Questions about Composition Chances, Audition/interviews and merit scholarships

College Majors Music Major
1

Hi folks,
My son wants to be a composition major in college and we’re starting getting into the heart of the application process. We’ve been meeting with composition professors and music school administrators, my son has been composing at Brevard this summer and my wife and I are getting a little anxious about where he can get accepted and if passing the initial phase, what are the interview questions like? Then of course, how can be get as much merit scholarship as possible?

He posts his scores online at https://musescore.com/maximuschan

Would appreciate any help and advice you can provide. I know you guys are so knowledgeable.

Thank you!

2

He’s/We’re looking for a University so there’s a possibility of a Dual Major/Minor in something else. We’ve been focused on Colleges with Music Schools. He has decent SAT, good grades and just got some great results from AP tests. @compmom any thoughts?

3

Have you and has he read the Double Degree Dilemma essay by David Lane? It is posted closer to the top of this music forum. The essay really covers several ways to study music- not just double degrees-and it can be helpful for your son (or you) to identify which of the hypothetical young people he most identifies with.

If he wants to major or minor in something else, then he can do a double degree (not double major) at a college or university that has an conservatory or school of music (Oberlin, Lawrence, Bard, Ithaca, U of Michigan, Peabody/John Hopkins, Eastman/U. of Rochester etc.)- or at a college or university that has a double degree program with a conservatory (Harvard or Tufts with NEC for example).

If he does not want a BM degree, but instead wants to do a double major within a BA for music and another subject, that can be fine for a composer. I know students who did not even major in music who nevertheless continued to grad school for composition. (Basically for grad school you need 3-4 good pieces and of course continued summer programs help_.

Most academic, non-conservatory music majors do include composition (and theory and music history). The key is getting pieces played and there are a number of ways to get that accomplished on campus. The other key thing is lessons, which may be with grad students or may be with a professor, may be for credit or not at a BA program, and may or may not have a fee.

If he wants to do a BA double major as opposed to a double degree, he might even want to avoid colleges with schools of music, because some of the best opportunities and teachers go to the BM students. Not always but you need to check that out. At a liberal arts college that does not have a conservatory or school of music, on the other hand, there are no BM students and the BA students can get the best opportunities within the program and also as extracurriculars.

It sounds like your son could thrive with a double degree program- but it is 5 years. Or a double major at an academic BA program. He might want to avoid freestanding conservatories (which he already is avoiding) and also any school where the BM music students would get better opportunities than a kid doing a BA.

In other words, if he is not doing a double degree, he might even want to choose colleges that do NOT have schools of music.

Every school is different so you really have to dig deep. You have already talked to professors and program directors so you are probably getting details that I don’t know about!

ps his teachers and peers must have some good ideas for him- he’s fortunate to be at Brevard; acceptance to their summer program also shows some talent :slight_smile:

pps Interview questions vary from a somewhat grueling session at one school to a relaxed chat at another; it’s hard to generalize. He should be ready to discuss his music, mainly.

4

Sent you a PM…

5

Thanks so much @compmom !

6

Below is a list of interview questions posted at Berklee’s website:

What is your practice routine?
What are the qualities of a successful musician?
What are your musical strengths?
What is your favorite part of being a musician?
Why go to Berklee?
What career opportunities would you like to take advantage of in the music industry?
What benefits do music theory and instrumental training have in your chosen field of interest?
What inspired you to pursue a career in music?
What has been your most significant achievement so far? What motivates you?
One of the biggest challenges for entering students is time management. How do you currently balance school, music, and other activities?
What has been the biggest challenge in your musical learning and growth? How have you overcome it?
What would you like a press release to say about you as a person? About you as a musician?
In what ways do you feel your talents will enhance the quality of life and music in the Berklee community?
How have your life experiences influenced your musical development?

Though these questions are not composition-specific, they may give your son a good starting point for preparation.

7

I don’t think a lot of preparation is necessary if an applicant has thought about how to articulate intentions with compositions. I only say that because I think it is important to be relaxed enough to be yourself. And remember you are interviewing them too :slight_smile:

One question that sticks with me: “What would you do if a teacher wants you to change something you wrote?”

8

For the composition portfolio to submit, there’s no doubt that one should include the best composed works, and I suppose the ideal case would be to send those scores with live recordings.

