<p>This is my D's private piano teacher and...who else??</p>
<p>Has your D ever performed, played in a festival or a competition, done a summer workshop, taken a music theory class, sung in a choir, played in a school recital? In some of these experiences, she worked with a music professional whom she might ask for a reference. Do any of her EC’s at school involve music? Has she ever played at church? If so, the music director there could qualify.</p>
<p>If nothing else, the guy at that music store.</p>
<p>So it sounds like you are saying that the second recommendation can come from someone who doesn’t know her all that well. </p>
<p>She is in band at school – but the band director is unfamiliar with her piano playing, and wishes she would march in the marching band (sorry, imagep). She has her former teacher – who likely is unhappy that she recently switched to a new teacher. She has her sax teacher – who wishes she would spend more time with sax and knows she devotes her time to piano, but has never heard her play that instrument.
And she attended a three-week summer festival last year and took a total of six lessons with a teacher there.</p>
<p>Are these legitimate sources for that second recommendation?</p>
<p>My choice would be the sax teacher, assuming s/he is aware that she is applying on piano, and would be willing to write a positive recommendation based on her sax performance. Presumably a longer term relationship than the summer teacher, a more positive recommendation than the former piano teacher, a more personal relationship than the school band teacher.</p>
<p>Ultimately the rec letters are not that important in music performance admissions, so the source of the second letter is not crucial. Some music ed programs may place more weight on the letters.</p>
<p>I was going to vote for the summer 6-lesson piano teacher, but I think it depends on where lastbird’s daughter is applying. If she is applying to performance programs in top-tier conservatories, then the recommendation of an unknown sax teacher that has never heard her play piano may not carry much weight. If the summer program was high-level and the piano teacher there is nationally recognized and was impressed with lastbird’s daughter, then I would go with her/him if I were applying to a top performance program.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if the reference is for music ed at the local state college, then they may be more interested in character, teachability, and work ethic, so the sax teacher would be okay.</p>
<p>An experienced teacher who has worked with conservatory-level students extensively during their career should be able to judge a student’s talent level after two or three lessons, so I would not be too concerned about your daughter having had only 6 lessons with the summer instructor.</p>