<p>My wife my and son and I are in search of an undergraduate school for our son for a degree in Horn performance. His goal is to play in the Chicago Symphony someday. (He knows it’s a long shot but that’s his dream). He is a junior in HS. He won our state competition as a 9th grader. He has been in Youth Orchestra for 5 years with 4 of the 5 as principal. He has perfect pitch. So he’s pretty talented but of course we don’t know how he stacks up against the rest of the country. Now he is trying to figure out what schools to apply to. He’ll be a senior next year. We have it narrowed down to 29 schools :). We are leaning towards 10 of these. Without getting a lesson from every teacher at every school, how do you narrow it down? His teacher said to find the right teacher regardless whether it’s a Conservatory or University. And we’re not even talking about what part of the country or the tuition costs yet. Our order of importance is teacher, location, tuition. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks D.</p>
<p>ronkny1,</p>
<p>One way is to find out what recent students of these teachers have accomplished in terms of jobs, competitions won and grad school acceptances. Another is to ask around among the horn community for opinions of others who are currently studying or have recently studied with a particular teacher.</p>
<p>Playing with the Chicago Symphony (as opposed to any major symphony orchestra that pays a living wage) is a pretty specific goal. If he is indeed that focused on Chicago, then you should do some research to see where the members of the current horn section came from and who their teachers were. I am not so plugged into the brass world but I know, for example, that the Philadelphia Orchestra provides a lot of teachers for Curtis, which then produces students who are already plugged into the sound that the orchestra wants from its strings. The Cleveland Orchestra and CIM have a similar relationship. It may be that Chicago likewise has a “farm team” for their brass sections.</p>
<p>jp0970, I am adding your acceptances to the list over at the <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1260441-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2012-a-47.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1260441-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2012-a-47.html</a></p>
<p>You may want to look over that list and the ones from previous years to find users who may have the information you need. For example, jazzpianomom1 has a son who was admitted to CCM this year for Jazz Studies in piano. If she does not respond to your question on this thread, you could try sending her a PM.</p>
<p>I’ve been a CC lurker during almost all of the college app process. I just joined recently as I realized that even with acceptances in hand, I still have a thousand questions. I am Mom to S- clarinet performance. He will be attending CCM in the Fall! :-)</p>
<p>SoCalinAR, I would like to add all of your son’s acceptances to the <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1260441-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2012-a-50.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1260441-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2012-a-50.html</a> if you are willing to provide the details. I have already noted the CCM admission there.</p>
<p>My son started playing piano very casually when he was 8 as a part of our homeschooling. When he was 10 he started lessons with a history teacher from his school (alternative school for homeschoolers) who didn’t really teach him any technique but she introduced him to scales and literature. When he was 12 he moved up to a teacher who taught him some technique, and she also taught him to sightread (she makes all of her students learn to sightread), but she didn’t have a clue how to help him overcome his problem areas or how to teach him to play really well. When he was 13 he started with a good pre-college program in our area, and took theory and got the chance to play in ensembles. He also got the chance to see what other instrumentalists his age were accomplishing and he learned that he wanted to go into music as a vocation. We also got hints that he needed a better teacher. Finally last year he started with a really top tier teacher, probably the best teacher in our metropolitan area, who has students who have taken prizes in national and international competitions (besides frequently being an adjudicator at competitions in various parts of the country so he knows what it takes to win). What a difference a teacher can make! Our son has improved so incredibly in the past year, in spite of some health problems that have interfered with his practice. For the first time he has started winning in some competitions. If any of you reading this have been asking yourselves whether you should find a new teacher… you probably should, unless you know for sure that you have the best one available in in your area. </p>
