<p>I'm very sad that DVDs are needed because of authenticity. Most everyone we knows records at home or at school (including us). I asked my son's teacher today about the editing of CDs (I've never even heard of it) and she says it costs hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Who is spending that kind of money to enter a music scholarship competition?? And as far as sending in someone else's work...it would be so obvious very quickly if they were invited to Florida. AND with a resume, I would think it would be easy to figure out if a kid was on the up and up. Everyone accepts CDs...all the highest level music camps and schools. I'm sure they can tell if a CD has been edited (or if someone sent in Marsalis...I mean no kid plays like him...). Even if DVD was preferred, I would think recitals would work just fine (although again, the sound is just not great).
Many instruments cannot record in a single day. Not all of them are violinists..
Thanks for the dialogue and suggestions! I have a call into the school for the arts...I have no idea whether they'll let us actually use their equipment, though! Worst case scenario...S is ready for his auditions!</p>
<p>symphonymom,</p>
<p>I think you underestimate the capabilities of those who wish to commit fraud and overestimate those of the people who are charged with detecting it. Remember that the judges need to weed out any funny business at the beginning of the process, so that they do not deprive deserving students. It is indeed unfortunate that they have had to resort to requiring the use of a technology that is still not very easy for amateurs to self-produce.</p>
<p>While it could cost hundreds to thousands to get a pro to do audio edits, there are several computer programs costing less than $50 that will let you edit audio files and burn CD's using nothing more than a PC. I have used a totally free program called Audacity that has some very nice editing features. It takes some practice to learn how to do really smooth edits, but it is not a skill that is beyond the abilities of the average high school student. </p>
<p>Given the technology available today, it can be extremely hard to detect a properly-done audio splice. Listen to any commercial CD and see if you can hear any of the hundreds of splices that are likely to be on it. Granted, those were mostly done by pros, but a motivated student can do 90% as well with free software on the PC in his bedroom. I once worked on a project that involved putting together about three minutes of finished audio from pieces of various takes that varied from less than a quarter of a second to ten seconds at the longest. I must have made fifty edits in that piece alone and, two years later, I can hear maybe two of them with any certainty. Several professional musicians who proofed that recording did not realize that any edits were present and still could not hear them even after I told them the approximate locations of the most obvious ones.</p>
<p>Colleges have been known to miss resume fraud involving claims of falsified degrees made over decades of employment. It would not surprise me to find that they had not spent a lot of effort to discover every last bit of padding on a bunch of student resumes that were submitted for a week-long workshop or for a moderate scholarship.</p>
<p>As far as all schools accepting CD's, the only school that required a recording from my daughter (Rice University) absolutely insisted on video. They may still be an outlier, but I think more and more schools will require video recordings in the near future.</p>
<p>Hey Bass Dad,
Well, I am officially welcomed to the 21st century! I had no idea. Good heavens...what is next? Requiring video while one writes his play in order to authenticate it? What a world we live in!</p>
<p>That's one reason I think emphasis on essays in applications is misplaced. How many parents, friends, and websites are responsible for essays?</p>
<p>I suppose that if Will Shakespeare had a camcorder, we might not be wondering whether he really wrote all that stuff. Then again, everyone would be watching Hamlet (the miniseries) at home rather than schlepping across the river to Southwark.</p>
<p>One positive thing in all of this - at least they are not requiring the selections to be memorized, although I'm sure it will look alot better on video without a music stand in front of your face.</p>
<p>Maybe fingerprinting is next. I could just find someone who looks like my daughter - I'm assuming they require picture ID - to just pretend to be her. I do think the videoing requirement is a shame because it adds a level of eliteness to it. My D hadn't planned on competing but she has several friends who aren't able to because of that requirement. Maybe fraud isn't the only reason for requiriing a video - maybe they don't want every Tom, Dick and Harry with a tape recorder to enter. Maybe looks will matter. Especially when it comes to vocalists, we'd be naive to think that they don't in the professional world. The opera world is in an uproar because thin, beautiful sopranos are all the rage and agents are telling their clients to come back when they are a size 6.</p>
<p>This video thing bothers me because I can't get my hair-vain son to trim his Roger-Daltry-circa-1975 do, which falls in his eyes all the time. I think his constantly having to push back his hair will annoy the judges, but maybe that's just a parent annoyance. I've tried silence and nagging and incriminating photos but nothing works.</p>
<p>Call me naive, but I don't think they are looking for soprano beauty queens or perfectly coifed boys (without Roger Daltry hair). </p>
<p>I guess I thought they were jsut looking for real talent! Silly me ;) (and probably naive too).</p>
<p>allmusic, i agree with you--I'm just being a bit tongue-in-cheek. In any case, S has hair like mine, which will NEVER be perfectly coiffed, no matter how much hair gunk he might use! I am, however, hoping he gets a bit of a trim before auditions, because I think it's important to see a singer's eyes.</p>
<p>If looks do matter, now they can just matter earlier in the process.</p>
<p>Here are the recording instructions for the New York Phil:
NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC </p>
<p>RECORDING SPECIFICATION SHEET </p>
<p>The New York Philharmonic will accept CDs, Mini Discs and DATs. </p>
<p>For CDs, Mini Discs and DATs, each track should have an ID. </p>
<p>All discs or recordings should be made in mono, according to the instructions below: </p>
<p>RECORDING INSTRUCTIONS </p>
<p>If possible, use a Neumann KM 184 or 140 microphone; if this microphone is not available, use a similar
studio-quality condenser microphone. </p>
