<p>My son has spent the last several years building an impressive piano performance resume, with numerous competitions, awards, summer music festivals, etc. and assuming his auditions go well, would probably end up at a top tier school. This past year, he has been feeling drawn to music composition and has begun studying with a private teacher who has said he is extremely talented -- this teacher is someone who is both honest and knowledgeable. My son was so happy and really feels composition is his calling. So, here it is just a few months before his college apps will be due and he has come to the conclusion that he would love to major in composition rather than piano performance. However, he really doesn't have enough time to write/record the number of pieces necessary for a steller composition application. We are in a quandry. Should he just proceed with piano performance and try to switch whereever he ends up, making sure to choose a school where it is possible? Should he just apply to composition and hope that the one or two pieces he's written combined with his strong piano resume will do the trick? How honest should he be on the essays so as not to offend piano professors? Any advice would be appreciated.</p>
<p>It’s not too late. He has until Dec 1 to write three solid pieces and to get at least two of them performed and recorded. Ideally some of these will be for instruments in addition, or instead of, piano. Since he’s been so involved in music he should have friends who are good players who could perform his work for a recording. If not, then you could hire musicians.</p>
<p>As for switching from piano - it’s not an either or. Many composition programs require study and/or performance on a primary instrument in addition to composing. He should look towards those programs so that he can continue to study and perform at a high level.</p>
<p>The real challenge will be for him to research the composition departments since he’s only now started to think of this. He needs to explore their aesthetics (as well as define for himself what his own aesthetic is,) the curriculum & its requirements, and, most importantly, the individual professors. Ideally he’ll start corresponding with the department with questions and I highly recommend one on one meetings in advance of applying with the different composition professors - much like a sample ‘lesson’ except this is generally just a discussion about music and the school, and often a perusal of the student’s work.</p>
<p>What he won’t have is the kind of resume he has for piano - no awards, summer programs, professional connections. However, at the undergraduate level there will be many applicants like him who only recently discovered their love of composing.</p>
<p>Even the top conservatories will depend mainly on the music itself, rather than resume and awards. As Spirit Manager said, having excellent recordings by excellent musicians (worth the money to hire them if necessary) can be an important element in an application though, of course, those evaluating your son’s work can also read scores.</p>
<p>There’s still plenty of time. Schools generally want 2, 3 or 4 compositions, and sometimes they ask for the best 3 minutes of your work on each.</p>
<p>Our daughter did not meet with, talk with, or sample lessons with any teachers at any schools. However, she listened to endless amounts of music composed by various teachers. Initially, some of the best teachers for a student don’t necessarily compose in a similar style to the student (or vice versa) but later it does seem to help.</p>
<p>Your son should look at websites for various composition departments, and research teachers. He can read bios, articles, and listen to samples online.</p>
<p>We found that emphasis on finding one’s “own voice” was very important in a school, or in a teacher, since that meant a student would have some freedom of expression, with chances to take creative risks.</p>
<p>Another good approach might be to attend concerts for any conservatories, music schools or colleges that are accessible to you, or time your visits to campuses to catch a concert of composers’ works. Some schools may even offer CD’s (Oberlin does) of student works.</p>
<p>The kind of talent and skill that your son has in piano will serve him well in theory classes! Has he taken any theory/solfege or music history classes (for a pianist of his caliber, I am assuming yes)? For the last year of high school, doing some work in these areas can be helpful and reduce stress at audition time, since most “auditions” for composition include some exams and interviews (the exams are usually for placement purposes). </p>
<p>One other thing: it is always possible to study piano at school and do composition privately, or the other way around. Many schools require an instrument with composition, and at some schools, he can major in one and minor in the other, or double major. Again, checking the details on school websites, and calling with questions, can clarify these choices.</p>
<p>It’s wonderful that he is writing music! I think composition will enrich his playing, and of course his playing enhances his writing. Sounds like he has some great years ahead of him!</p>
<p>For my son, meeting the professors was crucial for making the decision about which school to attend. For a BM in composition the relationship between the composition professor and student is intimate and emotional. The wrong teacher can cause undue misery, and even end a career in the making. And the right teacher can guide, support and facilitate all sorts of wonderful things. However, figuring out who that ‘right’ teacher is can be a difficult task, and often that one hour meeting is not enough to discover all that needs to be discovered. But no meeting at all, one is trusting much to blind faith, I think, or else hoping that the preliminary research was very very thorough.</p>
<p>Our daughter met the teachers during the audition period (not by private arrangement, but in interviews), and then met privately after acceptance: just to clarify. But not when deciding where to apply. And often there is no way to be sure which studio you will be assigned to. There is often a mechanism to choose, in the application, but it can also be choices 1-3 with the understanding you may not get your first choice. One would hope, perhaps naively, that the submitted music would guide the schools’ choice of teachers for your son, but a personal meeting/lesson would certainly help that process along. and personal knowledge of the applicant may inspire a professor to help the student get in his or her studio.</p>
<p>It is a good idea to research teachers before meeting them, so that you have some familiarity with their work.</p>
