Have any of y’all ever used a college consultant? I’m looking for someone who has experience not just with music school but also with vocal performance majors. Has anyone on here had good experiences with consultants?
We used a college consultant for a child who had learning disabilities. The consultant helped us figure out what schools would be a good fit for our son and then worked with our son on his applications. So for a regular college application process a consultant might be useful only because they can help you sort out what schools are good academic and social fits for your child. But if your child is applying to a conservatory or conservatory like programs then I think you are better off working with a teacher who has helped other young musicians navigate the college process.
For our son who was a musician he worked with the faculty at the Prep program he attended who were wonderful about helping him organize and sort through the complicated process of pre-screens, auditions and applications.
From what I know of music admissions, I don’t think a consultant would be of much help to be honest. In terms of music admissions it is going to come down to how well prepared the student is for the audition, and in that case you would be a lot better off with a music teacher (private teacher, or someone you pay to give an assessment). Other factors, like trying to find schools with good aid, you likely will find out from the grapevine, on places like here, and that is going to be a matter of how well the kid auditions, and also the school and what tier it is in (lot easier as a high level auditioner at a school slightly lower on the tier of schools then a place like Juilliard where they have so many talented kids to get good merit aid (and many schools do merit aid tied to financial need, in any event).
If you don’t think your own teacher knows enough, then you may want to try and find a high level teacher as a kind of consultant, one who seems to know what is going on, if at the very least to give an idea of how well you are singing/playing.
It’s helpful to have someone guide you in song selection for auditions. When my son was at that stage, he started taking lessons with a college music professor. He also gave him tips about rating methods, how scholarships work, etc.
I think it depends on the situation–in some cases a consultant can be very valuable. We didn’t need one because my daughter had been plugged into the pre-college music world for over a decade by the time she was ready to apply to schools. In addition, I’d spent more years that that (because she was child #3) talking with other parents and generally immersing myself in the pre-conservatory world. But her teacher at the time, although a very fine and high level instructor, did not give her much direction as to where to apply. Her school guidance counselors were completely useless (as expected.) If we had not been so well-prepared, and if I had not been willing to spend countless hours researching, my daughter could not have done this on her own. The info I found for free on CC was sometimes useful and sometimes dead wrong (for us.) It’s never one-size-fits-all. For those not as deeply immersed in this world, it could make sense to use a consultant who really knows the ins and outs of specific conservatories and studios and who is able to assess accurately your level of playing and other details relation to personality and personal preferences. The trick is finding the right person. You need someone who is knowledgeable about your particular discipline and who is qualified and willing to take the time to give you an honest assessment of your potential, and to listen to your needs as a human.
In musical theatre, a consultant is used often and can really help people navigate the system. 5 years ago, we used a coach for acting (to pick the scenes) and got some recommendations on schools…but it was really driven more by us…the coach said mainly yes that makes sense. We just paid hourly for a few sessions. My D tried for both mt and vp.
For vocal performance, it does not seem common. It is really the private voice teacher that plays the role of getting the student ready for auditions. My D also got recommendations on schools from both her private teacher and her hs choir teacher. Still we had to do some digging on our own…and made errors…but in the end it all worked out.
If the current private or hs teacher has not played this role with other students, as other have said it may be wise to reach out to other voice teachers in your area. Maybe just to have a conversation on what they could provide in the area of an assessment and advice (on schools, rep etc). I don’t think it’s necessary to pay big bucks to have them manage the whole process (unless you have big bucks and little time and want that).
In a nut shell, a consultant is not necessary nor gives an edge, but a good voice teacher … priceless.