<p>The microphone should be placed approximately eight feet off of the floor, six feet in front of the player,
and pointed directly at the instrument. </p>
<p>It is in your best interest to make the recording in a suitably quiet acoustical environment. </p>
<p>Loud passages should modulate CDs, MDs and DATs to just below O. </p>
<p>Excerpts are to be recorded in the order specified on the enclosed Recording Audition Repertoire List. No
speaking or other identifying sounds will be permitted on the recording; the recording should serve as a
"blind preliminary audition". </p>
<p>NOTES:<br>
New York Philharmonic tunes to A442. </p>
<p>Editing should not be used for the music excerpts. </p>
<p>Extended pauses between excerpts should be removed. </p>
<p>Please remember: It is to your advantage to have this recording be an accurate representation of your
playing abilities. </p>
<p>Ok, if it's good enough for the New York Phil, it should be good enough for just about anyone. Just my humble opinion....</p>
<p>Wow is this one getting Shakespearian, "Much Ado About Nothing." It's NFAA's ball and they get to chose how you get to play. </p>
<p>The tide is turning towards video so get used to it. The NY Phil example, IMHO, is irrelevant. Viable candidates for that organization are scarce so having someone else do your initial audition recording would be patently obvious if that person made it past the screening round and had to audition live. Additionally, such a faux pas would get around and that person would be persona non grata forever worldwide.</p>
<p>One can spend thousands for either audio or video recordings or make decent home made recordings with either medium if one spends a little time to make sure a decent microphone is used. Both Macs and PCs have video and audio programs included and you can bolster that with other free or inexpensive programs. Furthermore, judges can hear "past" a poor quality recording. Most Caruso recordings are horrible in quality, but you can tell there was genius there...</p>
<p>So as you invest in video cameras for home movies, ask for ones that let you attach an external microphone. That's all it takes.</p>
<p>Just my $0.02...</p>
<p>Before we get too worked up about this, let's consider the historical perspective. Back in the dark ages, music schools all required live auditions. There was no affordable method for making an audio recording of a student, much less a video. Either the student, the judges or both had to travel to a live audition.</p>
<p>As audio recording became more affordable and gained higher fidelity, some schools began accepting tapes under certain conditions. This still generally required students to enlist the aid of a professional recording engineer to get a good quality recording. All in all, it was still not a whole lot more convenient or less expensive than traveling to auditions.</p>
<p>As the technology changed to CD's and the means became available for individuals to make their own, the norm for audio recordings shifted from tapes to CD's and more schools jumped on the bandwagon. As the technology progressed and it became possible to not only record but to edit and enhance those CD's, a small number of tech-savvy applicants began to use those methods to gain an edge on the competition. While it was always possible to commit complete fraud by recording someone else, all of a sudden it was much easier to put your best foot forward by making a perfect take from several flawed attempts and to sweeten the sound with maybe some equalization and a little reverb. Professional musicians do this all the time in the interest of producing the best possible finished product, but it was considered unfair (and rightly so) to do this in an audition recording.</p>
<p>Now that we have half-decent camcorders at a not totally outrageous price, some schools have taken to requiring video rather than audio. This is partly to make it more difficult to cheat, but also because it is possible to get some idea of technique, including things like hand position, posture, annoying mannerisms and so forth from a video recording. With only an audio recording, the listener may suspect a particular problem based on what they hear but not be able to confirm it until they see the student play or sing. These issues are best addressed in person, but only a small number of schools still get away with insisting on a live audition these days. This can be hard on the students and their parents, but there was a time not so long ago when there was no alternative at all to travel.</p>
<p>I think I'm repeating what some have already said: We have a middle of the road camcorder, and a good mic (that we bought for our minidisc.) We were able to make a very good quality DVD of our daughter, in the family room (high ceiling, great acoustics. She stood in front of the piano - you can't tell where she is. She could be in any hall, church, or studio. We took the family portrait off the wall over the piano.) We plugged the mic into the camcorder.</p>
<p>H filmed her 2 or 3 times on both pieces. They watched them together, picked the best of both, and that was it. He recorded her introduction separately. This DVD was for St. Olaf, and was good enough to get her a scholarship.</p>
<p>I might add that we had hired someone to make a professional video the week before. When we got the DVD, the picture was horrible - guy clearly didn't know what he was doing. It was unuseable. We made our own at the last minute, and everything about it was better than what we'd paid for.</p>
<p>Many schools have some catching up to do because they don't allow video pre-screening recordings for voice. Many others indicate that they prefer audio.</p>
<p>I agree - they are not doing this to get a visual, but let's face it, the judges are human and someone with an "entire package" is going to have an impact. I know they are adding this requirement for very good reasons - this is an extremely well thought out, well organized and prestigious competition. It is just a shame that they will be making it prohibitive for some top talent as they are trying to eliminate those who misrepresent themselves. But I guess even making a good audio CD was prohibitive for some as well. Let's hope they next extend the audition deadline as they just extended the application deadline!</p>
<p>Registration deadline still October 1, right?</p>
<p>Where does it say to include a resume? I just looked at the site and didn't see anything about including one, but I may have not clicked on the appropriate link.</p>
<p>On edit: I see the deadline has been extended to the 12th.</p>
<p>Nevermind - I see it is extended to October 12...</p>