Just wanted to update… D19 went to a lesson with Andrew Bain@ Colburn and William VerMuelen@ Rice as we explore the different horn programs out there. It was a very enlightening experience. They both were extremely helpful and welcoming. She still is very focused on the horn with horn performance as her major. The experience of sitting in the presence of those two greats was awesome. She was nervous but calmed after a bit. We continue the search in her Junior year and right now she is preparing auditions for summer programs. Her experience at Tanglewood BUTI was invaluable and I highly recommend it for all the other students looking to a music major. They also have camps for specialized instruments.
Hi! I’m completely new here. My kid is a senior in HS, and I have come for some moral support while we wait out the prescreening process. She wants to pursue a BM in vocal performance. She’s a lyric soprano who dreams of being an opera soloist.
I must say, this is excruciating.
Excruciating is right where you should be.
Hahaha! Welcome, @stillHera and best of luck to your D on the beginning stages of this journey! @bridgenail is so right! “Excruciating “ is exactly where most of us were at this time in the process… take heart!
Excruciating is spot on! GoForth gave me some great perspective. He said the process is like this:
The phases are:
- preparation stress
- waiting stress
- selection process
- back to normal
We are in Phase 2 right now waiting on prescreens. It’s like watchIng grass grow…welcome to the board! There is tremendous support here!
Waiting stress… listening to the prescreening over again and noticing the flaws, overthinking the prices of the schools, trying to figure out how to get to auditions if she is invited, listening to the prescreening again and thinking, oh there’s no way any of them will call her in…
Ugh.
If it’s any consolation @stillHera I have been doing every single one of the things you mention above! Every. Single. One. Misery loves company LOL. You’ve come to the right place for support!
Yep after son’s first audition many moons ago I told my husband giving birth in the audition hallway would be a more pleasant experience. Seriously our children end up finding their home. 
I remember often feeling guilty I didn’t do enough for son-he survived.
I received SO MUCH help and support here.
Hello all! I’ve been lurking for over a year…felt like it was time to introduce myself. My DD is a soprano looking to study VP/Theatre/Opera (depending on the school). We are anxiously awaiting news from one of her EA schools (and #1 choice). Rumor has it, we will find out on Friday. The wait is killing me!
This has been our first rodeo. The learning curve has been steep. Thank goodness for this site. So much good advice and info.
Dad of a soprano VP (BM mostly) applicant checking in. Waiting for the prescreen results to come back. We’re all strangely zen about the whole thing currently. No promises to stay that way.
Welcome! This site is a godsend if for no other reason than “misery loves company” right now! Haha! Imagine how awful it would be to be a student or parent out there in musicland hearing crickets for weeks on end and thinking everyone else is getting audition invitations and you’re the only one who’s not. It’s nice to know everyone is in the same boat.
Welcome, @3gigglinggirls and @NYCMusicDad ! Best of lucky to your Ds on upcoming prescreen and EA decisions.
Thought I’d introduce myself - I can’t imagine next year waiting for college auditions and answers like you all are now! I’m the mom of a junior percussionist DS who is prepping for this year’s All-Whatever’s and Governor’s School auditions. He will probably not go the BM route, but as a BS/BA with a neuroscience major, too. I’m loving reading the threads - there is a lot of support here!
Welcome @NYCMusicDad and @3gigglinggirls. I feel your excitement and anxieties. Our family went through the process w/ our D last year while applying and auditioning for undergraduate vocal performance classical. This forum helped us a lot and I am ready to pay forward our experience and knowledge to future prospects and families. Please feel free to ask me any questions or concerns and good luck!
I’m not sure that I’m excited to be here 
but here I am. I love the quote about giving birth in the audition hallway - and how it’s “excruciating”. Our daughter has had a taste of what audition season is like. She decided to apply to a very selective high school program (Colburn Academy), She lugged her monstrosity of a bass to LA for the audition on the basis of a very positive review from the head of the program from her pre-screen video. She didn’t get in after a 5 minutes audition - so I feel your pain!!! She moved to LA anyway (not many good bass instructors in SC) and is studying at the Colburn Community School and LA School of the Arts. We followed her 
Our daughter is a Junior so all the fun will begin next year - and just thinking about audition season makes me hope she comes to her senses and decides to be a vet - or even a doctor (just kidding - well, no not really - she doesn’t have an academic bone in her body.
