<p>We've just finished planning a trip to Oberlin the week of Thanksgiving. For various reasons we felt like we needed to start the college visit train rolling ASAP, DS just got accepted into the Blue Lake International Exchange program and will be spending a big chunk of his summer in Europe, and probably most of his spring break doing an exchange visit with his school's "sister" arts high school in Montreal, so we have limited time and a lot of schools to see. </p>
<p>He's very interested in Oberlin, possibly as a dual degree student, and this will be our first non-local campus visit. We're also planning on going right before Thanksgiving partly because according to the conservatory calendar, there's a performance by the jazz combos at the coffeehouse that Tuesday, and I thought it would be good for DS to hear them. </p>
<p>My question is--is the November of his junior year in HS too early for a sample lesson, class or studio observations, etc? I'm not sure the teacher he wold be interested in having a lesson with will even be around with the holiday looming, (although we can certainly ask), but I have heard people say that admissions people generally aren't interested in talking to HS juniors before the spring, at the earliest, and I'm not sure how much chasing we should do this early. If part of the point of the sample lesson is a kind of pre-audition introduction, do we risk the teacher forgetting who he is by the time he actually auditions? Should we just visit the campus and do the tours and try to fit in a lesson/class observation next fall?</p>
<p>In my opinion you are overthinking the issue. 1) Faculty is not the same as admissions people. A teacher on your son’s instrument who will find him interesting as a HS senior will also probably find him interesting as a HS junior. 2) Who knows if he will have a chance to visit again before auditions. If this is a good time to visit Oberlin, then it’s a good time for a sample lesson. 3) I think the sample lesson is mostly about finding a comfortable fit /intensity level / personality / teaching style between the student and the teacher. I also think it ‘means more’ to the student than to the teacher. 4) I imagine most teachers do actually keep some kind of note about kids they see at sample lessons, however. (Maybe I have an overactive imagination.) 5) The only time I have seen contrary advice to all this is when someone was thinking of having a sample lesson at a time when they had nothing polished to play – because they were in the middle of changing all their technique for a new teacher, or whatever. </p>
<p>So, if this November is a good time for you and your son to travel to Oberlin, and faculty that he is interested in will be around for a sample lesson, then I think it’s a good idea to go for it.</p>
<p>November of junior year is not too early. Contact the teacher before booking your travel arrangements to make sure that he (Marcus Belgrave, I assume, since you mention jazz) will be there and have time for a sample lesson.</p>
<p>Parents weekend is Nov 12-14 so it will be crowded if you choose that weekend. I would suggest you go ahead and make your accommodations because there is not much to choose from in Oberlin. Shurtleff Cottage is right next to campus. You can always cancel if you change your plans. The new jazz facility is beautiful.</p>
<p>We just spent the Labor Day weekend in Montreal for fun, not with any intention to visit a college since my son is just starting his junior year. However, the hotel we picked was right near McGill, so I suggested we stop by and get a tour since it would be so convenient. My son contacted the department to set up a time, stated that he is a HS junior, and they offered to help arrange a lesson for him. He didn’t even ask for a lesson. The lesson ended up being helpful, enjoyable and a positive experience. So, I would say a lesson at this point is perfectly fine.</p>
<p>I won’t go into the reasons why, but my son had his first sample lesson with a teacher at Eastman during spring of his freshman year. He went back for a second lesson in fall of his senior year and ended up studying with that teacher for 4 years. He also did several sample lessons in October of junior year during our district’s fall break. Any time junior year is fine.</p>
<p>We took DD for trial lessons with trumpet profs (Ithaca, Lawrence, and DePaul - couldn’t get one at Northwestern at the time) last Feb/Mar, during her junior year. We’re trying to arrange a couple of more (Maryland, Northwestern, …) before auditions start in January. IMO, the timing of the lessons last winter was perfect for her. It gave her specific areas of focus in the run-up to auditions while she still had plenty of time to progress.</p>