<p>3 weeks until DS has his first audition! Even though it's just for music minor/scholarship qualification, I'm starting to freak out! In a way, it's hard to judge how much to prep because it's not a full-blown conservatory audition, but he wants to present himself as a valuable (VERY valuable) addition to the music program.</p>
<p>I’m watching this thread. My DS has his first audition in 3 weeks as well…his is for Music Tech and the audition/interview/testing is all very vague for most of the schools. We have been pleased that he passed the pre-screens, but don’t have any idea what to expect. Good luck.</p>
<p>The student should always be prepared for each audition as if it was the most important day of his/her life. Think about it: those attending an opera on the first day of the run pay just as much as those who attend the last performance and expect the same standard of performance!</p>
<p>Parents, your job is to remain calm and steady as a rock. You can be a wreck inside, but don’t share it because you want your student to remain focused. Take a lot of reading material- this is what Kindles and iPads were created for!- find a seat and act as a sherpa porter, carrying coats, boots and sundry tote bags. Do NOT follow your offspring to the audition room and listen outside the door, please! The hallway will already have students assigned to help and the next couple of kids waiting to play/sing, so it has to be quiet.</p>
<p>There are informational meetings held, some are just for parents, some just for students (and those may be further subdivided into specialties, by instrument, section or voice). Make sure to go to those and pick up any handouts or materials (yet another reason why you are carrying a tote bag), talk to the staff who are circulating and remember that you should also be on your best behavior!
The student should remember that they have “one chance to make a good first impression”, so they should be dressed and groomed properly, shake hands and be polite. Often, during an interview, they will be asked if they have any questions; be prepared with at least one intelligent question and do advance research about each school so they can see that you are interested. When they go in for the audition, they should lead off with the work they feel the most comfortable and which shows their abilities in the best light, the adjudicators will select the second piece. Singers, have your accompaniment copied double side and in order and NOT in plastic sleeves because they slide around. Consider taking along a couple of extra pieces that you have well prepared- sometimes, they will ask to hear something different or want to find out if you are capable of making corrections quickly. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s wise to be ready.</p>
<p>Testing sessions will be for placement purposes, so nothing to worry about on that front. You’ll find that you will see some of the same students and families at your auditions, so be friendly at all times. Parents, enjoy these trips! Those of us who have been through this can tell you that this is a time to have fun and spend some quality time with your daughter or son; explore the areas you’re visiting, find nice restaurants… This is a special time and one you will treasure in the years to come.
Best of Luck to ALL!</p>
<p>ANNE, my son is going for a Recording Industry major. We looked at many types of music tech programs and I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought the process was vague!</p>
<p>D’s first audition (horn) is January 26. Basically one/week through February 21. I’m printing out response #3 from Mezzo’sMama for D and my husband (he’s the one taking her). Very helpful!</p>
<p>Mezzo, thanks for the calming words. My son is always confident and fortunately I have learned to keep my fears to myself, but I have to admit that the whole process is much more overwhelming than I thought! I appreciate the time and thought you put into a response for us “newbies”.</p>
<p>My first audition is January 25th at my second-choice school! I am very very nervous (& excited too)… Tips are much appreciated!</p>
<p>Wonderful wonderful audition tips from one of our CC posters: [A</a> Parents’ Guide to Conservatory Auditions, Part 11: Winter, audition-style](<a href=“http://www.violinist.com/blog/karenrile/20141/15396/]A”>A Parents' Guide to Conservatory Auditions, Part 11: Winter, audition-style)</p>
<p>And I have some additional suggestions based on my son’s experience. Don’t be a stage parent. It will not do your child any good. I have had little involvement in my son’s music career and the only thing DH and I did was drive him to auditions. We never went to any information sessions. We never even walked into the college buildings with our son. But other parents did and the things my son reported were not nice. At one audition he had a dad started talking to him while he was waiting to audition and the dad started telling my son all about all the awards his son had won and what an amazing Double Bass player he was. Our son did not need to hear this before going in to his own audition. </p>
<p>Have fun and enjoy the cities where you are going. If you have never been to NYC there is some amazing theater happening there right now and some plays have $25-$35 tickets available the day of. Your having fun and being relaxed will go a long way toward helping your child relax.</p>
<p>January 18! Too early. lol No it’s fine. I actually wish she had done some early decision.</p>
<p>StacJip, I agree with you that one should not be a stage parent (and yikes, what a piece of work, the parent who tried to psyche your son out before his audition—!) but info sessions for parents can dispense valuable information about deadlines, policies, financial aid, etc. I always tried to go to those if possible (sometimes the timing did not work out.) The other parents are often quite nice (I’ve found) and as for the dysfunctional, narcissistic parents, connecting with them is almost like anthropological fieldwork.</p>
<p>Stacjip, If you had been with your child you could have diverted that annoying parent away from your son or guided your child a few feet away so they didn’t have to engage in conversation with that person. I did sit quietly in the hallway at one school. There was a bench down from the audition room and we were leaving directly after he played. A student who was after him was waiting alone. He approached me and said " I was feeling okay until I heard your son play" His parent wasn’t with him so I assured him he’d be fine and went on to tell him how fantastic, supportive and nice the two professors he was about to play in front of were. This seemed to calm him down. I stepped in when I really shouldn’t have had to. I also think if at all possible students should get out and take lessons or attend camps whenever possible with the professors they are going to audition for. I can say that my son knew the people he was audtioning for and they knew him. It took a lot of the nervousness out of this stressfull situation .</p>
<p>Another vote for attending the parent sessions (some schools put out a really nice spread for breakfast!!) and learning how to avoid the obnoxious “psych out” parent. I clearly remember one who felt compelled to tell me about all of the roles her D had during HS, the relationship D’s current teacher had with the head of the dept at this conservatory and that her D had been “invited” back that evening for a lesson. I didn’t feel it necessary to share my D’s information nor the fact that she too, had been asked if she could return that evening. Fast forward to middle of sophomore year: both girls had enrolled at that conservatory but obnoxious parent’s D ended up dropping out, citing “too much pressure”.
