<p>For Davis, which doesn't have a performance major, you might also consider contacting the orchestra conductor directly. If you live near any of these schools, you might be able to arrange to meet with the conductor.<br>
As to who to send the CD's to at other schools, it is probably a school-by-school thing -- at Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, for example, you send the CD as a supplement. The admissions office forwards it to the music department and gets feedback if the CD is outstanding and they are interested in the student. How much that counts toward admission is another matter -- I think it can be crucial at some schools, assuming you are academically qualified too, and regardless of major. Those schools, at least, want some excellent performers to be part of their student body, but don't offer performance majors and don't particularly care if you major in musicology, which is what they offer.</p>
<p>In that case, I suggest contacting the individuals in the music department before sending anything. If someone in the music department tells you to send the recording, don't let the admissions folks or a line on the web site stop you.</p>
<p>The request to send all CD's through admissions could be for a number of reasons. Some of those reasons may be legitimate, but others could be warning signals. Is the admissions office doing this at the request of the music department or for their own reasons? If the latter, do they intend to pass along the CD to whomever they deem to be the correct person or are they tired of having some pesky orchestra director demand more violas? If they are passing along the recordings, do they eventually get to everyone who should hear them or are they pigeonholed in some music office cubby to be tossed out over the next summer? If the music department does not want unsolicited materials from prospective students, will they accept them later from students who are trying to choose among their acceptances?</p>
<p>The answers to these and the logical follow-up questions can tell you a lot about the way things get done and the relative value placed on teachers, students and administrators at that school.</p>
<p>UC admissions is a little different from other systems...there is one application for all of the various schools and one checks the schools he or she is interested in attending. There are no teacher or counselor recs....just the online (or paper) application. It's pretty numbers oriented (cuts are made mainly because of GPA and SAT). UC gets an incredible number of applications and my feeling is that sending in a CD to general admissions would probably not be heard. If anyone knows better, I'd love to know about it, but we could find nothing on the site that describes art supplements. Describing you achievements in your app may give you a higher multiplier, so I would definitely do that! I am not sure that a music department can request a student...particularly a potential minor...but it doesn't hurt to ask. UCLA is completely different....you can audition, send in tapes...the whole nine yards..but it's a music school. Let us know what happens. Good luck!</p>
<p>UCSB also requires a resume, audition tape, recommendations for the music major. Each of the UC's is different in the way it handles the applications (though the application, filed online, is a single application that is then directed to the particular schools the applicant checks off). UCLA and Cal use a "holistic" approach to reviewing applications that is less formulaic than it once was and considers extracurricular activities, etc.; Davis has used a point system in reviewing applications, with points for leadership activities, hardship, etc. Music achievement is one of the factors they consider and give points for. But no, you don't send supplemental materials to the general admissions folks; I do know, anecdotally, that there has in past years been some communication between the music department and admissions at some of the UC's -- whether it ends up making any difference is another question.</p>
<p>"But no, you don't send supplemental materials to the general admissions folks; I do know, anecdotally, that there has in past years been some communication between the music department and admissions at some of the UC's -- whether it ends up making any difference is another question."</p>
<p>Where does it state that? Is it on the UC site for music majors?</p>
<p>Look at the application site and see what it says (last year, when I looked, there was no provision for supplemental submissions -- maybe that has changed). If there is no provision this year for sending in CD's with your general application to UC, then obviously you would have to send a CD or other materials to the specific campus directly, if they accept such items -- which you would find out about from the music department at the individual campus. My experience with this is from last year, which included applications to UCSB, UCLA, and UCD among others -- for the former two, a CD was required for prospective music performance majors and they also accepted recommendations and resumes (that information is on the music department websites for those two schools). These were sent to the music departments directly.</p>