She is a upright bassist and has just recently changed her focus from classical to jazz. I just read an article that the brains of these types of musicians are completely different - and I can definitely see the difference in the jazz and classical musicians that I have met. But I digress…
I’m trying to get my daughter to focus on what she wants to do in a music career (like visualize it) - and then figure out what experiences (including college) will help her get there. The problem is that I really don’t know how to guide her since I don’t really understand the music world. She is a triplet and her brother is a serious ballet dancer - and it took me 3 years to figure out the ballet world. So - I guess have to be a fast study - not to mention that she threw me a curve ball by changing genres this year.
At any rate - just trying to help guide her - and learn what I can from those who have walked before me. From what I can see - no point in getting stressed because they will end up where they are supposed to end up. (I say this as I take deep cleansing breaths).
I know that a lot of you are on the audition circuit right now - so please post your impressions. Our daughter’s list includes (and will very likely change like the wind): Berklee (which I’ve heard is big and awesome for connections but expensive as hell unless you get a good scholarship), MSM (urban setting - good for jazz, smaller than Berklee), NEC (also good for jazz and you can hang with the Berklee crowd if you want), Julliard (her jazz mentor knows folks there and is encouraging her to apply - ahhh…but the odds have her a bit reticent)…and mama bear has added Frost (she thinks it’s not urban enough there but she has never been to Miami) and Oberlin (what the heck - it’s more of a traditional campus - and smaller) - she hates the idea of the suburbs…
She is applying for the summer program lottery in the next few weeks in the hopes of kicking the tires at some programs before pre-screens.
I look forward to learning from all of you - and keeping my sanity my sharing in our collective pain during this process. I’m sure there is some exciting bits, too.
Welcome tripletmama! I too have a Junior who is a French Horn player. We live in So. Cal and have had some lessons at Colburn. Your colleges look to be good choices… I do not know too much about the Jazz side but the Classical is more where my daughter thrives… we are also looking at Rice and U of Indiana… Jacobs School, Peabody and Curtis. Which summer programs has she applied to? we applied to Tanglewood, NYO and Idyllwild. We will see…glad to see another Junior on their journey
Long road winding down now for my singer/songwriter/producer Audition this Friday in Miami (MADE with CAM)
Accepted into Drexel (Music Production) Belmont (Songwriting and Honors Program) Did not apply to some other schools he originally liked and then visited (Southern Cal, Berklee, NYU)
One consolation for our kids is while they wait - they PLAY We do nothing but sweat it out. At least they are occupied. I truly wish all of you Peace of Mind. and may your kids get accepted into the perfect fit for them.
@mperrine - I’m so sorry - just saw your question on this thread. For summer jazz, she is applying at Berklee (her first choice - but very pricey), she’s already applied at MSM (Manhatten School of Music) - and will apply to NEC and maybe a shorter program here or there (e.g. UNT, Skidmore, Eastman, Stanford). Not sure - most apps are due on March 1 so we’ll see how her video recording goes.
Last year - she went to Idyllwild (although she really wanted to go to Tanglewood but got waitlisted (whatever that means). The summer before that she went to Brevard and absolutely loved it - so one to consider. The conductor from the Boston Pops comes to NC to conduct - and she loved the rep. It’s in an idyllic setting in the mountains (that was when she was focused on classical). Idyllwild was fun for her too - she met and befriended a great group of bassists. But’s it’s classical so that’s not on the list for this summer.
Good luck with the summer programs! NYO is supposedly amazing - but then again, so is Tanglewood.
My D is a singer/songwriter. She applied to 7 schools, but D really want to get into the Belmont songwriter program. I keep checking the mailbox daily. She sings and continues to write songs. She very talented so I hope that she get into Belmont. We have an audition for Berklee College of Music next week. I think the waiting game is harder for the parent than the student lol.
I was a long-time lurker four years ago and I now find myself reading again as my D (senior in undergrad) navigates this process all over again, this time for grad school. I guess it has been less stressful for me this time because she’s handling everything, but I’m still stressed out by the waiting. She’s completed 7 of 8 auditions so far (this past week she went for auditions in LA, Chicago, and Pittsburgh over the course of 4 days. I sort of miss being more involved. I started re-reading this forum so that I can stop asking her if she’s heard anything.