<p>S is in New York and having a couple sample lessons (jazz) - he says jeans, I say kahki's.
Input? Does it matter? How about what to wear on tours?</p>
<p>Just having done a bunch of tours, I would say it doesn’t matter at all. No one seems to be monitoring the appearance of those interested in the school. Now for an interview, many students would up it a notch, but America seems to be pretty casual these days…</p>
<p>Regarding the sample lesson, my humble opinion would be that jeans are fine. Kid’s gotta feel good in his clothes for playing his best, right? Certainly don’t want him to feel uncomfortable. Maybe a new snazzy fashionable pair of jeans?</p>
<p>It may depend on the school, but this is a lesson and this is jazz, so a clean pair of jeans w/ no holes or shreds can look casual and cool w/ some nice shoes. The shirt should also be clean, no logo’d t-shirts that would distract. At Berklee auditions I saw several guys wearing jeans and a few guys wearing jeans w/ a dark t-shirt and jacket, so this is more than dressy enough for a lesson. Since Berklee is more jazz based, this made sense. At a lesson, I think your playing and your ability to work w/ that instructors style will matter a lot more than your clothes.</p>
<p>My S (jazz performance) was in the same boat last year. He wore dark jeans (clean, no holes), tee shirts (ditto), and sneakers. He fit right in with the rest of the crowd!</p>
<p>I agree that a lesson is a much more informal event than an audition and that the dress standards for jazz are more informal than they are in the classical world (i.e. I don’t see a mandatory tux with white shirt etc. code for jazz performers that one sees in most of the classical world at symphony concerts and classical recitals). </p>
<p>However, I would tend to err on the side of caution (unless I knew the instructor and the institution–if the instructor regularly wears ripped jeans and logo t-shirts when instructing–and some do–then I would go with jeans since khakis might send the signal that your son is uptight). Also, how often does your son wear khakis? If often, then I assume he is comfortable in them, but if he rarely wears them, then clothes that he is comfortable in are fine provided they look clean and relatively neat.</p>
<p>Maybe strike a compromise: ask him to take his khakis in a backpack with him and agree to wear them if the visiting student norm looks like khakis are a good idea. Of course, his interpretation of the norm might be different than yours! </p>
<p>As others have said, dress for sample lessons probably matters little, if at all. For campus tours, dress is irrelevant (although I would tend to avoid t-shirts with vulgarities). If by tours, you meant audition tours, then clothes are a somewhat more significant factor.</p>
<p>I was just thinking about this issue for sample lessons in the classical piano field. Do you think nice jeans and a nice button down shirt is appropriate?</p>
<p>…this thread reminds me of a story of a high school kid whose mom insisted that he take khakis with him when he went to visit a school, for an on-location interview (not music related at all). </p>
<p>He hadn’t worn the pants in quite a while, and, altho they fit around his waist, they were very, very, very SHORT!!!</p>
<p>If you are planning to wear something you do not normally wear, try it on beforehand!!</p>
<p>For a classical music sample lesson I would recommend something like a nice pair of pants (Khaki/dockers would probably be fine) and a polo or dress shirt for a male student, and an equally dress equivalent for a girl. Every teacher is different, but keep in mind that a lot of classical teachers can be a bit more traditional and they may see a kid in jeans and a t shirt as an insult, you never know. Some parents go overboard and you see kids coming in in full suits and such, but I don’t think you need to go to that level either. That said, with classical music teachers I would recommend dressing more on the conservative side, a casual teacher with an overdressed student probably won’t care, a more conservative one with a kid in jeans and t shirt might be offended.</p>
<p>With tours, jeans are definitely fine I’d say, but maybe an informal button up shirt. For a sample lesson I would step it up a little bit, my everyday attire is more “dressed up” than anyone I know in high school but that’s just me. But at least a tucked in shirt for a sample lesson</p>
<p>18karat … what did you decide for schools?</p>
<p>For jazz auditions, our son went with black pants (back khakis) with a black button down shirt. Belt, but no tie. Looked good and jazzy without being stuffy.</p>
<p>The same black khakis with a long sleeved black t shirt looks good, too.</p>
<p>For a jazz sample lesson, jeans with no holes, and a shirt with a collar. The jazz world is definitely more casual, so anything more dressed up might be a little stuffy for a lesson.</p>
<p>Love bassmom207’s idea of the “black on black”! I’d always err on the side of caution as you never know who is going to remember what, and you don’t want to have a kid stick in someone’s mind because they look like a hobo!
For classical piano, khakkis and a button-down shirt, open-neck, no tie, is fine. Again, you want them to be remembered for the RIGHT reasons!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone- all the info was taken and S looked put together and comfortable in new dark jeans and a button down shirt. We were both happy and lessons/visits went well.</p>