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Music School Admission – How to Get into Music School
High School Preparation
Step One.
When it comes to higher education, prospective music and theater
arts majors have three choices. They can attend a conservatory, try
a large university with a strong performing arts department - or opt
for that happy medium, a university with a conservatory. But there
are stark differences between the three, and this decision is going
to impact not just a student's artistic development, but the kinds
of friends he makes, the non-arts subjects he studies and the way he
spends every moment of every day for the next four years. Big
decision? Yes, but an exciting one too. This breakout on the
differences between types of schools, conservatory vs. university,
can help you decide.
You've chosen the genre - conservatory or college. Now all you have
to do is find a few and attending a performing arts college fair,
such as the free events hosted by the National Association of
College Admissions Counseling, can help that process along.
Representatives from nearly every major university with a strong
performing arts department attend, along with reps from many of the
big conservatories. These fairs are held in major U.S. cities each
fall and spring, and are particularly helpful for high school
sophomores and juniors.
Step Two. Carefully read through
what your schools of choice prefer and emphasize in terms of their
admission policy. Some schools like people who have traveled and
seen the world, other schools are more academically oriented, and
still other schools like you to have taken certain courses even if
they are not listed on their list of prerequisites. In this day and
age of internet access, it should be easy to look up this
information on the internet without having to browse through manual
copies of college catalogues at the student service center.
Thoroughly read their website, including as many related links as
possible. Another angle of this type of exercise that applicants
often neglect is to read the online newsletter for their desired
universities, and type in “music school,” “school of music,” or
“music student” into the site's search engine. It will often bring
up useful clues about the university's music program or music
students.
Step Three. Once you have decided
that you really do want to go into music school and researched
through the pertinent information from music schools on the top of
your wish list, it is at this stage that you can put your creative
energies to use. Think about how you can increase YOUR chances of
getting into music school. Come up with innovative ideas of your
own. Often, the ideas that we come up with on our own, and not by
reading books, become some of the most effective strategies that we
develop. However, it is still imperative that you do purchase and
thoroughly read through perhaps three or four good books on the
topic.
Step Four. Prepare as early as
possible. There is no such thing as too early preparation. If you
suddenly decide to apply to music one year before applications are
due, then you still have some time to work up a good application
(assuming you have all your pre-requisite courses). Ideally, though,
the more time between your decision and the application deadline,
the better chances you will have of getting accepted. One reason for
this is that you will be able to do activities that are more
relevant to what your schools of choice want, as mentioned above.
The advance notice means that in the back of your mind, you are
always thinking about which courses or activities you should engage
in that will make you a more competitive applicant or a better
musician in the future.
Do take the time to decide on the activities that you would like to
engage in, and try to excel in them. Do not try to do too many or
overwhelm yourself with them. You only have 24 hours a day. Try to
use the law of “Conservation of Energy” because if you use up too
much energy these days, you will have much less energy once you do
enter music school or after you graduate from music school, which
will really be your years of arduous effort. Also, as hinted above,
don't forget about your prerequisite courses, as these are usually
quite firm and must be taken by the time stated by the music school.
Step Five. Take any standardized
tests required at the appropriate time. Do not take these tests too
early, as you will be wasting time learning the material by yourself
instead of learning it during your lectures. Also, do not decide to
take it early just because you are afraid that you may not do well
the first time, and may need to repeat it to get a higher score.
Again, that is just wasting your time. Similarly, do not take these
standardized tests too late, or you will have forgotten much of what
you have learned during previous years. Depending on when you apply
to music school, you will have to time when you take your required
standardized exams. The most important thing is to be able to make
the deadline. In summary, do take it before the deadline to make it
for your music schools of choice, but try to take it only when you
are ready for it.
Step Six. Keep your grades
high. In the midst of dealing with your extracurricular activities,
do not forget to keep your grades as high as possible. Yes, it is
true that many people feel that grades are not important
determinants to predicting music success. At the same time, though,
getting high grades does show determination, intelligence, and
willingness to work hard. You can always add an extracurricular
activity, or do something to rectify weak extracurriculars. In
contrast, once you have taken a course, your transcript is basically
set in stone. You can’t change it. That is really the reason to fare
as well as possible with respect to grades. Furthermore, getting
good grades reflects that you have learned what has been taught, and
since you are at school to learn, the better you learn, the better
you will be able to function in society. What you learn may not
directly relate to your future, but it does indirectly help you.
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