<p>KeyofH/everyone,
I think this is a really dumb question, but what do you suggest students wear for their "sample lessons"? We are taking D to Northwestern and Oberlin soon. Her current wardrobe is jeans and various forms of Concert Black. Would nice jeans and a conservative top work, or should she dress as for an audition? Want to make a good impression without over-doing it. thanks!</p>
<p>My son wore normal clothes at all of his visits (and so did all the professors :-)). He was accepted by all so far except for Eastman (we're waiting on that one). I don't think the professors are expecting you to be dressed other than normally (clean and neat) for any of these. </p>
<p>I also made all the contacts and the plans for visits. While my son was quite capable I'm sure, time and outside commitments made me the logical choice.</p>
<p>At my son's top choices I made it pretty clear that I needed more than the standard tour and a lesson and both of the professors really stepped up. </p>
<p>For a quick example, at Crane (my son's top choice) we arrived on Tuesday afternoon, had dinner with the professor and several studio students on campus. Tuesday evening my son was part of the studio master class. Wednesday he attended several classes and took an hour lesson. Wednesday evening we had dinner with the Assistant Dean (at his urging). Thursday he had a second lesson. After this he was invited to practice with the Crane Wind Ensemble for 2 hours Thursday afternoon. While this happened I spend about 45 minutes with the studio professor discussing my son's abilities and the Professor's thoughts on progress that could be made with my son at Crane, about him and his teaching philosophy. I have never felt so at home and seen my son so excited. Yes we spent three days at Crane (4 including travel) and I felt every second was well worth it. We went in September, pulled him from school for it with permission.</p>
<p>Ask for the time, your kids are special.</p>
<p>My D dressed somewhere in between for sample lessons. She did a couple in the spring on very warm days so she wore a dress or skirt for them - not an audition type dress, however. For others, she wore black or brown slacks with various tops and sweaters. She didn't wear jeans for anything - visits or lessons. I don't have a problem with wearing nice jeans but she liked having an excuse to wear something other than jeans.</p>
<p>I definitely don't think that lessons require audition clothing, and the more "normal" you look, the better. Clean and neat, but not dressed up...at least that was what we did.</p>
<p>I agree with Sagiter, about making your visits very worthwhile, by setting up different lessons, classes, ensembles, etc. We did the same (although only spent 1-2 days on each visit, not three!), and found most schools incredibly accommodating. The interest that administrators or faculty had in ensuring that my S had a good visit spoke volumes about the schools. Several set up jam sessions or open rehearsals, invited him for dinner, etc. Some, we had to do all the legwork ourselves. I think you can tell a lot by the responsiveness of the people at these different schools. But considering the investment you are considering making, I think it is well worth the time and effort. And it is fun to boot!</p>
<p>Agreed - I think audition dress would look out of place. We usually walked around campus or tried out the cafeteria - multi tasked - during the trips and D didn't want to look out of place or be uncomfortable.</p>
<p>One other thing, spending the time in the prospective studio makes a huge difference when it comes to the actual audition. My son was welcomed at his audition by several students and there is something nice about the professor actually remembering your kid, coming out of the audition room, shaking hands, big smile on his face, doing the hand on the shoulder thing leading him in to the audition. Really as welcoming as you can ask for.</p>
<p>Same thing with other schools, nothing like a welcoming face or faces to take the egde off.</p>
<p>We received our Crane acceptance 8 days later, audition 12/13, letter 12/21. Gotta love rolling admissions :-))</p>
<p>I'd just like to apologize to those people who have responded to my comments on the forum- I'm not on here very often so I don't usually see them. I think I got everyone by private message, the people who asked me about NU financial aid (strictly need based, I swear it) but if I didn't if you could send me a private message that would help. so SORRY!!! I'm here if you need Northwestern guidance.</p>
<p>sagiter: What instrument does your son play? Would you mind sharing his other acceptances with us?</p>
<p>My son's primary instrument is the Euphonium which is not a symphonic instrument. He also plays horn and bass trombone. He had to choose an instrument to audition with and chose euph. Rough choice actually as most schools only take one a year. He's been accepted to Ithaca, Fredonia, Hartt and Crane. We are waiting on Eastman. He'll be double majoring in Music Ed and Euph Performance.</p>
<p>Maybe now that some of us have had our spring break college visits trips, we will see more postings here. Many thanks to the posters on this message board for helping me and DD prepare for our visits to the above schools. DD is a HS clarinetist especially interested in 5 year dual-degree programs. I am a non-musical parent.</p>
