"Reaches, matches, safeties" ... for music?

College Majors Music Major
21

<p>Wow, three new tuba students at each school in one year. That must be a big year because I don't think either school is large enough to need many more than half a dozen at any given time. The real question as far as your son is concerned is how many openings there will be next year when he auditions. It is good to hear that he is already at the level of the other applicants this year, because he may need to be better than that next year if there are fewer openings. I don't mean to sound discouraging, but it is always important to know such things when you play an instrument for which the number of seats in the orchestra is small. Best wishes to you both - the coming year will be hectic.</p>

<p>I dabble in a couple of wind instruments myself, and the standard line is that you have to remember to blow, not s*ck.</p>

22

<p>I thought 3 sounded like a lot for a tuba also.</p>

23

<p>Perhaps that means he plans to accept three, with a target yield of two?</p>

24

<p>Could be, but if all three happen to accept the pickings will be slim next year.</p>

25

<p>That happened one year in my son's instrument, cello, at Eastman. They accepted 9, with the target being 6. All 9 enrolled. The following year they only accepted 6. That is why it is so hard to play the numbers game at conservatories - even relatively large ones.</p>

26

<p>Same with DS at BU...year he was a freshman ALL the accepted trumpet players accepted enrollment. The following year, they accepted NONE. This year they are seniors...of the 12 accepted freshmen, only 4 are left in the studio, I think.</p>

27

<p>Did any of those kids transfer? </p>

<p>Wow--we have so much to learn! and consider.</p>

28

<p>Transfer do occur, but are usually minimal, unless a particular professor decides to transfer and then many of his students may try to follow.</p>

<p>So you're dealing with three variables...</p>

<ol>
<li>How many openings the year you're applying.</li>
<li>How did your audition go?</li>
<li>How did your competition's auditions go?</li>
</ol>

<p>It's not for the faint of heart...</p>