What should a freshman in hs be doing to prepare for college

<p>Ok well here are my details
- 15 year old freshman
- Private piano lessons for 4 years (recently started lessons with a college professor who is an active recitalist)
- Private organ lessons for 2 1/2 years (I have won scholarships through the AGO and play on weekends at mass when needed)
- I also sing in my hs chorus and in my church's adult choir
Basically I want to know what i can do to prepare for college and how i stand amongst my peers.... And is playing the pipe organ a kind of rare thing to major in? Could that help me later on? I am also interested in composition but i have little experience besides writing for piano and one piece for my schools band.</p>

<p>Thats all (:</p>

<p>RohrSchalmei, welcome to CC.</p>

<p>You may want to have a look at my family’s story at <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>It sounds like you are off to a great start. Competitions and summer programs are a good way to size up the competition for places in college. Also, it sounds like you may have a teacher or two who can help provide an evaluation.</p>

<p>Pipe organ is a relatively rare major, but not unheard of. We have a couple of organ majors on our <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/817953-master-list-acceptances-fall-2010-a-58.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/817953-master-list-acceptances-fall-2010-a-58.html&lt;/a&gt; and there have also been some in previous years. Some schools, like Oberlin, have lots of organ students and their standards for acceptance are pretty high. Other schools, particularly ones without a great music program, frequently have excellent scholarships for talented organists who are willing to play for chapel services and other school functions. I have heard of students getting full tuition scholarships plus a key to the chapel building so that they could practice whenever it was not in use. Your AGO sources would probably be a great source of information for such opportunities.</p>

<p>Sounds like you are doing very well. As a parent of two musicians, both music majors (though not majoring in keyboard-related instruments, still one does play piano and the other is realizing the need to do that) I have observed a lot. I don’t know much about the organ. What our family found is that networking with other musicians, teachers, programs away from your home area will expand your world a lot. Perhaps this general advice will help.
Consider looking into transferring to Interlochen Arts Academy ([Home</a> | Interlochen Center for the Arts](<a href=“http://www.interlochen.org%5DHome”>http://www.interlochen.org)), we have many yrs experience with this institution and I have observed a couple of organists who appeared to do outstanding work and one I know has gone on to a top conservatory. Check also to see if their Camp program offers something of interest to you, too.
Good luck!</p>

<p>Take 4 years of each of the following:</p>

<p>English
Math
Science
Foreign Language
Social Studies</p>

<p>That is the general requirement for the best colleges. Take challenging classes. Be the best you can be. Do something productive with your summers, even if it is volunteering.</p>

<p>transferring schools will not be an option for me, but I will be sending an application and audition tape to interlochen summer camp for organ. now if i get accepted i would have to fundraise like crazy, cuz its expensive!</p>

<p>I strongly recommend applying in time to possibly obtain a scholarship - Emerson Scholar</p>

<p>There’s pertinent info in these:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/674345-cello-player-what-do.html?highlight=cello[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/674345-cello-player-what-do.html?highlight=cello&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/458455-how-determine-your-childs-ability.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/458455-how-determine-your-childs-ability.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/531161-do-you-have-map.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/531161-do-you-have-map.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Your local AGO is a great source of support/information. Have you considered a POE? Also Oberlin conservatory, Eastman School of Music and Westminster Choir college have summer organ camps that are cheaper than Interlochen - and in some cases give you a chance to “try out” their organ faculty.</p>

<p>I would definitely continue composing and learning music theory, as my daughter’s awards from the AGO have all been based not only on her organ playing, but her very sound knowledge of music theory.</p>

<p>Good luck! Perhaps we’ll meet at a summer POE one day!</p>

<p>so i was accepted into the hs organ division at interlochen. but only with with a 1000 scholarship/aid. so this leaves me with 6000 dollars left to pay. any ideas on how i can make up some money?</p>

<p>Any contact with interlochen will be well worth the investment.
You might ask Admissions - I remember some scholarships that are based on where a student is from - maybe that will help (local support)</p>

