 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: thechosenone
Date: 2006-03-15 22:28
The audition process for current seniors who are considering music programs is just about finished. I thought it'd be nice to start a thread detailing experiences and so forth, or a chance for people to vent a little. Also, I hope this will help future, younger students who will audition and provide a little perspective on certain schools and what it's like.
I guess it'd be helpful to include where you auditioned, what you played, the overall feel of the campus and teacher, and any other thoughts you might have as well.
Post Edited (2006-03-15 22:29)
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Author: Bradley
Date: 2006-03-15 23:28
I auditioned for:
the Cleveland Institute
the Eastman School
Oberlin's Conservatory
McGill University's Schulich School
University of Florida
For CIM and Eastman I played the Debussy Premiere Rhapsody, the Mozart Clarinet Concerto 1st mvt. and the excerpts from Capriccio Espagnol as well as Beethoven's 6th excerpts for Eastman.
For McGill and UF I played the Debussy and the Mozart 1st Mvt.
For Oberlin I played the Mozart 1st Mvt., the Stravinsky 3 Pieces' 2nd piece and a tiny bit of the Debussy.
For CIM, Eastman and Oberlin it was in the studios of Frank Cohen, Ken Grant and Richard Hawkins respectively and they were the only ones at my audition. For UFlorida it was in a rehearsal room (a regional audition) with three faculty members (viola, trombone and opera- Mr. Estrin was not there), and for McGill it was in the Tanna Schulich Recital Hall in their new music building with an accompanist and Simon Aldridge, Bob Crowley, Alain Desgagne and Michael Dumouchel were there.
The most stereotypical conservatory feel from my list can be experienced at CIM. I loved it there. The campus is not the newest, biggest and brightest, but it has a good atmosphere for learning I thought and they're completing huge renovations in 2007. The area it's in, which I didn't like Cleveland too much itself, is great. People on the street know of Frank Cohen- my taxi driver after a Cleveland Orchestra concert asked "was Sibelius 5 tonight?"...."so was your audition for Frank Cohen?...he's great". That's not the only example. Cleveland had a feeling of "greatness" to me, and I enjoyed that. It's a great school. Mr. Cohen really helped me with the Debussy and he's just an absolutely great musician.
Eastman has by far the most helpful and friendly atmosphere, and great facilities. All the students were anxious to help, the auditions were by far the most organized and the woodwinds in particular I think are a great section there. I heard an Eastman Philharmonia concert and it was just great listening to the woodwinds. Rochester was probably my least favourite location. Who cares about location with a great school like Eastman, right? It's not as dangerous in Rochester as some have had me believe, but it's not too happenin' and not that attractive. No sun would get to me after a while- probably more than the cold in Montreal I will soon get to. Ken Grant is the most energetic teacher I've ever been around I think, and I think almost anyone would do well with him. He's really focused on the important things, things I think are essential in undergrad.
Oberlin I didn't get a great feel for because I was only there for an evening and the day of my audition- I left in the late afternoon to go to Cleveland for my audition at CIM. It saves money and time, but I'm not sure I enjoyed having audition days back to back. Perhaps if it's like MSM and Juilliard, but I had to check out of my B&B and take the bus, train, bus and then car to my hotel in Cleveland. A bit of a hassle in below 0 weather.
Anyway, Oberlin has great practise rooms, great facilities in general and I loved the little downtown Oberlin. It was a nice little 'slice of Americana' to make full use of cliche. People say it's <i>too</i> quaint, but I enjoyed it. It's not run-down or anything, and it's a sort of microcosm that seemed like it would nuture learning. Richard Hawkins I was unable to have a lesson with, but from the audition I felt like I'd be happy to study with him. His studio is very strong, and I'd like to be a part of that if that's meant for me.