<p>So apparently SB won't be accepting anything unless I apply for music as a major. UC Berkeley is telling me to send extra materials through the regular admissions process, and Irvine is telling me to audition.</p>
<p>Should I email anyone else besides the undergraduate admission advisers from the music department? Perhaps any specific professors (reading the advice from BassDad)?</p>
<p>At UC Berkeley, you could contact David Milnes, the orchestra conductor, who is on the faculty.</p>
<p>Has anyone heard of an alternative admissions system for "special talent"? One of my son's friends says that a UC rep told her about it during an information session....I can't find a thing about it on the web.</p>
<p>Should I contact all the other orchestra conductors? I've only emailed the undergraduate advisers.</p>
<p>You should if you want to live up to your screen name.</p>
<p>(For those who didn't get the connection, "rainmaker" is a term for a person who is good at interacting with existing and potential clients for the purpose of securing future cash flow. Among working musicians, it is the business-savvy person who always brings a few extra publicity kits to a gig, who knows how to write press releases and grant proposals, who makes sure the group has its own business cards and that they are on display in a manner appropriate for the venue, who sets up an email list and gets people to join it, and who generally does all of the non-musical things that insure the client is happy and will want to hire you again in the future. Every group needs at least one.)</p>
<p>symphonymom: for what it's worth, I have never heard of an alternative route to admissions at UC for special talent (have gone through the application process twice). My sense, though, is that demonstrated musical talent can be a boost for admission at the UC's, and for Regent's Scholarships.</p>
<p>Ah, actually I found what I have been looking for through special talents! Thanks to symphonymom :) and an email from the UC Berkeley advisers.</p>
<p>"Since students are admitted to the College of Letters and Science and not to a specific department, auditions are not part of the admissions process. Students who would like their performance skills taken into account as part of their application may send a DVD, CD, score, or video recording under separate cover to the Special Talents Officer listed below. This is completely voluntary. Submissions to the Special Talents Officer should be sent between the beginning of December and the end of the first week of January."</p>
<p>The address of the Special Talents Officer can be found on the UC Berkeley Music Department website. </p>
<p>The admissions website says the following is one of the factors for admission to UC Berkeley:
"Likely contributions to the intellectual and cultural vitality of the campus. In addition to a broad range of intellectual interests and achievements, admission officers seek diversity in personal background and experience. To evaluate evidence of special talents an applicant may possess, the Admissions Office may seek the advice of Berkeley faculty members in relevant disciplines (e.g., music, art, drama, mathematics)."</p>
<p>So presumably, they will send the CD back to someone in the music department. I would still recommend trying to contact the orchestra conductor.</p>
<p>Wow, it's a big news for me that UCs (except those with audition-based music programs) accept music CD supplement! Where could we read more about requirements and guidelines on the deadline, repertoire etc.?</p>
<p>I must say, it was news to me, too, that Cal took supplements (and I thought I had studied the issue pretty thoroughly, and have had personal experience with the music department!) -- and buries the information on the music department website! In the end, I don't know how much it would add -- you would probably still need top grades and scores, and you would show your music interests and activities on the essay.</p>
<p>Brilliant work, Makin' It Rain...I asked TWO counselors about your question and neither of them had heard of UC Berkeley's submission (although there was an admissions officer who did tell my son's friend, a Baroque flutist, about it). Goo job and thank you for the address. You are wonderful. Cal would be lucky to get such a resourceful student.</p>
<p>Do other UCs do that? I know about UCLA's music department (which has pre-screening and audition-based admissions), but what about UCSD, UCD and UCSC?</p>
<p>I hadn't found anything on the subj. on their web-sites.</p>
<p>UC Davis music department doesn't mention sending CD's and the admissions site seems to say not to:
"DON'T send additional supporting materials, such as poetry, photos, letters of recommendation or copies of award certificates."
You could contact the music department directly and ask.</p>
<p>UCSC offers a number of scholarships for incoming musicians, for individual performance, and for chamber music participation. There is information about submitting materials when applying to UCSC.
MUSIC</a> | UC Santa Cruz</p>