<p>I thought I was through with parental worries over auditions and performances for a while. But NOOOOOOOOO...</p>
<p>My D goes to a performing arts high school and today the seniors had juries and they have all been freaked out about it, much more so than college auditions. My D explained to me that it's their entire high school years' work evaluated in 15 minutes. I said it sounded like a college audition, but without as much at stake. She became completely frustrated with me and said I don't understand (true).</p>
<p>Anyway, she just msg'ed me and told me she made the Honors Recital -- the only instrumentalist along with three vocalists. Yay!</p>
<p>Not for long. Performance majors may well have juries every year and will certainly face barrier exams at some point in their academic careers. Then there are auditions for summer programs, grad school and jobs, not to mention the usual seating auditions and the mock auditions that they go through as part of training. It is a process that your daughter will have to deal with throughout her career.</p>
<p>Congratulations to her for making the Honors Recital, though.</p>
<p>Add my congrats to your daughter as well. And BassDad is right. It never ends. The difference is that as your child gets older you become more distant from the whole process and they get a bit less stressed by it as time goes on. </p>
<p>However, my son told me that jury week at Eastman is like everyone at the school have PMS the same week - guys included!</p>
<p>hkstrpd...I agree....don't relax YET!! If your daughter is continuing in college, she will be required to do a jury each term. And as a college senior, most schools require performance majors to do a full program (an hour or so) of varied solo music on their instrument in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a bachelor of music degree. I know...DS's was last Friday (whew!!). Oh...and then there are the endless auditions for seatings each year or term, auditions for summer programs, competitions, and auditions for either grad schools or jobs. It NEVER ends.</p>
<p>And then there are barrier exams, typically before end of sophmore year in BM program, and they mean up or out of the program. Some schools consider the end of year jury every year to be a barrier exam for placement to the next level of applied music. Most places also have a recital jury for the faculty, in order to demonstrate that the recital is ready for prime time and acceptable as degree level work. Some schools have sectional juries before each major orchestral concert. And on and on! Be brave!</p>
<p>Son (junior) called today with relief and happiness. His juries went well and he wanted to share. Happy we're still important enough to call with good news. He's a quiet young man, usually, with calls few and far between.</p>
<p>Now, he gets to 'hang out' until a psychology exam next WEd and then he's be heading home. For a music major, the juries were the big deal.</p>
<p>congrats musicmom, thumper, hkstrpd, and others whose kids made it through another year! S's jury is next week. And Thumper, he only has one per year, not per semester (is that the same as a term?) He has a senior recital next year, but told me he is planning a recital this August when he is home (between summer program and fall semester) because he doesn't want his senior recital to be the first one since high school. He does have an audition at the beginning of every semester.</p>
<p>It never ends, but I have to admit, I'm a lot more cavalier about it than I used to be. I'm getting too old to maintain my former standard of fretting.</p>
<p>My S does let me know when something is coming up, though. He claims my worrying helps him. Since he knows I do such a good job at it, he doesn't need to.</p>
<p>Hi Binx....my son had a jury EACH semester. He did a recital his sophomore year with a friend (it was optional but they both agreed it was well worth the effort), and then the one he did last Friday...his senior recital. In addition, yes, seating auditions each semester. Then, of course, the never ending auditions for something!! His semester (and senior year) are almost over...but are preparations for auditions ending NO...he is now preparing for his seating audition for Aspen. While at Aspen, he'll be preparing for his seating audition for NC School of the Arts. Once that is done, he'll be doing auditions/audition tapes for next summer. It never ends.</p>
<p>My son had his upper divisional last week (end of sophomore year exam). His piano player didn't show up until the minute my son had to go onstage. Poor son spent the ten minutes before performing frantically looking for another copy of the music and searching for someone to fill in, trying to call the accompanist (who apparently had his cell phone turned off), etc. Needless to say, he did not perform his best, although he was able to relax some. His evaluations were not the best, some suggesting he might need an extra year to complete his degree. Thankfully, he received a mostly positive evaluation from the professor who is his private teacher. These comments meant the most to my son, since, as he said, "He knows where I am coming from and how much I've improved. The others can only compare me to where they feel I should be at this point." </p>
<p>I am grateful for my son's attitude. He knows he has a long way to go, but he is willing to work very hard and do whatever it takes. But these auditions are hard on me, too... I just hope he makes it into an orchestra next semester!</p>
<p>My D has her sophomore year conservatory juries on Monday. Last week that was a distant thought with many finals, papers and projects to be completed for her academic courses. Now I am sure it is a big deal. All the academics are over. I am sure she would rather relax than prep for juries. Sometime this weekend she will call looking for a symphathetic ear. She will whine about not being sure if she likes the stress of performance. I'll just chuckle because I know that for almost any career we are effectively on stage everyday.</p>
<p>Susantm - I truly believe these things are harder on us moms than on the kids themselves. They bounce back, find the positive, and move on. After all, they are the ones who have decided they are willing to do this for the rest of their lives! We moms never signed on for this!</p>
<p>It's the reality of a musician's life that things go wrong, and auditions don't always show them at their best. Your S has worked very hard from what I've read on these boards, and you've always faced the idea that your S is playing catch-up a bit. Sometimes some of the teachers on the juries have a pre-set idea of what a kid's problem is, and are going to "hear" that, no matter how they play.</p>
<p>edad - That's a great point that whatever we do is pretty much "onstage." Although me sitting in my home office at the computer all day long probably experiences that a bit less than some!</p>
<p>It doesn't end???? DS took SAT II's today (remember those?) The expressway was completely gridlocked and, at 8 am, car doors opened and hundreds of kids (including mine) poured into the streets dodging traffic to get to the test. That was my morning. I'm watching Copying Beethoven to relax. Quirky but entertaining little film starring Ed Harris in the title role. Features a nice performance of the Ninth that just brings clarity to our children's choices.</p>