<p>I'm applying to Harvard and have just looked at its supplement. It said </p>
<p>"students with very exceptional talents or achievements may send music recordings, slides of artwork, or selected samples of academic work for us to consider as part of their application files. At the discretion of the Admissions Committee, submissions may be evaluated by faculty. Supplementary materials are neither required nor expectedand should be sent only if the applicant's work is unusually advanced."</p>
<p>I've been playing the piano for 11 years now, but have discontinued lessons due to financial matters. I don't know what they count at talented.
I want to send in a recording of myself playing Fantasie Impromptu by Chopin, but I'm afraid they're going to compare me with professional piano players (because many of them play that song). </p>
<p>Should I send in something that's really obscure (like a transcribed anime song) or should I not send in anything at all?</p>
<p>i would definitely send something. regardless of song, it will show extra effort on your part. even if they didn't give the above explanation, sending good "extras" can be helpful. both my kids sent in such extras with all their college apps. select something YOU like and feel confident about. you're a STUDENT, applying with other students, not professional musicians.</p>
<p>The rule of thumb, as I understand it, is: </p>
<p>If you are conservatory caliber - send in the demo (keep it to about 15 minutes)</p>
<p>If you are not conservatory caliber - just write about it.</p>
<p>Demo will be evaluated by relevant faculty, not admissions. A Demo judged not demonstrating "very exceptional talent" or "unusually advanced" work could do more harm than good to an application.</p>
<p>I disagree with OT. Fantasie Impromptu is a very nice piece. If you play well, you should send it in. In the music world, potential and talent are more important than how advanced you go. If the faculty from the music department think that your music is not good enough for them, they will not advocate your enrollment in their program, but it will not hurt your chance for a general admission. Furthermore, Harvard has so many orchestras and shows. Your music will add to their activities. This is a solid proof of your extracurricular activity.</p>
<p>i'm a piano buff and I've decided not to send anything.</p>
<p>mainly because i don't feel like recording anything, but then also because I don't think it's necessary. I have a lot of competition awards and I'm in a prep program at a pretty well known conservatory so I think that just telling them this (like on my resume) is sufficient enough.</p>
<p>^ lol, I'm exactly the opposite. I've played for nine years, and because I don't have competition awards or anything, I am sending a music supplement in. :)</p>
<p>OP- just make sure to check the common app music supplement and stuff, if you do decide to send it in. :)</p>
<p>I made no comment on the piece - only the quality of the playing.</p>
<p>Moreover, Harvard has no performance major, so there is no "program" of their own that the faculty will be vetting for. This only has to do with general admission. </p>
<p>From Harvard's instructions:</p>
<p>"students with very exceptional talents or achievements may send music recordings"
"At the discretion of the Admissions Committee, submissions may be evaluated by faculty"
"Supplementary materials are neither required nor expected—and should be sent only if the applicant's work is unusually advanced"</p>
<p>If a demo is sent on to the faculty for review, it is being done to evaluate whether the faculty considers it "very exceptional" or "unusually advanced".<br>
If such a judgement is not returned, it can not IMHO be helpful. </p>
<p>To start with, in such a case, the applicant either does not know what is "very exceptional" or "unusually advanced" or does know and chose to ignore the instructions anyway. Neither choice reflects favorably on the applicant and either way, they wasted the faculty's time.</p>
<p>Beyond that, if music has been a central theme of the app and the demo doesn't live up to expectations, that central theme will be at least somewhat undercut.</p>
<p>OP's original question and concern was a valid one. What is "playing well"?<br>
Those I know who have dealt with this issue arrived at "conservatory caliber" as their working definition for "playing well". Add as many grains of salt as one wishes.</p>
<p>OP - perhaps it would be best to call the admissions office and ask for clarification.</p>
<p>For OP, if you have a nice recording of the piece, sending in will only help. For OT, if you choose not to send in your audition but claim that your are great with the instrument, you are in your own peril. As somebody who sits in several adcom in a major research university, I have to say that no adcom will take such a risk of admitting somebody without seeing the proof of the talents.</p>
<p>Lol, you should play the 24 Chopin etudes flawlessly if you want them to consider it seriously. Just kidding! If it's sth you've been rehearsing for a long time (at least 3 months), and know so well you can play it blind folded. Then yes. If not, you might hurt your chance.</p>
