@mperrine Having not navigated this successfully before on the music side, I don’t have a feel for the right number of applications/auditions either. Luckily for us, my daughter isn’t focused on working through the list of most selective music schools. It seems like that would be filled with brutal unknowns until you’ve gotten a lot of audition feed back. My daughter’s school selection thought process (more destination oriented) has allowed us to fallback on my son’s academic driven selection thought process - find a safety (or more positively, an all-around viable option with likely admission and workable financials) then only add schools to the list that have a compelling reason to attend over the all-around viable school The all-around viable school for my daughter’s criteria is University of Colorado Boulder.
@dramasopranomom. You are right on all counts. Northwestern and other meets-all-need schools were not on my son’s list due to a lack or shortage of merit driven aid. I was surprized by this thread’s references to signicant talent aid there. I should be taking full advantage of my daughter’s lack of focus on rankings, but I have to admit to being a little OCD about looking for affordable ways into the best schools that also meet her criteria. My daughter recently visited and really liked SMU, where workable merit and talent aid aren’t certain but definitely more possible. SMU is my wife’s favorite as it would have the highest chance of resulting in our daughter and any future granchildren living near us in Texas. Even if the original poster responds that they got tens of thousands in talent money from NU abd NU , I’m probably on safer
Sorry for the misfire. That last sentence wss supposed to read: Even if the original poster responds that they got tens of thousands in talent money from NU and NU stangely mentioned to a horn player how short they were on vocal sopranos, I’m probably on safer marital ground not pushing to add NU to my daughter’s list.
@MeritHopeful have you considered Loyola NO? We did a lesson with their horn teacher and she suggested that there was considerable aid. Our piano teacher has connections their and they have some very strong supporter in the vocal department. I know they give merit money as well.
@MeritHopeful , Loyola-NO gives voice talent scholarships of $8,000-$10,000 a year but your D’s stats could also get academic merit aid of $18,000-22,000 a year or so, based on our experience.
@vistajay, thanks for the heads up on Loyola NOLA; that objective information (even as an estimate) is very helpful. I’ve been consumed since @dramasopranomom suggested that I check out the threads started by @GoForth and @SpartanDrew. I feel like I now know you (@vistajay) and @dramasopranomom and the other cast of characters on those threads well. That is an amazingly kind, supportive group, especially those who take the time to provide their insights and wisdom from past years.
@dramasopranomom, holy-smoley, I’ve lost several complete days engrossed in those threads since your suggestion. I feel wrung out, like I’ve spent all week binge watching multiple seasons of The Amazing Race. And I’m only on page 62 or 122 of @SpartanDrew’s thread (it was 87 pages long when I started). The big reveals are still to come in my binge watching/reading.
My takeaways so far are:
- I feel bad for completely highjacking @laurasti for my own questions. The crowd on those other treads are amazingly supportive and relatively selfless, while sharing enough to allow for community routing and congratulations.
- I’m preparing an additional spreadsheet to track the admission requirements (years of math, science, etc.) at all D’s target schools and will suggest to her that she considered trimming her senior year classes if she doesn’t need additional credits in those areas.
- We will be adding an additional financial safety.
- I was happy to see only three of D’s target schools mentioned. If I’m exhausted by just following along reading the process of others going through the top school audition process, I’m not sure I’d survive if D added schools like Frost, as amazing as that program sounds.
- We will not be getting an additional dog during this process. The health risks of our current one is enough along with worrying about D’s audition health.
Haha @MeritHopeful! Sorry I’ve been a bit absent. It’s been really nice being absent from this site for a bit, I won’t lie. The stress of the past year and relief of having this behind us is overwhelming. D graduates on Sunday and has her summer solidly booked before we head off to college in August.
I am happy to help in any way I can! One correction on the voice scholarships for Loyola NOLA, I was told by admissions that the scholarships ranged from 2K-8K for talent merit for jazz voice. I think different disciplines may have different ranges. D was offered the max merit for jazz voice of 8K and was also offered 17K in academic merit plus an $800 grant. It was a very nice offer overall and one of our very least expensive options. Had her other top choices not come through with enough merit money Loyola was a solid top choice.
Today is D’s 18th birthday and I am cooking and baking and getting her ready for her last 2 high school performances tonight and tomorrow night. She/We are so happy to have high school in the rearview mirror.
PS. For any of you that had followed my thread, the French teacher reared her ugly head again at the 11th hour and D was seriously close to flunking that class. Do not underestimate the time taken out of school for audition travel and for D, her YoungArts week and other outside performance activities. Every other teacher except the French teacher was fantastic. It only takes one sourpuss to make life miserable. D pulled out a C for a final grade, the only C of her life. It’s done and that chapter is closed thank goodness!!!
Hi, @SpartanDrew and All. I was not exhausted by the music-college-parent process (it was fun and thrilling), but have felt like I gave what I have to this board and I see the next waves of folks handling their own processes, so I sat back thsee last weeks. It is probably time to fade away, but if anyone sends a PM, I will get an email and check it. Good luck! My thoughts have gavitated to the topic of launching good music careers during or after college now. Maybe I’ll pop back in with that topic if fitting.
Hi @GoForth! I feel the same way. I’ll probably check in here from time to time but won’t be lurking around very much. If anyone has any specific questions for me either PM me or tag me in a specific thread and I’ll get the email and jump on to comment.
Love the idea of launching music careers and would love to know what some of these music kids are doing during their summers. FYI GoForth, D performed a killer Esperanza Spalding song last night for her last HS performance. That band had trouble keeping up and I wished for GoForth S on bass! Haha! D will have an abundance of talented jazz musicians at her fingertips in just 2 months. I am so excited for her! The stress of the past year is replaced with elation and excitement of her next journey in college and beyond! 