<p>Now we have been scouring this site to learn about music colleges and the application process. We haven’t talked with his teacher yet about it because it is still several years away. Our son is officially in 10th grade, but next year he will enter a program where he attends the local community college and we have decided to have him go an extra year and then he will get both his high school diploma and an associate degree at the same time. We are doing this because he will have more time to practice and he needs an extra year with his teacher to be ready for college auditions since he was 15 before he got a really good teacher - and he is looking to be accepted at a top conservatory or college (and hopefully with a nice scholarship!) to go for a BM in piano performance.</p>
<p>Kimsie, welcome. Have a peek at the first dozen or so posts in the thread <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html</a> if you have not already found it.</p>
<p>Thank you, BassDad. I already read that; it was very helpful!</p>
<p>My wife and I are engineers and somehow ended up with a bass playing jazz musician son. We have thoroughly enjoyed his high school career which included playing with both jazz and symphony youth orchestras in our city.</p>
<p>We are now faced with the decision and upcoming financial burden of sending him to Berklee or New School (posted in School Acceptances thread). I wish I would have found these forums a year ago!</p>
<p>nonmusicdad – first of all, I love your user name! But back to your question about Berklee v New School for jazz bass, I would suggest you start a new thread with that subject line. Hopefully that will grab some attention from people familiar with the schools as well as those with an interest in jazz bass. My son was accepted to both for piano this fall, but ultimately chose CCM, so we won’t be as helpful as others, but I will think about my son’s impressions of the two schools and maybe get back to you on your new thread! Or PM if you’d like.</p>
<p>jazzpianomom1 - i should have known there would already be a thread started </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1315289-berklee-versus-new-school-jazz.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1315289-berklee-versus-new-school-jazz.html</a></p>
<p>I found this interesting link. While it is about Berklee, I think it has universal applicability</p>
<p>[6</a> things I wish I knew the day I started Berklee | Derek Sivers](<a href=“http://sivers.org/berklee]6”>6 things I wish I knew the day I started Berklee | Derek Sivers)</p>
<p>Excellent!</p>
<p>Thanks, nonmusicdad.</p>
<p>THAT is a fantastic link and you are right , it has universal applicability.</p>
<p>"Be one of the few that is clever enough to make money making music instead of pretending it doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>Be one of the few that has the guts to do something shocking.</p>
<p>Be one of the few that takes your lessons here as a starting point, and pushes yourself to do more with what you learn.</p>
<p>Be one of the few that knows how to help yourself, instead of expecting for others to do it for you.</p>
<p>Be one of the few that does much more than is required.</p>
<p>And most importantly, be one of the few that stays in the shed to practice, while everyone else is surfing the net, flirting on MySpace, and watching TV."</p>
<p>love it.</p>
<p>So true…especially the distraction part…she said, heading off to another CC thread…</p>
<p>That link has to be one of the most frightening things I have ever read.</p>
<p>I’m a freshman music education major at Sonoma State. I play flute.</p>
<p>Cute username, Fluteloop!</p>
<p>I am a mom of a S who plays the trumpet. He is currently a junior. I shall first say “I wish I had found this forum earlier” yet I am so glad I have found it now!!
It might take a whole page to explain him. I will try and condense it.
He would like to double major in trumpet performance and biochemistry. We need to narrow down the school choices based on that. He has been the principal trumpet in everything he has been in. He currently is in the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra in the Senior Symphony. They will travel to Europe this summer to perform. He went to Europe for almost a month 3 years ago with Sound Of America. He lives for his trumpet, chemistry, Physics, calculus, biology, performing and loves Spanish and German languages. He has all A’s. He is currently a commended National Merit finalist and will probably make the cut to become finalist.</p>
<p>We visited Northwestern a few weeks ago and he loves it there. I asked them if they give any merit scholarships and they laughed at me.
We have visited Jacobs-Indiana and does like it but thinks they might not be too accommodating with double majors.
At this point the others he is very interested in are Oberlin and Vanderbilt. </p>
<p>I would appreciate any input or guidance.</p>
<p>I am very interested in any input on the Trumpet professors at Oberlin and Vanderbilt.
Thank you!!</p>
<p>
That sounds pretty rude!</p>