<p>Our visit at DePaul was brief, as we added it at the last minute, and visited on a Sunday. Fortunately we were able to arrange for a very nice student to take us around and speak with us, but we did not hear any music nor visit rehearsals or classes. The neighborhood is charming and vibrant, the campus is a manageable size, and they are soon building a new music school. We were told the clarinet teaching was wonderful and the caliber of entering freshmen rivaled that of conservatories. Undergrads are always taught by professors. The academics were noted to be ânot too demandingâ. It is a commuter school with generally only freshmen living on campus. The student union was busy despite being a Sunday and rainy. The proximity to the Chicago Symphony was noted to be a plus. If I am not mistaken we were told that these performances are free (or at least very cheap) for DePaul students. This should be a serious school to consider for those interested in a big city. Jazz students should also pay particular attention as apparently the program is âhotâ. </p>
<p>Next we went to Northwestern, and spent 2 days there. The campus is larger but performing arts are located in the south part of campus. The new music building is âdefinitely breaking groundâ this fall, we were told, and scheduled to be completed âby early 2012â. There is a lot going on musically here. DD was able to sit in on music classes and rehearsals and felt the teaching was very good, and students were engaged. Top spots in orchestra and wind ensemble are occupied by grad students and stronger undergrads. The presence of grad students was seen positively, as a motivational factor.
The music majors at NU need to fulfill the same distribution requirements as everyone else, which translates into about 3 classes each in Social Studies, Humanities and Math/Science.</p>
<p>The piano requirement is not waived for anyone, and one year is required. This was also viewed positively by students. Note for AP music theory students: âAP music theory covers the first 4 weeks of NUâs music theory requirementâ. Sobering thought. Dual Degree over 5 years is available with the Arts/Sciences, Engineering and Journalism schools, but not with the communication school due to too many requirements for graduation. There is also a double major option which is different (you just get one degree). Academic requirements for admission for music majors are nearly as tough as for other applicants. Music students admitted are in the top 15% of their HS classes. The fact that high academic standards are needed for admission to the music program was stressed to us several times. The audition is done first, and then if that is successful your academic record is reviewed secondly. </p>
<p>Housing is nearly guaranteed for 4 years and multiple options are available. The campus itself is quite pretty and located right on Lake Michigan. Most of the students walk, a few ride bikes, and there is also a cold-weather shuttle available. The surrounding neighborhood has lots of restaurants and retail stores and felt very safe. Students were very friendly and very open about talking to us. The music students looked tired and somewhat stressed, but were also very friendly. I got the peculiar impression that they were not having fun (well maybe itâs not supposed to be fun!), but uniformly they said they loved the program. Their administrative personnel says their retention rate is 99% from the first to second year.</p>
<p>Out last stop was Oberlin. Our very first impression (as city dwellers) was that it was kind of a spooky place. It seemed very quiet for a Wednesday evening. However, once we got inside to listen to the Orchestra, we discovered there was quite a crowd, and many people looked like community members. The same thing happened on the other days of our visit; we realized that there is tons of activity but it is generally behind doors. On any evening we had 4-5 different events to attend and it was hard to make a choice. We loved the students there. Everyone was warm and friendly and seemed relaxed. They spent lots of time with us. DD visited rehearsals, music theory and piano class and was very impressed by the teaching. She also sat in on Chemistry and Physics classes and likewise loved the teachers. In the conservatory, despite what must be a grueling schedule, students seemed to have time to stop in the lounge and relax for a bit and pal around with each other. The rehearsals were phenomenal as far as the caliber of musicianship. We heard the orchestra go over a first reading and it sounded show-ready to us. And no grad students! The dual degree program is not only offered but encouraged; although half drop one major after 2 years. There are lots of classes offered and the program seems flexible. There is a new jazz building being constructed. </p>
<pre><code> The campus is lovely with many 19th century buildings spread out on open space. The new science center and environmental studies buildings are beautiful in their simplicity and although modern, fit in nicely with the campus. The town itself is tiny and only the rock-bottom basics are available although Walmart is located about 2 miles out on the main highway. The surrounding community is rural. (We met some people who said Oberlin was definitely not rural compared to other parts of Ohio but again weâre city dwellers!).
