<p>I'm doing 10 different auditions in several different states: Texas, New York, Cleveland, and Chicago. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to do regionals for Peabody Conservatory. It would save my family a lot of money!
What do you guys think?</p>
<p>The common wisdom is that you should do on campus auditions whenever possible. My son did one regional audition because it was a school he had visited in the fall of senior year and had had a lesson with the professor he wanted during that visit. He was accepted to the school with a very nice scholarship and ended up attending. If you have had contact with Peabody earlier and have had a lesson, you can probably do a regional. Since you live far away, it may be OK to do a regional. However, if Peabody is at the top of your list of schools you really want to get accepted to, I would suggest you do a live audition.</p>
<p>If you do decide to do a regional audition or to send in a recording, it is a good idea to be prepared for some contact from the professor(s). We know someone who did a regional, and a few months later was completely taken off-guard by a phone call from the professor, who said he loved the audition then proceeded to interview our friend. Apparently our friend did not sound enthusiastic enough about the program, and could not well-enough explain why he had never visited, which resulted in being wait-listed. (moral of the story: don’t tell your regional you are visiting 9 other schools.) We know someone else who sent in a recording to a well-known school and was also contacted by the professor. Getting contacted is good, of course, just be ready.</p>
<p>Also, if you are interested in the school, try to schedule a visit after the regional audition once you are accepted. Son was offered talent $ only after he showed up on campus during his sample lesson. This happened at 2 schools. It seems the studio teachers were trying to keep the scholarship money for students they thought were actually interested and had a good chance of enrolling. One studio teacher gave him a verbal offer of $ and would only put it in writing if son sent in his deposit. So visiting and showing interest can help increase the scholarship money.</p>