drummergirl–we weren’t given a storage area for the cello, but we didn’t ask either. We stashed the instrument in our rental car in the university parking lots and it was fine. Luckily, it isn’t hot at this time of year. It wouldn’t hurt to ask, though.
@drummergirl I don’t remember seeing anyone with larger instruments, but I definitely remember many people carrying flute and violin cases, you know, smaller stuff, but I really don’t remember about things like the cello or bass. Sorry, wish I could be of more help 
I’ve also seen parents babysitting the instrument while the student takes the tour, usually when the weather is sufficiently cold or nasty that the instrument shouldn’t be outside.
My daughter had two auditions this weekend, at Duquesne and Shenandoah Conservatory. She has gone through this whole process looking for Music Therapy, but after her Duquesne audition, she is reconsidering.
This is the Mary Pappert School of Music, the building is a construction zone right now, but they had lots of seating, food, coffee, water, juice, fruit, very nice. She checked in, they had plentiful practice rooms designated for auditioners, and she was scheduled to meet with her accompanist at 10:15 and then have her audition at 10:40. She warmed up before she met with the accompanist, and before any of the auditions started, they had presentations from the Director of Admissions for Mary Pappert, the Dean of the Music School, the Chair of the Music Therapy department, the Chair of the Musicianship Dept., and a couple of other speakers.
She went in for her audition and we had a nice chat with a student who is a sophomore there, a Sound Recording major. He said he couldn’t be happier with his choice, and that Pittsburgh is a great place to be, with a great music scene. He said he looked at some other schools but chose Duquesne primarily because of the location and the Sound Recording faculty.
She came out and she seemed really pleased. She said she thought she sang really well, that they did a little sight-reading and some other aural exercises. A gentleman came up to me and asked me if I was her mother, and asked if we could meet in his office at 11:30. So we did. The gentleman turned out to be Dr. Guenko Guenchov, who is the Chair of the Voice department. We were joined by Xiu-ru Liu, who is a Voice faculty member. As a parent, have you ever had a dream where people tell you how amazing and awesome your child is? Well, this was the thing I experienced. They GUSHED. Said her tone was beautiful, she had fantastic musicality, musicianship, that she was one of the top students they had auditioning there. They want her for Vocal Performance, specifically for Opera. Xiu-ru Liu said she understood wanting to pursue a field where jobs are not so competitive, but that she felt my daughter has everything they look for, not just in her voice, but in her looks, poise, presence and performance.
So that was pretty awesome. And since I think in her heart she wants to perform, she may switch course, although she is setting up a job shadow with a friend of mine who is a music therapist, also. Dr. Guenchov told her that she is definitely admitted to the School of Music (she was already admitted to the University), and that he would like to work with her.
Shenandoah was a much bigger audition - there were probably 100 or more kids there, although the voice group was fairly small, around 20 kids. Most of the kids seemed to be woodwinds. She sang for 2 adjudicators, and one of them commented on her language skills, in that she clearly understood the lyrics and meaning of Chanson D’Amour; after she finished her second song (Silent Noon), the adjudicators applauded and asked her to sing more. Not as gushy, but considering I was expecting her to receive no feedback whatsoever, she felt really great.
My D had her VP-UG audition at Northwestern 11/24. Auditions were ongoing Friday and Saturday. We arrived Friday and did a general Northwestern info session/tour as we had not yet visited the school. One of the admissions presenters was a VP/Opera major so it was nice to hear his view of the university as a music student. Extremely cold day with lots of wind. The new music building on the lake was gorgeous. Then as part of the audition weekend program they had a Bienen School of Music info session and student panel discussion. Both were very informative. They also had a list of classes/rehearsals you could sit in on but these conflicted with our NU info session/tour time so we did not do these. That evening we headed to downtown Chicago on the “L” to check out some sights and see how the trip would be if she was a student there. It seemed relatively easy to navigate the system. Neither of us were big fans of the pizza (we prefer good old NY style) but seeing the city lights reflected in the “Bean” was very cool. We arrived at the audition check-in one hour ahead of her scheduled time. They offered a spread of snacks, fruit, and beverages. You basically found your own way around to practice rooms and to your audition room - no student escorts but plenty of signs. Everything was well organized and actually ahead of schedule. The accompanist came out and talked to her about tempo before she went in. She chose the first song and they selected the second. Panel was all the voice faculty. They asked her a few questions and were very friendly. At lunchtime they offered a mini-recital of 4 current students followed by a Q&A with the students and faculty. Again, very informative and helpful to see quality of students and their rapport with the faculty. We had a few hours to explore downtown Evanston - lots of shops/restaurants, very much a college town. As far as hotel, we stayed at the Hilton-Orrington as it was practically right across the street from the building where the auditions were held. Nice room, nice staff - although their lobby was under construction there was no major impact to our stay. Another good experience. That makes 4 down, only 7 more to go!