I’m wondering if anyone has decided to exclude a good piece because there is only MIDI recording available, or even no recording such as in the case of a choral piece? Or is it worthwhile to pay to get it recorded despite the high cost?

Any input would be appreciated.

9

Scores are the most important thing. The folks looking at portfolios can read scores! :slight_smile: It is okay to have one MIDI at most schools, and sometimes even more. Schools know it is hard to get works performed and a choral piece may be the hardest.

You can try to have a piece performed locally, or even pay for a reading. It depends on how many other good recordings he or she has.

10

Thanks everyone for your input! Really appreciate it!

11

You can always call admissions and ask. Sometimes students answer but it can be reassuring if you can talk to the right person. Often websites for applicants will say how many pieces should have live recordings.

Sometimes local musicians (ensemble, orchestra, chorus) will do a reading, even for free. There is a lot of goodwill out there toward high school composers :slight_smile:

12

Just found out that SUNY Purchase does NOT accept MIDI recordings - the school’s website indicates that all 3 composed works to present in the live audition have to be recorded or performed live!!

13

Interesting. It has changed in recent years I guess. I wonder about other schools. And also if it is a way to prove that the applicant wrote the work-?

There are apparently services, as many of you have mentioned, that will do this at a cost. But was also found that contacting an ensemble early in its career, such as a string quartet, or a regional orchestra, or a local trio or quartet etc. will often mean they will do a reading at a lower cost than those services. And if your high school has a really good music program, that might be a resource for performance and recording.

I do think it is useful to remember that it is the score that counts the most.

I wonder if any of the schools require one handwritten score on manuscript paper still?!

14

Throughout my research, I’ve never seen a single school requiring handwritten scores. Maybe it’s considered somewhat ‘outdated’ now that the majority of composers are using notation software? But interestingly enough, though rare, there are still schools demanding spiral bound hard copy scores and a CD to be shipped, instead of simply an electronic version uploaded.

15

@compojazzmom - not that long ago (ok- almost a decade now!) when my S and @compmom’s D were applying to programs, Oberlin required at least one handwritten score. But no more. From the Oberlin website: Appropriate formats include computer-engraved scores and/or photocopies of hand-written manuscripts, and audio recordings on CD. Presentation and thoroughness of the portfolio are very important.

16

@SpiritManager You mentioned the importance of the presentation and thoroughness of the portfolio. I haven’t given much thought to this. Can you give further advice?

17

Ten years ago, composers submitted bound copies of scores, and sometimes one had to be handwritten. And CD’s.

My kid spent money to make the binding look good, with clear covers and a really nice looking cover page, with name, name of school, degree applying for, name of piece, date written, performers and duration, all in a nice font and nicely formatted.

For CD’s she had nice cases and carefully labelled the CD itself and also made a label for the case with the same info as on the cover page.

This was all sent my postal mail (no ponies!)

Now, of course, our kids have done other applications and send PDF’s or whatever, and everything is done online with uploading. Most everything is done that way now. One festival this summer was an exception: bound hard copies were requested for musicians. (Nowadays many musicians play with the score on an iPad)

That said, when composers go to festivals and conferences where they are doing a presentation, they tend to bring bound copies of scores to share. And musicians need parts, so those are often on paper (sometimes musicians print them out and sometimes composers provide them)

Whatever a composer does should be done with care, neatly and professionally.

18

That’s a quote from the Oberlin website, not mine. As they have the history of caring about the look/creation of the score my surmise here is that they want the engraved scores to be thoughtfully put together rather than just printed out willy nilly from the computer program. Score preparation can be tedious and time consuming, but it’s a necessary task for a composer. Accidentals, dynamic markings, barrings - just because a computer can do the engraving doesn’t mean it’s always correct.

19

The presentation issue reminds me of the program note format requirements of S’s Trinity piano diploma exam. The content page S did was minimal - he just made sure the content and spelling was all correct and that’s it. He didn’t seem to care much about changing the font types or adjusting the font sizes to make the page aesthetically more appealing. Perhaps being neat and tidy and able to pay attention to details in non-music related aspects is also what is required of an instrument performer.

20

“Presemtation” with the score itself presents many issues and choices. Professional composers often hire someone to execute the score on the computer. A careful composer may fine tune a score after a performance as well.

Some scores, especially those with graphic notation, end up in galleries (George Crumb is a well-known example). Some use color. Many new music scores are truly beautiful.