretty clear. I do miss the orchestra, but I don't regret my decision. Music is challenging right now, but it is not impossible. I can budget time up to the minute because of the fact that the band program has a specified number of rehearsals in a week and these start and end exactly when they are supposed to and do not generally require sectionals. Another thing I forgot to mention---I believe strings have to show up an hour early because they have string sectionals every rehearsal, or at least they did last semester. I do not know if it is the case this semester, because the emails I have been getting do not differentiate between time requirements for strings and for winds. Last semester was very challenging for me in terms of matching school and music. Orchestra took place during my chem prof's marathon office hours (which he held during exam weeks). Since I was in Chem 10181 (aka chem for masochists/majors) and the professor made the course extremely difficult, even for people who got 5's on the AP Chem exam (we comprised 90% of the class), life was difficult.</p>
<p>PCB - It sounds like orchestra might be a little intense for the non-music major. That's sad! If you are a violinist, I guess the regular orchestra would be your only opportunity to play? D looked for schools where their music departments were NOT conservatories so she would have a better chance of being able to play and hopefully it wouldn't be SO time consuming. Thanks again for all the info - it helps so much! You have to gather these pieces of information from all the schools you are looking at in hopes of finding the best place for you. Unfortunately, there is no perfect place - you just get as close as you can!</p>
<p>If orchestra is your only musical EC, then it won't be too intense.</p>
<p>Hi, this is actually PCB's old stand partner from the ND orchestra...my Mom saw this thread and emailed it to me, what a coincidence. I'd just like to make a few clarifications, the strings didn't meet "early" before rehearsal last semester. The winds were allowed to come to rehearsal late because most of us are in the Marching Band and the two rehearsal times conflict. So every fall semester, Mr. Stowe puts a strings-only piece into the concert. Now we all meet at the same time, 7:30p-10p. Yes, sometimes we run over, but Dan really tries to get us out on time; it's hard to rehearse everything with only one practice a week. He's very passionate about what he does, and just wants us to play as well as we can. There are plenty of opportunities for non-music majors at ND because 90% of the participants in music here are non-majors, and the nice thing is that ND recognizes that. At other schools with conservatory programs, like Northwestern, you would have a hard time even getting into the orchestra program if you were a non-major.</p>
<p>Alyin2000 - thank you! That is exactly why our D shied away from Northwestern. She felt like she wouldn't be able to play in their orchestra. She visits ND in a couple of weeks for a more indepth look and the information you and PCB have provided will allow her to ask more indepth questions regarding participating in the orchestra. Although she won't be a music major, she loves the violin, practices 7 days a week (without ever being reminded!), and loves, loves, to play! The violin has been totally her thing when we got her involved by a fluke in the 6th grade (trying to avoid a bad middle school teacher - long story!). She is also very artistic (doesn't want to major in art, but wants to experience college level art), a two time state qualifying tennis player (but not in the league to play at ND), and hopes that all of these things will be things that bring her lifelong enjoyment, even though they will not be her major in college.</p>
<p>alyin2000,</p>
<p>Don't assume schools have only one orchestra. Northwestern has two, one exclusively for non-majors.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2007/02/music0.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2007/02/music0.html</a></p>
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All Northwestern students are eligible to audition for any of 12 performing ensembles including Jazz Band; Concert Band; University Chorus, composed of students and community members; and Philharmonia, the largest orchestra on campus, designed exclusively for non-majors.
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