Timing for visits when in HS?

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>I've read BassDad's excellent thread on "So you want to be a music major", but I wanted to get everyone's opinion on school visits during high school.</p>

<p>With Senior year in HS being as hectic as folks here and elsewhere make it sound (auditions, etc.) in particular:
- Is there any benefit to doing music dept/conservatory visits during, say, spring of Sophomore year in HS? My thinking is it might make Junior year visits more focused. Sort of a pre-screening of sorts.
- Would that be too soon, or is it never too early to start?</p>

<p>If the answer is "never too early to start":
- How would you go about choosing which places to visit?
- What would you expect to get out of a visit during Sophomore year?
- Would a Sophomore year visit look different from a visit during Junior year? Is so, in what ways?</p>

<p>Any other general thoughts on timing of the process during high school?</p>

2

<p>We started touring when our D was a freshman. We were in NYC, so we went to Juilliard. During her sophomore year, we took her to whatever campus was nearby when we took a trip-the goal was to show a wide range of options…large campus vs. small campus, conservatory vs. state school vs. liberal arts college, etc. Just a heads up-she loved everything at first and changed her mind frequently. As time went on, we did a lot of research-best teachers available for her discipline, success rates of individual studios, etc. Eventually, we sent her to various summer camps and got a lot of feedback about her talent, etc. and started to whittle down the choices as she became more focused on what would be best for her. In our case, it became apparent rather quickly-junior year-where she would feel most comfortable, and it worked out. </p>

<p>The music world is extremely competitive, and the sooner you can get a feel of what it’s going to take, the better. Every child who is first chair in their HS band/orchestra/chorus that goes on to the regional ensemble discovers very quickly that there are a lot of kids just like them. It continues through the state, national, etc. levels all the way through college. It can inspire a student to work hard, or make them realize that it’s best to change direction. </p>

<p>IMHO, the sooner you start, the better. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>We went to a couple of schools with DS during spring break of his sophomore year: a large state school in which he had expressed interest, and a private, church-affiliated school. We met with the orchestra director and viola teacher at each school. I did notice that he was more interested in the equipment in the concert hall than the repertoire for the orchestra. One year later, he says he has decided to pursue a recording industry major with a viola minor. I think the early visits showed him what a music major was like and where his real interests lie.</p>

4

<p>I’m in the early high school stage with my own daughter, DesignDad, so I won’t be as helpful as more experienced parents/students - she’s completing 9th. However, I’ve given this some thought myself so I’ll share what we’ve done and are planning to do. </p>

<p>Earlier this spring we were on a road trip and we planned stops at two LACs that I thought my daughter might like to check out. We needed to stretch & have lunch anyway, so why not a lovely college campus?</p>

<p>We went to admissions and picked up a map and asked if we could visit the music building as long as we didn’t disrupt any class. We then just did a self-tour. We were able to see a couple of practice rooms, the concert hall, and the student lounge in the building (if there was one). This was very helpful to my daughter. She could see the campus & facilities without the stress of a College Tour, so it was just a fun visit. We went to the library, the campus student center, and checked out the studio art buildings, too. She likes to ‘see new things’ so this worked for her personality, it may not work for someone who doesn’t like to poke around, etc. We even chatted with a random student or two which was enjoyable and gave a little insight into the place.</p>

<p>One campus is now eliminated because it clearly wouldn’t be a fit student-body wise for her. Good to know, as it’s a long way away and now we don’t need to figure out how to get back there again. The other one is on the list for a future visit with a professor, try to catch a concert, etc. This would be a good college for her if music becomes a second major or minor, probably not best for music only.</p>

<p>Also over the spring she had an audition at a stand-alone conservatory in a city. This is not the sort of environment she can see herself at currently, but again, you never know how things will turn out. At least it gave her background information for the future.</p>

<p>This fall we are going on a short trip specifically to see Oberlin. This will be an official visit, with a conservatory tour. She will not, however, meet with a teacher since it’s early in the game. The main purpose of this visit is for her to see what a “Conservatory” is all about up close & personal. She has met many graduates of Oberlin’s Con, so she thinks she’s a personality fit, but she’s not sure if a full-blown conservatory is what is in her future. As ProMusician mentioned above, the earlier she can make a decision about a musical path the better it will be. </p>

<p>Summer programs are extremely helpful and a nice way to grow musically while meeting terrific kids all engaged in music. They can be strategically used as well, but I’m not able to offer any insight into that process.</p>

<p>If after her summer camp and Oberlin visit my daughter’s further inspired, we’ll take things from there. I like spreading things out over time, making it a thoughtful & fun process so the final push is worthwhile & satisfying. Not at the final push yet, though, so it’s still easy to keep calm and carry on :)</p>

