<p>Hi we are from the uk. My daughter wants to be a voice major, she already has a place in a UK conservatoire for September but has just heard she has passed the pre screen for Juilliard. I know which one she would rather have!!</p>
<p>I am a Junior (2nd semester) and I just transferred high schools. My previous high school was a very competitive and highly-recognized school. It is nationally ranked. With that said, I didnāt get the strait As I wish I had. BECAUSE the school was that difficult. I know I am a smart kid. Now that I transferred, I am able to easily get strait As. This is because the current school I attend and my previous school have no direct correlation. I feel that I have a significant disadvantage because going into a less competitive high school with mediocre grades already categorizes me to the middle of class rank. What should I do?</p>
<p>jcheer,</p>
<p>Welcome. I think you will need to tell us a bit more about where you hope to be a couple of years from now before we can answer that question. Since you are posting here, I assume that you are interested in being a music major. If you are considering a BM in performance at a conservatory where the audition is everything or nearly everything in terms of admission, then stop worrying and start practicing. An A average at your new high school and decent but not straight-A work at your old one will do just fine. In fact, some students deliberately take a less challenging academic path through high school because it gives them more practice time.</p>
<p>There are only fairly small number of schools, places like Rice, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern and some of the top flagship state universities (particularly for out of state applicants), where you will have to be really strong both musically and academically. Depending on your combined GPA and your test scores, many of these could still be within reach if you audition well.</p>
<p>You may have a harder time if you are looking for a BA degree at places like Harvard, Yale or Princeton or one of the top LACās, but everyone has a hard time getting into those schools.</p>
<p>There is a lot of knowledge you can tap into here on the Music Majors area of CC. Tell us more about yourself (knowing what instrument or voice would also help if you intend to be a performance major) and chances are that someone will be able to provide a more specific answer.</p>
<p>Since this thread is primarily for introducing yourself rather than discussing specifics, I suggest you start a new thread for this. Go to [Music</a> Major - College Confidential](<a href=āhttp://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/]Musicā>Music Major - College Confidential Forums) and click on the New Thread button.</p>
<p>Wow, there are a lot of parents on here! Iām a high school senior (classical soprano with alto belt) applying for the following programs:</p>
<p>U of Southern California - Popular Music (Voice)
U of Southern California - Music Industry/Jazz Voice
U of Miami - Music Business/Contemporary Voice
U of Miami - Studio Music & Jazz Voice
The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music - Jazz Voice (& blues)
Berklee College of Music - Vocal Performance (Rock, Jazz, R&B) with Writing/Production
New York University - Recorded Music (Performer Entrepreneur)</p>
<p>Iāve passed all my prescreens and my first two auditions were this past weekend at USC. Next stop, U of Miami! Iām very excited about the whole college admissions process, and Iād be thrilled to attend any of those schools.</p>
<p>I just hope I can keep up my 4.2 weighted GPA, seeing as Iām very behind in my AP Lit class. My teacher is understanding though, so heās taking all of my hard work for college into account & knows that Iām not just slacking off. Hopefully because of that heāll cut me a break if Iām borderline C-B for the semester.</p>
<p>Hi, this is my first post but I have enjoyed being enlightened by everyoneās experiences. Mom of a soph daughter cellist. Talented, but there is lots of talent here. Suburban chicago competitive HS and at the top of her class. Studies at Music Inst. of Chicago with renowned teacher Gilda Barston, who I look to for the best advice, but does anyone have any info on Rice Shepard School? Is it futile to even try?</p>
<p>Rice is a very tough admit. The music department is relatively small, but quite good. Your daughter should try to find out how many cellos they are looking for this year, because if the number is zero then it probably is going to be futile. If they are graduating several cellists this semester, it may only be close to impossible. Her grades and test scores will have to be very good and her audition will have to be great in any event.</p>
<p>The Shepherd School has relatively few undergrad spots (about half the school is grad students) so it is competitive. My S was accepted for undergrad violin last year. He absolutely loved the school when he visited, but, because US citizens have full financial need met, there is relatively little merit aid compared to most schools, so as a Canadian, it was not financially viable even with one of their largest merit awards (i.e there is a very large pot of money going to students, but almost all of it is need-based with is reserved for US citizens). Rice has a very large endowment given its relatively small student body.</p>
<p>S attended a couple of music classes and met quite a few students. The place was very friendly and the students that he talked with were universally very happy with their Rice experience. He had anticipated a highler academic level in the music classes there than he actually observed which suggested to him that the academic standards in music might not be as high as elsewhere in the university. </p>
<p>The orchestras are exceptionally good and many of the studio teachers are top tier (i.e. as good as or better than teachers at Juilliard, NEC, CIM etc.). Sorry, I donāt know anything about the cello instructors, but if they are anything like the violin and bass teachers, then they will be excellent.</p>
<p>If your daughter gets in with a cello teacher that is a good fit for her, then Rice would be an excellent place to study.</p>
