<p>I am a 17 year old (about to be 18 in a month) HS senior from the suburbs of Philadelphia. My musical background: I started playing piano in first grade. I always enjoyed it and was pretty good, but never practiced too often and mostly relied on my good ear to get me by. In fifth grade, as my friends and I were getting interested in rock music, we decided to pick up new instruments and play in a band. One of them was already playing drums, and another really wanted to play guitar, so I picked up electric bass. I found that I really really loved the instrument and practiced all the time. When I got to 7th grade, I joined the middle school jazz band and thatās when I started to become āseriousā with music, studying jazz and improvisation with a local teacher. </p>
<p>During my early high school years, I became interested in recording and started using hardware and software to record myself being my own one man band (playing all sorts of things, like bass, guitar, drums, trumpet, piano, etc), playing my own compositions. In tenth grade, my high school jazz band director asked me to pick up upright bass, so I rented one and got the number of a well respected bass teacher in the area. I loved the instrument so much and it quickly became my focus. I joined the jazz band at my local community college and met some good players whom I often play various restaurant and wedding gigs with. In my junior year, the orchestra director at my school took notice of my playing the double bass and asked me to join the school orchestra. the first few months were clumsy, having never seriously used a bow before, but I eventually got the hang of it. This year I have gone further into my classical studies and have made my areaās PMEA district and regional orchestras (and hopefully state, for which auditions are in a month at the regional festival). </p>
<p>Anyway, I just enrolled in the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University. My degree program is a BM in Music Technology (with a minor in computer science) and my applied instrument is jazz double bass. During spring of my junior year, I had visited many other schools and met with the bass teachers and program directors there, yet none impressed me as much as Duquesne. I decided that I would audition early in the fall at Duquesne, and if accepted I wouldnāt bother auditioning elsewhere, which is ultimately happened. I realize that this plan was a bit unorthodox, but I am beyond certain that Duquesne is the school for me.</p>
<p>Hi, I just joined after reading for a couple of years. This is a valuable forum. I salute BassDad (and the other longtimers) and feel I can corroborate a lot of BassDadās info, though our areas of experience are different. For one thing, something I know nothing about isā¦ strings. I am familiar other music areas.
I would like BassDadās info distributed to the general public rather than to a specialized magazine reaching a musically-literate audience (donāt know the status of that effort?).
I have two music kids. One is an undergrad at a major conservatory and the other currently auditioning - both are classical musicians. I would like to be vague until the audition/acceptance process is finished. My younger is going through high-stakes auditions at present.
To describe myself and our situation I would say my kids did not have a parent who was a classical musician (which would have been SO helpfulā¦) yet I am not a total newbie. I have good research capabilities and these assisted my kids along the way though they owned and drove the process of working towards a life in this ulta-competitive field. One of my kids decided at an early age to go this route. I am sympathetic of parents of kids who decided at a later point to go for it; it is entirely understandable but makes for more challenges. I support and salute youth who decide to take the challenge of going into the ultra-competitive field of music and I highly value music and educated musicians.</p>
<p>Thanks for the kind words. I have not put any effort into getting that work published for quite a while. I explored the possibility during that one flurry of suggestions a while back, offering it to three or four musical specialty magazines but none even bothered to respond. I get enough of that treatment when looking for employment in my current profession, so have not shopped it around anywhere else. If anyone cares to act as my literary agent, send me a PM and weāll talk.</p>
<p>Iāve been ālurkingā for a while on here, found some of the information, particularly regarding auditions, very helpful, thanks to all the experienced students and parents out there! So I might as well introduce myself. :)</p>
<p>Iām a senior in high school, prospective piano performance major, with an emphasis in collaborative piano. Homeschooled, currently in the audition process. Iāve studied piano since I was 5, decided to major in musicā¦maybe freshmen year? I donāt have a secondary instrument, though I really wish I did, but I have a lot of choral singing experience. And strong academics, which is why I applied to mostly liberal arts schools. I applied to Wheaton, St. Olaf, Rice, Carnegie Mellon, and Rutgers. and Yale, though not for music, obviously. Havenāt gotten any acceptances (or rejections!) yet, as I applied regular for all of them and most schools are still in the audition process. But itās been a great journey so far!</p>