I appreciate any corrections in case I messed up and also encourage fact-checking in case I misunderstood anything. We had a wonderful trip and loved the Midwest…except for the cold weather!
</code></pre>
<p>We flew to Oberlin last Monday afternoon just in time for the snow. I was prepared for the small town impact based on earlier comments. We stayed in a B&B - Shurtleff Cottage. Doris was a great hostess. Danny Devito was coming there the next day. His son attends Oberlin and he has bought the local moviehouse. Shurtleff is walking distance to everything - very clean and historical, newly renovated. We had dinner at The Feve. Donât judge the restaurant by the outside. Inside it was hopping, had great food and nice decor. Across the street is Black River and we enjoyed the food there, too (lunch the next day). You should visit the candy store on Main St., it has a very historical story and great chocolates/ice cream. Next day (in the snow) we went to the Con (as they call it). Went to a German diction class, had short lessons with three teachers in the course of the day, attended a studio class of one of the teachers, had our Con tour and a campus tour. Also visited with the head of the drama dept. My D liked the facilities, enjoyed the teachers and the atmosphere. Practice rooms open til 11 p and have steinways and windows. Everybody was extremely friendly and commented about how the atmosphere was more low stress than in larger cities. Asked about the reputation of a liberal/political student body and several of the students said it was more of a reputation than an actuality. Barnes & Noble adjacent to the Con.</p>
<p>Went to CIM the next day, stayed in The Glidden House which is adjacent to campus. Rooms are nice but walls are thin. Ate at LâAlbatross, French restaurant almost in parking lot of B&B. Really good. Admissions office at CIM didnât arrive til 9:30 and then didnât talk to us. We self-toured until 11 when D met with Schiller. You couldnât find a nicer, more helpful department head. She arranged for her voice student to give us a personal tour after the lesson. Also had lesson with another staff member. We skipped our 2 pm tour since we had a personal guide and ate lunch with her at cafe next to CIM. Visited studio class of Schiller at 2:30. The new auditorium at CIM is a must-see. Background is floor to ceiling glass that looks out into a garden. Library has state-of-the-art listening stations. Dorms are pretty small but adjacent to CIM. Admission into CIM offers automatic acceptance by Case Western. CIM offers study abroad through 4 programs - Paris - England (2) and Quebec. Practice rooms open til 10 p - in basement. School just became a steinway facility.</p>
<p>Drove to Cincinnati and stayed at Parker House. Beautiful, big B&B a couple of blocks from CCM. CCM is in downtorn but the school has several programs instituted for student safety including a Campus Walk program where you can call to get somebody to walk with you from place to place. The performance venues are beautiful and varied. Everything looks very new. We self-toured until time for the meeting with admission where they went over all of the information on how to apply. Rep was very personable - the group was very big. While we toured, D went to a repertoire class to watch. Then she had a meeting/lesson with dept head. Stucky was very detailed in the information she provided - always making sure she answered our questions. Had lunch in campus center - Wendyâs, and other fast foods. There is also a nice book store there and a Clinique counter (girls rule!) The 89 practice rooms are open 24/7, locked at night, available by passcard. Different buildings can be accessed by walking thru the parking