So, how did auditions go?

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>For me, here is a list of experiences that I encountered while auditioning at certain schools.</p>

<p>UCLA: They were running over an hour late for me. I was the last person of the day so I wasn't surprised. Overall, they were pretty organized.</p>

<p>Rice: The school was really nice, nobody was really there and there were no practice rooms available for me. I literally had to unpack and go on stage.</p>

<p>SFCM: Great school. Great facilities, organized audition and I was overall really happy with it.</p>

<p>Peabody: Okay...i'm going to be flat out honest. I hated this place. I hated the area. I was once again one of the last people to audition and by that time everybody had left. There was nobody to direct me to where I was to audition. I was really disappointed with this place.</p>

<p>NEC: Great school, a little disorganized as to where each instrument will audition. I went to the wrong building, they should have had signs for that considering that it was pouring rain that day.......</p>

<p>CIM: This sunday ;)</p>

2

<p>Good luck on your last audition!</p>

<p>I finished today and it’s a huge relief. (Of course, it will be a bigger relief when I know the results! ;))</p>

3

<p>Good luck at CIM!</p>

<p>I’m assuming you mean for others to post here as well, so I’ll continue the trend.</p>

<p>University of Iowa: Really great city and campus area. The faculty were very friendly and helpful and my dad and I actually had a chance to sit down and talk with the professor I’ll study with should I go there in her room before auditions began and discuss my progress (I’d had her for a masterclass before). The facilities there are fantastic albeit small because they’re only temporary. It was a good first audition to have and I think the one thing that stood out the most about the audition itself was that Iowa has a policy of telling you right after your audition if you made it in.</p>

<p>Lawrence University: Again, a really friendly audition in front of a professor I had already taken a lesson with, along with the rest of their department. It was great that I was remembered there and that they took a strong interest in talking to me not as a number but as a person. Once all the piano auditions were done, the faculty members took all the auditionees and their parents to the cafeteria (I do mean THE cafeteria; it’s their only one as far as I know) and it was just very friendly.</p>

<p>CCM: This was the one audition where, unfortunately, I was just a number. However, given the insane number of people that audition there, it was to be expected. Surprisingly, most of the piano majors on my audition day were graduate and I say surprisingly because we were so overwhelmingly outnumbered by them. The music education interview showed me a very friendly faculty but I only got to meet the chairman of the piano department. I also had a meeting with the music education students about their major at CCM, which was kind of more about them joking among themselves than it was about helping the group of high school seniors, but there were no faculty present for it, so again, not too big of a shocker.</p>

4

<p>D had 8 auditions. Two were regionals. The rest visits. We did not have the luxury of visiting music schools junior year, so she had not visited nor met any faculty from schools she was applying to. </p>

<p>She did two regionals because of the sheer impossibility of traveling to all eight. But, in hindsight, she would not do regionals. D does not think a regional audition compares at all favorably with the audition visit. (Now if she had already visited the school, had a lesson, knew what it was all about, I think a regional audition might make sense.)
Anyhow, the two regionals were Lawrence and Oberlin Conservatory. Her very first audition was a regional one, so it was comfortable, and a good way for her to break into the process.</p>

<p>Northwestern–great day with great weather in Chicago, personal tour by current music student known to D from youth orchestra (she told D that only one UG viola came to Northwestern last year), friends from high school also auditioning on same day, so everyone compared notes. Very good overview for parents of program by Music Admission Director with Q and A. Nice spread of food and drinks too! Practice rooms reserved, but D had to keep track of time and get to audition room by self. Audition was only with teacher, no other staff. Attended a music theory class, loved it. Her hs friend had a lesson with the viola teacher the day before his audition, opened D’s eyes up to possibilities of lessons during audition times. The practice room lounge is the most beautiful place, an octagonal room on the Lake with a view down the coast to downtown Chicago. D “likes the vibe.” Went from “why am I applying here?” to “this is my first choice!” (However her friend…who plays the same instrument was told by the teacher at the end of his audition “see you in the Fall!” which he did not say to D, so she is sure she is not getting in.) </p>

