<p>Yesterday my parents and I met with a few high ranking admissions officials at upper echelon schools and we were discussing things that students had on their applications that looked bad and unnecessary. Piano was one of those things. They said that when students put Piano on their application do it in an attempt to cover up their lack of ECs at school or develop a diversity of extracurriculars. They were also talking about how hours of practicing piano per day results in a "less-sociable/interactive" person that really does not get out of the house. They also commented that becoming skilled in instruments such as the Piano or Self-Instructed Violin (away from school)looks good on your application only if you are recognized on a national/international level.</p>
<p>i put it on my apps</p>
<p>I put it in there because i won some awards (only state level though.. i haven't been to contests in 3-4 years) and played for the church... I don't see why one could put band/orchestra/ etc but not piano just because you play it usually solo. I say put it there...</p>
<p>imo, piano shows that you're dedicated and have talent (which...I don't have). Of course, it's more like a "run of the mill" type of instrument, since almost everyone and their mother are forced to take lessons at least once in their life, and it looks cooler to have something like, say, accordion on there, but I still say that it's something.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, i wouldn't put it if you only played it for like a year when you were 7... and can barely play the instrument (unless you really run out of things to put) I mean i played for 10 years (i quit around sophomore year though) so that's why i put it there.. i think it helped my brother too with his application (<- he's a mechanical engineering major, but he gets free piano lessons from the music professors.. he's really good, much better than me)</p>
<p>HA I played for like a year when I was 7. I never even got up to "Fur Elise" (and EVERYONE get's up to "Fur Elise"...or "Heart and Soul", and I didn't do that one either). I meant putting it on if you're really dedicated, like, at LEAST 3 years during high school or something, not at least 3 years during elementary school.</p>
<p>You might want to check the music major forum. There has been quite a bit of discussion on this. Music activities are unlikely to be of much help for admissions to very selective schools. There are many situations where music has helped at somewhat less selective schools. The level of performance skill has to be very developed in order to make a difference.</p>
<p>It couldn't hurt you to put it on your applications. It is better than blank space, no?</p>
<p>You lament that you never got up to "Fur Elise," Randomnessish? You must have seen a different arrangement than I did, because the original is not an easy piece to play well.</p>
<p>You want to present the <em>strongest</em> application that you can present. Strength comes not from sheer quantity, but from quality. So consider the balance of your application: Are your other ec's much stronger than piano? Is the piano important to you? Have you won awards for your performances?</p>
<p>[url=<a href="http://www.tumr.com/view/?id=20&app=college%5DNash%5B/url">http://www.tumr.com/view/?id=20&app=college]Nash[/url</a>]</p>
<p>I wish I could play "Fur Elise"...
I could have paid for college with all the money I spent learning piano when I was 8. I didn't learn a thing.
Now I'm stuck with the 1st flute position in my school's concert/marching band.</p>
<p>Dorian_Mode, when beginners learn Fur Elise, they typically only learn the main theme. That's what I did about 8 years ago. I've spent the last 4 weeks doing off-and-on practice with the full piece, and I'm finally starting to get it up to speed. I hate thirty-second notes.</p>
<p>ECs do not all have to be at school, "and develop[ing] a diversity of extracurriculars" is hardly a bad thing. Don't mention hours of practice per day/week, mention months/years of playing. If playing piano is something you do, then it's part of the person colleges want to learn about.</p>
<p>I'm definitely mentioning it on my apps. I've been playing for almost 9 years now, with a few state awards.</p>
<p>Oh, I know. I've played piano for ten years, and Fur Elise is a great piece. I just wanted to point that out.</p>
<p>I put piano on my applications, but I really don't know how much it helped or hurt.</p>