Sample lessons at LACs?

I am definitely having communication issues today! I meant for help with admissions. I thought that the lesson at non audition based schools were just to assess for fit and if the teacher would give the student a boost. Are they looking at their arts supplement videos and expecting improvement from the lesson?

My kid did NOT submit an arts supplement video. She had a sample lesson with the applied teachers at the colleges she was interested in applying to. If this sample lesson was not available, she simply scratched the school from her list. This was too important to her to hope for the best.

She did sample lessons at the three schools she initially applied to (she added a reach and then we asked her to add a parent choice closer to home). The first three were the only ones that mattered to her. In all cases, she would have been taking lessons…with a grade…each term.

And she also needed to audition for her orchestra seat the first week of the term…just like everyone else. Her college orchestra was comprised of both music majors and not music majors…so the quality of playing was essential in terms of seating.

No…this wasn’t for admission purposes. The applied teacher was very clear that she had zero impact on admissions…but she did have a huge say in the seating in the orchestra on her instrument!

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No, I was referring to music generally, whether BA or BM. It still helps.

Plus, some teachers can put in a good word for kids they like based on interactions, just like coaches.

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So weird question, S24 has been looking at LACs and medium size schools where the teacher is on faculty at more than one school (and the only one for his instrument). How do you handle that? He has been in touch with the instructor at U Richmond and I just realized that she also teaches at William and Mary where he will likely apply and send a music supplement.

That happened to my kid. Faculty was at both Peabody and Catholic University. Kid did a lesson at Peabody. There was no reason to do a second lesson. At the end, my kid didn’t apply to CUA

I just wonder what he should say to her. Neither school is his first choice but he would definitely want to use his music spike at both.

If he is interested in studying with this faculty…he can say so. My kid did. But that was my kid.

@parentologist what do you think?

It is common for instrumental performance teachers to teach at more than one school in the same area. Some famous ones teach at several schools all over the country. The trial lesson is for the student to decide if that teacher is a match for them, although it also can lead to the teacher deciding that they really want that student. For conservatories and schools of music, the student auditions, and that is by far the most important component. The student might get accepted to several schools where the same teacher teaches, and choose from among them. In the case of LACs where it is just a question of a music supplement, it is totally understandable that the student might apply to several schools in the area where the same teacher teaches. Just submit the music supplement. One trial lesson is enough for the student and teacher to check each other out. In some instances, the teacher may advise the student about which school is the best fit for the student.

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Excellent. That makes sense. I am sure this will come up with more than just this teacher. I was not concerned about the trial lessons (obviously he would only need to meet with the teacher once), but how to handle the discussion of the schools when the teachers is in staff at more than one of interest.