garage area so that you donât have to go out in weather. We tried it - it works. My D really liked the teachers here - talked with three of them. Instead of listening stations in library, they subscribe to two listening services so that you can access the music from your own computer with headphones. Didnât look at dorms but guide told us they were small. You must live in dorm Freshman year but then can move into the new apartments that are right on campus for about the same price. Apartments are big and can be single, double or quad with kitchen and bath. My D also noticed there is an Urban Outfitters across the street.</p>
<p>If you have any questions, you can PM me. I have lots of info but thought I would just provide an overview.</p>
<p>I hadnât realized it when we were visiting all those campuses over the past two years, but my D told me the other day that she always checked out the practice rooms because she wanted to see the condition of the pianos.</p>
<p>She didnât care much about the age of the instruments or even so much the decor or even size of the rooms (sheâs a vocalist so she doesnât need much space), but she figrued the condition of the pianos spoke volumes about the priority the school gives to the study of music. </p>
<p>That sounds like great advise to me.</p>
<p>We began our visit by seeing NYU Steinhardt vocal performance programâs Candide. The singing was healthy, clean, on pitch, no belting. Ensemble work was very good. Most leads were upperclassmen or graduate students, though chorus members included sophomores. The performance was directed by the head of VP and musical directed by one of the voice teacher/adjuncts. The next day we observed a musical theatre scenes class that was excellent. We met with both the VP director and the MusEd director. We liked both of them. VP director explained that NYU is starting a 5 year program with VP undergrad, 5th year Mus Ed/certification. Also explained that they will soon have all voice performance students follow the same program for the 1st two years, then branch out to either classical or musical theater. The vp director offered to waive pre-screen for my D âdue to her musical background.â NYU seems more focused on MT, but they are very big on âcrossoverâ singing. D took a lessonâthe teacher was very intuitive and D liked him. She made good progress in the lesson. We had to pay a substantial fee for this lesson. My D is interested in study abroad, which NYU has, but their programs are NYU abroadâtaught in English, not immersion. Also, they donât want you studying voice with some other teacher abroad.
Next we went to WCC. We heard angelic singing everywhereâkids singing in the cafeteria, the halls, outside walking to class. We observed a Singing Actorâs classâvery talented, well trained singers, wonderful feedback given by the teacher and students. Next we observed a voice lesson and D took a 1/2 hour lesson, from an excellent teacher. D would request this teacher if she were to go to WCC. We observed the freshman choir, again an excellent teacher. We took a tour of all facilities. Practice rooms are plentiful, but basic. Pianos are tuned each week. Dorms are guaranteed for the first two years. Every student seemed happy as can be, âthe best 4 years of my life.â We then observed another excellent voice teacher. D was very impressed with all of it, but concerned about small size and lack of diversity in instruments and students with other majors. Taking classes at Rider seems a challenge to schedule, despite the shuttle. One class per term at Princeton U is possible if you keep a 3.7 gpa. That might not be so easy to do. Generally, we found it a very supportive environment, with many talented students and teachers.
