<p>Definitely lower SAT scores are needed for audition-based admissions. My D did happen to have good scores, APs etc., which is why she chose a university setting over a conservatory. I will caution strongly- the kids with weaker academics who are music majors at Rice do struggle in the required distribution classes. Rice still requires a pretty strong SAT for music majors for this reason. Same with Oberlin. Julliard, Curtis, Peabody don't care at all about SATs. Remember- a lot of these kids change their mind about music. Once they get into the program and discover how hard things like music theory and aural skills can be and that it is about a lot more than just singing or playing your instrument, the future looks a little different. Even my D is wondering what the real future is for an opera singer and she is looking into things like music historian, ministry etc. K.</p>