There are always going to be people who play head games. Glassharmonica, do you remember the time when several guys auditioning on viola were claiming that they had “gone to lunch with the head of the department” and that they “were offered full rides”? None of that was true, but it created massive cases of butterflies among others yet to play!
Your offspring may find that she/he encounters some of the same people at various schools during the audition cycle. That’s natural and one of my D’s best friends is a guy she met during her second stop of the season. However, she changed tactics when she auditioned for grad school and for larger roles (and travel) that came with experience: She finds a spot to spread out and puts on her hot pink set of Sol Republic head phones! It’s difficult to converse with someone who is chilling to “It’s Raining Men”!!</p>
<p>I do remember, MM. I also remember some kids bragging of offers of admission right there, on the spot. True or untrue, we’ll never know. Not classy, though. A girl from our neighborhood who was admitted everywhere she applied with a full red carpet (including Curtis, which she ended up turning down), never breathed a word of it to other kids. She was an object lesson on how to behave. Just remember, when people feel compelled to brag, it’s because they feel a need to compensate for a perceived personal inadequacy.</p>
<p>bigdjp,
My son was fine without me and handled the obnoxious dad just fine. Partly because he had had a lot of experience auditioning and playing. He was just shocked that some parent would try to do that. </p>
<p>In my son’s case he specifically requested that my DH or I not be anywhere near him when he auditioned because he found us distracting. The nice part about avoiding the “info sessions” is that you avoid the “marketing” and so when the child (or young adult) has to make a decision it can be their decision and not yours. I am sure I would have subtly tried to steer my son away from his final choice if I had gone to sessions for the other schools because my “first choice” for my son was NOT the school he chose. In the end it was his decision not mine about where he went and now as a second semester sophomore I am happy to say that he made the right choice. I did not understand it at the time, but now I do.</p>
<p>I took the cue from DD when I went with her on auditions. She was not as experienced as others since she had decided quite late to major in voice. If she wanted me outside holding everything then I was there. If she wanted me in another building there is where I went. As she gained experience and confidence it was more often the other building. Most of the time I was nowhere near and she handled herself with those kinds of parents just fine. </p>
<p>For one, however, I was sitting in the hall on the chairs provided since that was the only place to be. The auditioners opened the door and invited me in to the second half of the audition which had become a lesson, too. Very unusual but kind of fun. We had traveled cross country and they were a very kind and welcoming throughout the whole process.</p>
<p>By now, Singersmom07, I am sure that experience makes you wistful for those days. sigh.</p>
<p>For the most part, as I remember it, people were warm and welcoming and the auditioners just as nervous as everyone else. Bragging and outright lying is one way the most insecure deal with the situation. Follow Mezzomamas D’s advice, plonk on headphones and leave them wondering as to who that mysterious kid is. </p>
<p>And remember just keep to yourself—one-up-manship is futile “because the first liar doesnt stand a chance.”</p>
<p>I say attend parent meetings. It gives you the opportunity to ask important questions like financial aid, campus safety, dorm life, etc. while your child focuses on the audition. I also found it helpful to talk to other parents. We are all in the same boat and I have gotten some great tips for where to stay in other cities and what the audition process is like at other schools. If you can go with your child, go. I’m not a stage parent. Like Mezzomom, I carried the tote, had the campus map, I even a fixed zipper for a kid with no parent. My D is calm cool and collected at all times. She had planned to do the first audition on her own, but she is 17 and I had trouble securing a hotel, so I went along. Right before we entered the music building, she teared up and had a moment of panic. I reminded her that she was ready and would rock the audition. She sniffed, smiled and said “I’m so glad you came. Thank you”. My day was made ;)</p>
<p>I was invited into some lessons, too. Not auditions, but after acceptances we traveled around so my daughter could have lessons with prospective teachers she had not met. Unfortunately (for me), I knew my daughter would have been very annoyed if I accepted the invite into the lesson… so I cheerfully declined. </p>
<p>During audition tours I brought a lot of books, paperwork, and other stuff with me (it was before I had a smart phone, which would have been a good distraction.) But I could never concentrate so I either walked around campus or (better) talked to the other parents. I’m just naturally interested in other people and their stories, so it was usually easy to strike up a conversation, and particularly fun when it was the parent of a student in a completely different instrument, or voice, to get a window on their world and their experience. You also learn some good travel tips and other random stuff this way. Not every parent wants to talk, of course, but there are plenty grateful for friendly company and distraction.</p>
<p>Just a note: “keep to yourself” advice is for students. I yammered with other parents but mostly asked about THEIR kids…and yes, you can garner some great advice and information from the experiences of others. </p>
<p>I think it is really important for students to embrace the experience and learn from it. If they plan on pursuing music performance professionally, these auditions are just the first of what may be over a hundred of auditions in their adult lives. Parents on the other hand…enjoy the experience since it will more than likely be your last chance to support your student directly in an audition setting.</p>