Sample Lessons and Non-responsive Instructors

My son has arranged or attempted to arrange sample lessons as several of of the conservatories/universities he is interested in attending fall of 2020. Some of the schools admission departments have been very communicative and helpful. In most cases the admission departments recommended reaching out to the instructors directly, and in most cases the instructors responded promptly.

In two cases, despite multiple attempts a 3-4 weeks apart, there has been no response from the instructor. In the case of one school, he reached out to two instructors and neither responded. Both are top programs with stellar reputations.

Should I encourage him to keep on reaching out? Should we reach out to the admissions offices and let them know their instructors are not being responsive? Should we just drop the schools from his list? Has anyone had similar experiences, and how did you handle them?

We’ve definitely had a similar track record with this, lol. I find it especially frustrating when you’re following the protocol suggested by admissions, and still getting no response. In a few cases we briefly and politely explained the situation to admissions, and asked if it might be possible to observe a studio class, rehearsal, or music class instead. This was helpful, and they were usually very receptive to the idea.

I know that trial lessons are by no means a requirement, but we have found them to be so informative that they feel like a critical piece of the puzzle.

I tend to read a lot into instructor responsiveness. My kid is more willing to give them the benefit of the doubt…

Good luck with your efforts!

Thank you so much, asking to observe is a great idea.

There are several professors D has encountered who have had a policy not to give sample lessons to students unless they are accepted, or have passed prescreens. It would be good manners for them to reply to an email saying so if that is their policy. Good luck.

My D was a type of (unpaid) PA during UG for her teacher for one year. My D read her emails. She was instructed to delete all requests for lessons without response. So there’s a chance the teacher never even reads them. Note her teacher could barely use a computer (yes that generation where underlings do that type of work).

So did the teacher get how rude it was? I don’t know. I do know that she was extremely busy…so this is how she managed her time. STILL she was a great “texter” and would reply to my D’s texts even at night. My D’s grad teacher was “surprised” that my D would text her. In the end she allowed it but told her not to share that with other students…as she didn’t want to go down that slippery slope. So all teachers are different about use of technology.

Still…is it rude not to reply? YES. Should you consider it as a negative? Sure. When you think of all the money you will pay for college and these teachers can’t be bothered to respond. How dare they? But they DO dare. Your kid’s not special in this treatment. And it’s the first step into the “rarified” world of music…where this stuff happens. It ain’t high school anymore.

Besides that “shabby” music-culture justification above, her teacher did make it a rule to enter auditions completely neutral. This was her “thing”. She picked from the audition only…with little concern about background. She wanted students who could give a good, technical performance under pressure. She had no difficulties filling her studio by meeting after the auditions.

And my D has been gone from her school over 4 years now. My D told me recently she had been texting back and forth with her teacher. She still gives her advice and encouragement. So once she has you in the studio, she will be there for you.

So yes, note it. And sure, be annoyed by it. But if it is a school and teacher of high interest…maybe wait until after the audition to write them off. The communication after may be completely different.

And in all requests to a teacher, I would state your case and interest simply…with a “I know you may be extremely busy so if you can’t respond that’s fine. Still I hope to see you at the audition as I’m interested in working with you.” Then give it up to the music gods.

In both cases where he is having communication issues he contacted admissions first, who then referred him to specific professors. If he had randomly reached out to the teachers I could understand the lack of response. I guess in these cases the admissions offices have no idea that they are referring to a professor(s) who does not respond, or they’ve got plenty of applicants so it really doesn’t matter to them.

Addition to bridgenail, since your son is in jazz world, those jazz musicians (especially who is highly in demand), tour a lot so they just don’t have a time to arrange sample lessons or email back. So, I wouldn’t get bothered by no response too much. Your son can still write a follow-up emails like what bridgenail suggested. Sample lessons can be arranged before / after an audition day or after acceptances. Once your son becomes his / her potential student, they are committed to communicate with your son.

Generally speaking, don’t let the possible “no-response” deter anyone from writing to a professor for a trial lesson. My S had the best possible response to his out-of-the-blue email. The prof took time to google S and find the only available recording of him on youtube, which resulted in a positive interaction with the prof and subsequent acceptance into his studio.

In our experience, we had a couple of no responses and a couple that said that they did not have time for trial lessons.

In our experience, certain schools (and/or certain departments/instruments and/or certain profs) are especially “warm” and proactive about responding to lesson requests from potential applicants (and, later, about reaching out post-audition), while others are “cooler” in this regard. However, I don’t think it’s necessarily (or at all) an indication of the former being more welcoming or responsive to enrolled students (or, post-audition, of the applicant being more genuinely wanted and valued at the former); I think it’s really more about a program’s (or department’s or prof’s) calculated approach to recruiting. Some market heavily to potential students, others don’t bother for their own reasons, and some (most?) land somewhere in between.

I wouldn’t read too much into it, nor would I drop from the list a “top program with a stellar reputation” because I didn’t hear back–in fact, I’d probably most expect it from the tippy-top…

At some schools there is a notable difference bx how the admissions people respond and the teachers. So I could easily see a situation where the admissions people would say to contact a teacher…with no knowledge of how that teacher responds. While this may seem strange to you…it’s seems all too common to me. Again I don’t think you can read anything into “the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing”…and I would bet that it is of little concern at the school.

Make sure your kid knows its OK and common to get no response early on…so he doesn’t take it personally and can keep his options open.

Right or wrong, always assume the teacher is busy and may not have time for you…until they are ready…then you may be surprised by the attention. Being humble and patient is the right “attitude” at this point in the process.

Thanks, he’ll still be applying the two “unresponsive” schools. The reception he’s received at some of the top schools has been exceptionally warm, over all the experience has been great for him.

Don’t judge a school by this. Early fall is very busy and we know some great teachers who just don’t answer this type of email. You could call admissions again. But honestly maybe it is better to wait until he passes prescreens or has auditions scheduled. Of course, the teacher is a big part of the reason to apply in the first place, but often responsiveness improves as the year goes on.

In my mind, studying with a prominent teacher and networking with peers/pros are the two most important things a student can get out of conservatory/university. Your point is well taken, the professors that are not responding have not seen him play or met him, maybe we are expecting too much at this point in the process.

Funny story: my daughter was trying to get a lesson with a famous elderly pedagogue. She was told by Juilliard that they only way to reach him was to send a paper letter to his Juilliard mailbox. She wrote him, but never heard back. Fast-forward one year plus a few months. She was lying in bed at 8:30 am in her Juilliard dorm room (she had been accepted and had gone into a different studio) when her cell phone rang. It was the elderly pedagogue. He said that he was willing to schedule a letter. She was utterly confused. After talking to him she realized that he had not been to his mailbox in months and thought the date on her letter was the current year, not the previous one. So that solved the mystery of why he never got back to her.

Hah! living with a musician, I can completely see how that could happen. Too funny.