5

<p>Last year, when S was a Soph, We made a spring break vacation to schools in Boston & Chicago (saw few free concerts at Yale and Harvard). We made effort to see the school campus on general school tour followed by a separate tour of of the music department. Now that S is a Jr, we visited schools in SE and Cal; again general tour, music department tour, and meeting with faculty. As we visit more schools, S knows what type of environment / schools / faculty he likes. Questions are now more detailed and specific. Meeting faculty was very important to see if their personality was a match.
We have couple of more visits this fall in the NE & west coast between working on his application & audition videos.</p>

<p>I recommend working with your child and visit the schools in your area first so he can see his/her level of interests.</p>

6

<p>My daughter has just enrolled at a music conservatory for the fall. I brought her along to college visits with her older sister, who was not going into music, but just so my daughter could see the different campuses. She went to about five of the major music summer instututes over the years, and worked with the teachers. She did some smaller/shorter summer music programs, including the Imani Winds program in NYC and she stayed in the Juillard dorms. She did several national-level competitions and saw those campuses. By the time she got to auditions this fall/winter, she already knew all the teachers and was accepted at some conservatories without audition, because the teachers already knew her well. Good thing we started before 9th grade, because this is her junior year–she graduated early.</p>

7

<p>I think with music it never hurts to see things as soon as possible, about what it means to be a music major (talking performance here), and more importantly, to get an idea of the level of playing that is out there and what you face trying to enter that. Kids who have been immersed in school programs or all state may not realize the level that can be out there, and going to music schools is a way to see that, especially if you can get to performances and recitals. With younger students (like freshman or sophomores) it might be more about seeing whether they want to head that way, the effort and commitment and so forth, with older kids, might be focused on the environment as well. I would especially recommend taking kids to see stuff at the top conservatories, like Juilliard, Curtis, CIM, Rice, NEC, etc, to see what the top levels are like and what they may want to strive for, it is a big inducement, believe me, and it could also make them rethink it. Even if they wouldn’t want to go to a place like that, it gives them an idea of what to work for/towards no matter where they go (I am talking classical music here, the same would apply with Jazz with the top programs, and so forth). </p>

<p>Once the kid is more committed and seems to be heading towards music, has learned a bit about teachers and such (I would say by Junior year), then visiting and sample lessons might come into play. Also, if you think there are teachers he/she may be interested in, I strongly recommend if possible to get them into summer programs or the like where they can have exposure to the teachers. While it doesn’t guarantee admission or make it a sure thing, having teachers see a student is huge when it comes to admissions, it can mean someone pulling for the student or simply having a teacher who already is willing to teach them:). Yes, people audition at schools without meeting the teachers, they get admitted and get a teacher they specified, but if you have done preliminary work it will make the process easier, and with the audition and admittance process making it easier is something to be desired, because it isn’t easy:).</p>

8

<p>Thanks for the replies everyone. It sounds like our philosophy has some merit. The idea was much like musicprnt described, getting “a feel” for things Sophomore year, not making any firm decisions. Those would come Jr/Sr year. The intent was more to find out earlier, rather than later, if the response is “that’s not what I envisioned at all! I don’t want to do THAT!”. I feel the same way about very immersive summer programs. Find out sooner, rather than later, if this life is for you or not.</p>

9

<p>Our experiences were similar. Child #1 visited musical theater schools informally as a freshman. These were schools within a few hours of our home, allowing us to see theatrical productions, etc. We also toured a few colleges while traveling for other purposes, but these were mostly self tours as another person described. As a sophomore, my daughter took the formal tours at some of these same schools and others across the country. Junior year she did sample lessons, more tours and an occasional overnight visit. She also sat in on classes that year. She attended camps, usually on college campuses, every summer.</p>

<p>Child #2 tagged along on the visits of child #1 just to get a feel for college - big/small, conservatory/LAC, etc. This was his freshman year of high school. He then started with the summer programs on college campuses (music performance). Sophomore and junior years he did the formal tours/campus visits. Sample lessons took place during junior year and the summer before senior year. He did not want to do sample lessons as a sophomore. Junior year he was also able to attend concerts at the various schools and sit in on many classes. Senior year was for auditions only. It was all very expensive, but it worked out well for our family.</p>

10

<p>I would just echo how critical summer programs on a college campus can be, especially if that college might potentially be on your child’s list. For my son (jazz) a summer jazz program at a conservatory was vital–he discovered that he definitely wanted a conservatory, but definitely did NOT want an isolated one, because he also wanted a college experience. He wouldn’t have figured this out from visits alone. Another huge discovery was that he could “compete” in his instrument among other like-minded students, which he wouldn’t have known otherwise, as his city at the time didn’t have a lot of students in his instrument.</p>