<p>I've read alot here about the importance of sample lessons in advance of applying for performance majors. What about composition majors? Should they, and can they, schedule sample lessons with composition professors before actually applying to the school?</p>
<p>Hmmmm, very interesting...</p>
<p>Don't know if you'd call it a "lesson," but I'd sure want to meet with the professor to review some of your work, get's his/her opinions and find out what she/he is really like. You've got to make sure that this person's style will mesh/compliment yours or if it's an oil and water scenario.</p>
<p>I agree completely with the need to discover if the student will mesh with the professor. There's no question about that at all. It's absolutely essential.</p>
<p>What I'm wondering, though, is if the composition professors will sit down with a student and work with them specifically on a piece, or whether it's generally more of a question & answer "get-to-know-you-and-the-school" interview.</p>
<p>Probably the best way to answer this is to contact a school's composition department or a few instructors you're considering and get a take on policies, both institutionally and individually.</p>
<p>I'm sure it varies, but I would assume an ability to have an interview or one-on-one meeting is available.</p>
<p>I will be a freshman composition major this coming year at Oberlin Conservatory, and I additionally applied to Northwestern, Peabody, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, and SUNY Purchase. I can only echo others' statements to the effect that meeting with the faculty is absolutely integral to the decision-making process. Because the curriculum in a music major track is so specialized and personalized, I felt that I was really choosing a person over an institution, at least on a major level. What is actually discussed in that pre-audition meeting really ranged in my experience, but in all cases, the meeting offered invaluable insight. At some meetings professors actually read scores of mine, whereas at others we simply discussed the department and how the curriculum is structured. </p>
<p>I found it totally pivotal in my decision-making process because I needed to see the potential to have a genuine personal and teacher-student relationship with a given professor to feel at all comfortable choosing an institution. For example, Oberlin was not originally a place that I felt particularly attracted to, but after meeting the professors and feeling like I could have a really productive relationship with them, my feelings really changed (obviously, as I decided to go there). At Peabody, I was accepted into the studio of a professor that I had not had the opportunity to meet and who did not get the chance to meet me, and I felt that that could very easily turn into a disaster. When I visited Northwestern, the composition professor didn't show up for our meeting, leading me to suspect some significant level of disorganization within the department, which was later confirmed by other members of this very forum. </p>
<p>Additionally, I found that meeting with a professor once considerably before the audition and again at the audition is actually very much to the student's benefit, because it provides both the student and the professor with a reference point. For example, I met with Amy Kaplan at Oberlin in the spring of my junior year. She looked at some of my scores and seemed kind of lukewarm. She told me she thought I would be around the middle of the applicant pool, in terms of quality of compositional output. She recommended that I get a private composition teacher. I did that, and have been working with him since then. When I actually went and auditioned with her in March of this year, not only could she see that I had heeded her advice, but she could also see a great deal of improvement in my work because she had a reference point. It is my understanding that in a field like composition, in which the level of experience amongst applicants is generally much lower than in many performance majors, a very attractive attribute to professors and departments is a student's "teachability," and I think that can only be really demonstrated over time. Also, because I had seen what a lukewarm Amy Kaplan reaction looked like, I could tell that she was genuinely enthused when she saw my work the second time. Ultimately, everyone's decision-making process is going to be unique to their personality and needs, but for me, getting to meet with professors in advance was a huge benefit and a very important part of my decision, and I'm sorry that I couldn't keep that response to sub-Biblical length. I hope it helps.</p>
<p>Thanks for that great reply. My next question, though, concerns what you call the audition. What exactly is that for a prospective composition major? Do you meet with a panel of professors - present your scores, play cds of your compositions? How does it work?</p>
<p>I know that some of the departments require an actual performance audition on one's major instrument, even though I suspect the expectations are lower than if one is applying as a performance major.</p>
<p>I have no personal knowledge of what would be involved, but this is from the Hartt website <a href="http://harttweb.hartford.edu/adm-under-interview.htm%5B/url%5D">http://harttweb.hartford.edu/adm-under-interview.htm</a> addressing undergrad admissions:</p>
<p><COMPOSITION
Submit copies of two or three examples of your work in score and/or tape/CD form. [Please note: cassettes or CD-Rs in AIFF format are acceptable, but applicants should NOT send MP3 files on disc.] Compositions should be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the interview/audition date. Compositions will not be returned. </p>
<p>All Composition applicants must hold an interview and an audition on a scheduled audition/interview date. They will audition in the classical or jazz genres on instrument or voice. The audition ensures that the applicant is a at a performance level sufficient to participate in one of the schools major ensembles, a requirement of Hartts composition curriculum.></p>
<p>I would imagine that the process would be similar at most schools, but specifics may vary significantly. Note the relation of the instrumental audition as a condition for fulfilling degree requirements in the above; this may not be the case everywhere. </p>
<p>Regards the interview, it could well be one-on-one, or a panel, again probably school specific.</p>
<p>I would suggest looking at specific info from a number of schools that interest you. You can always call the music admissions office and speak with someone directly.</p>
<p>Additionally, I'm pretty sure WindCloudUltra is a composition student. You may wish to PM him for his experiences.</p>