What are my chances?

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>I am a 13 year old horn player currently in the eight grade and I am interested in auditioning for the Eastern Music Festival and Brevard Music Institute, and Sewanee as a backup, and I have already started preparing the audition materials, but I am unsure of my chances of getting in.</p>

<p>About me:</p>

<p>I’ve been playing horn for a total of three years, but only began playing it seriously since the beginning of last year. I can credibly say that I am one of the best pre-college horn players in the state. I have heard almost all the high school All-State players and I am either on par or much better than them. My private teacher teaches a good number of the All-State members and is also professor of horn at a local university. She has remarked that I play some repertoire her college students have trouble performing, and that I am one of her best and most serious students. This is the first year I’ve been eligible for the regional honor band auditions, and I placed first chair out of about one hundred audition-ees. I am also principle horn of a local youth orchestra and one of the horns for the youth orchestra of a large city in my area.</p>

<p>I am very serious about the horn and music in general; one most days I practice for at least 2 hours, but I have recently started to practice for 3 hours consistently. This is all in addition to orchestra and band rehearsals, which take up at least 3 hours daily. I am also extremely careful, OCD, if you will, about practice sessions and consistency; I haven’t missed a day of practice in over a year, and only for travel reasons or being sick.</p>

<p>A repertoire list of what I’ve practiced/performed if it makes a difference:</p>

<p>Beethoven - Sonata, Op.17
Dukas - Villanelle
F. Strauss - Horn Concerto, Op.8
F. Strauss - Nocturne, Op.7
Glazunov - Reverie, Op.24
Gli</p>

2

<p>Yellow Barn, Bowdoin, but not sure of the age requirements.</p>

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<p>Most of them are 13 or 14 plus, minus a few. I’ve already e-mailed a few who had age limits at 14 and they said it’s fine.</p>

4

<p>Just a bump, and an update; Brevard won’t accept my audition because of age requirements, so it looks like I’m pitting my chances on EMF and Sewanee!</p>

5

<p>You might want to look into Kinhaven. They might accept you into the senior session at 13 if you’re as good as you say. I remember a 13-year-old horn player (who is now getting her master’s degree at Juilliard after doing her undergrad there as well.) She did both Junior and Senior sessions that year–like you she was an exceptional and intense player at a young age.</p>

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<p>Thanks! I’ll certainly check it out.</p>

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<p>You might want to look at Kendall Betts Horn Camp, though it will have horn choirs but no orchestra. KBHC takes a limited number of high schoolers and I think requirements are to have finished eighth grade AND be 14, however you could email and see what they say. Our D went for the first time at 15 and was one of the youngest, but fit in fine. Most of attendees are college/graduate/adult.</p>

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<p>I’m a fellow horn player myself I strongly agree with Momof2TeenGirls recommendation of the Kendall Betts Horn Camp. My co-section leader went there two years ago and had an amazing time as well as a great educational experience. Keep in the mind these camps can be very expensive; so make sure you’ve discussed this with your parents. I will list below some camps that are well known but as great for horn players. Since you’re so young you will not be able to apply to some camps but keep them in mind for years to come.</p>

<p>BUTI (Boston University Tanglewood Institute)</p>

<p>Information: [Admissions</a> ? How to Apply » College of Fine Arts | Boston University](<a href=“http://www.bu.edu/cfa/tanglewood/admissions/]Admissions”>http://www.bu.edu/cfa/tanglewood/admissions/)
Audition Requirements: <a href=“http://www.bu.edu/cfa/files/2012/11/BUTI_aud-horn.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bu.edu/cfa/files/2012/11/BUTI_aud-horn.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The Colburn School</p>

<p>Information: [Colburn:</a> Horn Camp](<a href=“http://www.colburnschool.edu/page.cfm?p=1773]Colburn:”>http://www.colburnschool.edu/page.cfm?p=1773)</p>

<p>New England Music Camp:</p>

<p>Information: [Summer</a> Music Camp in New England](<a href=“http://nemusiccamp.com/]Summer”>http://nemusiccamp.com/)</p>

<p>The Walden School:</p>

<p>Information: [Admissions[/url</a>]</p>

<p>The National Youth Orchestra of The United States of America:</p>

<p>Information: [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.carnegiehall.org/Application_Requirements/]Application”&gt;http://www.carnegiehall.org/Application_Requirements/]Application</a> Information | Carnegie Hall](<a href=“http://waldenschool.org/young-musicians-program/admissions/]Admissions[/url”>http://waldenschool.org/young-musicians-program/admissions/)</p>

