<p>What would you say is a reasonable number of auditions to attempt? Right now my college list has both academic and music schools, but most of the academic places are reaches... I think I'm looking at 6 or 7 auditions right now, 2 of which will be at different departments in the same school. I don't want to overwhelm myself, but I also don't want to feel that one audition is the be-all end-all.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Looking through the master list of acceptances for this year at <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=310197&page=16&highlight=master+list+acceptances%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=310197&page=16&highlight=master+list+acceptances</a> it seems that seven seems to be the most auditions taken by those who posted to the thread. </p>
<p>Personally, seven seems like a lot, but it would depend upon the timing, travel distance, repetoire similarity, potential financial aspects associated with travel, etc.</p>
<p>I would caution against taking so many if the audition rep is varied and you can't devote the time to get all rep prepared properly. You don't want to be spread so thin as having 7 "ok" auditions in lieu of 4 or 5 great auditions because you couldn't devote the necessary time.</p>
<p>You might want to read through the audition tips thread here <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=240407%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=240407</a> if you haven't already for some general info.</p>
<p>My son took three as an undergrad and nailed all of them. He's probably doing four to six for grad school, and three are "local'.</p>
<p>As another note, almost all of the schools have the same audition repertoire because I'm applying as a jazz major. 3 are in Boston which is 20-30 minutes away from me, and another is about 45 minutes away. The others are definitely trips.</p>
<p>I auditioned at 5. I passed pre-screening at one but I didn't end up attending the audition since I was accepted to my first choice school. If I would have gone I would have had six auditions but five didn't feel overwhelming at all.</p>
<p>You may want to consider a non-auditioned BA at a less academically selctive school as a "safety"? College admissions can be tricky, and you never know what will happen. Some people instead decide that they would rather take a gap year than go to a safety school. </p>
<p>It seems like 7 - 9 schools is often norm with a combination of different types of schools and program.</p>
<p>I applied to 4, 3 were music, and one was non-music. For the three music, I auditioned at what I considered to be a safety, a match, and a reach. For each of the auditions I felt like I had just enough time to prepare. I would guess that 4 auditions might have been manageable, but when senior year is already as busy as it is, I personbally would't have been able to handle much more than that, especially since my audition requirements differed at each school.</p>
<p>DS applied to 7 schools. He was able by special arrangement to audition the summer prior to his senior year for one school. He did the other 6 auditions during his senior year. To be honest, I think 6 auditions is about as many as can be handled. For grad school, he did only 4.</p>
<p>S2 did 4 auditions; one of them regional. D did 2 formal auditions for music majoring, and one video audition and two informal auditions (more like glorified lessons) for scholarship money. About all we could handle.</p>
<p>In each case, my kids had their own versions of "safety" that allowed them to not need to over-extend. (S2's "safety" was to take a year off. D's safety was to choose a different major.) </p>
<p>If you get an early result that would allow you to eliminate a later, less valued audition, that might help cut your list. In other words, if you are able to rank your schools by significant preference, and get into a higher-ranked school early on, then you can cancel the later auditions for lower ranked schools, and withdraw your applications.</p>
<p>My D has a friend who decided that she wanted to be at UNT, whether she was accepted into their jazz program or not. Once she got her early action admission into the University, she focused only on their jazz audition. Her plan was to re-audition next year if she didn't get in to the program this year. However, she did get in, and all is well. But her prioritizing saved her a lot of needless auditions at schools she didn't like as well.</p>
<p>Since your audition material won't vary much, the only issues you need to consider are travel expense, your nerves (how much can you take?), and your school absense policies. This is one of those times when feedback from sample lessons can help a lot for determining whether you have an over-abundance of reaches or safeties.</p>
<p>Daughter applied to 10 schools with the intention of withdrawing some of the applications after receiving results from an early audition in December. When that school came through with an acceptance, she actually wound up doing a total of five live auditions and one on videotape. That was a lot to do, given her normal hectic schedule of practice, performance and high school. Had the decision been different in December, she would have probably withdrawn from a different set of schools and still kept things down to five or six total auditions.</p>
<p>BassDad & others,
Do you remember approx. how many days of school your daughter missed? I'm still having a very hard time trying to coordinate many (if any, at this point) visits with school holidays.</p>
<p>My son missed almost 20 days of school his senior year. BUT his school was very flexible regarding auditions. They realized that most of these required two days of time off school (most of his auditions were NOT on weekend days). In addition to auditions, he missed two days for regional music festival, two days for all state, two days for eastern MENC festival, three days for a band trip, and two days for his grandmother's funeral. None of his auditions took place during a school holiday. All of these were considered "excused absences" with no penalty. BUT he did have to complete any work missed while he was gone.</p>
<p>Rudysmom -- here is what I remember:</p>
<p>D (this past school year) - missed 2 days the week of Thanksgiving, for college visits (she did 4 visits that week, 1 on Saturday, 2 on Monday, 1 on Tuesday). Did other visits on weekends, and one on election day, and one on a teacher workday (a Monday). All her auditions were on weekends; she missed half a day on a Friday to catch her flight to Ohio.</p>
<p>S2 (now a rising college senior) - missed no days for visits. Did his college visits during spring break of junior year, and summer between junior and senior year. (We moved to Germany that August, so had to have everything done before then.) He was overseas with us in the fall, then lived with a relative second semester so he could graduate in the US, and be state-side for his auditions. His auditions were all on weekends. He may have had to leave school early on Fridays to catch flights, but otherwise didn't miss any days at all.</p>