<p>Vanderbilt–next day. Very organized (but no food), student Q and A (with parents in another Q and A with current parents), theory test, audition was with string faculty and both viola teachers. Waiting to go into audition, D asked viola teacher if a lesson was possible, she arranged for two lessons…one with each teacher later that afternoon. D has many friends from summer music at Vanderbilt, so she was able to hang out with them and get an inside view of a music student’s life here. Unfortunately, there was a basketball game on while we were here. D got a very close exposure to what Div. 1 sports are like, with alums, fans, crowds, noise, cheerleaders–she did not like it and it colored her view of the whole school. (But subsequently began to consider that perhaps she should not judge the music program on this basis.) No feedback at audition, but after lesson was told that she would “fit in” at Vanderbilt.</p>

<p>U. of Denver (Lamott)–next weekend, record breaking snow storm, but we still made it in for the audition. Glad we did, weather on audition day was glorious, and got a real feel for the campus. Again a div. 1 basketball game, this time televised on ESPN! Got a general tour of campus, audition was with string faculty. Very well organized, again with lots of food, and presentations. The building is beautiful. the practice rooms are on the top floor with views of the rocky mts. The concert hall is spectacular. Again D arranged for a lesson the next day with the viola teacher and again was given positive feedback. She got a very good feel for the school, and again liked the “vibe”–despite the BB game. </p>

<p>Case WEstern Reserve Univ.–Started with a tour of the campus the day before the audition (the tour guide was also a music student…D was only one on tour, so she got the full tour, plus saw Dennison practice rooms, and a run thru CIM facilities. Has a good friend here who encouraged her to apply. It is “only” a BA program, but the teacher is a CIM teacher who is a member of the Cleveland Orchestra. D’s friend is in several ensembles with CIM students, and the theory classes are also with CIM students. Over half the music majors at CWRU are double majors…in really hard subjects like Physics, biomedical engineering, Math…etc. They are able to do it in four years, but they are not performance majors, rather general music, but that does involve weekly lessons, orchestra, ensembles, music theory. It did seem like CWRU encourages double majors and have designed the program to facilitate that end. There were three music theory type tests…ear training, computer theory testing, and a paper and pencil test. Her audition was with a significant number of the faculty, plus the viola teacher from CIM. Again, she asked and was able to arrange a lesson with the viola teacher immediately after her audition. The whole day was very organized,lots of food, practice rooms easily obtained, lots of information, lots of music students available to answer questions and give tours. But the highlight of the audition was attending the performance of the Cleveland Orchestra in Severance Hall (two short blocks) from the music department. CWRU music students have access to a limited number of $5 tickets, and if those run out, they can purchase student tickets for $10. (which is what we did, and sat 10 rows from the stage in what must be the most beautiful hall I have ever seen to hear a phenomenally gifted orchestra.) CWRU now became D’s “first choice”. </p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon –
Next weekend. The only audition we drove instead of flying to. Did a self tour the night before, located the music building, poked around the practice rooms. D was concerned that they were “gross” and not sound proof. (this concern was address the next day when she was told that they are being remodeled this summer.) There was a theory test/ear training for placement only. Audition was only with the viola teacher. Again she asked for a lesson later that day. The lesson went very well, she liked this teacher the best of all. At the end of the lesson he said she was admitted to the music school! Again she liked the “vibe” and can see herself at this school.</p>

<p>Peabody–the day after CMU. She did not like it. Felt very insular. She felt like you could spend all four years and never leave the building. Practice rooms were “gross and smelled bad and weren’t sound proof”. Too busy a day for a lesson, but she didn’t even want one at that point. Food in cafeteria was bad.</p>

<p>At the end of all this, what has D learned. First, she really likes auditioning. She got stronger and more confident as she did more of them.