@intune Is 11/24 a typo?
I auditioned for EA at University of Miami for the Frost School.
Was freaking out for months… I auditioned for piano with a Liszt etude, Bach Prelude and Fugue, and the first movement of a Beethoven sonata. I was only 1 out of 8 piano students who auditioned that day, which was surprising, and I was the second candidate. Before I entered, my warm up was HORRIBLE. I’m telling you ,it sucked. I was messing up all over the place and it only worsened my nerves. I went to my mother and i told her i was super nervous and needed her support (mind you, Im not one to express my feelings about this kind of stuff to my family).
Anyway, I entered, and one of the (phenomenal) judges - Santiago Rodriguez, greeted me and told me “play whatever you want to play. You have 10 minutes.”
IT FELT SO GREAT TO CHOOSE WHAT TO PLAY. 
My nerves just completely went away all because of how nice the judges were to me! All the time before I pretty much kept antagonizing them in my head. They were so kind and they let me play all of my Bach and a little bit of my other two pieces. I was in that room for 13 minutes actually.
It was a fabulous audition ,IMO. I felt so great about it afterward. I heard a rumor from a man connected with the judges that I was among two of the best players that day. (And that it was so ironic because I am an aspiring Music Education major, not for Music Performance.)
Anyway, I had a great interview with the Dean of Music Ed and then a music theory test that i swear I bombed…should have studied more for that but I’m glad it doesn’t affect the audition and I can just test out of the Music Fundamentals whenever I want to haha! 
Now I’m just waiting to hear back from UM. ONE MORE WEEK FOR EA <3
@gchick143 don’t worry about that music theory test. It was horrendous and any undergrad failed it. I already contacted several people and that same test is given to the masters and doctorate students, so do NOT worry!
Hahaha @OperaAdri thanks for the reassurance! For a second there i thought it would affect my admission but, wow I didn’t know they give the same exam to doctorates lol 
To answer the question about hauling your instrument around with you all day:I can’t speak for other schools, but I do know that at CIM, you can “check” your instrument in the coatroom provided for the students and parents. There are several students who are on. duty at all times so no one gets past them and your things are quite safe there.
Oops. I meant 1/24.
Two auditions (so far - she has one more today) this weekend. She has a terrible head cold right now which has her feeling pretty anxious, but the auditions have been going okay. The first was at Nazareth University in the Rochester area. I think it was kind of a turn-off for her - it was very stiff feeling there. She said she did well in her audition and interview, but the quietness of the place made her think it’s not a place she wants to be.
Second was at Baldwin-Wallace - which has now vaulted to the top of her list. The students were everywhere, helpful and friendly. It was very organized, and they fed parents and kids lunch, which was kind of nice (although the lunch was in the Student Activities Center, which was freezing cold). She was super nervous about her audition, but she said they seemed pleased. We were waiting for her interview when one of the voice faculty stopped and asked her to meet with them in the lobby to talk. She was worried, but it ended up that they asked her, a soprano and a baritone to have a lesson with some of the faculty. I told her I don’t think they would take the time to do that if they didn’t like her audition.
Today is Seton Hill, which looks like Hogwarts - she is staying overnight and taking some classes tomorrow, and then we can head home.