<p>Crossed with thumper: My kids have missed days for All State and such, but those were not counted as absenses since they were school sponsored. Yes, they had to make up the work, or do it in advance.</p>
<p>Another thought: I remember sending an email (from Germany) to all of S's teachers in February, asking them to be aware that he had a grueling audition schedule coming up, and it was going to be difficult for him time-wise to complete a lot of outside homework. That I understood if they needed to give him zeros, but that I wanted them to know he had my permission to make practice his priority at this time, since his future depended upon it. And I hoped they would understand and perhaps help us find alternative plans, such as postponing big projects. I got a lot of nice "we're rooting for him" notes back.</p>
<p>Our local high school has a policy of allowing juniors and seniors four excused absence days for college visits. Daughter used all four both years. Since three of her five live auditions were on weekends and less than a five hours' drive, she did not miss much time for those. </p>
<p>She also missed several days each year for all of the honors ensembles (orchestra and band at area, region, state and All-Eastern levels) she was in, but those were also excused absences. She got pulled out of class a lot for various music-related assemblies and field trips because she was in practically every school music ensemble there was. There were some days that she was so tired that we let her sleep in (her school started at 7:15 and the bus came at 6:45). As long as these were kept to one or two per marking period, it was not a problem. All in all, I'd say twenty or so missed days over all of senior year sounds about right. We knew to expect this and she chose not to load up on AP and honors courses in senior year, so that she would have less trouble keeping up with the classes despite the absences.</p>
<p>MT students tend to do more auditions because of the availability of "unified auditions." For straight vocal, instrument performance and music ed majors, things get really tough after 5 - 6 auditions. </p>
<p>DD did 5 auditions, 3 of which were within driving distance. Any more auditions would have been a real burden from a financial and Dad work schedule (Mom wasn't allowed on auditions).</p>
<p>Total lost school days for auditions and college visits between junior and senior year was less than 10 as we were able to schedule around her days off pretty well. There were probably an additional 10 - 15 days off of school for music ensemble items in that period too.</p>
<p>S is planning to do four auditions. Even that sounds a bit daunting in the planning department, but I think we have it mapped out, more or less.</p>
<p>Good luck to those of you who have upwards of that. I am in a bit of awe!</p>
<p>If you plan carefully, get all applications in early so that you get first choice of dates, are lucky about how your schools co-ordinate their schedules, you can minimize the school absences. S did 9 auditions, missed about 5 days of school, but LOTS of sleep! Sometimes you have to combine transportation methods...he had one weekend which included one set of connecting flights, a 5 hour drive, a 6 hour train ride, and a direct flight.....he did three auditions. I felt like a transportation guru, never has a schedule been so carefully planned and managed.... The biggest problem is that almost all the major music schools are places which get blizzards, and all the auditions take place during blizzard season. Between the weather and the health issues (especially for singers), contingencies plans and back up recordings are BIG musts. Do not assume the best case scenario, but rather make plans for the worst.....have no regrets for what might have been.</p>
<p>Could those of you that have been through the process give examples of what the day consisted for an audition?</p>
<p>Especially what time the day started and ended.</p>
<p>Trying to get some early cheap air fares and wondering what time I can get to the airport. Also how far apart a Sat and Sunday school can be and still make it in time.</p>
<p>And how far away I can stay from the school, so how early in the morning do auditions typically begin.</p>
<p>Do they work with you if you request morning so you can catch an afternoon flight?</p>
<p>Mainly interested in any of these schools but others would be welcome:</p>
<p>Eastman, CIM, Oberlin, Peabody, NCSA, CCM, Indiana.</p>
<p>Hope these questions are not too silly, and if already answered kindly point me in the right direction.</p>
<p>DS is going to NCSA this September as a grad student. I'll let you all know about it in the fall!!</p>
<p>Orchestumble - everything is really going to vary from school to school. I would NOT purchase any airline tickets until you have a confirmed audition date. Eastman will require you to be there the entire day of auditions. If I remember correctly, son was at CIM for half a day or so. In addition to the audition, both of these schools required a theory test, information sessions, etc. </p>
<p>Given the flight situation these days, I would plan on flying in the night before if at all possible. You don't want to be rushed and your child needs plenty of time to warm-up. You will be fortunate to get the day you want, but may not be given any opportunity to pick your time. Auditions will last all day. I don't know how early schools usually start. I think they try and schedule the traveling folks for later in the day, but that is just a hunch. When you request the day you want, you can also ask for a time but nothing will be guaranteed. It really is a rather daunting process. </p>
<p>Get out your calendar and mark on it all things that you child HAS to be at school for or for which s/he had prior committments. Then you can start penciling in the days that the schools have auditions When it gets all laid out, you start to figure out which days to request. Make sure you get your applications in on time, early if possible, to get the best chance at requested dates. </p>
<p>If the school only holds auditions on one day, then you can probably go ahead and make reservations (assuming your child is granted an audition) but it is likely you won't know the time of the audition until just a few weeks before.</p>
<p>Thanks but does "all day" generally mean? 9AM to 4PM or 7 AM to 8 PM? I have to find a way to squeeze auditions into other schedule problems.</p>
<p>I am sure I am naive but if the auditions lasts 15 min and is scheduled in the AM should it not mean you could make an evening flight.</p>
<p>Do kids that already have tested AP Theory(5) still have to do a theory test? It should at least mean they know enough theory to be admitted.</p>
<p>Guess I will just stumble my way through this.</p>