<p>I appreciate all the helpful advice and would love to follow all of it, but I’m a little stymied on how to make it all work. He has just finished with one composition, working with this new teacher who told him he would be very successful if he only had another year to get a portfolio ready. Unless he takes a gap year which is highly unlikely, he is probably not going to have more than 2 finished works by application time which is in November if you’re also applying for a scholarship. As for recording them, we really don’t know a lot of instrumentalists other than pianists so that’s difficult. He has been researching various comp departments and had made great progress in that area, familiarizing himself with various programs and teachers via the Internet. In-person meetings would be ideal; do professors arrange meetings with students who have not been accepted? Also, we live on the West Coast so I think we would only be able to meet with any East Coast professors if we make it past the initial selection phase for the real audition/interviews.</p>
<p>You can do a combination of meetings, both before and after. We live on the West Coast, too. My son traveled twice in the fall to meet with professors at USC and at Northwestern - took one day off from school for the LA trip,and used the Columbus Day weekend for Chicago. It was very doable. He only met the professors in person at Michigan when he went for the audition weekend. And he had a long interview for Bard after he applied. However, he did correspond with a number of professors starting spring of Junior year.</p>
<p>I don’t believe any of the programs my son submitted to required him to submit before Dec 1 - even for scholarship consideration. Some were not until January, such as Bard. Can your son really not compose two pieces between then and now? They don’t have to be long, after all - just indicative of his voice and talent.</p>
<p>As compmom said - the admissions dept will be able to read music, and they will also consider midi files, although they all prefer at least some live recordings. If you can only get piano recorded, so be it. However, I really recommend you explore either hiring musicians, or finding some music students to play his pieces.</p>
<p>If you’re on the West Coast - there are some great prep programs for composers. In California, in the LA area the LA Philarmonic runs a fantastic program. In the Bay Area there is the SF Conservatory and the John Adams Young Composers Program. Any of those three would be well worth a commute. I don’t know what’s available in the Northwest - but I’m pretty certain there is something.</p>
<p>If he wants to be a composer - he’s going to need to be able to compose to deadlines. It comes with the territory. So think of it as good practice!</p>
<p>Alohagail - is there a youth symphony in your area? Perhaps your son could meet with the conductor, who would be able to recommend some competent student instrumentalists who would be willing to work with him to record his work. (After all, those kids get to add that to their resumes as well, so it’s a win-win!) His piano teacher might also have some connections in the community.</p>
<p>Our daughter took a chance and called a clarinet quintet that plays in our area, whose concerts she had attended regularly, and asked if they would be willing to play her new clarinet piece (back in 11th grade). Most of them ended up volunteering, or playing for little money, and they also got permission to use the college performance/recording center (where one of them teaches) on a Sunday morning to record it, for free.</p>
<p>High school students are the beneficiaries of much good will in this area! </p>
<p>It does takes a little courage to ask, but many will help. Do you have access to any local (or accessible) ensembles or orchestra, or a music school? Also the high school music teachers, private teachers, and conservatory prep teachers all have connections to student players as well as professionals. </p>
<p>Does your son write mainly or only for piano? Has he played his own piece(s)? How long is his one piece? Does he have a lot of other pieces that aren’t polished as yet?</p>
<p>What are his musical tastes? Does he listen to a lot of music, including contemporary classical? Many conservatories and schools are involved in this “new music”: how does your son feel about contemporary composers? Has he had a chance to begin to find his “voice” or personal vision, or will that take some more time?</p>
<p>It sounds as if he might want to attend for piano and transition, or even take a gap year and work on both piano and composition, or perhaps enter in the winter.</p>
<p>What does the piano teacher say? This teacher says he is talented and should be able to provide advice and contacts. Is the teacher advocating application for composition or does the teacher know this is a possibility?</p>
<p>As we have said, generally schools want 3-4 pieces, and like to have them cover different “styles.” Generally at least one or two should be played by musicians, but people do apply with all their pieces on midi.</p>
<p>It can take real maturity for some, to be able to write on demand, and it might not be a good idea for him to feel this pressure at this stage. It depends on his personality and how he finds inspiration. It is true that one conservatory- MSM - asks applicants to do an overnight composition at the audition, so it is expected that candidates can do this, and as Spirit Manager said, composers work on deadline for commissions. Still, it is early for your son and he may or may not want to buckle down to write 2-3 more pieces by 12/1.</p>
<p>Is it possible for him to major in piano and study composition privately, on the side, or as a minor or eventual double major? He would be doing some of the same courses for both (music theory, history, score analysis, etc.) and can deal with the transition later, perhaps. As you said, you are researching the schools on this, and perhaps a conversation with admissions and/or the composition departments about this particular situation might help.</p>
<p>Don’t forget that with composition there is no hurry. One of the best things our daughter’s guitar teacher said was that Elliot Carter has been doing his best work in his late 90’s and is now 100 and still going strong!</p>
<p>Many composers went to conservatory for their instrument, or even went to college for something non-musical, like physics or English. Once a kid starts composing, generally, there is no way they will stop!</p>
<p>One other thing is, how important is it for your son to enjoy his senior year? Auditioning for both piano and composition, and having pressure to produce a portfolio, may very well be possible, but how will it affect his life and spirit? He may thrive on this, some do, but just a thought…</p>
<p>Great advice from compmom, as usual!!</p>