Three auditions so far. I need to do this list style to make it as easy as possible to write. Sorry if it makes it more difficult or “dry” to read. (VP auditions)
For each school, our plan was to have one day on campus before or after the audition, so some of what is listed was done not the extra day.
Belmont:
-Beautiful and compact campus in a vibrant city
-Had to do the campus tour the day before the audition since D’s audition time conflicted with audition day tour
-Were told we could visit classes on Friday, but no list was provided ahead of time.
-Arrived fairly early Friday, but could have observed a couple addition classes had we arrived even earlier. D sat in on a Music Hist. class and we both sat in for Chorale where the visiting students sat among the students and sang along.
-Only ate at McAlister’s Deli “on campus”, but they have a few places like this for a quick bite or take out.
-Students, staff, and faculty were very welcoming and helped by reassuring D about the audition process there.
-Definitely apparent that the commercial music and musical theatre are the better known and sought-out programs, but told that the classical/commercial split of students is around 50/50 and they intend to keep it that way.
-On the actual audition day almost everyone was in the auditorium together with info. session and panel discussions with the Dean and some students. Very friendly atmosphere, some details regarding financial info. and programs, but just mostly getting the vibe of the program.
-Coffee/tea provided
-Students left on their own for basic musicianship screening and auditions according to their call times.
-D’s time was after noon, but most of the students were finished by 1, I think.
-Students were to arrive ahead of schedule to meet accompanist briefly before audition time
Hartt:
-Campus is more contained, but spread out. Walking distances are definitely doable with academics on one side and resident halls on the other
-Sign-in/waiting area had some snacks (fruit, granola bars, small water bottles, hot drinks)
-Parents were invited to intro. by dean, financial aid/scholarships, and additional info. from Hartt admissions and students via Q&A (not sure why the students weren’t originally “invited” in, but some of us asked if it was specifically for parents and they welcomed the students in…perhaps a miscommunication at first.
-Sign-in area for students near audition rooms were attended by friendly Hartt students willing to answer questions and generally chat
-Warm-up rooms were down the hall from the audition room
-No meet-up with the accompanist before entering the room
-Interviews were done with a different faculty group after the auditions
-Campus tour again was arranged right when my d had her theory test. This was a 30-minute written test.
-Our arrangements for student-shadowing and campus tour were spoiled by the incoming blizzard, so I regret that d didn’t get the full picture of this school as she has of the others
-One meal on campus at the Commons (main resident hall areal dining)
UNT (Univ. of North Texas):
-large campus in small town, I can’t say it’s aesthetically pleasing really, but most of the campus is at least concentrated within several blocks
-Again, campus tour on audition day was during d’s audition time, so we signed up for the morning tour the day before
-Somehow lost track of the email that listed classes d could observe and that we were to sign up for them ahead of time, music admissions was gracious to allow us to take the list and check in the the instructors prior to class. D got to sit in on two ensemble rehearsals.
-Private lesson day before auditions had been arranged in advance
-Audition day - goodies (fruit, granola, muffins, pastries, donuts, etc., juice, hot drinks…nice spread) available throughout the morning
-Opening session with dean/assoc. dean of admissions (music), good start to day, with piano performance by grad student (artist diploma candidate?)
-Several 30 min sessions on topics such as financial aid/scholarships, orientation, core music courses, major-specific courses
-Display tables for several UNT services (housing, honors, etc.) with students/staff to answer questions
-“Large” aspect of school a common theme, but also that each student needed to find their right “fit” for their school
-Only ate at “just off campus” sub shop (NY Sub Hub) twice, grabbed a quick pre-packaged snack in the coffee shop at the library
-Warm-up rooms were in the practice room buildings across the street (glad it wasn’t raining at that point!)
-Students met with an accompanist briefly in a separate room prior to the audition
-After audition, students did sight-reading in a separate room
-Trams were provided for transportation over the the perf. arts center where a short tour was given…yeah…it was “like, wow”. 
My daughter is a student at Mason Gross at Rutgers. I though it might be helpful to hear about her audition , even though it was a couple of years ago, so that anyone planning to audition this year would know what to expect in advance.
