<p>How important is pre-screening when it comes to piano? I'm auditioning at BU, Eastman, IU, UMich, Northwestern, Oberlin, and Peabody and several of these colleges require prescreening auditions. How important are the prescreening tapes? Do they just weed out all of the students who have been playing for only 2 or 3 years? I'm asking because my pieces won't be perfect by the time I record the pre-screening. I've been playing for 11 years and I don't want to be cut off from a live audition.</p>
<p>Prescreening is becoming more frequent at a growing number of competitive programs, particularly in the heavily populated instruments (violin, flute, piano, soprano), but also will sometimes be required for other specific instruments which have highly competitive specific studios or “go to” faculty.</p>
<p>There’s some info in the threads below. Most of the posts report results, but there’s a couple of tangents where the process is discussed, some school and instrument specific anecdotal info, etc. The first link directs you page 19 of that thread, and if you follow the discussion that starts at post 279 and follow it for a page or so, it will provide some background.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/605461-pre-screening-results-2008-2009-a-19.html?highlight=n8ma[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/605461-pre-screening-results-2008-2009-a-19.html?highlight=n8ma</a> </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/436276-pre-screening-results-2008-a.html?highlight=prescreening[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/436276-pre-screening-results-2008-a.html?highlight=prescreening</a></p>
<p>It’s a way to control actual audition numbers, gauge potential level of competitiveness, and assess against an institution’s minimum standards.</p>
<p>I don’t have experience in piano pre-screens - others here do and hopefully will weigh in.</p>
<p>I can give you some ideas based on experience with violin pre-screens - also frequently required including at some of the schools you’ve noted.</p>
<p>First, it’s unlikely that there are many - if any - students who have played for only 2 - 3 years who are auditioning for a music major at the schools you’ve noted. I would assume that anyone submitting a pre-screen is a serious, committed student who has studied seriously for a number of years and is very competent. The competition level will be high.</p>
<p>Second, number of years played is not necessarily a good criteria for determining readiness for admission to a major music school or conservatory. But, then on a board like this where no one hears anyone, it is difficult to assess readiness!! The piano literature you play well is probably a better guide for the pianists out there who might be able to help you assess your prescreen chances. Again, without hearing your playing of the repertoire, it’s impossible to judge definitively.</p>
<p>The pre-screen should be the best level of playing that you can produce at the time. You want to demonstrate that you will be a competitive applicant at the live audition level. If you were a violinist, I’d say be sure that the pre-screen demonstrates the following at a minimum: basic sound is good, intonation and rhythmic integrity is solid, musicianship is well displayed through dynamics, vibrato and tone color, technical demands are well executed and works are stylistically correct. You can probably apply some of that to piano playing. Perhaps pianists out there have other/better ideas???</p>
<p>Good luck - give yourself lots of time to put together the pre-screen. Trying to push due to a deadline is usually counter-productive - increases nerves!!</p>