The next day we went to Sarah Lawrence (SLC). It is a unique school with small classes, lots of emphasis on writing. The music program is small, with many good teachers, especially for composition. D took a voice lesson with a teacher who also teaches at MSM. She was very supportive and well qualified. We both liked her a lot, though D liked the the teacher(s) at WCC even better. We saw a performance called âSo this is Operaâ which was basically the result of a voice performance class. It was a mix of MT and light opera, emphasis on light. Some of the voices were well trained, others were talented, less trained, others seemed to be beginners. All performed very well, very energetic and from the heart. The performance facilities were okay, not great. Come to think of it, we did not see the practice rooms. The campus is beautiful, the students very intelligent and thrilled to be there. The study abroad program for music are excellent.<br>
The next day we went to MSM, where D took a lesson. Of all the lessons, we felt this was the weakest-- the teacher seemed to treat it as an audition and a coaching session, rather than a lesson. (We also had to pay a substantial fee for this lesson.) She did more talking than teaching, and D didnât really connect with her. (D was also exhausted from a long weekâŠ) Still, it didnât seem a very happy or supportive place, not a great fit for D, more of a place for grad school. We didnât continue with the rest of the scheduled tour, etc. </p>
<p>Honestly, none of the teachers we met on this trip were as good as Dâs current voice teacher, though the WCC teachers came close. So, teacher selection can be only part of the decision processâwe have to look at total music education, performance opportunities, etc. </p>
<p>That night we went to see Phantom on Broadway, and the singing was mostly terrible. Costumes and sets were the highlight. Sopranos were shrill, the leads sounded tired, vibrato you could âdrive a truck through.â Christine sounded like a villain rather than a sweet angelic voice (this actress was singing it on Tues/Thurs only). My D was very disappointed. NYUâs Candide was MUCH better. Why are these hacks taking the jobs on Broadway? How do they get away with it? Phantom is supposed to be legit singingâah well thatâs another discussionâŠ</p>
<p>Practice rooms!!! </p>
<p>This is a small point, but hours & availability of practice rooms is important. POTO Mom, Iâve personally been in CIM practice rooms later than 10 PM so was surprised to read what you understood the hours to be. That would be a very early hour to cut off practice for many students! I wanted to resolve any concerns about availability- was able to check with a current CIM student. Hereâs the word:</p>
<p>CIMâs practice rooms are open until midnight during week and 11 PM on weekends. There are rooms in the lower level (all right, basement, but not an unappealing space!), new north addition to the main building with additional practice rooms, and annex building - Hazel. Many teachers make their studios available for evening practice as well as classroom space that can be reserved. Students are also allowed to practice in their dorm rooms until 10 PM. </p>
<p>Don, agree with your Dâs insight!</p>
<p>My son made sure pianos were in tune, go figure. At Crane and Ithaca we ran into the piano âguyâ several times in our travels. He made sure they were all in good tone and toured the building at least once a day. Pretty cool if you ask me.</p>
<p>Our student guide did tell us that teacherâs studios could be made available after the teacherâs day was over AND she told us about the addâl practice rooms although she didnât show us. Perhaps she just shared the time she liked to stop practicing!!?? I canât fault her - she was the most enthusiastic tour guide you could want.</p>
<p>CIMâs Hazel Road Annex is particularly appealing to voice students as it seemed as if they had priority there- could be wrong, but that was the impression we were given on two visits. Anyway, being able to practice in your room is nice, especially in a Nothern Climate(!), but I canât see my D making much use of that- sheâll be one of those shlogging through the snow(or should I say, jumping over the snowy patches in her little flats?!) on her way to the other building since the dorm is so close.
Just to put forth a different viewpoint on CIMâs Admissions Office⊠both times that weâve been there, they have been more than welcoming.Of course, once was on an audittion day so that would be expected, but the other visit was during a week in October when applications and auditions had not yet ramped up. On that trip, we were given a wonderful tour by a personable grad student-a bassoonist- who was so enthusiastic about the place that it was infectious, and the Director of Admissions actually spent about 30 minutes with my D, who was a junior at the time, and considered it her âinterviewâ. The timing of the trip can strongly impact the whole visit. Going before the âbusy seasonâ is much more relaxed and everyone has more time to spend. Of course, audition season is busy and things are more precisely âorchestratedâ, if you will. I would try to avoid March and April because Admissions offices are still running on all cylinders as they deal with admissions and acceptances and the teachers will be busy with preparing students for Juries and Recitals in April and May. Fall seems to be the ideal time all around, if at all possible, otherwise, go knowing what is transpiring and be prepared to accept it. Come to think of it, I still have some visit reports to post too!</p>