  1. Audition at the school you really want to go to at the end.
  2. Place your best piece first (kind of duh, but she didn’t figure this out until the 3rd audition, she was starting with her shortest! piece.)
    3.Ask for a lesson.
  3. Be enthusiastic, act like it is the only school you want to go to, because you never know it might be the only school you get accepted to, and thus, the only one you can go to.
  4. Ask questions
  5. Take a tour of the whole campus…not just the music school (though tour that too).
  6. Go to a performance of the local symphony.
  7. Hang out with current students…there is probably somebody at the school your D/S knows from past music camps.
  8. If it is a factor, be clear that money (while not the only deciding factor) will be a factor if you have to decide between more than one school.
  9. Sit in on a class.</p>
5

<p>

</p>

<p>Buried in the midst of a ton of good advice…possibly the key to success?</p>

6

<p>At the end of the lesson he said she was admitted to the music school!</p>

<p>I’m curious how this works and what experience people have had with being told they are admitted earlier than the letters go out? How can they let you know when they haven’t heard everybody? Is this common practice and we’re just unaware?</p>

7

<p>I am not saying she is actually admitted anywhere. I tell her nothing is official until there is a piece of paper, from both the music school and the university. I assume that when the audition is with a single teacher, they have great influence (if not total) over the decision as to whether the student is admitted into the music school. (This teacher had apparently said the same thing to another person that day.)
My D was very good at asking other applicants how their auditions went and what (if anything ) the auditioners said to them. She also passed along anything she could to help those who hadn’t auditioned yet. (i.e. if they asked for the etude, what questions they asked etc, )</p>

8

<p>My D had 7 auditions, 3 of which were President’s Day weekend. I took the advice of people here and schedule our trips so that most times we arrived to have one day before the audition as a cushion in case of weather delays. Thank goodness we had good weather every weekend. Her teacher had her prepare three folders for each audition that contained her “program” for the audition, her resume, and her complete rep list. It looked very professional, so I hope it made a good impression.</p>

<p>George Mason University - We started out with our local university before we got to the more selective schools. The information session was packed- standing room only for us. Faculty were in attendance and also mingled with students around the practice rooms. I heard one professor meet with a group to talk about his program while they waited for the warm-up times. Practice rooms are nice and assignments were posted outside each door. Students came to get the auditionees to take them to the audition room. The audition included a pitch-matching exercise. It went well and a week or two later, D received a letter saying she was recommended for admission. She received her formal acceptance letter from the university last week.</p>

<p>Hartt School of Music - We met with a student from the flute studio the day before the audition. He spent a good amount of time with us and took us on a tour and then answered our questions. He also set D up in a practice room. D loved the acoustics in the room. The audition day was well-organized with an information session and the audition was right on schedule. Hartt also has auditionees take a music aptitude test which is long and there were some distractions (like a rehearsal going on next door). With all of the stress of the day, I think it was a little hard to focus. Later in the afternoon, D had a short, but informative lesson with the flute professor. She was able to troubleshoot some areas that other people have pointed out for D but not told her how to fix. D really liked her. We went into West Hartford for dinner - had the most expensive Mexican dinner of our lives. Nice area, though.</p>

<p>UNC School of the Arts - This was one of the only campuses we had visited before, so we were somewhat familiar with the layout. The warm-up rooms were actually dressing rooms for the concert hall next door, so that was really nice. Parents were not permitted to accompany the students to the warm-up room, so I went to the student union and chatted with another auditioning family. The woodwind faculty was on the audition panel and they videotaped the auditions. At the information session in the afternoon, they told us that the student would receive an email in a couple of days with one of three decisions: recommendation for admission to the university, hold for a decision after all auditions have been completed, or decline. D got a message that she was recommended for admission, so she was really happy. Just waiting on the academic review now. We extended our stay so that we could attend a graduate flute recital and a wind ensemble concert. Both were pretty impressive.</p>

<p>Eastman - Unbelievably, no snow on the ground in Rochester. The day before the audition, D met up with a friend who is a student there to talk about the flute studio and ensembles. D attended a summer program at Eastman, so she was familiar with the facilities. On the audition day, we went to an information session, which was followed by a music theory test for the students. After the test, the students waited for their scheduled audition times. There were lots of current students around wearing t-shirts with their instrument/voice written on the back so you could target someone to talk to in your interest area. They were all eager to help. There was also a “stress-free” zone set-up at a table with crayons, paper, puzzles. etc. Warm-up rooms here were communal, so D ended up warming up in a room with a french horn and a bassoon. The moms waited down at the end of the hall. :wink: We found our way to the audition room. The audition panel was the flute professor and a graduate student. D felt good about it. The audition day also included small group interviews with admissions counselors. </p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon - On our free day before the audition, we went to a Q&A session with the music admissions director and had tour with a grad student. Very nice, classic building. There was no information session the day of the audition. Everything was well organized, except that she had a little trouble finding a free practice room. The audition was on stage with the two flute professors. They chatted with her a little and were very nice. She thought that this was one of her best auditions. Like cookerdee’s D, she had the solfege test in the afternoon. Much to my relief, we got to the airport in plenty of time to fly to Boston. There were four flutists on our flight… You can tell it was a big audition weekend!</p>