<p>Some excellent cellists go to SMU. Andres Diaz is well-respected in the cello world. SMU prides itself on having good orchestras. It is probably an easier admit, although getting in to Diazās studio may be difficult.</p>
<p>Thank you bassdad and violindad for your insight. D is at the top of her class, so academically I believe she is highly qualified. All she can do is her best. Thereās lots of talent out there, and especially here in the Chicago area. Cello talent abounds, and she runs in these circles so to speak, but it all seems like a crap shoot. Any other schools come to mind? Oberlin? She doesnāt just want a conservatory, but rather a college with a conservatory. Lawrence? Bard? Any other advise will be appreciated!</p>
<p>bassdad, do they readily give up this info on how many spots they intend to fill?</p>
<p>ann, the information can sometimes be found on the website (I know Colburn, Oberlin used to do this), but if itās not, you can ask. You may get a range rather than an exact number, but itās not a state secret. At least at most schools.</p>
<p>Annwank, a lot of gifted string players go to Yale, which has a thriving music program (the undergrad college, not the SOM.) Some of my daughterās cellist-friends ended up there.</p>
<p>annwank: You could consider McGill: the academics are strong and Haimovitz is an awesome cello instructor (Grammy nominee this year). </p>
<p>Given your location, Iām sure youāve considered Bienen at NW. </p>
<p>CIM is right on the Case Western campus and CIM students have no trouble enrolling in CWU courses if they have time; assuming that your daughter gets lots of advanced standing/credit, then she would have some room to take advantage of Caseās offerings.</p>
<p>You are correct that for music at Rice, your daughter should not have any problem with the academic hurdle, but for most of the rest of Rice, a rank of 1 and a 4.0 and 2400 SAT are not guarantees of admissionālike the Ivies, Rice gets tons of highly qualified students and turns away thousands with stellar stats.</p>
<p>Rice would have quite a very different feel from places like Oberlin and Bard. Aside from Riceās urban location (Oberlin and Bard are in very small towns), Rice has a middle-America kind of ambience (not red-necked at all, just upper-middle class suburbia feel which is neither East Coast suburbia nor West Coast suburbia). Oberlin and Bard tend to be very progressive/liberal/leftist in their atmospheres and ideologies. The music schools at all three schools tend to be closer to the centre than the school as a whole (i.e. the Rice music students are somewhat less conservative/money-driven than the rest of the school and many of the Oberlin & Bard music students are not as liberal as their non-music peers).</p>
<p>Oberlin, Lawrence and Bard would all be easier admits than Rice. At least one and quite possibly two of those schools should be on her short list if she is seriously considering a double degree program. I have heard that it is quite hard at Rice to combine a BM in music with another degree so, if that is a strong objective, then Oberlin, Lawrence or Bard might be a better choice anyway. By applying to double degree programs at these schools, she puts herself into consideration for both talent and academic scholarships rather than one or the other.</p>
<p>Thereās also Peabody/JHU, NEC/Tufts, and Juilliard/Columbia. IIRC, at Juilliard/Columbia, you are essentially a Columbia student who takes lessons at Juilliard for four years. The fifth year you are a MM student at Juilliard.</p>
<p>And Indiana Jacobs School has a double-degree program. </p>
<p>Also USC, if you daughter is inclined to go west.</p>
<p>thereās lots of options at oberlin, you can do a double degree or have a minor in music, theres lots of crossover</p>
<p>Be aware that the JHU/Peabody and Juilliard/Columbia programs take very few students, making them a long shot for anyone. In both cases, you must be admitted to both the university and the conservatory independently and even then there is no guarantee that you will be accepted into the double degree program.</p>
<p>Thanks again for your insight everyone! This next year or so will be exciting, stressful etc, as Iām sure many of you have already experienced. In the long run, she will find the right spot, and Iām sure her teacher will give her some good advice as well. I am looking forward to taking her to Oberlin, which is my first choice. Husbandās is Rice.</p>
<p>I feel a bit like Iām walking into a party where everyone already knows each other. So many of your ānamesā are familiar because Iāve been reading posts in CC for months. I donāt know all the abbreviations, so bear with me, please. 
</p>
<p>I am so impressed with how much knowledge the participants here have and are willing to share. Most surprising is how friendly (almost) everyone is. With that in mind, Iām going to dive in.</p>
<p>My son is a high school sophomore. His sisters will benefit from his experience as our first college-bound child. Without going into too much gory detail, hereās my question:</p>
<p>We recently submitted his application to Interlochenās 2011 Summer Program. He is interested in the Vocal Soloist Studies program. I know no one can tell me his chances of getting accepted, but does anyone know how long it might be before we hear? I think I saw an April 1 āresponse byā, but do they hold all responses until that date, or do they let folks know as they decide?</p>
<p>Heās also applying to other summer programs, so this isnāt our only oar in the waterā¦but Iām thinking the wait between now and April 1 may make me a nervous wreck! And, at our house, if Momma aināt happy, aināt nobody happy.</p>
<p>Please pass the man some crudit</p>
<p>Hi, my S is a high school sophomore. Even though he is a serious cellist, I could not recommend to major music because it is very hard way of life. I am a scientist but I think Science is much easier than Music. However I start to consider music major because he become more solid in music. I am very glad to find out there are many parents to give good advice.</p>