<p>It is good to know we am not alone in feeling a bit stressed about the process. My kid is applying as a double major for composition and performance so we have not only being going everywhere having lessons but also trying to coordinate getting the composition portfolio recorded as well as prescreening audition recordings done. And to coordinate the audition schedule is a feat in itself. Glad to know we are not alone. Good luck to you all. Now I am just nervous about weather during audition season. What do you d o? Just hope for the best I guess.</p>
<p>Cellocompmom and Trumpetdad. We all understand your angst!! However, the upside is that you get to spend some great quality time with your son or daughter before thay leave home. Try to enjoy the time. Iād suggest finding some good restaurants and sightseeing activities while you are on the road. As for the weather, make certain that you have a decent recording of your childās audition pieces just in case the weather/or illness makes it so you canāt get to an audition and are not able to reschedule. Many schools will take a recording if the weather or illness makes you miss an audition. Good luck and be ready to be your child 's biggest cheerleader during the upcoming audition season.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I havenāt been on here in a while, but am now feeling the need of a support group!</p>
<p>I agree, mom22girls. My daughter was much more organized and did the bulk of it, but sheās not a musician, so no audition dimension to deal with.</p>
<p>My son is much the opposite, so it just aināt gonna get done if I donāt take on this role.</p>
<p>We had some fun today, momofbassist, in the basement with my latest roles of videographer and sound engineer! Shooting some video finally prompted me to replace some of the ceiling tiles down here, as I couldnāt keep the plumber-damaged area out of the shot without his head approaching the top of the frame. My wife was pleased, regardless of the motivation.</p>
<p>I guess Iāve got it relatively easy compared to cellocompmom!</p>
<p>Things that helped us get through this last year: Plan to arrive at least one day before the audition. This allows for travel delays due to weather. We always brought a recording of the audition pieces with us just in case D were to get sick (which she thankfully didnāt). As mentioned above if you have to cancel an audition due to weather or illness that recording will also be very helpful. Iād suggest a DVD in case the audition canāt be rescheduled. Agree with Momofbassist, my D and I really enjoyed some quality time together on the audition trips and had fun exploring the schools and the towns. It was stressful, yes, but also a lot of fun and I treasure that time we spent together before she left the nest! And yes, the music application process is so different from āregularā college application, it would be very difficult for our kids to organize it all without considerable parental involvement and support. Nobody should be made to feel bad about that. Good luck to all of you! You will get through this!</p>
<p>df: Yes, it was (is) much more stressful than the regular college app process! Sonās private teacher suggested he(we) make a binder with a section for each schoolās requirements and copies of the school of music app, etc. Then when we left for the audition we(mom) would grab the binder and off we went. It did a lot to calm nerves(mine) about whether he brought the right music, did he have the correct supplements, etc. Son concentrated on practicing and playing and I organized. We did see kids at numerous auditions scrambling to turn in supplemental applications,etc stressing out over the administrative stuff instead of warming up for the audition.</p>
<p>Yes, we also brought a copy of the schoolās completed music application to each audition just in case the school had ālostā it. This actually happened at one school. When we arrived for audition day, they claimed theyād never received her music application or letters of recommendation and gave her a new one to fill out (on the spot!). Fortunately, weād brought along a copy (with the essay too). However, when we politely asked them to please check their files again, they found the original as well as the recommendation letters. We were relieved but were so glad weād brought a copy just in case. Itās also a good idea for your child to bring a copy of their resume and repertoire list even if theyāve already sent it to the school. One school my D applied to did not have a separate music application, or so we thought! They handed out the application (which was pretty detailed and included a brief essay) at the audition to be filled out on the spot. They had said to bring the resume to the audition but did not hint that there would be an application to fill out. Having the resume handy really helped my D fill out the application under stress. Other things we always brought included more than one copy of all of the music (one in my bag, one in hers in case one of our bags got lost), Throat Coat and other tea (for vocalists), ibuprofen in case of headache, and hand sanitizer. I must say that throughout the audition season we were so compulsive about germs I think I would have qualified for a psychiatric diagnosis! Compulsive handwashing, used the humidifier every night, hand sanitizer, etc etc etc. But the payoff was that my daughter did not get sick. She actually got through the entire audition season without a cold or other illness, then held on another 3 weeks for the school musical. Then, the morning after the last performance of the musical, she woke up with a whopper of a cold! Ah, memoriesā¦ Do be sure to read the school websites very carefully for instructions about what to bring to the audition, forms to include with the prescreening recording, etc. and keep it all organized on a flow sheet or in a binder. Keeping a flowsheet or spreadsheet makes it all seem so much more manageable and less overwhelming. Good luck to all!</p>