<p>I asked my HS chorus teacher today and I will write a letter to a well know donor to our music program as well as numerous other music programs throughout the area. Hopefully this can atleast help me.</p>

<p>I did none of this my freshman year… and I still got into a pretty good program. I’m just saying… overall it’s going to come down to the audition.</p>

<p>I can’t speak specifically about the Organ, that generally is a pretty small discipline, most music schools seem to have only a handful of organ students (on the other hand, probably not a lot of kids go into that, either). For the organ, it would be the same as any other instrument, dedicated , serious practice, finding a good teacher, finding performance opportunities, getting to learn the instrument and its repertoire, music theory and ear training, all will work to your advantage. I would say if you choose the organ, work at it assuming that it is going to be extremely competitive, that there are many kids better then you, and work from that position. Stretch for the highest levels you can, let your teacher know you are seriously thinking about going into music, ask him/her for advice, ask others if you have contact with them. </p>

<p>If you end up choosing piano, know how competitive it is and what is out there. With some instruments you can choose to get serious ‘later’ and do okay, from what I can tell, but with the piano it is important to realize how tough it is and that sooner is better then later. I am not trying to scare you from going into music, only telling you that it is no myth about how competitive it is out there, especially on piano. </p>

<p>Whatever you choose to go into in the end, if music or something else, you are in a good position IMO because you aren’t locked into anything at the stage you are at. I think one of the most valuable things about Interlochen or other relatively ‘serious’ music programs, or dedicating yourself to serious study (long practice sessions, etc) is that it can help tell you the ultimate answer, whether you really want to do this. Keep in mind that as hard as you may be working now, it probably is only a foreshadow of what it will be like if you do pursue music, the work it will take to get your audition ready for music school, the work in music school, the work afterwords to try and get gigs or establish a career…if the work this early on seems like too much, if you find your love of music doesn’t go that far, it may be a sign you shouldn’t head that way. If on the other hand you wake up eager for more, that could be a sign, too, that maybe you do have what it takes. </p>

<p>The nice part, again, is doing it where you are, you are giving yourself the ability to see relatively early if this is what you want to do as a vocation/avocation. I have known a number of kids who decided later on, well past Sophomore year, that they wanted to get serious, and it was much harder on them; I also have known kids who decided to get serious later on, found out it wasn’t what they wanted, and then had to face the uphill trial to figure out what to do…</p>

<p>On top of all that, I would recommend going to music performances, orchestral, chamber, solo, and see what it takes to get out there and play. What makes the difference between a great performance and a so so one? Why does one performance put you to sleep, and another inspire you? What makes for a great solo performer?</p>

<p>A wise man, who chose not to go into music, said something like “if after experiencing music, really getting into it, you wake up in the morning and think “boy, this is the greatest thing going”, even after facing the long hours of (boring) practice, the sometimes unkind cut of critics or teachers, the grind, the competition”, then it probably is for you. If you think “I like music, but you know, this is also interesting, that is also interesting” you may want to think about getting out of it as a vocation…</p>

<p>My last point, whatever you do, don’t think like the world revolves on you getting everything right from this point forward. You are young enough that little you can do will be the end of the world (much as it might seem like it at times) and if you make a misstep chances are it is but a small deviation. One of the things that saddens me about these times is this irrational fear that making a mistake, not doing ‘the right thing’ (whatever the heck that is) or somehow slipping or falling at times is a major disaster, and I see this anxiety in kids in middle school. One of the big things about life is finding your way, and it isn’t a linear process that gets broken the minute a mistake is made or something doesn’t work out. I worked for a company once where the COO went to Juilliard, got a BM and MM, then decided it wasn’t for him; others go the other way.</p>

<p>Sounds like you’re doing all the right things musically.</p>

<p>Be sure to take core academic classes for 4 years, at the highest level you’re capable of, and work to maintain a strong GPA.<br>
This can be critically important in terms of keeping great options open to you.</p>

<p>thanks guys i am going to interlochen this summer!</p>