<p>I am an international applicant. I've been playing bass guitar for the past 6 years and was planning to submit an art supplement. What difficulty level do the universities like Harvard expect in the supplement? Would a piece like Portrait of Tracy by Jaco Pastorius or The Lesson by Victor Wooten be good enough to show my talent or would they expect something very difficult to play? Please give suggestions.
Thank you.</p>
<p>P.S.- I'll probably do a physics major rather than a music major</p>
<p>Hi. In order for the arts supplement to enhance an application to one of the Ivies, the talent level has to be exceptional. So in addition to (and maybe more important than) the difficulty level, is how well you play the piece. It will probably be listened to by someone in the music department. Will they immediately call admissions and say “I need to have this applicant!!”? If so, then submit it! Or will they say “that was nice” and forget about it? In that case don’t bother. If you decide to go ahead, beware that many/most if not all Ivies have specific instructions for submitting supplemental arts materials. They don’t tend to use the common application arts supplement. Good luck!</p>
<p>I listened to both of these (and enjoyed them, thanks!). The Portrait of Tracy is apparently used as a “benchmark” for skill, but to the uninitiated like myself, The Lesson seemed to be more of a showcase. If you can play more difficult pieces (and I have no idea how difficult these two are), then by all means do. </p>
<p>I would call Harvard admissions and ask them whether it is appropriate to send this supplement, whether the music department listens (we never figured that out), how long it should be, level of difficulty, what else to include (recommendation letters, concert programs, music resume, awards etc.). The admissions folks are very nice, and very busy. It is considerate, really, to ask.</p>
<p>I don’t think you would be admitted based on talent so much as how much your talent could contribute to music on campus, or to Harvard’s reputation, if that makes sense. There is a Mariachi band on campus, but in some ways, playing bass guitar is less useful to Harvard than, say, an orchestral instrument.</p>
<p>Just my two cents, and I would not go by me but check with Harvard yourself.</p>
<p>Compmom makes a good point regarding what an applicant can contribute to a school. Applicants must think not only in terms of whether they are qualified to study at a particular place, but importantly, what the student will add that will make the school a better place. This is one reason why non audition programs focus on EC’s and why so many students make the mistake of doing too many run of the mill EC’s and not enough that will really add value to the school.</p>
<p>So if your supplement will show Harvard that you are of such a talent that you will add to the musical culture of the College, then submit it and submit the piece that best shows that.</p>
<p>Extracurricular music at Harvard is mainly through the Office of the Arts, not the Music Department.</p>
<p>Rather than call admissions, or in addition to calling, you could talk with the director of the jazz program. I know applicants who have done this, to see if Harvard was a good fit for them as well as the other way around.</p>
<p>I don’t know if bass guitar would provide opportunities in other ensembles, groups, or orchestra. If you want to play in college, check further into the site I sent you that details activities in the Office of the Arts at Harvard. This info could help guide your decision on the supplement.</p>
<p>Question: If music is an interest and a strength then why Harvard? No offense but Harvard’s Jazz is not at all exceptional. I live locally and the Harvard Jazz band sounds worse than our award winning local HS Jazz band. If you are serious about music then you should definitely consider the joint Harvard-NEC program because that would give you access to excellent music instruction and top level ensembles. But you also might want to seriously think about whether Harvard is the right place for you and maybe look at other Universities that have stronger music departments. Harvard has a great reputation and obviously it’s branding makes it very appealing…It is the quintessential designer college. I would make sure that you are applying to Harvard because you want what Harvard has to offer…connections with rich and wealthy, top faculty in certain fields (be wary of star faculty who might not be as available as you think), Cambridge/Boston location, amazing physical facilities.</p>
<p>Somebody once said to my son that a Jazz musician can make his scene anywhere but he has to actively seek out his people. And certainly you could go to Harvard and then work to connect with students at Berklee or NEC on your own. But it would be work and you would have to make an unusual effort.</p>