<p>Hi, everyone!</p>
<p>I just wondering when you get invitation for composition interview and finish it, the music school will still make future cut based on your composition portfolio? Or just based on your performance during the interview to make future admission?</p>
<p>I’m not sure how it’s usually weighted (probably varies anyways between colleges) but they will look at both the portfolio and interview to determine if you have potential to succeed at the major/career.</p>
<p>I think if they ask you to play something on an instrument, that will be weighted in too, or maybe that’s bonus. It probably depends on the school, and what your instrument is (maybe it’s piano only sometimes).</p>
<p>Thanks for writing. So for some school which have a prescreen, the portoilo is already weighted during the prescreen or after the interview, they will weight again?</p>
<p>It’s a little different at each school, but I think the portfolio is always a major factor. Some schools have very rigorous interviews with considerable grilling about your knowledge of music history, theory and so on, and I’m sure those are important in differentiating candidates for very selective schools. These schools are also interested in stamina and drive. An overnight composition would demonstrate qualities beyond composition talent, such as an ability to work under pressure, or allow one’s own voice to come through an assignment, that kind of thing. I am just writing off the cuff here, please understand.</p>
<p>For some schools, the composition interview didn’t seem to serve much of a purpose other than for the candidate and department to see if it was a good fit or not.</p>
<p>As has been said, each school has its own procedures. If you apply to Oberlin Conservatory as a BM, grades and SAT/ACT still matter. The reason is that even if you are a conservatory student only, you take at least 20% of courses in the college of Arts and Sciences and you must be able to keep up there. As far as the interview at Oberlin (which does not have a prescreen for composition), my son said that it focused on one of his submitted pieces that was chosen by the comp. prof. Oberlin says that the theory test is considered as part of the application process.</p>
<p>Thanks, compmom, Compdad. I think I understand it now. By the way, is anyone heard from CCM for composition admission? I think they will be come in mid February.</p>
<p>Even if you don’t get into the Comp program on the first shot, there is often the opportunity to reapply. My son was accepted to Boyer as a generic Music Major, but advised to reapply to the Comp program for his Soph year. He worked his butt off his first semester, was advised by several of his profs to reapply at that point, and was accepted to the program as a second semester Frosh. And hasn’t looked back (he’s a second semester Soph). A lot depends on how badly you want it and how hard you’re willing to work for it. Obviously, you need to have some talent for it.</p>
<p>JazzUp, I think CCM should be sending out results in the next few weeks. Waiting is so painful!</p>
<p>musician34 - Yeah, it so does. I hope it will come in next week or late February. I so nervous!</p>