<p>Boston Conservatory - The school is a couple of blocks from the T, so it was convenient (especially since we didn’t have snow or ice). When we arrived, we found out that there had been an information session and tour earlier in the day. It would have been nice to know that ahead of time, because we missed it. D had to find her own warm-up room and the practice rooms were not in great condition. I felt moved to record the cacophony of sounds I heard as I sat in the hallway. The audition itself was a little delayed, but not much. The panel consisted of the woodwind faculty and they were very friendly, asking D if she knew another student from our area (she did). We’d like to know more about the school and will follow-up if she is accepted. </p>

<p>New England Conservatory - Also convenient to the T station. Registration was well-organized. There were two rooms set-aside for flute warm-up and students took about 30 minutes each. No information session here, but we did take a tour, which was very informative. We saw the concert and practice room facilities, as well as the residence hall and music libraries. The music building was beautiful and we liked that the residence hall is across the street. I heard the student guide outside the audition room tell one of the prospective students that NEC is the most academically demanding of the major conservatories. Not sure what that means.</p>

<p>D’s last audition was President’s Day and then she spent a couple of days with the all-state prepared piece. Her audition experience and demanding repertoire must have done some good, because she placed first at all-state auditions.</p>

9

<p>Mater,</p>

<p>I am going to include the acceptance you mention over on the <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1260441-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2012-a-16.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1260441-master-list-music-school-acceptances-fall-2012-a-16.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Please let us know of any other acceptances your daughter receives so that we can include them there.</p>

10

<p>cookerdee, that applies to you as well. Please let us know when your daughter has any certain acceptances.</p>

11

<p>D is currently a college freshman. Trying to audition as a transfer is rather dicey: you don’t know you’re going to want to transfer until the Nov/Dec timeframe, by which time you should already have set up your auditions. So, she was able to attend auditions at Hartt & Ithaca (doc’d elsewhere in this forum), and will send in a recorded audition to Boston Univ. & URI.</p>

<p>It was an interesting process to witness. On the way back to college from winter break, we toured the BU campus. D loved it, and figured she would be very happy there. It became choice #1. Then she auditioned at Hartt. She said her voice shook a little from nerves during her 2nd piece, but it was a long one and she pulled it together well before the end. By the end of the day, Hartt had edged into the number 1 slot.</p>

<p>Then it was off to Ithaca. She <em>loved</em> the environs, the campus, the friendliness of <em>everyone</em> and particularly that the students dressed less Hollister/Abercrombie and more practical. She thought her audition went as well as possible. And Ithaca nudged Hartt out of the #1 slot.</p>

<p>Having heard that sopranos are <em>extremely</em> competitive, and knowing how little time D had to prepare her audition material, I have no idea what to anticipate for decisions. But D has decided that if she doesn’t get in anywhere she wants to go, that she’ll take a gap year, work part-time, take lessons, and prepare for auditions in a less frantic manner.</p>

<p>I’m happy that she was pleased with how she did. If she gets turned down, at least she knows she gave it her best (though that won’t make the disappointment any less and I suppose could make it worse.) Ithaca mentioned that they will give audition feedback once all the decisions are made regardless of outcome. And, yes, I will post if she does get accepted. (So if you never see any more posts from me, I guess you’ll know what happened :-)</p>

12

<p>Dswinnh:</p>

<p>Have each of the schools assurred transfer applicants prior to the auditions that there are available openings for transfers. Just curious.</p>

13

<p>Congratulations to all! What a great thread - not only fun to hear about the different experiences but very educational! I hope you all get the good news you are hoping for! Lifeofsolitude, it has been a pleasure reading your posts - you obviously have such passion and love for music - great to see it paying off with stellar auditions!</p>