<p>Brings back memories of last year when my son was applying! I couldnāt agree more with the discussion here of the beneficial effect of parental help, there is so much organization needed and a short period of time to accomplish it; any mortal, ha, could use an extra hand. I felt like my job was to get him to the audition rested and prepared and yes, like others have done, I handled the administrative detailsā¦it is enough pressure on them already to play their best. Happy end story, son is thriving in the school that was his first choice, and is showing maturity and independence in spite of my being a āhelicopter parentā last year.</p>
<p>My son was waitlisted for Berklee last spring, then accepted in June. He/we deferred until January (for reasons solely due to money) and may defer until next September (again, for reasons solely due to money).</p>
<p>We made our first visit to Berklee yesterday and tody ā we live outside Chicago. Yes, Berklee came to āus,ā so to speak, because they hold auditions all over the world.</p>
<p>We spent almost all the 36 hours in and around Berklee ā got the official tour, talked with housing and the financial aid people, went to a performance Tuesdy evening,sat in on a class today and talked to a couple of other professors.</p>
<p>Berklee doesn;t really have a campus ā they operate out of 22 buildings mainly in the Back Bay area of Boston, but they have buildings in other parts of the city, too (including a perfomance/rehearsal space about nine āTā stops away from the campus, which is also popular neighborhood for Berklee students to live in.</p>
<p>Some other stats the people may or may not know bout Berklee ā it has about 4500 students but onnly 800 on campus residence spaces, so most people live off campus. But, in the next few months they are breakng ground on the fist building they have ever built from scratch ā a 16-story residence hall/performance space/rehearsal space builging that will be open in 2013. This will more than double their on campus housing allotment.</p>
<p>Here is an interesting number ā 30 percent. Berklee only accepts about 30 percent of the people who apply. About 30 percent of the student body is from some plce other than the U.S. And only about 30 percent of students get any sort of financial aid.</p>
<p>Also, the financial aid person said that the AVERAGE debt of graduating Berklee student is $100,000. Which was a shocker. Thatās med school type debt, I thought. We will not let our son get anywhere near that ā he can take all the Stafford loans he wants, which will max him out at somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000 in debt. We have to figure out how to pay for the rest. because we arenāt takng out anymore debt or co-signing for any student debt.</p>
<p>My son loved what he saw, however . . .</p>
<p>An additional post about Berklee ā I was concerned, since my son is interested in being a composition major (concert/art music, not jazz) that Berklee would not be a good fit for him. There are about 100 concert/art music majors out of a student body of 4000/4500 . . . but itās still the largest concert/art music school in the country, I was told (I have not verified that independently).</p>
<p>I canāt imagine coming out of college with $100,000 worth of debt and not being guaranteed a great paying job when you graduate.</p>
<p>I know. Iām still trying to wrap my head around the idea that the federal government is fine insuring college debt of up to $30,000 per individual for people who, for the most part, have never had a full-time job.</p>
<p>ptc, did you son get any scholarship $? If not, itās still possible to be considered for scholarships as he progresses. Also, in the area around Berklee, which is also in walking distance to Boston U, Northeastern, NEC and Emerson, and MIT is just across the river, the housing is very expensive because the demand is so high. My D lives in a teeny tiny apartment within walking distance, and it is cheaper than a Boston U or Berklee dorm, but it is teeny tiny. Some other students live one town (or more) further out on the T for much cheaper. In the end, you and your son have to figure out if itās worth it. My D loves every second in every class and in her teeny tiny apartment. Her skills are improving exponentially (and she was already pretty good, in my mom opinion). Sheās working hard, sheās happy, and I have no clue if sheāll have a guaranteed job when sheās done, but for her, this was just a better option than a typical job major. PM me if you have other questions about Berklee. My D transferred there from a pre-med school, and is a 5th semester student. It is expensive, and the campus is not a typical Dartmouth or Ohio State, but Iāve never heard my daughter complain about that in the least because she prefers to focus on how many practice rooms they have (lots) and whether she can get one when she needs one (never been an issue).</p>
