<p>hey, is anyone planning on sending in additional stuff? and any thoughts as to exactly how good you have to be to send in stuff? andddd. does anyone have any suggestion on what kind of piece to play and what would be an appropriate level of difficulty etc? thanks so much.</p>
<p>play all the hardest things you can think of. im a junior rite now and im already compliling all the hardest songs im playing. (lizst, rachmaninoff concerto all mvmt, prokofiec and haydn all mvmt, etc. etc. etc. just play any song you can play to ur best</p>
<p>my friend (got accepted last year, and wasn't a really good piano player) played some prokofiev sonatas, concerto, bach, etc. and got accepted</p>
<p>you don't necessarily have to be good to send in additional stuff. you just have to be dedicated and if ur music sounds good, it'll be an extra boost for u to be accepted.</p>
<p>yea im actually sending in stuff. Ive been playin the piano for 10 years and im gonna send in a cd. U want to really send in two pieces that really contrast. So proally send in one from the romantic era and one from the baroque, like a piece (preferably an etude) by chopin, and a bach prelude and fugue that is pretty difficult. Obviously, send in things that make u look good, not bad!</p>
<p>thanks guys.</p>
<p>so bach is okay? i have heaps of songs that i really like, all by bach, but i was afraid it wouldn't be difficult enough. but yay, bach.</p>
<p>another thing, how many songs should i record and how long should they be? and also, how are you guys getting it recorded? are you going to a studio and stuff? yikes, it's going to be such a rush coz i have huge exams that end beginning of december. oh well. if it helps, i'll get it done =)</p>
<p>My teacher has a cassete recording device that she is going to use. She already used it for another student of hers who is applying to Harvard as well. I would record two- three. The requirement is proally posted on harvard's arts website. What i would say is this: Give two or if u have a third that is just as excellent as ur top 2, give that as well. Just remember this: Quality over quantity. Harvard admissions officers dont wanna listen to a whole cd of 12 recordings. They want to hear ur top two or 3 recordings. GL!</p>
<p>BTW...what songs do u plan to send in? Im planning on sending in Chopin's 3rd etude- the tristesse etude, and a bach prelude and fugue, im not sure which one yet...</p>
<p>here's a preliminary list. what do you guys think?</p>
<p>chopin
- fantasie impromptu? (is it too long though?)</p>
<p>bach
- rondeaux and sarabande
- toccata and fugue in d minor (also very long, so i'm not sure if it'll be okay)
- 'air on g string' (i know it's easy, but i love it and am very tempted to play it)</p>
<p>and same with schubert's serenade.</p>
<p>i'll probably start looking at more lizst/rachmaninoff too, but problem is i won't have very much time to learn new pieces and polish them up in time to send. oh, by the way, can we send in the cd a little later than the rest of the application?</p>
<p>thanks again :)</p>
<p>dont worry about playing incredibly tough virtuosic pieces. This is what i believe: u should play whatever u like best, because thats what u will naturally play best. And they dont have to be virtuosic pieces. But play whatever pieces u are playing to the best of ur ability and u will commended for playing them well. Professionals play easy and hard pieces. They dont play only hard pieces. U can still showcase ur talents by playing an easy piece amazingly well, instead of a virtuosic rachmaninoff concerto only sort of ok. Adcoms would proally like to see what u can play best. gl</p>
<p>oops didn't see your earlier replies. thanks for the help :) yeah, i think i'll stick to whatever i like best/play best and maybe i'll just put in one slightly harder piece. i guess it depends on how much i can get done after my exams. probably not much. anyhow, good luck on your application too! :) (you applying ea?)</p>
<p>yep, ea...but not this year....next year...im a junior now! By that time, hopefully ill have learned some more difficult pieces...right now im learning the chopin etude but by next year hopefully some more rachmaninoff pieces or something else good....but gl to u too!</p>
<p>BTW, heres what i found out...this will help u a lot....check this out </p>
<p>This is about how important the recording can be..it can significantly improve ur chances if the music department thinks ur good and wants u! So i suggest u practice hard and send in something good!</p>
<p>I don't claim to be an expert on this, but I think logically you'd want to make your program as short and sweet as possible. Sure, it's great that you can play Rachmaninoff Concertos and Chopin Sonatas or whatever, but I highly doubt anyone is going to sit and listen to you play a 32-page piece for an hour. I think someone else also mentioned stylistic variance as a plus - you don't want to be playing all romantic or all baroque, mix it up. Lastly, I would avoid "cliche" pieces as a rule (moonlight sonata springs to mind), but I guess if you play a better known piece fantastically well it can't hurt. With all that in mind, I'm only sending two (piano) pieces to aim for about a 10-15 minute program. Nothing fancy, just Khachaturian's Toccata in Eb Minor and a movement from a Mozart sonata (debating on which one). If time permits, I may also send a Debussy (possibly the sunken cathedral).</p>
<p>I'm thinking of recording a Bach P&F, Schumann Toccata and Rachmaninoff Polka - that would be about 15 minutes. Do you think I should include a classical work? I can record the first movement of a Haydn or Mozart sonata.</p>
<p>I would say no more than 10-15 min. Play ur best pieces!</p>
<p>Must all cd recordings be of classical pieces? What about pop ballads composed on your own?</p>
<p>Im not sure of self-composed pieces. Chekc harvard's website on arts for that info.</p>
<p>I've been playing piano for 11 years...but i really don't feel like sending in a recording. It's on my application - I've played piano for 11 years. It's a passion. I'm good at it. Do you really think it helps that much? I mean...everyone can play piano it seems.</p>
<p>If I were to record something, I would choose Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C# Minor, Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique, and Gershwin's Prelude no. 1. I think those provide adequate contrast.</p>
<p>But I don't think I'm going to do that.</p>
<p>Good choices Nobu, those two preludes are some of my favorite pieces :)</p>
<p>Hi! I'm a senior at a prep school in Los Angeles, CA, and I sent a CD to Harvard for SCEA....</p>
<p>After reading the piano CD posts, I'm really worried. I sent three pieces (not contrasting....Prokofiev Concerto No.3 recorded live from an International Competition I placed in, Liszt Tarantella from The Banff Centre...where I went to the International Keyboard Festival, and a Wild Etude based on Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm"), and they added up to almost 40 minutes. </p>
<p>Also, how much does the CD affect your chances of admission???</p>
<p>lilpinkeyedlamb- ur screwd
harvard is gonna break your cd into 2 peices
then they r gonna send the harvard police to your house
to confiscate your piano and all of your music
then they are gonna put crazy strong chineese handcuffs on u so u can play piano no more!</p>
<p>and lock u in a cage</p>