<p>Your brother might want to look into some cc programs, and then transfer. Depending upon your location, you might find a seamless transition to a 4 year music or music technology degree, and he’ll have a chance to discover if he’s cut out for a college workload. Plus, usually the high school grades won’t matter anymore, and no SATs needed either. He also might want to check some smaller privates and state universities. What state are you talking about? Also, you really have to figure out why the grades are as low as they are. Every college program is likely to include coursework that the student is not so motivated to study, but you have to buckle down and do it anyway. So, your bro might want to think about what’s stopping him from getting better grades, and solve that before making a commitment to a music program anywhere.</p>
<p>BassDad, I’m not sure how you got the impression that Eastman doesn’t consider academics. The impression we got, from listening to the admissions officers, was that they really look at the whole file, not just the audition, which would include grades, SAT scores if you choose to send them, music recommendations, and experiences/accomplishments in music and life. My D commented that all the kids she talked to on audition day seemed to be the “academic, brainy” type of music student. Lots of them were also applying to ivys or Northwestern, Carnegie-Mellon, Oberlin… But it is true, of course, that SATs are not required for Eastman. Perhaps, when a truly exceptional player auditions, Eastman really won’t care about their academics. Sopranos don’t seem to have that luxury, ever! ;)</p>