Son is currently taking private lessons with Prof Doing, one of the professors. He has taught my son a lot of technique in the last year. I hear he is one of the better voice teachers. However, he is not so great at picking rep (songs). Some teachers are good at picking songs that help singers learn a technique.</p>
<p>Other than that, I don't know much about the other teachers. I hear the Dept Head (I forgot her name) is also good.</p>
<p>I would not put UW Madison in the same league as Eastman/IU/NEC. However, as a WI resident, the economics are quite compelling. Before meeting with Eastman, I was thinking: Get a good undergrad training (like at UW Madision), and save the big guns for Grad School. After meeting with Eastman, Prof had a point: We get the kid for 4 years as an undergrad vs. 2 as a grad. He gets some grad students where it takes them the first year to fix their technique.</p>
<p>So, Eastman/IU/NEC would be a safe choice, but UW Madison may be a financially compelling choice.</p>
<p>It all depends on the teacher though. Not every teacher at the well known conservatories is the right teacher for an undergrad whose technique is not completely in place. Any high school student who thinks his or her technique is completely in place is in for a rude awakening. It can be Russian roulette, since many conservatories do not allow students to choose teachers. Add to that the reputation of some conservatories that it is a near death experience to switch studios and the choice is not all about money. There are just as many disaster stories about teachers at conservatories as there are at any other institution - some would argue even more when it comes to undergrad voice. Add to that the possibility of not getting any performance opportunities beyond ensemble at some schools, and the choice becomes more complicated. Every professional singer and every voice teacher I spoke to advised in favor of going to a school where you can take a sample lesson and have imput on the teacher over rolling the dice at any conservatory - no matter the name. If the student has a contact or is special enough to choose a teacher at a conservatory, then that changes the situation. My daughter's private teacher has been involved in the rehab process of students from pretty much every major conservatory you can name. She has other students who have left rather than be subjected to the drama and teaching style of some teachers. Do not assume that all the voice teachers at top named conservatories are great teachers for undergrads.</p>
<p>Thanks OperaDad and Catera45 for your comments. We are from Minnesota so with tuition reciprocity with Wisconsin, the economics are compelling. But, my daughter has a $9,000/yr academic scholarship at Indiana, so that makes it close to in-state tuition. With the competition at Indiana, the voice program may not even be an option. I guess we'll know in a few weeks. I don't know how studio assignments work at Indiana - we'll probably learn more this weekend. If accepted to the vocal program at Madison, we would definitely try to get mini-lessons or at least observe some lessons. She has had her current teacher for a year and made great progress, but has no delusions that she has mastered technique. Her current voice teacher predicts she will eventually be a dramatic soprano, a voice type that often matures later than others - she has warned my daughter that since her voice will mature later, she is unlikely to get parts as an undergrad. Current voice teacher doesn't know how her type of voice will be viewed at auditions, but she has been very encouraging.</p>
<p>An undergraduate voice student will be required to participate in chorus if they are in a program with NASM accreditation. Furthermore, if they are scholarship students, they will have to sing in the choir to which they are assigned, no shirking to the once a week general music chorus. At some of the big name conservatories, this is skirted with opera chorus. It matters a lot how time is spent vocally in choral work....if it is bad singing, it is negative practice, so pay attention to what the choir sounds like....it makes a difference.</p>
<p>I should probably start a new thread, but this is such an active thread that I'll ask anyway. My S just got an offer from a college music department that he very recently auditioned with. He had listed two teachers (piano) that he would like and left the 3rd and 4th choices blank (there are 5 piano faculty there), though he knew of one teacher that he definitely didn't want, he decided it would be best not to mention that. Today he got a letter offering him admission and guess what? He has been given the teacher he didn't want! My questions is, does anyone know if, after a year, can a music student request another audition and a possible transfer to a new teacher's studio?</p>
<p>If he "definitely" didn't want that teacher, it would not be a great idea to start with that teacher and hope to switch. Try to arrange the switch before he goes. There are procedures at schools for changing teachers, but it is at the very least always awkward, and what kind of a way would it be to start off at a school, if you don't like the teacher? That is the most important relationship your son will have at a conservatory.</p>
<p>mamenyu--Since we're new at this, let me ask this ... is a school likely to give my S another teacher? I just assumed that neither of his two choices wanted him and that the other three, perhaps, made the decision between themselves? How does it all work?</p>
<p>I don't know if most schools do the same, but I think Juilliard, for one, matches up requests for a teacher with the teacher's willingness to take on a student. That doesn't mean, though, that your son couldn't request another teacher at this point. If he is willing to give it a good try, that's one thing, but to go into a relationship with a teacher with the aim of switching seems a poor idea and would seem likely to result in more awkwardness and possible bad feelings than trying to work it out at the outset.</p>
<p>First, congratulations! Your S has an acceptance! That's a very good sign, even if the teacher assignment is not desirable.</p>
