<p>New to the music application process. D met a teacher for a sample lesson. Invited for audition (School was 800 miles from home). Up until live audition, D stayed in touch with the teacher. Never heard from teacher after audition. D was rejected. I guess I expected more feedback. A critique of what went wrong maybe - even just a few sentences. Students don't typically receive feedback of any sort? My other kids went to traditional colleges so rejections were not a big deal. Music school auditions seem so much more personal and it's such an effort to travel, that i thought they might be more personal in their response. </p>
<p>It would be nice to get feedback, but they don’t, even if the audition went well. My D only got feedback from one school and she was accepted there. The teacher called her that evening to say she had done well at the audition. Other than that, not a peep for the other ones until acceptance letter.</p>
<p>I had no idea! I had such a different image of the process. I thought feedback would be the norm. I give credit to students who apply to multiple schools. </p>
<p>D’s voice teacher was wise by having her do lots of competitions (NATS, state solo evaluation, Classical Singer, etc) just to get comments. D won a few and lost a few, but her teacher always said the value was the experience gained by singing in front of people and getting comments, not the awards. After each competition D and teacher would go over the comments and make adjustments if needed. It also made the auditions less intimidating since she has been “judged” before… </p>
<p>Wise teacher. My D wasn’t sure she wanted to go to music school, so she was not as prepared as most. I think I thought the college application process would be more like regional evaluations my D had attended in the past, where she performed for a panel, but at least received an evaluation sheet after it was over. We went into this blind, though. It was very eye opening. It all seems so harsh. The kids I saw were so amazingly talented. I’ll be cheering them all on from afar! It’s not an easy path they’ve chosen. Good luck to your D!</p>
<p>Thank you and good luck to your D! 
</p>
<p>Yes, it is amazing, in some ways, that you could invest a thousand dollars in a ten minute audition and receive no feedback other than a yes or a no. But that’s the norm. </p>
<p>I keep thinking that the process serves to dull enthusiasm. Yes, schools need to weed out applicants. Yes, they need to know if a student can handle pressure. But these are schools – not professional orchestras. They are supposed to promote learning – and they don’t offer any feedback at all? I guess they worry about law suits and mixed messages. I’m sure they think it’s best to keep their mouths shut, and let the administration give the results. But, they lose an opportunity, I think, to inspire these young, enthusiastic kids. A few words could make a difference --.something for a student to hold on to (if the words are encouraging) or to work on (If the words suggest more study).</p>
<p>I am an outsider, but the ‘norm’ doesn’t seem normal. People pay big bucks to travel for a 10 minute audition? And many do this for multiple schools? The expense alone would weed me out. The emotional toll probably weeds out a lot more. Schools are left with the strongest and the toughest (and the ones with deepest pockets!), but do they get the most creative? Maybe they do. Maybe it all works. I find the whole system fascinating.</p>
<p>Not trying to change a culture, of course. It’s been working just fine for generations. Just offering a few random observations from a non-music person…and someone who remains in awe of the talent and focus of the applicants.</p>
<p>I honestly think it would not be possible to give feedback to thousands of auditioners. </p>
<p>Judging can be so subjective that comments don’t even help. If I had a dime for every time my D had “glowing” comments, yet didn’t win a competition, I wouldn’t be worried about scholarships. On the flip side, she has had some very critical and constructive comments and won the day. My point, the comments might lead to an unrealistic expectation of acceptance or rejection. At one of my D’s friends auditions, she burped right before the soaring high note!! She was mortified. She got in, but I bet her comments would have mentioned that and made her think she was out. </p>
<p>Funny! I’m sure they know what they are doing. We’re not a music family…my youngest D is an ‘outlier’…so this was definitely a learning experience. Best to all!</p>
<p>Our experience has been equally as frustrating from the top school that sent a big congratulations package WITH a rejection letter, to the number two school which has not made a decision yet. We are west coast and D choose east coast schools exclusively. We traveled to all 10 with the exception of 2 schools (one regional and one video submission). The school where they did not ask a single question she was accepted. The school where the head of the dept claimed hers to be “the perfect audition”, rejection (not even wait list). But at least she received the congratulations package and invitation to join an accepted student event. Unlike some vocal perf and music students my D has been in mt most of her life and has had years and years of experience auditioning. She has had her fair share of rejections along they way No problem with rejection. But we never had to pay for it before. I too am perplexed why the avg $ 125 paid for each audition doesn’t warrant a brief albeit insightful critique. My Ds technique is that afterwards she critiques herself and make notes about what she thought may be improved upon. In my business I’ve interviewed tens of thousands of people and can provide a clear explanation of why one was not selected each and every time. Good news is she has 5 acceptances and really strong merit offers so all is not loss. </p>
<p>S received rejection letter from USC, but nothing specifically from Thornton. We spent over $1000 that weekend for his 7 minute audition. I would think the school of music would at least send their own rejection letter…</p>
<p>The schools are not interested in the cost or conveinence of the audition process. I can tell you from experience that at Juilliard and Curtis the process includes a pre-screen (fee), invitation to live audition (auditions are during the week, so school days are missed, possible fee to practice with accompanist and an additional audition fee if you get this far) and finally a callback. If you do not make the callback list, you are rejected. No comments. No letter. No thank you for applying, etc, etc. Is it the right way to do things? Maybe/maybe not. But it is the way it’s done. In the worlds of Frozen- “Let it go” Enjoy the acceptances for that is all that really matters :)</p>
<p>Scuba most of the schools that my d applied to were prescreen schools. I understand they are not interested in the cost or convenience and they have no reason to. It’s an issue of supply and demand and there is an abundance of demand. That being said, that doesn’t mean that the process couldn’t be better. </p>
<p>And my d took 10 days of independent study in order to attend auditions. </p>
<p>Same here. D missed 12 days of school (missed mid-terms) and I exhausted all my leave because she is a young 17 and I had trouble finding her a hotel. But, we knew it going in so not going to complain about it now. I’m not saying it’s a great system, but again, it the way it is. At least the NYC schools try to work with each other so you can get it all in one trip. </p>
<p>We were lucky with absences. D did 5 auditions, but 3 were on weekends and one was a day she had no school. She missed a total of 2.5 days - would have been only 1.5 except for getting stuck in Baltimore an extra day due to snow. Two other trips we dodged snowstorms on BOTH ends with no major drive/plane disruptions. Very lucky that it worked out that well. Husband traveled with her on all of them, so he took 3.5 days vacation. D’s absences were coded as “excused - college visits.”</p>
<p>The whole process is difficult, but at least we don’t have to do again for 4 years. =D> </p>
<p>Bottom line is that schools are businesses. Even with the pre-screening process they hear hundreds of auditions and then must form studios and incoming classes from those, along with a pool of “wait listed” students to draw from. All during audition season those professors are continuing to teach their current students and are often keeping to a performance schedule themselves.
I know that auditions are expensive and time consuming. I’ve paid those fees, made travel arrangements and rearranged schedules for my daughter but we were always well aware that she was part of a larger picture. She would do her best and it was out of her, and my hands. We never expected any feedback of any kind and frankly, I’m not sure that any given under those pressure driven circumstances would be all that valuable anyway. I’ve seen sheets from competitions: 5 judges, one room, 5 completely different opinions!</p>