<p>^ lol. Everybody knows Harvard won't take anything but the best. Can you play all 24 with your toes OP? Or maybe you should play all Beethoven's sonatas. With your elbows, because your fingers and toes had to be amputated after you got stranded while attempting to rescue someone on Mt Everest.</p>
<p>thanks for the feedback. My mom really wants me to send it in. According to her, it can't hurt me, since it just goes to show that not only am I academically talented, i'm also muscially talented. But she wants me to send in Moonlight Sonata or smg not as difficult as Fantasie, but will let me show technique. </p>
<p>I guess i will call the admissions office tomorrow....</p>
<p>How about if we dont play a classical instrument like guitar, piano etc.... Im a DJ (both job and Hobby) and am signed on a small town record label... can i send in a mix cd of my music mixing+music producing skills??? I also beat-box (amateur... won 2 competitions so far in an underground city-wide challenge)</p>
<p>How on earth can you without specific knowledge advise an applicant that the definition of "very exceptional" and "unusually advanced" is "nice"? </p>
<p>Harvard's instructions are straight forward, yet you have have advised the OP to basically ignore those instructions. Why?</p>
<p>That strikes me as particularly irresponsible juxtaposed as it is with the authoritative assertion "As somebody who sits in several adcom in a major research university". Do you routinely suggest to applicants at your University that they ignore the written instructions on the admissions application? </p>
<p>What is your specific Harvard related basis for advising that Harvard doesn't really mean what it says?. </p>
<p>One doesn't need a demo to demonstrate a solid EC ... or to demonstrate a passion ... or even to demonstrate superior competence. The poster above with his seat in one of the conservatory prep programs and collection of awards is probably correct is assuming that that written record will speak for itself. (But given his background, it seems likely that if he was to send in a demo, it would be conservatory caliber.) </p>
<p>You need a demo to demonstrate "very exceptional".</p>
<p>As to you further comment - if you have presented yourself in your app as a "great" musician, (which is something totally different than "nice" or a solid EC or being a central theme of an application) then you had better be able to produce a demo worthy of conservatory consideration. In such a case, it would help. </p>
<p>Finally, a demo is not an audition. Conservatories use them for screening purposes, but admission is based on a live audition which is the only thing they regard as proper "proof" of talent.</p>
<p>I can sympathize with the OP about the quality of his playing. My son is a singer with a demonstrated interest in singing and it was the subject of one of his essays. His only music awards were two years of all-state choir (which we did not consider that big a deal). His voice teacher felt he was talented and he did go to Tanglewood for a summer, but frankly we had no idea if he was conservatory caliber. He sent in a demo to Harvard, as well as all other colleges/conservatories to which he applied. As it turns out, he was rejected at Peabody and Yale, WL at NEC and Penn, and accepted at the rest (Harvard, USC (Music Performance), Northwestern (MP), UMich (MP), JHU, CU (MP) and Rice(did not apply for music performance). I still don't know if he is conservatory caliber, but I know he must be very good because he was accepted at two of Harvard's best choirs (Glee Club and UChoir).</p>
<p>I profess my ignorance of piano, but assume that after 11 years of practice you should be quite good. It should be beyond "nice" and I agree with Watson&Crick that it should be a piece that you have thoroughly practiced. Harvard will be looking at what your piano playing will add to the campus life. </p>
<p>Ambitiousteen - I would try to send in a demo. I'm not sure how much you can show of your DJ skills in what should be a relatively short demo, but I would include the beat-boxing. There are relatively few groups at Harvard that include much beat-boxing (according to my son who also beat-boxes), but there some.</p>
<p>I don't know that beat-boxing provides any admissions hook at Harvard, but there is a huge a cappella singing scene on campus, and every a cappella group needs at least one and ideally more vocal percussionists. There aren't many out there. If you get in and can do VP, you'll be pursued like 7-footers are in basketball.</p>
<p>thanks hat; i've got to set up a way to record my playing yet. I think i might go to a recording studio, but it could be expensive. If it's too expensive, i might just have to record at my house (yikes).
You guys think I should do a piece that's well known or a more contemporary piece that's not? I'm good in either. Also, I improvise a lot on my music, should I or should I not on the recording?</p>
<p>Moonlight third movement should be adequate to demonstrate your talent if you play it well. Chopin Ballard is another example. Some of my colleague's students got into Harvard or the equivalent schools with similar pieces. But I think that you seem to need some musical guidance before the recording.</p>