<p>Schools have different policies on changing teacher assignments. Changing can also depend on the personalities of the teachers involved, so the relative ease or difficulty of changing teacher assignments may not be consistent across different instruments/voices even within the same music school/conservatory.</p>
<p>Before you panic, is this school your S's first choice or is he hoping for acceptance at other schools? If he thinks he stands a good chance for admission elsewhere and would prefer that, you may not even have to address the issue. </p>
<p>If he would like to attend this school and you want to address the situation now, I'd begin (and I've actually been in the same situation!) by contacting the admissions dept. and ask what the policies are regarding teacher assignment changes. Ask if it's possible to have the teacher assignment changed now. There really isn't anything to lose by politely asking. You may find out that teachers 1 and 2 have waitlists, take only grad students this year, teacher 5 was blown away by your S's audition and very excited about working with him, any number of possiblities - include stonewalling and no helpful info at all!</p>
<p>Has your S actually had a lesson with the teacher in question - or is he relying on someone else's negative word? </p>
<p>I do agree with mamnyu. I'd be hesitant to send S off if he doesn't want the teacher - even if the school is the 1st choice.</p>
<p>Enjoy the rest of the auditions!! Consider this one a "good" problem to have!</p>
<p>Daughter was accepted for audition at Juilliard....On her website it gives her date...etc... but here is my confusion....on one line it says "audition confirmation"...and then it say no information (or something like that).....I haven't seen anywhere that DD was supposed to send something back stating that she was actually able to come to the audition....did we miss something.........Don't want to loose her spot just because we missed something?? anyone know for sure?</p>
<p>My son auditioned at Juilliard on the 25th of January. We did have to send back a response confirming that we were accepting the audition date. I would call them to confirm. Double check the email confirmation you received with your date and time.</p>
<p>Hi fiddlestix--thank you for your thoughtful reply! This school is actually my S's safety school, and it's a state university with a music department. This was his first audition, and it was less than two weeks ago. He also had a regional audition with Oberlin on Monday, and he has three more conservatories to go. Each time, my S thought he had a good audition, and he was pleased. However, I know my son, and from the things he said about each piece that he played (I had him go into detail), I don't think his two auditions really went as well as he thinks, though I didn't say this to him. He's a very optimistic and happy boy about everything, but a bit naive. I've noticed that he has been very unfocused lately, and his playing really isn't up to par. Having said that--and I could be wrong--those teachers may not have wanted him in their studios. And now that I see what has been happening with his playing lately, I think there's a good chance that he won't get any offers from any of the four conservatories.</p>
<p>So this is why I'm especially concerned about not getting this particular teacher at his safety school--because he really may wind up going there! S's current piano teacher said "NO WAY" when I told her who my S was offered. She said his talents are very "limited". Also, I've tried to find out more about this particular teacher on the web, but I really can find hardly anything at all, whereas, I can find plenty on the other faculty. So, anyway, I'm afraid that if I wait until April to see if S gets any other offers (he definitely would prefer a conservatory) and he doesn't, then it might be too late to request another teacher from the safety school as I would assume the studios are quickly filling up and being determined even as I write.</p>
<p>I'm glad S got an offer from this school, but we had really thought he'd get a top teacher at his safety. I'll call the school tomorrow and try to find out the procedure, though, for requesting someone else. </p>
<p>Again, thank you so much for your great response!</p>
<p>Until all of your son's auditions are over, you need to stay the course, trust the paid professionals to do their jobs and provide your son with all the physical and emotional support possible. You do not want him to sense that you are worried about his chances because he is going to need all the self-confidence that he can muster at his remaining auditions.</p>
<p>Parents are rarely, if ever, in a position to predict the outcome of auditions. In most cases, they have a single report on one audition from someone who was quite occupied at the time. They know little or nothing about any of the other auditions. Very few have the musical knowledge and experience to be able to make valid judgments, even if they were to hear all of the auditions first-hand. Even fewer could distance themselves from the situation enough to be anything close to objective when making such judgments.</p>
<p>If you are genuinely concerned about a lack of focus, I suggest you take that up with your son's teacher but not with your son. The teacher should be in a much better position to tell if that is causing a problem and, if so, to deal with it without causing a major setback at the worst possible time.</p>
<p>Waiting for results is the hardest part of the entire application process, but you should have all of those results in about two months. Those two months will feel like about four years of subjective time, but they will pass eventually. By all means, find out what your options could be at the safety, as well as the procedures your son will need to follow to exercise those options. Remember, too, that you have much more leverage before sending in a deposit than afterward. Meanwhile, stay as positive as you can for your son's sake and don't go borrowing trouble before you have all the cards in hand.</p>
<p>BassDad is so right. The audition my son felt worst about was the great school he was accepted to. The one he thought he nailed, he was rejected from. You hear this sort of thing all the time!</p>
<p>I feel that right now my "job" is to be the emotional support staff for d. I let the others take care of her playing!