14

<p>Compdad, I fear this wasn’t a question either of us asked.</p>

15

<p>UNT- I had a great time at UNT. I stayed at the Hampton Inn and it was located about 5 minutes from the campus. The layout of Denton is a little odd and there is not much there. Although there is a cute square that is a big hangout spot for the students at UNT. The audition went smoothly. I would have rather had a later audition (mine was at 948am!) but overall it went great. The audition was in the new concert hall and it was beautiful. I believe the whole vocal faculty were present. Very straight forward audition. They gave each student 10-20 mins to practice with their assigned accompanist prior to the audition. I was very grateful for that. After the audition, I took a short music theory test. Everyone was very welcoming and it was a nice campus.</p>

<p>PEABODY- Everything seemed to go wrong prior to arriving at Peabody. Plane problems, getting lost, sickness. But, I actually loved this campus. I loved how small and intimate everything appeared. Before arriving, I was worried that the students might be standoffish but this was not the case. I chatted with many students and everyone was very nice. I am sorry to hear about other peoples experiences with Peabody - but I was pleasantly surprised. I wish I wasnt sick while there because I would have explored more. One thing is certain, I found Baltimore to be super sketchy. The audition was held in a classroom and the whole vocal faculty were present. They were very nice to me and each took their turn introducing themselves. They asked questions before, in the middle, and after the audition. The head of the vocal faculty even told me she enjoyed my audition. After the audition, I took a ear training and theory test. </p>

<p>MSM is my next audition. I am very happy to say that I am over my sickness and ready to continue my auditions!</p>

16

<p>My audition day at ASU went very well! While I was waiting for my interview (Music Education), I was able to talk to a current student who was very informative and nice. And then when I got to the interview, the interviewer was extremely nice, and was really impressed by my credentials. She told me to stay in touch with her no matter the outcome of the audition. My actual audition went very well, too; I performed better than I thought I would have. I wasn’t shaky or nervous at all, like I get with my piano recitals. The audition panel was very laid-back, and the whole environment wasn’t intimidating at all. After my great experience there, I sure hope I get accepted! =)</p>

17

<p>Ds auditions are finally over & what a whirlwind of travel:</p>

<p>1- U of Michigan/Ann Arbor - 1st audition so it was pretty exciting & a bit stressful - not knowing what to expect. Stayed @ The Hampton Inn, and they were so nice & helpful helpful. She loved the music school, & the admissions presentation was very well done. Audition day was packed, but met a lot of nice folks as we waited. Audition Faculty were interested and warm. Practice rooms were @ a premium, but everyone was very helpful…</p>

<p>2- FSU - Almost the exact set-up as U of Mich, so D was more comfortable knowing what to expect. Again, Audition Faculty was very kind, interested & receptive, which upped Ds confidence. A very good experience.</p>

<p>3- Rice - Much quieter audition day, as this school is so much smaller and a much smaller number came to live auditions. Very good & intimate presentation by admissions. Again, practice rooms were difficult to get, but all worked out. D might have been the only undergrad auditioning that day. Audition faculty was very different - no interpersonal communication, but D said accompanist (piano/chorale instructor) was very kind.</p>

<p>4- Jacobs School of Music/IU - Again, very similar to U of Mich & FSU audition days. Very well run especially as there were so many students auditioning. Again, practice rooms were an issue - but eventually found one. By now we were recognizing parents & students from other programs! Largest Audition Faculty to date - they were friendly but on a schedule. Great facilities…</p>

<p>5- Last one! Northwestern…as I mentioned in another post our flights were cancelled due to weather! So, the pre-screen DVD will have to do. Admissions was very communicative regarding the travel issue.</p>

<p>D has 1 acceptance and one other school told her after her audition to “…cancel you other auditions, we want you.” But, are waiting to see it in writing. Now its the waiting…</p>