Just to comment, when I talked about a college consultant, I meant the people who are professional college consultants who help people who want, for example, to get into an elite college, and from what I have seen of them they are like school guidance counsellors, that they don’t know much about music schools or how they work. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek out help, for example a high level music teacher, even if they aren’t your teacher, might be willing to help assess your ability as a musician and give an idea of where you might fit in, issues, etc, sometimes private teachers are helpful with the admissions process, others are not. Again, I was referring to the professional college counselors and their focus is not on music schools (least the ones I know of, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some out there who decide to specialize in music, I still would trust an experience music teacher more)
I have seen it work well for vocalists in several situations. There was one family where the mom and dad had a new business and very little time to research or assist their son - and they had absolutely no background in music. He had ADD and really needed direction and someone to stay on top of the deadlines with him. The consultant helped with the school choices, pre-screening videos, even helped him pick out appropriate topics for his essays. It was much easier for the (boy) to work with a third party rather than his mother. In another situation, the VP wanna be was an honors student and wanted to double major. (She is actually triple majoring now and abroad.) Lots of research and essays. Again, the parents were both doctors and needed help from a time perspective. Third girl - She goes to a performing arts high school and really had no ideas about where to look at schools. Pretty laid back. Counselors are too busy/lazy at the school to help. Parents were all over the place and were driving themselves crazy trying to research every school in the US. The counselor came in and kept all parties organized and focused. She narrowed the school choices by having multiple sessions with the student and by helping her to ask the right questions about what she wanted out of school. She made sure all of the applications were completed and the correct materials provided. She even made all of their audition travel arrangements because the family was going through a difficult time with a sick family member. Again, there was not much communication between the daughter and the parents so the counselor really stepped in to make sure it all happened expeditiously. I am at this school a lot so I get to know these students and parents pretty well. Many of the parents get overwhelmed when their kids say they want to be a VP major; usually because their other child has gone the uncomplicated route - sans spreadsheet.
We did not get a whole lot of help from private teacher(s) who had taught my child for some time.
She was in conservatory prep for a couple of years but we didn’t get immersed in that culture as latecomers.
I am not really sure how we knew which schools were best for her, but in terms of conservatory, we did just seem to know which ones were top tier, second tier and so on, for her discipline. By osmosis?!
We felt that visits were really helpful, and attending concerts at the schools. Researching particular teachers at the various schools, of course. Website information on curriculum, degree requirements, actual courses, and so on. Careers of former students. Thinking about other factors like size, location, “vibe” and, yes, aid.
Finally, applying to schools with a wide range of options helped delay decisions. So for instance, if your child is undecided about college versus conservatory, or single versus double degree (read the essay on the Peabody site entitled “Double Degree Dilemma”), or MT or VP, she can go ahead and apply to all options and decide in late senior year after acceptances come in.
For college choices, as opposed to conservatory, I found a book entitled “Creative Colleges” that had some surprises in it, but the information in a book like that was only useful as a pointer: music departments and conservatories needed to be checked out really deeply.
There are some posters on CC who are willing to help behind the scenes via private message or e-mail. But we are not professionals and, as someone above said, there are times when parents (like me) might be behind the times or incorrect about something, so it is always in your hands and your daughter’s.
If a parent has extensive work responsibilities, or a son or daughter has ADHD or some other issue that complicates the process, a consultant is not a bad idea- for one or two sessions, or taking over the whole thing, depending on your situation.
@compmom:
Agreed it is definitely a YMMV. One of the things I tell people is when getting a private teacher, to try and find one that has an ear to the ground to what is going on out there, what schools are looking for, what musicians are doing and so forth. A lot of teachers IME, for example, seem to lose touch with what is out there, don’t really network and so forth. I’ll give an example, my son’s teacher prior to the one he studied with in pre college was a pretty high level musician, principal with a well known regional orchestra, taught a lot of kids, did a lot of gig work on Broadway, city ballet fill in, etc…yet they were shockingly unknowledgeable about music. They had gone to a high level conservatory, graduated around 1980, and they kind of thought it was like when they went, didn’t know the level of competition, what schools required, the playing level…when he started with his next teacher, it was like getting a cold bucket of water thrown at him (or a chair, I think that teacher watched the movie “Whiplash” and said “he is too easy on his students” lol).
I think my definition of college consultants is those helping kids get into standard schools, like parents trying to get their kids into elite colleges, and I doubted they would be much help with music school, it is a different beast. With music school admissions, having someone who knows the schools, the teachers, what kind of repertoire is effective in auditions, which schools may give better merit aid, which programs have better orchestra programs, etc, is invaluable, and if there is someone out there like that it can really be helpful…I know someone with a talented music student, who was thinking of heading towards a music school in one of the dual degree heavens (ie U Mich, Vandy, etc), whose mom insisted he use a college consultant, and the woman told him that if applying to those schools, he needed to bolster his SAT scores to be in the top N percentiles, needed to take more AP classes, his GPA needed to come up, and that is what mattered, that those stats would be what got him in and the music part was a formality. At first I thought maybe they had told the twit that the kid wanted to do music in school but was looking to get in there academically, but no, they had told her he wanted to go for a BM degree in performance, not a dual degree, , told her several times, and she kept insisting the academics were the key, even told him to perhaps practice less to focus on his academics…the kid asked my son, and my son told him to fire the consultant and his mother…for the record, the kid had pretty solid stats, near 4.0 gpa, had like a 2000 SAT, just didn’t have all the AP’s and EC crap…
My D and I met with a U of Miami recruiting representative at a hotel in our city and he had not a clue how to enter their music or theatre dept. He told her she should really retake the ACT (fall of senior yr - that wasn’t going to happen!). Her numbers were within range but at the lower end. He also suggested she look for some more leadership opportunities. He didn’t seem impressed (only confused) about her music/theater accomplishments. So it’s not only outside consultants that are confused! I will say he was young and maybe it was his first trip. But you really need to talk with the music dept. And btw she was accepted without retaking her ACT and received her largest scholarship (to match their large tuition - haha - it was still pricey in other words).
