@cowtownbrown, I understand your feelings, and perhaps you should take the charitable view that posters are reminding you to be extra careful to remember that your tone, coming as it does from a different culture, can be misinterpreted by American ears.
I personally don’t find you arrogant beyond the normal teenager level :). You should know that the Yale culture is more “humble” than other similarly elite schools. DS tells me that his estimate is that 80% of the students are genuine, but that for the other 20%, it’s an act.
ETA: I have no informed view about the supplement. My inclination, based on the very knowledgeable posters who are discouraging it, is to recommend listening to them.
Are you planning to major in music with cello performance as your primary interest? If so, submit the supplement. If not - if you only intend to send the supplement to show how well you play - then don’t bother. The likelihood is that the admissions officers won’t listen to it. For a non-music major, the quality of the performance is irrelevant. What is important is that you played an instrument consistently through high school, participated in orchestras, etc. - all of which is easily demonstrated by the list of accomplishments you detailed and which you will surely detail on your application.
Given your teacher’s background, if he recommends submitting a supplement then I think it’s fine, especially if you plan to make music a major part of your academic curriculum.
Here’s a suggestion. Contact Claudio Jaffe and ask if you can send him a sample to see whether he think you should submit a music supplement to Yale. Claudio was the Brazilian student of Aldo Parisot’s who I mentioned earlier who went to Yale and majored in music ( and also did a Masters of Arts and Doctors of Arts in music performance at Yale). I haven’t talked to him in 30+ years, but he was a very nice and approachable guy. Here’s his email:
He would probably be aware of your teacher as well, as Parisot and Starker were close friends, and there was a lot of cross-pollination. I shared a house with 2 Starker students when I went to Brazil with Mr. Parisot, and played in masterclasses for Starker when he visited Yale (he had a sardonic sense of humor, and could be brutal).
“Yale’s music major does not have a performance concentration.”
Correct. Which is why I didn’t ask the OP if he was planning to major in cello performance. I was asking if he intended to major in music and if cello performance was his primary INTEREST.
Admissions officers do not, typically, have the time to review every piece of supplemental information sent to them by enthusiastic applicants. If the OP is NOT planning to major in music then his proficiency as a cellist is significantly less important. Stating his commitment to cello and listing his accomplishments is all the admissions officer needs to know to make an informed decision (in conjunction with the rest of his file, of course).
Well, I don’t know about that. I suspect that excellent performers may be recruited because of what they’ll bring to the YSO and other campus organizations. Yale has some really top-notch performers who aren’t music majors. I’d be curious to know more about how performance supplements are handled.
@renaissancedad Thanks for the info! I actually saw Starker in passing at Indiana University back when I studied piano with Menehem Pressler, he did cross my mind as somewhat of a character. My teacher and him disagreed on more than a few things I think but now that he has passed my teacher has nothing bad to say about him.
Menahem Pressler was amazing! I thought he was one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. He was so musical.
You are clearly very musically advanced. I think it’s important to view your cello within a broader background. Few people have ability I need 2 instruments at a high level. I would consider a supplemental letter as well as a music supplement. You might also talk about this in an essay.