McGill is a bit disconnected from the university, but not enough I felt. It just didn't seem like a conservatory as much as the other schools, and coming from the school I go to now, I know that a conservatory is what I want. Other than that, I enjoyed the "live" practise rooms at McGill, and the overall facilities are great. McGill's new music building is really something to marvel at, and I suggest you take a look on their website if you're curious. Bob Crowley is a favourite orchestral musician of mine, and it was great meeting him finally. I took a lesson with Alain Desgagne and it was great. He's someone that has a great handle on teaching fundamentals like Mr. Grant, and I think that's important in undergrad. He helped my Mozart a lot as did Mr. Grant and it's coming in handy now. The studio at McGill I really got to experience a lot because I was in Montreal for 6 days (I love Montreal, so it was a bit of a vacation for me) and several were amazing musicians. The cold on the last night and the morning after that when I was leaving was unbearable. It was a high of -10 I believe. I hated snow after that trip, but only a little.
UFlorida I did not travel to for my audition, but I would reccomend it to anyone applying to schools. Mitchell Estrin is in my opinion the best one can get in a teacher in FL. He's really dedicated to his studio and everyone has tons of great things to say about him. I've spent a fairly good amount of time talking to him, and he's completely honest about everything he says. Not a mean honesty, a refreshing one and I think his studio is a good enough result for anyone to realise what an asset he is. Add that to the fact that UFlorida is quite cheap, and I think you have a great option if you want it. When I was at Eastman Mr. Grant was telling me Estrin was really well liked after the masterclass he gave there by the students.
Bradley
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2006-03-16 00:23
I auditioned at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. I live in the KC area and so it was only about a 25 minute drive from my house.
I had a lesson a couple of months before with Dr. Carl to see her teaching style, meet the students, and sit in on Wind Ensemble. I think this was one of the most important things I could have done. It made me less nervous for my audition and it gave me a feel for the campus. I also attended a clarinet master class/studio class one day during school when Dr. Robert Spring came in.
For my audition, it was just Dr. Carl and I in her studio. She let me sit/stand however I wanted and she told me to play what I was comfortable with and able to wow her with. I started out with a few Rose etudes (a fast and a slow) and then I ended with the Weber 1. I was nervous during the first Rose etude and I messed up a little bit, but the Weber 1 was the best by far out of all of it.
After I played my music, she sat down with me and answered any questions I had and also helped me with my music. She had a very laidback attitude, so it was easy to talk to her and play for her. She didn't seem very judgemental and offered great suggestions for technique.
She told me at my audition that I was accepted, so I'll be at UMKC next year! Also, the caliber of the other students auditioning was advanced and so I know UMKC will be a challenging, yet rewarding education.
The level of her students playing ability is great and impressive. I have heard 6 of them from different levels play in a master class and all of them had great technique, tone, and musicality. I sat in on the lower wind ensemble and even those students can play! The lower wind ensemble is prominently freshman and sophomores, but I was very impressed.
The faculty are very nice and accomadating to incoming students. Another plus is that the School of Education is next door to the Conservatory, which is a plus for Music Education majors.
UMKC is in the heart of Kansas City and so there is a pretty cool city surrounding it. You have the Plaza (outdoor, high class shopping), The Nelson-Akins Art Museum, amusement parks, the Kansas Chiefs football team (KC is hosting the Superbowl in 2015!), the Kansas City Royals baseball team, a new indoor arena football team, and LUYBEN MUSIC just about 5 minutes from campus!!!
Robert Moody from the BBoard also attended UMKC under Dr. Carl, and he claims her to be an extraordinary teacher as well. Maybe he'll chime in sometime and give us an opinion!
Hope this helps! Email me if you have any more questions!
Post Edited (2006-03-16 00:27)
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2006-03-16 03:31
Hey Carrie!
I studied with Larry Maxey at KU, although I was not a music major, I spent quite a bit of time there. Anyway, I spent two years in Lawrence and really enjoyed it. I visited Kansas City a few times and still have friends there. Living in Boston now, I can't say the Chiefs and the Royals are anything exciting once you've experienced the Patriots and the Red Sox
Anyway, bets of luck next year and thank you for the good memories you brought back to me...
-S
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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Author: thechosenone
Date: 2006-03-16 04:32
Ok, since I started this, here's my story.
I auditioned for:
Curtis Institute of Music
I prepared:
Rose Etudes #7 and #18 from the 32 studies, and the 1st mvt of Weber 1, Mozart Concerto. Pretty much required repertoire.
At Curtis, there were around 20 applicants in the clarinet department this year. I believe the 20 were divided into two time blocks, one at 9:45, the other at 12:15, each block containing 10 musicians.
