Preparing for Music School: Advice From Experts (Part 3)
Hodis Learning & Music brass instructor, Alex, shares insights on the music school admissions. Alex earned his B.M. in Trumpet Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
What goes into preparing for music school auditions and applications?
Preparing for music school auditions is a unique experience. Learning the music for the audition is not enough. The student needs to constantly work to improve their overall musical skills so that their baseline level of performance is higher, rather than simply being good at playing the pieces asked of them.
I think a lot of students get caught up in trying to learn the music they are asked to perform extremely thoroughly, but forget that most of their performance will depend on their overall level of musicianship rather than just the audition preparation.
How can you specifically help students prepare for music school auditions? Can you help with the application itself?
I can certainly help students applying to music schools, and could give advice on the application part. I can help students applying to music school by not only helping them break down each specific piece and tackling the challenges that come with them, but also by continually pushing them to improve their overall musicianship and craft.
What advice would you give those applying to music programs?
The best advice I can give students applying to music school is to understand that you will get out of it what you put into it. No school is going to guarantee success or failure with music, and most of your career will not be spent in music school. So, try to use the time there as an opportunity to learn and collaborate and soak up as much as you can because you will be using that information for a very long time.
I would also suggest not worrying too much about feeling that you are not good enough, or that others are better than you, but instead focus on what you think you need to improve on and create a long-term plan for getting there. It is much more important to trust the process and keep trying to be creative, rather than just trying to compete with others.
Are you planning on applying to music school? Schedule your first session with Alex today!
More about Alex:
Drew is Hodis Learning & Music’s Founder and President. He has been tutoring and teaching music for more than 12 years. Drew earned his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Southern California and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Adelphi University.