Piano Supplement for Brown/Harvard

Applying to College
1

<p>I'm a senior applying to Brown and Harvard (among other colleges but those are the only Ivies), and I'm debating whether I should send in a piano supplement. I've been playing for 11 years but over the past few years I've slacked off a bit due to schoolwork, and the most difficult piece I can play is Mozart's 12 Variations of Ah vous dirai-je maman (it's the full complicated version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) I can play it well and faster than the general tempo. Is this high-level enough to send to Brown and Harvard? Should I bother sending it or would it hurt my chances?</p>

2

<p>Is music/piano something that is really, really important to you? Does it define you? Are you planning on continuing piano while in college? If the answers are yes, then you could probably send it. Also try and think about the other students who might be submitting a piano supplement – if yours can compare in quality, send it; but if yours would sound more elementary school, then do not. But absolutely list piano (11 years) in your Extracurricular list of 10.</p>

3

<p>Are you a good enough pianist that you could be applying to conservatories? </p>

<p>If yes, send a supplement. </p>

<p>If not, then you have an avocation that could provide you a lifetime of pleasure.</p>

4

<p>I mean, I haven’t won any competitions or anything but that’s because I’m self-taught and I’ve never taken lessons or anything so I don’t have that publicity and whatnot. Therefore, I have no idea whether I would be considered “advanced” or what “conservatory-worthy” entails. Any other help please?</p>

5

<p>I wouldn’t send it unless I were sure I should.</p>

<p>It sounds to me as if you have an avocation that could provide you a lifetime of pleasure.</p>

6

<p>Agree w/Sikorsky, generally people know when they should send a supplement. Read the H guidelines carefully:</p>

<p><a href=“https://college.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/harvard-fy.pdf[/url]”>https://college.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/harvard-fy.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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7

<p>Would definitely agree with the above comments. If you are not at the level of someone who would be applying to a conservatory, you don’t fit the criteria for the supplement. If you are self-taught, it is doubtful that you would be at the level of someone who would be going to a conservatory.</p>

8

<p>Thank you for the input! I’ve decided not to send a supplement to the Ivies. Northeastern and Tufts, however, I might consider.</p>

9

<p>So if I were to send in a supplement, how long should it be? The Mozart piece (12 Variations) is around 7 minutes long. Is that enough?</p>

10

<p>Check each school and call if necessary. The requirements vary by school. Stanford says no more than ten minutes; Columbia requires TWO works not exceeding a combined 20 minutes.</p>