Everyone was required to report to the main lobby (which is the waiting room for all auditions) at either 9:45 or 12:15 - an email told you which block. Upon arriving, each musician walked to the admissions officer. The officer then introduced himself, and basically outlined the procedure, normal small talk. Then he presented a sall tea cup with small folded papers numbered 1-10. We were assured that this method was statistically unbiased (lol, I mean who would complain?), and after a brief moment of hesitation for everyone, someone finally grabbed a number. I picked third, which ended up being #5 and a 10:40 warm-up time and around 11:10 audition time. People who picked near the end received times that were closer to the beginning. For example, the person who picked #1 had to warm-up almost immediately.
My main concern and possible qualm about this is the fact that everyone just sits in the main lobby, draining his/her energy and only increasing his/her anxiety. Fortunately, since my dad drove me there, I was able to drive to a nearby park and warm-up for about fifteen minutes, which I'm sure came in handy later.
So, lesson #1: never, ever, simply sit and wait. It wastes energy and only builds negative stress. Really try and find anything to do, even just talking and meeting your fellow musicians. And if you have the transportation resources, just take your clarinet and play on the street if you have to.
I came back, and I was scheduled to warm up immediately. The warm-up room is about three flights of stairs from the main floor. The walls aren't 100% soundproof, so it was possible to hear other players somewhat, but I wasn't concerned with that.
Lesson #2: it doesn't matter how others play. Focus on yourself. (Almost like a duh statement, but just for reiteration)
I warmed up with long tones primarily, didn't really do a scale regimen, maybe ran through my etudes once, ran through beginning up to end of cadenza for Weber, and ironed up some uneven spots in the etudes. Practiced slow, syncopated rhythms, that sort of method. However, the aspect of long tones is most useful in my opinion, becasue when a wind player becomes nervous, the most negative impact is when the player develops an abberent airstream and suffers hyperventilation. When this happens, everything else follows (in a bad way).
Lesson #3: Your air is the most important aspect of yoru playing. When you are nervous, it is natural to breathe faster, like you have ran wind sprints. Therefore, it is essential to practice breath/air control.
I finally got called to wait outside of the room, where there was an usher. Again, do not simply wait there and pretend to stare at the color of the walls, do something that will take your attention from the audition! I found that speaking with the usher, who was a fourth-year harpist, really distracted me and calmed me down.
I'm up. I walk in.
In front of me sits "The Don," along with his studio, in a well-lighted room, more reminiscent of a mansion bedroom than a classroom. He greets me, and I greet him back. (Note: this is also extremely important)
Play in whatever positon is comfortable for you. I chose to sit for my etudes and stand for my Weber. Also, be sure to run through your program in all sorts of different order, as the order in which you play them in your audition could be difficult. He caught me off guard when he asked for the fast etude first (I ALWAYS played the slow one before the fast one).
Nonetheless, I played it satisfactorily. This was not a passive audition. During both of these etudes, he was very active, and frequently walked up to me and asked me to play it slightly differently. He correted tempi immediately whenever he felt it was too slow/fast, usually after a few measures, and expected you to carry his asked changes throughout. It is also important to trust your instrument and your technique and really communicate the music.
Then came sightreading. Definitely don't play too fast, it's more important to hit all the right notes. One of the key aspects he looks for in applicants is intelligence, and you wouldn't seem very intelligent if you played a rapid sixteenth note passage with 50% accuracy. I played with a very conservative tempo, emphasizing evenness and musicality.
Intelligence is also measured through he changes he asks you to make. If you are able to immediately able to respond to what he is saying, it is a big plus. However, if you cannot adjust, it will hurt you. If you don't understand, simply tell him. He's one of the nicest/funny in a unique way people I've ever met. Oh and by the way, although he is probably nearing his 80's, he looks and has the energy of 60's. One fellow applicant commented he looked in the 50's.
When people always ask what kind of qualities a candidate should have, he really values (knowing this, having studied with him somewhat for a year) tone, musicality, rhythm, intonation, technique, intelligence. Therefore, it would probably not be in one's best interest to perform the Nielsen, rather than an extremely musical performance of say, the Fantasy Pieces.