Check-in was set up in the theater lobby, where refreshments were served. Students were given an information packet and directed to different areas of the lobby for casual meet and greets. She found the area marked “Voice” where she got to chat with current students and three or four faculty members.
At 9:00 am, everyone, including parents, went into the theater where the audition process was explained and each member of the faculty was introduced. Next, the students went to another building for auditions, while the parents were given a tour.
We were shown all of the facilities, the dorms, practice rooms, etc. Mason Gross is located on the Douglass campus which is very beautiful. We were then taken to a lecture hall where were were given a power point presentation about the programs, the history of the school, scholarships, just tons of information. They really emphasized that while Rutgers is a big university, Mason Gross was a small family where the kids get plenty of individual attention. They took lots of questions as well. One interesting fact was they were expecting 500 auditions and planned to accept 100 for an expected yield of 60 (we later learned 70 students actually enrolled).
Meanwhile, the kids were divided into three groups. One group took a music theory test first (note that I am pretty sure they don’t do this any more), one group started with ear testing, and one group did their auditions first. The groups then rotated, led by plenty of student volunteers. Now even though my daughter is a voice major, she has taken classical piano since she was seven and was also lucky to have had good theory training in her public school choirs, so she found the theory test and aural skills tests pretty easy.
I should add that music ed majors also had a short interview during this process.
She did her audition last. She had to prepare three art songs plus an aria or fourth art song, at least one in English and one in a language. She had worked with her voice teacher for months just choosing her songs for variety in language, tempo, and mood. They were told to choose their first song, and that the faculty would choose the second song, and that they might or might not ask for a third song. Based on some tips included with the packet about what they were looking for, she decided to change which song to sing first.
After she sang two songs, they were ready to let her leave, but one of the professors saw that she had prepared a song in his native language and asked that she sing it for him. She felt this request was simply because he wanted to enjoy the song, not that they were on the fence and needed to hear more, and later that night he emailed her offering her a lesson, which we took as a good sign.
She was done about noon. Overall we were very, very impressed. The process was so incredibly well organized. They really went out of their way to make the kids feel like they were part of something exciting and important.
My son had his first piano UG audition yesterday at CMU. Unfortunately we weren’t able to spend much time on campus doing tours or the Q&A because of the impending storm. It was snowing fairly hard already so we hightailed it out of Pittsburgh after a quick lunch with a friend’s daughter who attends the engineering school (she loves it there and chose it over CMU because she does theater also and liked the cross-pollination between the arts & science students).
The CMU music students who ran the audition check-in process were very friendly and helpful. They were really organized about giving ample time to warm up - 45 min. are allotted on a grand piano prior to the audition for each applicant. My son was allowed extra time on an upright piano since we showed up early. He was given a folder with info on the school and rep sheets and a teacher preference form. While he was warming up, I spoke with a very nice grad student who offered to put my son in contact with a friend of his who studied with the teacher my son had requested.
There was a cancellation right before my son so he went a few minutes early. I sat outside the theater were the auditions took place and was able to hear my son play. The audition itself was about 12 min. He played his whole prelude & fugue, the first movement of a Beethoven sonata up to the recap and a few short sections of the slow & last movement. Then he played his entire third selection (CMU only requests three pieces), which was a Spanish piece. There were two piano faculty listening to him. My son said they were very professional and polite.
The students we encountered on campus seemed very friendly. It seemed like a very positive environment from what we observed during our brief stay and from my friend’s daughter’s experience.
This is a good reminder to be prepared to go early if there is a no-show–and if there is extra time in the schedule, you might also play a lot more of your pieces than you were expecting to.
@bigbro96 Congrats to your son. We are headed to CMU this weekend for voice. Was your warm-up time the 45 minutes prior to your audition time? Silly question- everything took place at The Music Building- including check in?
Thanks!
Not silly at all! Yes, all was in the music building, which is across from Dougherty Hall. The warm-up was 45 min. right before the audition, though actually the last 10 minutes you need to go wait outside the theater (inside the same building). I’m assuming vocal auditions are the same as instrumental but it could be different. Good luck!