<p>Another interesting thing Iāve encountered at Berklee that I donāt remember hearing from students at other schools ā no one talks about being a freshman or sophomore ā everyone describes themselves in terms of semesters ā āIām a 5th semester student.ā Is this peculiar to Berklee, or music schools, or is this sort of reference more widespread?</p>
<p>As part of our trip this week, we did take the T out toward Boston College . . . I forget what stop we got off at, but it was near where Berklee owns a building with practice space. So, if/when my son goes, we are likely to look a few T stations away, as opposed to right on campus. Heās very comfotable riding the el in Chicago, and now that we have a little sense of the geography near the school, we are comfortable with the idea of him riding the T in Boston.</p>
<p>And we know that scholarships are not a one time thing ā that he will always have opportunities to get scholarships, grants, and work for pay.</p>
<p>ptc, the ā5th semesterā label instead of āJuniorā at Berklee was unique to me, too. It was explained to me that they use this terminology because it allows a student to take an internship or a gig opportunity away for a semester. If their internship or touring opportunity lasts longer than one semester, then it does, but they pick up at Berklee where they left off. Iād be curious too if any other schools use this nomenclature as well.</p>
<p>So over the past month or two I visited the following schools for voice: Rice, Juilliard, Eastman, NEC. None of these are really that close to each other so it has been a hectic two months! My experiences and impressions:</p>
<p>Rice: The campus is gorgeous and the facilities are top notch. BY FAR the most beautiful college campus I have ever set foot on. The music school building is just as nice. There are windows EVERYWHERE so the whole place is filled with natural light, including the practice rooms. Performance halls are beautiful and have phenomenal acoustics. Sat in on a student voice recital and was blown away (it was an undergrad I found out later!!!). Had a lesson with Susanne Mentzer and boy can she teach. She fixed about 3 basic problems right away and I was singing better than I ever had. But the coolest thing about my visit was sitting in on a studio class for Stephen Kingās studio. Every single singer in that studio was beyond fantastic and even more impressive to me was the way Stephen King communicated things. The guy is good. (Could you tell I enjoyed my visit? 
).</p>
<p>Juilliard: I live in NYC so Iām a little biased but I still canāt get over the idea of how cool it would be to go to school at the Lincoln Center! Enough said. Iāve toured the school before and the facilities are very impressive for NYC. Itās no wonder it costs so freaking much to go there! (practice rooms arenāt great though) I had a voice lesson with Robert White aaaand to be honest I really wasnāt that impressed. I donāt know; maybe we just didnāt click but for some reason I felt like he just couldnāt communicate things well. Saw a JOC Artist recital and it was good. Maybe my expectations were just too high but some parts of Juilliard didnāt live up to what I imagined the day we visited.</p>
<p>Eastman: Rochester is pretty hipster for all those who havenāt visited. Lots of coffee shops, smokers, and just an overall āalternativeā feel about the city. I have a friend at Eastman who gave me the āreal tourā so I got to meet a lot of the students and see people in their element. While I was there we saw a large stash of Pot in a practice room and in the girlās bathroomā¦ The dorms are actually pretty nice and the cafeteria was good too. The performance hallās are the most beautiful things I have ever laid eyes on. I have heard that some people choose to go to Eastman when they see the performance halls and I canāt blame them. Phenomenal. Saw an undergrad voice concert and there were some great sopranos but some of the guys wereā¦not so much. But Eastman gives some pretty good scholarships according to a few people I know so I will probably still apply.</p>
<p>NEC: I wonāt elaborate on this one. Bottom line: they have a few really great faculty, awful facilities, high tuition, and an environment I PERSONALLY didnāt think would be good for undergrads.</p>
<p>nyboundsoprano, just a footnote to your Rice review, Stephen King usually takes one undergrad per year, at most. What you heard in his studio were almost entirely grad students. The rest is spot on.</p>
<p>Wow! A very thorough and insightful review! Your description of Eastman literally made laugh-out-loud 
That was my undergrad experience there to a T.</p>
<p>Singersmom, yes I heard that about his studio. Although, that particular day an undergrad baritone and an undergrad soprano were 2 of the 5 or-so singers to sing in the studio class (to be honest I couldnāt perceive much of a difference between them and the grads)</p>
<p>Yay Rice! Thatās EXACTLY why I chose it over a lot of other schools :)</p>
<p>Itās been a while since anyoneās posted in this thread. Any one been visiting lately and care to share?</p>