Callbacks were at 2:30, at which time we would be told the names of the 5 finalists who would play the Mozart Clarinet Concerto.
I went to eat at a familiar restaurant (to me, that's comfort food), then I drove to a music school where I could practice. This is where commuting to Philadelphia regularly kind of has its advantages. I didn't think I made the finals, nor was I expecting to, but I had nothing better to do, so I just practiced the Mozart at Settlement.
At 2:30 I came back.
They're running behind...
So I talked with a few people I met over the summer, asked them how they were doing, chatted for a while.
Finally finals list came out abotu 3:15. You could just feel the nervousness and anxiety as the admissions officer brings out the list from upstairs. Everyone (musicians, parents) gathers around him, waiting...
Luckily, he gets right into it. No "You are all excellent musicians speech," which I'm sure is absolutely true - he just starts calling out names.
I was absolutely shocked and thrilled to hear my name on that list. Nothing could have prepared me for that moment.
I barely had any time to reflect on the significance of what had just happened when it was my turn to warm up. I had about ten minutes to warm up, but this time I was much more distracted. The 1st round I was much more nonchalant, having pretty accepted the fact that I had no chance of being accepted anyway, and I was auditioning here to have the experience.
But this time, it was the real deal, and I really felt the heat. My warm-up wasn't the best in terms of being 100% focused, but it was adequate.
This roudn is videotaped. I played the exposition of 1st mvt, abotu half of 2nd, and some of third. Again, he made some comments and asked me to play again and make the adjustments.
At the end, he said "very good," so that is an encouraging sign, without a doubt.
I have no idea when I will find out, but I give my cell phone a extra attention every day, hoping for that call. This whole audition had exceeded my wildest dreams. Everyone there was truly an amazing musician, and it was great to feel surrounded by those people that share your passion. Curtis is a excellent school, not because it's "Curtis," but because of the endless opportunities you will find yourself immersed in if you are so lucky to be selected.
Ok, I hope this gives everyone an idea of what it's like to audition at Curtis.
Post Edited (2006-07-20 04:20)
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Author: Iacuras
Date: 2006-03-16 04:56
Bradley,
The only bad thing about UF is it's almost impossible to get into for out of state kids. Only 4% of the univesity is out of state. I would love to go to UF, and it is one of the places i'm going to audition for, but I going to have to rely on getting a music scholarship to get in. My brother was the oustanding male student the class of '97 at UF, and he was barely accepted (he had a 4.0 and somewhere around a 1400 SAT score).
Steve
"If a pretty poster and a cute saying are all it takes to motivate you, you probably have a very easy job. The kind robots will be doing soon."
"If you can't learn to do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly."
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Author: ajhogan
Date: 2006-03-16 10:14
I applied to seven schools in this order:
Eastman School of Music
UCLA
U. of Michigan
Peabody Conservatory
Cleveland Institute of Music
Boston Conservatory
San Francisco Conservatory
Eastman was at the regional site in Los Angles at the Colburn School of Music. The warm up rooms were two floors below the audition room. I got nervous as I started to warm up, but once I started getting into my playing I became relaxed. I had to remember to take deep breaths and focus. I played Etudes #1 and #2 from Rose 32, Saint-Saens Sonata mvt. 1, Mozart Concerto mvt. 1, and Borodin's Dances from "Prince Igor". The audition was much more casual than I had dreamt up. I walked in and there was one person and a videotape. He greeted me at the door, and we walked in together. I gave a list of what I was playing and he chose the order of my pieces. He let my have a minute or two break between each piece which was very nice. After I finished we talked about where I was from and the typical "Do you have any questions about us?" question.
UCLA was three weeks later so I had time to grow from my experience for Eastman as well as work on my pieces. For this audition I went to UCLA. First thing is that it is one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen. I was there over the summer for a music camp, and was able to get a lesson with Gary Grey. My lesson was only about 20 minutes long and I would have liked to have a longer lesson, but I took what I could. The audition was four of the five woodwind professors, saxophone, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. The audition was pretty loose. I walked in and Gary Grey walked up to me and said nice to see you again. For this audition I played Mozart 1 mvt. and Saint-Saens 1 mvt. I played better than my Eastman audition, and when it was finished same question were asked I left. There was no coaching or anything like that.