If you are interested in vocal performance head over to the musical theatre forum. You many want to check out an audition coach – they help you pick music in your range, help with prescreens and hold mock auditions which can be very helpful. Our daughter used one for acting and they were very helpful. Musical Theater College Auditions, or MTCA, can help with questions you may have. mtcollegeauditions.com
@astute12: Do you mean “If you are interested in MT head over to the musical theatre forum…”? My two cents wrt the college consultant: No, you don’t need one. But, as people have said above, students need to know that their repertoire and performance are strong. Beside having a knowledgeable (and up-to-date) teacher, students can also seek input from others such as vocal coaches, local music professors, master classes, local competitions, summer college programs. My daughter received a good amount of input in the summer and early fall leading up to auditions that led her to switch out two of her five pieces due to “may be too difficult for an audition pianist” and “too old” for your voice.
ummm no I meant for vocal performance as well…auditions for college are very different than standard auditions, so a college audition coach can be very helpful. MTCA had several vocal performance kids, one who was accepted to Juilliard.
I share @musicprnt’s sentiment. As far as I can tell, the most important factor (perhaps as large as 90%) is the audition. No college consultant can help with that… Where I can see some value is would be someone who is very well versed in the mechanics/insights of some of the things that needs to be done, such as:
- getting the list of open studios at schools of interest.
- know the best spaces and/or engineers to do the pre-audition recording.
- be able to tell if student is good enough for particular schools (musical insight)
- be able to connect you to students at schools who can give you feedback on the schools
- have connections with faculties at various schools of interest.
However, does such a specialized college consultant exist? It would have to be like a well respected/connected teacher turned consultant.
More than likely, the person helping with this likely would be, as you point out, a high level teacher or someone who has been around the music world for a while. What some were calling a consultant, who would make sure the kid filed the applications on time, if they had special needs/learning disabilities would help them work with the school, and so forth, seems more like a life coach kind of thing…I don’t know of any people calling themselves “college consultants”, the way there are with academic admits, in the music world, there may be some of the professional consultants who know something about music, but I don’t any concentrate on it, too small a niche I would think.
A consultant can be very helpful in the right situations, and more so with VP than with instrumentalists. That’s often because the orchestral instrument players will have been connected through good pre-college programs or top flight summer programs. Not necessarliy so with singers. Those kids start later and their teachers may be in smaller towns or through schools and they may not be as aware of who is teaching where or if a prof is planning on switching schools, which programs are best/safest for undergrads, etc. There is a big learning curve in this area, and again, not all parents are in the same place, nor should they be expected to be. It used to be that you took your kid to their lesson and hung around to listen and find out what was going on; that’s no longer possible for most busy parents. Given the expense involved in the application fees, prescreens (which a lot of schools are doing away with, thankfully, for voice applicants), audition trips and sample lessons, it can make sense to hire someone who knows the ropes if you don’t.
You may know that your tooth needs filling, but you wouldn’t attempt to do it yourself, you call a plumber when that whistling pipe needs repair, go to a transmission shop or hire an electrician …yes, this is a niche market, but it’s out there and there are specialists who know how smooth the way. It’s their job and they do it well, just like you do yours.
I actually do know a couple of consultants who are helpful for prospective music majors, but they are few and far between. It requires a musician who is also knowledgeable and up to date about conservatory faculty and admissions practices. Definitely a niche service.
I don’t think a consultant is really necessary unless you feel like your situation has some specific reason that really calls for one. You can get a lot of quality takes on music schools on this forum and the power of Google is strong. Plus, college consultants are really expensive.
I agree with GH, make sure the person you will be paying is in the music world, hopefully someone familiar with your area of music or even better, has been in it/is in it. One of the things I have learned over the years is even people ‘in the field’ don’t know what is going on (talking private teachers even) now, and academic oriented counselors and whatnot think that music school is like majoring in computer science or engineering, ie academics are the important thing then ‘you study your music’.