<p>Now that the audition season is over and results are in, I thought I would post our impressions of the music schools we visited; in all but one case, the audition visit was our first visit to the school. My son is a jazz drummer. The schools are Northwestern, Peabody, McGill, New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music, Oberlin Conservatory and Columbia University.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Northwestern: Northwestern has a beautiful campus on the shores of Lake Michigan. NUâs jazz program has been recently revived under director Victor Goines, who came to them from Juilliard. He has hired a number of colleagues in various instruments, and my sonâs hope was to be on the âground floorâ of building a new generation program, hopefully to spend a year or so in the new music building NU plans. We arrived for the audition and my son was expected; however they had to find a practice room for him that had a drumset in it, which also turned out to be his audition room. A student volunteer helped us open the storage area where the drumset was stored, and my son put the set together. However, there were no cymbals, so we asked the student volunteer if there were some he could use. Nice student found some that belonged to a music student, who was kind enough to loan them. My son warmed up. NUâs audition guidelines had specific song requirements, and indicated that a minimal rhythm section would be provided to accompany son during his audition. Victor Goines and a colleage arrived for the audition. (I left) There was no rhythm section or other accompanying musicians, which threw my son a bit. It was about a ten minute audition followed by a five minute chat about sonâs musical influences and people Mr. Goines had played with. That was it. Son thought it went okay, not terrific, and the lack of other musicians was tough, as he is a very collaborative player. Subsequent to the audtion, my son wrote to thank Mr. Goines and ask a couple of questions. He ccâd the other adjudicator. Never heard from either of them. He was deferred early decision and, in February, wrote again to Mr. Goines and asked a couple more questions (he had ascertained the correct email address from a very kind admissions woman). Never heard from Mr. Goines. He was finally waitlisted at NU, and declined to stay on the waitlist because of his lack of confidence in the program, and because he had other wonderful options.</p></li>
<li><p>Peabody: Peabody was a wonderful surprise, I have to say. Of all the schools we visited, theirs was by FAR the most organized, information-filled visit. The day started with an info session for parents and students which really spelled out their procedures for auditions, how adjudicators vote (unanimous and youâre in; split decision goes to the Dean who looks at your transcript, recommendations etc.) They prefer not to waitlist, and would rather just let qualified applicants in. They told the date they would notify on (April 1 by email) which came a day early actually. The Dean spoke, their financial aid person spoke and admissions spoke. They knew who was in their audience that day (knew there were grad students, some jazz and classical guitarists that day). They were also the ones who addressed why auditions seem so short. Asked the audience how long it took them to assess someoneâs ability (answer: 10 seconds) Answered any and all questions. They also said that they encourage students taking classes at JHU, and are making even more effort to make that work with Peabody classes if students have a strong interest. All Peabody students can take classes at JHU, and their advisors will help. This was followed by a nice tour. Then, while son went to take theory and aural skills tests, I hung out in the lobby with very charming students who were giving directions and manning the registration table. While my son auditioned, I attended a parentâs meeting, with representatives of security, health services, housing and students who also answered tons of questions. Took a dorm tour. Student RA talked about activities, etc., how students like to go to the harbor area of Baltimore for food, shopping, movies. Sonâs audition was exactly he way it was described. He had five adjudicators. (He thought he bombed it, so we had a little stressâŠ) We took the shuttle to JHU, which was incredibly easy, short 20 min ride. JHU is a gorgeous campus. Baltimore has some terrific restaurants.</p></li>
<li><p>McGill: We didnât get to see much of McGill, which was a bummer. My personal angel Allmusic had given me such great information I was really looking forward to it. However, it was below-zero windchill and snowing, so we basically put our heads down and walked to the music school and back. The music school building complex is really nice and stately. Students were very, very friendly, and the audition sceneâtheory test and auditionâwas organized. Again, however, the stated audition guidelines werenât adhered to. He was thrown a couple of loops in the audition, more than one thing he hadnât prepared for, and again felt as though he hadnât performed very well. (I wish if schools publish what specific auditions will look like, theyâd stick to it, or if theyâre going to be spontaneous, theyâd at least let you know they might throw you some curve ballsâitâs a nerve-wracking enough process where each school asks for different songs, rhythms etc.) At any rate, we were disappointed by McGill, but through no fault of the schoolâsâmore because of the weather and audition circumstances.</p></li>
