<p>rudysmom,</p>
<p>The answer is somewhat complicated. If we are talking about orchestral chairs, most of the auditions for the positions that pay anything close to a living wage are done blind. That is, the judges do not get to see who is playing for them and are supposed to make their decision solely on the basis of what they hear coming from behind the curtain. In practice, there is a lot more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye or ear. Performing arts organizations have a political side to them that can involve deals getting made, favors being called in, influence being wielded either for or against someone, rivalries being waged, and even some outright dirty tricks. It is very helpful to have a mentor who knows how the game is played, who knows where the real opportunities are, and who has a network of contacts within the industry. Most such mentors are either already in the major orchestras, teaching at one of the better-known schools, or both. </p>
<p>If you look at bios of orchestral players, you will see at least some who started in those third and fourth tier schools. Occasionally you find one who bypassed music school entirely. It can be done, but the odds are not favorable. It takes not only a tremendous amount of talent, but also great networking skills and more than a little luck. </p>
<p>If the student has the talent needed to get into the top schools, there may be money available based on a combination of merit and need. Don't give up based on the published tuition rates alone. You still need to think about paying for grad school and potentially years of support while they are practicing and traveling for auditions, however. If the student does not have the talent needed to get into a top school, then there had better be some reason to believe that they can catch up to the competition.</p>
<p>The truth is that most of the students who go to music school, even the top ones, will never get more than the occasional substitute gig with a major symphony. Juilliard and Curtis combined turn out a couple of hundred grads per year, half or so on orchestral instruments. Add in just the other top schools and you are talking about thousands of entrants each year to an already extremely tight job market. Add in the third and fourth tiers and it becomes tens of thousands. If it truly is only about money, you can get much better odds at the local race track or by buying lottery tickets.</p>