18

<p>Here’s the rundown of S’s auditions. The last one was yesterday. We’re all very glad to be done. :)</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Elmhurst College–Since this is where I work, S was already familiar with the campus, etc. I knew most of the students handling audition day logistics, S was greeted and shown to a practice room. When it was time for his audition we wandered down to the audition space and met his student guide coming to get him. He auditioned for faculty, several of whom are well-known Chicago jazz musicians–he had a little bit of a “fan” reaction when he was introduced to one of them. He did what he described as a fine audition (play-along with an Abersold) and chatted with the panel about the people he knows/has studied with in Chicago. As far as I could tell there were no information sessions or tours offered on the audition day, but it was the MLK Jr holiday, so that may have been a factor. We got his scholarship letter a week later–he’d already been academically admitted.</p></li>
<li><p>Bradley University: This was our bad travel karma experience. S was auditioning on a Saturday, and Friday night Chicago experienced a record snowfall, beginning in the afternoon and going through rush hour. What should have been a 3 hour drive to Peoria turned into an epic 7 hour sojourn. We made it Peoria in one piece, however, and stayed with friends. S’s audition on Saturday was a piece of cake comparatively. Although he had prepped both classical and jazz pieces, he only played the classical ones. He was provided with a very nice, very accommodating faculty accompanist, and auditioned in Bradley’s recital hall. He was the last audition of the day, and the head of the department was very nice, chatting him (and me) up, and seemed very complimentary and encouraging. We received his scholarship and acceptance into the major letter about 10 days later.</p></li>
<li><p>Lawrence University: Lawrence was, in many ways, the best experience, both for S and the rest of us. They do a whole “audition day” thing, with tours and information sessions etc. We skipped some of them, since S and I had been there last spring for their junior visit day (which I highly recommend), but did the campus tour. S got a chance on the tour to meet a faculty member and have an essentially private tour of the physics department, which is weighing very favorably in his decision tree at the moment. The auditions themselves were very laid back, I think piano, voice and strings (and maybe just violin) audition for a panel, for other instruments your audition is a mini-lesson with your potential studio teacher. Since S had already met the faculty member last spring, this was a very low-key and friendly audition. later in the morning, students auditioning for the jazz studies track had a “jam session” with Lawrence students, with the jazz faculty directing. Parents were invited to be the audience for this, and I have to say it was very enjoyable. One of my son’s current schoolmates was also auditioning, and it was great to see the two of them shine in a situation they are very used to–they do a lot if combo playing at their school. We are still awaiting the Lawrence decision, but S got a very nice email from the jazz studies director the other day that leaves us hopeful.</p></li>
<li><p>Oberlin: This was the weirdest of the auditions. Jazz Studies kids audition on the Friday before the “regular” audition weekend, and although we could have stayed over to Saturday and done some of the regular “audition day” things, we had to get S back to Chicago early Saturday morning for a musical commitment here, so we missed some of that. We were told to sign in at the Con office at noon on Friday, and we were (of course) early, so we signed in and then went to go get some food. We got back to the Con office a little before noon and were surprised A., to find it very full of auditioning students, and B. that they apparently were supplying Subway sandwiches (no one said anything about feeding the kids, and I tend to be really proactive about that–we wouldn’t have wandered off for food if we had known). Once the kids assembled they walked us across campus to the coffee house to see a (really amazingly good) combo perform, then back to the Kohl building, where the kids were sent off to practice rooms, together, separately, there was no real attempt at order–my son tried to get some of the other kids to jam a little but everyone else seemed really focused on their own thing. Finally the head of the jazz studies department came in and told everyone what the plan was, kids were put in combos together, with a rhythm section of Oberlin students. But when they read out who was in which group, they had left my S’s name off, as well as one other student. That was a moment of panic, but it got sorted out. When they went in to audition, they were basically just told to “play a blues”, and students had to negotiate with other auditioning kids which tune they would play. It was difficult for them to come to consensus, I think, and some students were left playing a tune they didn’t know (they were also told “no books”). My S was kind of frustrated by the whole process.</p></li>
<li><p>New England Conservatory: These folks were very organized. We had a nice tour in the morning led by a student. NEC is in a very urban part of Boston, in a neighborhood where you can’t walk 5 blocks in any direction without tripping over a music conservatory. I thought that was awesome. We ran into another of S’s school friends here, she had done her viola audition that morning. We had a good info session with the director of admissions, who was very frank about things like number of students admitted and financial aid realities. Then S went to warm up, in a part of the building with lots of very busy practice rooms. He auditioned in one of the small recital rooms on the first floor. It was one of those situations where you’re sitting in the hall outside the room and you can hear everything, and the kid who auditioned right before my S was VERY VERY GOOD–one of the other waiting parents said the kid had just performed at the Mingus competitions or something–but my S could hear this kid play and I think he let himself get psyched out–his audition was good, but not as good as he can be. NEC isn’t a top choice, so we’ll see.</p></li>
<li><p>DePaul: DePaul was very organized, lots of kids auditioning but they had a system and current DePaul students helping out. S got a scheduled practice time and room, and auditioned for faculty (one for his jazz audition and 2 for the classical). In each case, he felt he played well, and had a nice chat with the faculty members, all of whom were complimentary and encouraging. DePaul makes it too hard to double major in music and other things, so it’s not a top choice, but it was nice that he ended with a bang, so to speak.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>And now we just wait, for the rest of the results. He still has to hear from the LAC’s he applied to but would audition for when he enrolls (Vassar & Reed). Lawrence said they try and send results mid-March, so we’ll see.</p>