<p>HS Senior - Composition, I can techinically play the piano and Marimba/Xylo/Vibes but Iām not perticually good. My dream is to get into a dual program to get a BA in mathematics and an MM in music then go on to get a DMA where my dissertation would be to finish Mahler 10, after that Iād like to be musical director of a Ballet Company.</p>
<p>Have been lurking somewhat, but anyhow thought it might be time to intro myself. I play the viola, and have been working full-time for the government in Singapore after graduating from Brown almost 8 years ago. They paid for my studies (I majored in mathematical econ and general music - not performance), and I was in return obligated to work for them after graduation until September this year - hence the looking for MM programs this year. I realise that many people have their own resources by the time they finish their BM to figure out where to go for their MM and who they would like to work with, but given my peculiar circumstances I donāt, and have found this forum to be both helpful and somewhat comforting (for everyone and their kids who are tearing your hair out now waiting, I soooooo get it).</p>
<p>I have been doing a fair amount of freelancing here, but I wasnāt at all sure how Iād measure up against people who have been in school full-time. I actually also agonized for the longest time over whether I should apply to MM or BM programs, but I played for some admissions directors doing a tour in Asia and they assured me that I would be ok applying to MM programs. From the indications so far I think I have been admitted to at least 6 out of the 8 schools I applied to in the US, so Iām feeling a little lessā¦ stupid, if you will, for wanting to go down this road. My colleagues, of course, think I am crazy. But the financial aid results have yet to materialise, and until they do nothing is for certainā¦</p>
<p>Anyway, thanks again everyone, for this forum. Itās certainly helped me get through what has been a very difficult period.</p>
<p>Hi,
I am the mum of a HS freshman who started studying guitar at 6 and composing at 11. He has since switched to piano and pipe organ, is studying improvisation and continues to study composition. We find it hard to balance academics and music (well if I let him, DS would spend his days playing music/ composing). He goes to a homeschool charter and will start taking dual courses at the CC next year. I am going to post a question regarding CC as soon as I figure out where to post
Thank you all for this fantastic resource!</p>
<p>Hi,
Another long time lurker here! I will second taijisa in thanking everyone for such as valuable resource. </p>
<p>My daughter is a HS junior, and if you canāt guess from my member name, is a flutist. She wants to major in performance or education. I will do everything I can to help her realize that dream but the fact that her instrument is so competitive is pretty scary. </p>
<p>Sheās been taking private lessons for about 5 years. This past year we āupgradedā her private teacher. The former one had helped her along as far as she could. Weāre now driving an hour one way for lessons. </p>
<p>Weāre about to start scheduling sample lessons/visits.</p>
<p>hello Iām a high school sophmore, and as you can probably tell by my user name, am a classical baritone-bass. I plan on going somewhere here on in California for my undergraduates degree in vocal performance and then go to a conservatory for my masters and doctorate degree. Iām a long time lurker as will and figured it was time to get in the conversation.</p>
<p>Hi! My name is Sarah (as you can see in my username) and Iām a horn player ( which you also may notice in my username (: ) ! Iām a sophmore on high school and Iām a frequent lurker as well :). I plan on attending a conservatory in a few years for a performance degree. Iām spending my summer at tanglewood and saratoga performing arts center!
Greetings everyone!</p>
<p>Hi all! I am the mother of a high school junior from southeastern PA who wants to major in Jazz Performance - Drum Set. I have been greatly enjoying reading the posts here and learning all I can! We have been visiting some schools within 100 miles of our home.</p>
<p>welcome jazzdrumāI was in your shoes last yearāspend some time checking out the info on this forum, and weāll be around to help! Have fun and good luck!</p>
<p>This is a late introduction as my son is at the end of the audition process and has chosen his school. I found these boards late but in time to pick up some good tips and advise for his auditions. Thanks to all for sharing your advise and experiences! My son is a music education major and his primary instrument is clarinet. He auditioned at eight schools ( would have been less if I had found these boards sooner!) and was accepted at seven of the eight schools. Fitting eight auditions into the short college audition period is hectic and would advise next years parents to pick fewer and higher quality schools. We are from VA and were looking mainly at VA and NC schools. He has been playing mainly bass clarinet (since 8th grade) and finally realized after last summerās college visits to different music schools that he was going to have to pick back up the soprano clarinet again for auditions. He started his focus on soprano in Oct. of last year with the help of his first private teacher. He has made his decision and sent in his deposit to join Appalachian State University this fall.</p>