Next week I had a regional audition for U. of Michigan also in Los Angeles, however this audition in an underground, quasi recital room that was connected to a Steinway piano store. The audition were tightly squeezed in all day, and I was forced to warm up in the parking garage. In the audition I played Rose #1, Mozart, and Saint-Saens, and the audition was not good. I was not focused enough, and it came out with lacking air pressure in a few places and some wring notes. This regional audition was one lady and there audio recording, but not video.
For Peabody Conservatory, I wasn't scheduled for the regional auditions, and since I could not afford to fly to Baltimore I sent in a tape.
The next weekend I did end up flying to Cleveland by myself which was quite an experience. This audition was nice and like Bradley said it was just Frank Cohen in his studio. This was the first audition where I was actually coached, and I really liked it. He gave some good pointers on the pieces I played. He commented on my finger movement being very fluent and natural. I really got a lot out of his comments, and thought he was a very good teacher. The campus was pretty much your typical conservatory setting. I live right outside of San Francisco so I had never experienced that kind of cold, but I enjoyed it.
The next weekend I had my Boston Conservatory audition in Los Angeles also at Colburn. This audition was very relaxed and there were two people in the audition room.
Finally I had my final audition the week later in San Francisco which is about a 20 minute drive from where I live, so it was nice to not have to fly. The audition went well. Warmed up in the practice rooms which were definitely not sound proof. Across the hall I heard a graduate student tearing through Stravinsky Three Pieces. My audition was again informal, and it was Luis Baez who had been teaching at the Conservatory for at least a few years, and Ben Freimuth who I believe is David Breeden's replacement at the Conservatory. Both of them play with the San Francisco Symphony. Later that day, I went to the new building that they are moving into next year, and it will be amazing. They are doubling their square footage, and will be two blocks from Davies Symphony Hall. If anyone is interested in finding out more information you can go to the website.
My auditions went well, and it certainly was an invaluable experience. One of the things that I wish I could have done was actually see the schools, meet the students, and most importantly the faculty. I got so much out of going to Cleveland and UCLA that it was definitely worth it.
Austin
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2006-03-16 13:16
What a splendid thread! Kudos and good fortune to all of the contributers!
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Author: Tyler
Date: 2006-03-16 18:16
I auditioned at Oklahoma University, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and Kansas University. At all three auditions I felt very welcomed and comfortable. At all three, there was the clarinet professor of that school as well as one other member of the music faculty present in the audition room (either the clarinet professor's office or a classroom). Each audition only lasted about 5-10 minutes. I must say I felt that the audition in Nebraska felt the most "formal" and the audition in Oklahoma felt the most "familiar" or "non-formal". All three of these professors, at their respective schools, were very kind and supportive.
All future college-auditionees just keep in mind that, if the school is even worth your time, the music faculty will do everything they can to make you feel comfortable in your audition. They WANT you to play well, and they often WANT you to go to school there. They may put a little pressure on you by asking difficult passages, (usually you'll know what to play in advance of course), but they all understand that you are (probably) a high school student and they want to see you reaching upward to a higher level of playing---if all that made any sense at all.
Anyway, just don't be afraid of the "make-it or break-it moment" because there's more to it than that. To help ease nerves, play for a lot of different people before your audition. Your band directors, your family, your friends, other teachers, anyone.
FWIW
-Tyler
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2006-03-16 21:33
Sylvain-
Dr. Maxey is a great teacher as well! I went to Prairie Wind Fest at KU this year and we did a clarinet choir (Mozart Adagio for Strings transcribed for clarinet choir), a clarinet class over the intricacies of the clarinet, and also a clarinet masterclass. He is well knowledged, nice, and his students can really play! We also split into 2 Wind Ensembles and played challenging, yet rewarding music (Holst Suite for Military Band, Dance of the Jesters, Via Lucis, Sleep, and the Star Spangled Banner). Did you play in Wind Ensemble under Dr. Lynch? He is an amazing conductor!
The Chiefs and Royals are poor teams right now. Some years they are pretty good, but they are mostly OK. I bet the Patriots and the Red Sox would be cool to watch in Boston!
Glad I could bring some memories back to you of good 'ol KC! Have a good day!
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