19

<p>CIM — I’m here at the school and I love it. There’s just one problem. My audition was a complete fail. My violin did not handle the cold very well…it sounds awful! i’m going to have to get it fixed. My audition wasn’t that great and I was disappointed :stuck_out_tongue: oh well.</p>

20

<p>Auditions are FINISHED!</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Juilliard - I just finished this one today. It was very intense as we expected. A lot of very anxious looking parents but I guess that’s how a lot of auditions are. Admissions ran everything very smoothly and the faculty were very warm during the audition. I think I did really well at this audition! I didn’t really like the school that much though…and I actually wasn’t overly impressed with the orchestra. It wasn’t bad, I guess I was just expecting to blown away.</p></li>
<li><p>Curtis - This was my best audition and it was the day before my Juilliard audition. This one was run a little more loosely actually. The admissions people seemed pretty laid back about the whole day. I guess it’s because there weren’t that many people at the audition because they prescreen so heavily? Orchestra was good, but the wind ensemble I got to sit in on was much more impressive! They were soo great! The faculty seemed to really like me so we’ll see.</p></li>
<li><p>Rice - The audition process here was similar to Curtis, not that many people at the audition probably because of prescreenings. Hard to find a practice room but we came early so eventually we got one with plenty of time. The campus is GORGEOUS and the music facilities are beautiful and state of the art. The hall I auditioned in had really great acoustics. The faculty asked who I studied with and seemed very friendly. I sat in on the orchestra and they are freaking amazing! The best college orchestra I have ever seen and the conductor Larry Rachleff really knows his stuff. I wanna go here so bad!</p></li>
<li><p>Eastman School of Music - There were a lot more people at this audition than the ones I already mentioned so in comparison it was a little bit more hectic but it was fun to get to talk to some of the other kids auditioning. The faculty accepted me on the spot so I guess I did pretty well. It was REALLY cold there though. The performance halls are stunning, and the orchestra seemed pretty good too! </p></li>
<li><p>Manhattan School of Music - I did horribly at this audition. I was recovering from a virus and I was still a little bit feverish but I stuck it out anyways for some stupid reason. This audition went by really fast. We were in and out of the school in like an hour and a half.</p></li>
<li><p>New England Conservatory - Really liked Boston and the location of the school is really nice too. But the facilities are really crummy IMO. The dorms we saw were practically deteriorating before our eyes and there was a weird smell in the halls of the music building. All the practice rooms were full (but I guess that’s a good thing) so I had to warm up in a stairwell. Audition went really well and the faculty kept asking me question after my audition. But I honestly don’t think I could live in a place like that.</p></li>
<li><p>Oberlin College - I’m kind of a city girl so this was a really different experience for me when I drove up and the campus was pretty much in the middle of a cornfield. That being said, the conservatory kids seem really dedicated to their music, which was nice. There aren’t many distractions so music seems to be all they have. That was the vibe I got anyway. I didn’t really like the sample lessons I had here though. I have to say though, the audition was run very well</p></li>
</ol>

<p>So glad to be done flying around the country. Letters will be coming out soon! Good luck to everyone else! I’d LOVE to hear about your experiences too :)</p>