<li><p>New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music: We had visited the New School the year before. It is housed in a very vibrant, lively building in a great part of Manhatten. The staff at New School takes their students very seriously, and appears to be actively involved in their advising, housing, security etc. While it doesnât have the level of liberal arts education attached that my son was looking for, he would have been happy to go there. The jazz level is terrific. His audition was exactly as described, with a rhythm section and several adjudicators, and he thought it went well. Hooray, as we had 36 hours off!</p></li>
<li><p>Columbia University: We did not have an audition here, but Iâm taking a diversion to talk about their jazz program, as we found out quite a bit about it. There are 125 students participating in jazz, from music majors to both undergrad and grad students who enjoy playing. We were told that my son would have 6 one hour lessons per semester with the jazz drum teacher there, could audition into one of several ensembles, and that these would perform from 1-3x/semester. He could begin taking music electives as early as his first semester as a freshman. He could potentially audition into additional lessons from a Juilliard teacher, but they would cost extra. He could also potentially audition into the double degree program with Juilliard in his sophomore year. All of this was very compelling, as it goes without saying that Columbia is an amazing school in an amazing city. They have attracted some exceptional caliber jazz musicians this coming fall, including our friend Dhalp (who posts on CC!) a double bass player; and the guitar player from he Grammy band.</p></li>
<li><p>Oberlin Conservatory: It was very gray and not so pretty when we visited Oberlin, unfortunately. It is located in a very small town with a few nice restaurants, a movie theater and some cute shops. VERY small town (but bigger than the teeny town S1 is in) I would say the insides of the buildings are MUCH nicer than the outsides, as there is definitely a mishmash of newer 60âs buildings with older, more stately ones. Inside the music building was very cool, and the renderings of the new jazz building were impressiveâand obviously attractive to us. Everyone was really, really friendly. Sonâs audition day started with a gathering in the Conservatory admissions building. We had a brief meetingâit was jazz day, so all were jazz musiciansâeach student was given a boxed lunch and we headed off wayyy diagonally across campus to the current jazz home. We saw two very good (and different from one another) jazz combos perform at the coffeehouse, which is a graded exercise. I sat next to a professor who was in charge of their evaluation. There were a lot of students there, which was cool and supportive. Then the auditioners left to go auditon, with different rooms assigned to the different instruments. Oberlin was the only place that didnât have specific audition times assigned to the kids, so the drummers, e.g., sat outside the room and awaited a turn without warming up and didnât know when theyâd be called. Though my son didnât have to wait long, it would have been nice to know about when his turn would come. He also thought there would be a rhythm section to accompany him (based on the audition guidelines Oberlin provides) but there wasnât one. Billy Hart and another adjudicator were there listening to auditions. Mr. Hart seemed very approachable, though the lack of the rhythm section was a bummerâagain. Son thought he didnât play very wellâagain! Meanwhile, I had gone to music admissions, hoping there would be an info session (there was something on a calendar about this) along the lines of Peabodyâs. They had no scheduled one for that day (and we were leaving early the next) but two lovely young ladies (a junior and senior) who work in admissions sat down with me and answered questions. They were very kind to take time to talk to me, and to share their experiences. Michael Manderen, music admissions director, is very communicative during the audition process and afterward, and it was nice that he sent info to all three of our email addressesâmom, dad and kid.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>SJTH: GREAT post! but HOW DOES IT END?</p>
<p>(drumroll, please)</p>
<p>the winner is�??
or are you keeping the schools (and us waiting) until May 1st?</p>
<p>Of course whatever he decides your S canât go wrong. Congrats!</p>
<p>OH! Thanks for asking, Librarianâhe was admitted to New School, Peabody, Oberlin and Columbiaâand in a tight race, chose Oberlin! Though he said he âbombedâ all his auditions (and I canât tell you how stressful this made our trip) I clung to all the advice on here about kids thinking they had horrible auditions and then getting admitted which, I have to say was absolutely true. These kids are (obviously) too hard on themselves!</p>