Daughter is a sophomore interested in a BM in trombone performance. As part of our early research, we are gathering information on admissions rates for trombone programs (undergrad) at different schools. Does anyone have anecdotal data to jump start/help us?
Classical or jazz??
There isn’t a straightforward answer to this question, unfortunately. From year to year, the needs at different institutions will vary, as will the size and talent level of the applicant pool. If you are seeking to find a good program with an easy admit as a safety, that is a different question, but of course, it all depends on the level of playing.
classical mostly - plays jazz, but core interest is in an orchestral career
Eastman and U-North Texas come up in my mind for great orchestral / classical trombone programs for BM. If your D prefers conservatories, SFCM, NEC, Peabody and Oberlin can be good choices for BM. Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music for orchestral trombone program seem like more for MM. Of course, there are some great music schools in university setting for all kinds of music programs, such as Miami-Frost, Indiana and U-Michigan.
Acceptance rates (if there is any available data specifically for orchestral / classical trombone programs) won’t help much but if you / your daughter can somehow find out “openings” for her college starting year, you can have ideas how competitive schools are. Some schools will accept more than openings if more qualified undergrad applicants but some schools accept applicants only to fill openings. Your D (or you) can call and ask admission departments.
I think that at the end, it’s a number game especially for trombone / low brass instruments that have less chairs usually in orchestras and pretty much set on numbers in trombone choir.
Also, getting some private lessons from trombone instructors at schools can be a good idea to find out where she stands now to make a list of schools.
Studio admit rates are really the most difficult element to figure out. And if you do figure any out, it may scare your pants off. It will be a low number.
There are two things that may assist you in deciding how to move forward despite the lack of admittance information available.
1.) Work with experienced teachers and/or programs that have sent kids to audition-based schools. Those teachers should have an idea of where your child could gain admittance. They could be high school, college or your private teachers. They could also be at summer programs etc. Then you can let go of the numbers…which are hard to find or if you find them…frightening low.
2.) Follow your kid’s lead. I’m sure it’s hard now, with most things being virtual, for kids to interact and gauge their level. Still most kids have a sense where they belong…and most don’t want to embarass themselves. So if your kid, while interacting with other musicians and teachers, wants to continue the quest and apply to certain schools, the kid probably knows something. Your kid can view college performances on-line to gauge if they would fit in and/or be inspired by a program.
All music parents face this issue. You are not alone. You should certainly dig around for what you can find. But doing a music degree is a bit of a leap of faith. Still good teachers can direct students in this area where there are no “scores” to tell you your chances. Their experiene and past successes should be leaned on.
Good luck.
1 Like
My son is a classical trombone performance major. He reached out to current students in the music programs he was interested in to see how many were graduating out of the program. Obviously there was no guarantee that the exact number leaving would be replaced, but it gave him some idea since most of the schools did not give out an exact number for openings.
For my son on brass, the first step was to come up with a list of teachers at the college level with whom he wanted to study. My son did this by conversations with his teacher, who knew every teacher in the country, since he’d trained most of them, and by networking with older kids in the prestigious youth symphonies with which he played, and getting advice from all the teachers at the various summer programs he did. It doesn’t matter how good the school is, if it has a teacher that she’s not compatible with. By the time he got around to making his list, he had an obsessive knowledge of every teacher at every conservatory and university music school in the country, for his instrument.
Some teachers are famous for producing students who succeed in orchestral auditions. If that’s what she wants, she needs to go to those teachers, at those schools. And then she applies for wherever she thinks might work for her. You just cannot add into the mix, predetermining how many seats will be open, and then she applies on that basis. She practices as hard as she can, you find her the best teachers you can, and she applies to every program that has a teacher she likes, and a program she likes.
When my son had finished applying all his criteria, he’d narrowed it down to about seven programs. Some places he eliminated because he’d heard that the teacher was unpleasant to work with, or that the teacher was on long term leave for illness, and that the position would be covered by a series of short term subs, or because he didn’t like the playing style of the teacher, didn’t want to be trained to sound like that teacher, or because the teacher was a visiting prof only, who was also on faculty at 3 other schools and playing in two symphonies, all across the country.
Then she has to consider the atmosphere at the school, the location, whether she wants a liberal arts education in addition or wants to focus only on music.
After all that, you consider how many slots might be available, and make sure that she applies to some “matches”. But she should not decide not to apply to certain schools because they’re too competitive. She should be applying to schools because they can give her the training to succeed at winning a spot in an orchestra. She’s got to get very, very good in high school to get admitted to one of the best places in college for orchestral trombone, if that’s her goal. She should probably be studying with the principal trombonist at the best symphony in your area, or with the top teacher at the local conservatory. It’s not about how many slots are available in which place. It’s about getting so good in high school, that she has a fantastic audition everywhere she goes, and has a good chance at getting in anywhere, depending upon how well she plays at her audition. Because let’s face it, if you’re not good enough to get into one of the best programs, one of the programs that produces players who win orchestra auditions, you’re not going to miraculously improve in college at the local conservatory, and suddenly win an orchestral audition from there.
You might find useful information on trombone-specific forums on reddit, facebook, etc. There used to be a comprehensive one called trombone forum, but it died. Now there’s a reddit forum, and something called trombonechat.