Two audition reviews: Ithaca and SUNY-Fredonia. Ithaca was a regional event at Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas. It was very low-key. They had practice rooms for warm up and a run-through with the accompanist (whom we had hired through the chorus where my daughter sings). Townsend Plant, the director of admissions for the music program, coordinated things, and the audition was videotaped for faculty review. Townsend is a very friendly and engaging guy; I had met him once before at the tour that Ithaca does with Julliard and Eastman, and as I went to college across town at Cornell, we chatted a bit about life in Ithaca, NY. Overall, the Ithaca audition was a very nice experience and added to the great experience we have had with them throughout the application process, arranging campus visits, etc.
SUNY-Fredonia was this past Saturday. Our family is from this area, which is what led us to put it on our daughter’s list. There are 3 primary music schools in the SUNY system: Fredonia, Purchase and Crane School of Music at SUNY-Potsdam (up on the Quebec border). We stayed nearby at Brookside Manor B&B, which I would highly recommend. Two other applicants were staying there, another vocalist and a cellist. The music school is in Mason Hall, which looks like a run down urban high school with a few recital halls. The Rockefeller Performing Arts Center is fairly impressive, however. And of course, Chautauqua is a few miles away for other great performance opportunities. They did music school tours and an info session for parents during the day. The audition consisted of a 30 minute computerized theory test, followed by the vocal audition in a small auditorium with a few faculty members and some site singing. It was a bit rough that my D was the last student to audition in the day, at 3:45pm; everyone (including her) seemed a bit tired out, and the hall was cold and drafty, and by the time she finished the students and staff that had been helping out all day had vanished. Also, given the time of her audition, we had to stay an extra night, since the last possible flight back to Texas leaves Buffalo shortly after 5pm. If I had it to do over again, I would have asked if they could have made her audition earlier to allow us to get out of town. The 5am wake up call on Sunday to catch a flight before the blizzard hit was not fun!
This coming weekend is UNT - 18 miles from home. As another post has noted, they send out an email to schedule class visits in advance. My D has selected a 3 hour opera workshop on Friday afternoon. She may also opt to sit in on The Music of Frank Zappa, just for fun. We know the UNT campus well, and my D takes private vocal lessons with a faculty member there, so it should be a smooth event. But she is looking forward to getting more immersed in the environment when she takes part in the audition day activities.
Accidentally started new discussion instead of replying here, so I copied to here. I will delete other thread if I can figure out how.
Cleveland State bassoon/ music therapy
Daughter was recovering from flu and a little lightheaded and weak for her first audition. The 10am audition time we received did not specify if it was actual time to audition or a check in time, so we arrived 30 minutes prior to allow for traffic, parking, warm up. We were welcomed and informed they were running about 15 min behind and so she could expect to audition at 10:30. A student showed us to a practice room (no chair, no music stand) and indicated we could find audition room ourselves, although we had been told he would return for us to show us to audition room. (Practice room was locked, no key, waited while student went to find key). Student did return at audition time, had no idea where we could store her bassoon case or her guitar (needed for music therapy interview later) so I schlepped it all with me to lobby in music building to wait. Audition (only heard by director of bands) went very well, he indicated to her she would be accepted. After audition, she didn’t know where I was, waited in hallway for a while, was somewhat distressed, unsure where to go next. I went looking for her when I thought she would be finished and found her in hallway. We went back upstairs for theory test ( short wait in hallway) then waited some more for music therapy interview. She played and sang her piece on guitar for director of music therapy and that went well also, positive feedback from Music Therapy professor.
Overall, daughter was pleased. Although bassoon professor was not at audition, she has met and liked him at a workshop, and feels CSU would be good fit for her, especially in light of its affordability. The campus was much nicer than you might expect in an urban area, lots of recent building and investment. Student housing was attractive and spacious. One plus is that all buildings are connected via indoor walkways, a real advantage in winter on the north coast. Despite some seeming disorganization, everyone she interacted with was kind and helpful and positive, so it was a good first audition experience.