It is an incredibly hard time for us as parents. Our kids are following their dreams, and we are doing everything to get them there. D has two auditions under her belt with acceptances from both. We are traveling the next three weekends to some of the top schools for auditions. She knows what she is up against and is pretty realistic that she cannot go in at anything less than 100%. Now, about not being focused- her teacher actually told her to NOT practice everyday, to take a break! Her teachers said that she knows the notes, the tempo, the music....don't overwork the piece. Now, as a mom I was quietly thinking "WHAT??? Are you crazy?!! She has auditions coming up!!!", but I kept my mouth shut and let d follow her teachers orders. It was hard, especially since she enjoys practicing! She goes in to practice after school and homework a tired cranky teenager, but comes out all smiles and refreshed. Magic, huh? Maybe I should start playing???!!! :D
But, I will say that taking breaks really has make a difference. Now, please understand she still plays a lot at school, but she does take an occasional evening off.</p>
<p>Chiming in with other parents here, it is true that you are totally invested in your son's future and that you are deeply involved in the process of getting him into school. That is normal. What is hard is to separate your ego from his performances.</p>
<p>When going through this process myself, I did absolutely everything I could to keep my son from being distracted by the complicated process (made all travel plans, made him packing lists, communicated with his school about absences, many phone calls and emails all over the place), but the one single and most important thing was his playing and THAT I couldn't do for him. I always told him it sounded great even when I wasn't sure it did, but I did give him occasional directed and respectful musical pointers and he did not get upset. The rest I left to him and his great teacher. The process is completely chaotic and his focus was important so I let him know in every possible way that the details were taken care of and he didn't need to (and in fact didn't) think about them. We also made fun out of the trips: we got to eat out a lot and enjoyed this, we went to a lot of malls during down time - things he loves.</p>
<p>He had only one audition where he came out saying he had played badly (intonation, finger faults, etc). He got into that school with a nice merit scholarship. </p>
<p>So don't worry about it. As they say, the die is cast.</p>
<p>It's a rare 17-year-old who is focused all the time. I can remember the night before a local audition my son's friends were all over and decided to go out for coffee at around 9 pm, and I knew they wouldn't be back early! I freaked out internally but I think it's kind of the same thing that stringfollies was saying about taking breaks. They have spent so much time working on their audition pieces that some mental breaks are neccessary. (He did well in that audition, by the way!)</p>
<p>Bassdad, Jazzzzmom, Notfromme, Stringfollies: Thank you all for these much-needed words as we parents are all beginning our supporting role journey in the most helpless phase. Every time I hear my son play, I think he sounds wonderful. I can tell nuances in this enthusiasm, but as far as aptitude, I'm an idiot. I can do all the planning, care and feeding, but I can't get in there and bang on the drums! </p>
<p>Bassdad, I loved your stating that those two months are going to feel like four years (in my head I was thinking dog years.) They already do! If we could harness this energy somehow, I swear there would be no energy issue!</p>
<p>I think SUNY Purchase is very close on sending out the invites to bm vp...daughter's mypurchase account now has an actual date and time but list them as "tentative" whereas before it just listed the date she had requested as preferred...so I think they are just trying to get all of the auditions scheduled....no email yet</p>