<p>I hope this helps; if you have any questions I’d be more then happy to help. The fellow Horn players of the world have to stick together.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the replies! I’ve checked out a few of the suggested!
Some of them will have to wait though.</p>

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<p>bump</p>

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<p>Why did you bump this thread if your last comment was that some of the previous suggestions would need to wait to be checked out? Do you need more suggestions?</p>

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<p>My wording was a bit awkward. I meant “some will have to wait” as in I have not yet met the age requirement.</p>

<p>Although I am thankful for all the suggestions, my main purpose in starting this thread was to inquire about competitiveness and my chances in getting into the described camps.</p>

<p>If anyone has any more good camps, it’d be great!</p>

13

<p>Ohh! I thought you were saying you did not have time to do the research. Looking back at the original post I see that you are only 13. Well, hopefully some more suggestions will pop up. Did you check out this one?</p>

<p><a href=“http://philadelphiamusicfestival.org/fbblang.html”>http://philadelphiamusicfestival.org/fbblang.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Also, repeating my plug for Kinhaven. </p>

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<p>Your city youth orchestra conductor, or any faculty they use for brass sectionals, should be able to give you a good assessment on your current competitiveness and fit for summer programs. See where other horns in the orchestra go as well. D2’s private teacher was also invaluable at reviewing faculty and curriculum to give us guidance.
Also, there’s no mention in your summary as to your current range and your sight-reading and transposition capabilities. I suspect you are working on these already? They will really help with auditions. </p>

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<p>Thanks Glassharmonica! I’m adding PMF to my list! Jeffrey Lang is wonderful.</p>

<p>@MomOf2TeenGirls:
Range - two Cs below middle C and two Cs above middle C, so about 4 octaves consistently. </p>

<p>Sightreading - I can pretty much sightread etudes from an intermediate etude book with very few mistakes (think Pottag, Preparatory Melodies, Maxime-Alphonse Books 1-2, and on sightreadingfactory.com, my comfortable range is level 5-6.</p>

<p>Transposition - “fluent” in Eb, E, C, and working on Bb and D.</p>

<p>Extra info: can play all major and harmonic, melodic, natural scales at sixteenth=116-124 BPM tongued and sixteenth=130-140-ish slurred with very minimal mistakes, plus arpeggios. </p>

<p>Also, because the OP list of repertoire cut off for some reason, here’s a list of some of the major horn literature I have practiced or performed:</p>

<p>Beethoven - Sonata, Op.17
Dukas - Villanelle
F. Strauss - Horn Concerto, Op.8
F. Strauss - Nocturne, Op.7
Glazunov - Reverie, Op. 24
Glière - Horn Concerto, mvmt. 3 (for fun every so often)
Mozart - Horn Concerto No. 1, K.412
Mozart - Horn Concerto No. 3, K.447
Mozart - Horn Concerto No. 4 mvmt. 2-3, K.495
R. Strauss - Horn Concerto No. 1, Op.11
Saint-Saëns - Morceau de Concert, Op.94
Saint-Saëns - Romance, Op.36</p>

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<p>Hey Horn Hotshot :slight_smile: I will PM you tomorrow. Sounds like you have a promising future! I love the practice obsession! I’m already rubbing that in my slacker S’s face! Depending on when you turn 14, you probably can get into most of these festivals. More tomorrow </p>

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<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>I’m focusing on EMF now, as I’m a few weeks too young for Brevard, and it’s too late to truly prepare for others. I’ll be recording this Saturday, and submitting my recording after I review them with my teacher.</p>

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<p>I’ll PM links for my S EMF audition from last year so you get an idea of what you need to do “video quality-wise” Also, I would press Brevard on the age thing. EMF accepted my S and he was apparently going to be the only non-college kid in the section (not confirmed, just gleaned from our emails) He turned it down for the brand name Tanglewood. He’s not applying for really anything this summer as here in New York, the school year does not end until the very last week of June. SOOOO. My only warning is that EMF seems to be mostly college and DEFINITELY MIXED but Brevard is solely HS. You’d go into the HS program whereas the College kids have their own program. More later. Good luck recording. PM coming after my run to the store! :)</p>