 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Zain
Date: 2016-06-25 08:17
I am seriously looking into making IU my number one pick school for music performance. I was wondering if anyone out there can give me any advice on the studio, whether they be a graduate or currently enrolled. Any advice on professors? I am leaning towards Eli Eban, but I am not sure how much he is present due to his active career. Any information would be helpful.
I was also curious about applications into these schools. How do I pose a competitive portfolio? I am a fairly accomplished high school clarinetist performing in many college hosted honor ensembles, playing in extracurricular ensembles, and All-State Band (though SC is not a very competitive state, IMHO). What can I do to increase my chances of admission outside of blowing the audition out of the water?
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2016-06-25 08:56
I don't know any specifics about IU since I didn't end up applying there, but I can help with your questions about the applications. (I do have a friend who applied to IU and was admitted, but she's not enrolling there. She may know something about the professors though. If you'd like, I can forward your questions to her.)
The audition is by far the most important part. An impressive résumé definitely helps, but if you played badly at the audition (not that I think you would!) you almost certainly wouldn't be admitted, no matter how good your résumé is.
That being said, it looks like you have plenty of good playing experiences to list. If you've won or placed highly in any competitions or won any music awards, that would be another thing to put on the résumé. Youth orchestra and chamber music experience looks good too, as well as any summer music camps/workshops/masterclasses/etc that you might have done. (You may have counted some of that under "extracurricular ensembles.") Depending on the school, good grades and test scores might help with admission and/or scholarship availability, though the musical stuff matters much more when applying as a music major.
As far as the audition goes: I believe they're looking for current abilities, potential, and a good personality. Obviously you have to play very well already. But they're not looking for perfection; perfect people are auditioning for major orchestras, not for undergrad degrees. They're looking for someone who's established a very good baseline of playing, who's an easy person to work with, and who has a lot of potential for growth over the next 4 years. So just be friendly and polite, show them that you have a great sense of musical phrasing, tone, basic technique, etc., and be willing to make any changes they might ask you to make. (They want to see how adaptable you are.)
I just went through the whole application/audition process this year and was admitted to almost all of my schools, so if you need any more advice, I'd be happy to help!
Post Edited (2016-06-27 11:24)
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Author: Zain
Date: 2016-06-27 10:26
How do you afford an out of state music powerhouse like IU? Who can afford 50K a year to live out there and perform? SC is so barren, but is 200K dollars of potential debt worth an undergraduate degree?
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Author: saxlite
Date: 2016-06-27 10:33
Pardon my ignorance- to which school are you referring as IU?
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2016-06-27 11:17
@Zain, it's possible to receive merit scholarships from some schools, depending on your high school grades and your audition/application. Definitely apply for need-based aid as well (although depending on your financial situation, you may or may not receive a lot — worth a shot though.) At most of the schools I applied to, the need-based/merit aid didn't amount to much, but at my top school I was able to get a full tuition scholarship, so it can be done.
Definitely apply to some less-expensive schools in case IU doesn't work out financially. It's probably not worth it to go way into debt to pursue a music degree, especially if you plan to go to graduate school afterwards.
@saxlite, IU is Indiana University. (Their music school is Jacobs School of Music.)
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2016-06-27 16:44
Quote:
What can I do to increase my chances of admission outside of blowing the audition out of the water?
Go take a lesson with the faculty member you're interested in studying with. Contact them now to arrange something for late summer or November at the latest.
Make a list of specific questions you have for them, for the school, for financial aid, etc...the more organized you are the better the impression you make.
Take the lesson, play to the best of your ability, and show them that you're wiling to be challenged by their instruction. Follow up with more questions about how you/your playing compare and fit in at IU.
I had a student accepted to IU for the fall. They had little say in who they were auditioning for (Howard Klug), and they did not have the opportunity to take a lesson with him well in advance (as I'm suggesting you do). They played two rose etudes (I don't remember which, #11 and #?), schumann Fantasy Pieces Mvt I, Weber Concerto 2 Mvt I, and excerpts from Brahms Symphony 3 Mvt I and Beethoven 6 Mvt I. They were accepted and offered scholarship...but they were going to have to pay the majority of the tuition.
VCU and Michigan also gave him scholarship, and Michigan gave him a lot. So he's going to Michigan.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2016-06-27 16:58
Quote:
But they're not looking for perfection; perfect people are auditioning for major orchestras, not for undergrad degrees. They're looking for someone who's established a very good baseline of playing, who's an easy person to work with, and who has a lot of potential for growth over the next 4 years...So just be friendly and polite, show them that you have a great sense of musical phrasing, tone, basic technique, etc., and be willing to make any changes they might ask you to make. (They want to see how adaptable you are.)
Maxopf's advice is dead on the money. I would add that making a mistake in the audition is an opportunity (at this level) to show composure: do you move forward confidently, or does one mistake become a cascade of mistakes?
Maxopf -- where are you going in the fall?
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2016-06-28 01:04
@Tobin, those are good points. I'm going to USC Thornton, studying with Michele Zukovsky for my 1st year and Yehuda Gilad for my 2nd-4th years.
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2016-06-29 06:57
@David Blumberg: Thank you! I'm really looking forward to studying there.
Jay is your Skype student right? Congratulations to him on his acceptance to Peabody and NYO. I wish I could have applied to NYO, but it wouldn't have worked with my summer schedule.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2016-06-29 16:26
Congratulations Max! Well done!
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2016-07-03 13:34
Michele is cool! You will do well with her. Not too many people can say that they played in a major orchestra at the age of 16 or 17 years old and held the solo position for about 50 plus years, after her dad retired, Mr. Block. Female at that. It just didn't happen. Practice your ass off! If you need anything, give me a call, mouthpieces reeds, repairs, things like that. I was very good friends with Mitchell Lurie who was there for about the same length of time. 50 plus years. Not too many people know this, but Mitchell Lurie surely could have played in a military band during World War 11, but no, be flew bomber planes! Anyway, I do know Michele. We send emails every so often. Kind of cool, she got remarried about a year ago and retired about 6 months ago from the Philharmonic. She's starting a new life! Good for her! She's a blast, sometimes I will get an email from her at 2 AM. A night owl!
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2016-07-05 23:17
Thank you! I went to Michele's final performance with the LA Phil back in December (also my first time seeing the Phil), and she sounded amazing. I also met her for a short lesson last year and she seems like a great teacher. She was also very enthusiastic about Yehuda Gilad's teaching and said that most people study with him first, but I guess his studio is very full so I'm going in reverse order. I'm happy to study with both of them in any order!
I think my current private teacher studied a little with Mitchell Lurie. She mainly studied with Michele Zukovsky and with David Shifrin.
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