The Rejoice thread

[Burning Down]

Originally Posted by Odyshape

Where are you going to school?

Right now, McMaster in Hamilton, ON. Working on my Bachelor's degree in Music. After that, I'm not sure yet. I still have another year or so yet to go. I want to be a music teacher in the school system, so I'm thinking about the teaching programs offered at Queen's U in Kingston (first choice, and you're almost guaranteed a job at a school in Kingston or Trenton), Toronto, Nipissing (which is super far north in Ontario, middle of nowhere, but I'll take what I can get), and a couple of other schools. I'm also considering moving out of Ontario altogether, possibly to attend grad school in Manitoba (U of Manitoba) or Alberta.

[Dr_Rez]

Originally Posted by Burning Down

Right now, McMaster in Hamilton, ON. Working on my Bachelor's degree in Music. After that, I'm not sure yet. I still have another year or so yet to go. I want to be a music teacher in the school system, so I'm thinking about the teaching programs offered at Queen's U in Kingston (first choice, and you're almost guaranteed a job at a school in Kingston or Trenton), Toronto, Nipissing (which is super far north in Ontario, middle of nowhere, but I'll take what I can get), and a couple of other schools. I'm also considering moving out of Ontario altogether, possibly to attend grad school in Manitoba (U of Manitoba) or Alberta.

What major within music? Also how was the audition?

[Burning Down]

Originally Posted by RezZ

What major within music? Also how was the audition?

Concentration on music education. I did six auditions for six different schools, but the requirements for the auditions were generally the same for each school. Two of them had to be on DVD because I lived too far away to go in person. I played flute for all my auditions, and they all wanted me to play 4 pieces with a piano accompanist. One 20th century piece, one Romantic piece, one Classical piece, and one Baroque piece. I played the same pieces for every audition.

Two schools wanted the pieces played from memory and I only had about a month to memorize all of them, from the time they told me what I had to play to the actual audition date (mid January to beginning of March '08. My last audition was in mid April '08). Oh, and I was preparing for these auditions while finishing up high school.

On top of all those pieces, for the 4 auditions I did in person, I had to play them 3 different major scales, minor scales, and a mode (lucky me, I had to play a Locrian mode for three of them ) - all chosen at random by the judges and each one had to be two octaves. And I had to play a simpler piece of music that I had never seen before (sight reading). I lucked out on one audition for that portion, as I had already played the piece they chose for a talent show at school.

I also had to write an exam for the in-person auditions. Those took about 45 minutes to an hour each, and I basically had to spit out all the music theory I learned over the course of my schooling, including some jazz harmony (which I aced as I had played jazz guitar all throughout high school). And then there was the ear training portion - one of the judges played different chords and intervals on the piano and all I had to do was identify the quality of the chord or interval (so major, minor, perfect, diminished, augmented, seventh, tritone, etc).

I also had to do an interview for each school. That was the hardest part, because it's more intense than your average job interview. Each school's music department has a reputation that they want to uphold, and so the interview is really the only way they can evaluate if you'll be a student who can help uphold the department's reputation.

That's basically how the auditions went. I got accepted to 4 of the six schools I applied to. For once in my life, I felt like I actually accomplished something.

Based on what my friends and fellow students have told me, flute is one of the easiest instruments to audition on, followed by clarinet and all the saxophones. Guitar and piano are the hardest, generally, because they require that you have some formal classical training (even if you apply to a jazz program for either one!), and they are looking at minute things like the correct finger and hand positions, where you place your fingers on the frets or keys, finger picking on the guitar - stuff like that.

It all sounds really intense but if one prepares well for the audition, it'll go smoothly.

Edit: Most schools in the US also have the same audition requirements and process. I applied to two American schools for music - DePaul in Chicago (my cousin just started her freshman year in September there as a piano major), and Julliard (really just for kicks - I got as far as sending them my DVD audition, and of course they wanted everything memorized).

[Odyshape]

Originally Posted by Burning Down

Concentration on music education. I did six auditions for six different schools, but the requirements for the auditions were generally the same for each school. Two of them had to be on DVD because I lived too far away to go in person. I played flute for all my auditions, and they all wanted me to play 4 pieces with a piano accompanist. One 20th century piece, one Romantic piece, one Classical piece, and one Baroque piece. I played the same pieces for every audition.

Two schools wanted the pieces played from memory and I only had about a month to memorize all of them, from the time they told me what I had to play to the actual audition date (mid January to beginning of March '08. My last audition was in mid April '08). Oh, and I was preparing for these auditions while finishing up high school.

On top of all those pieces, for the 4 auditions I did in person, I had to play them 3 different major scales, minor scales, and a mode (lucky me, I had to play a Locrian mode for three of them ) - all chosen at random by the judges and each one had to be two octaves. And I had to play a simpler piece of music that I had never seen before (sight reading). I lucked out on one audition for that portion, as I had already played the piece they chose for a talent show at school.

I also had to write an exam for the in-person auditions. Those took about 45 minutes to an hour each, and I basically had to spit out all the music theory I learned over the course of my schooling, including some jazz harmony (which I aced as I had played jazz guitar all throughout high school). And then there was the ear training portion - one of the judges played different chords and intervals on the piano and all I had to do was identify the quality of the chord or interval (so major, minor, perfect, diminished, augmented, seventh, tritone, etc).

I also had to do an interview for each school. That was the hardest part, because it's more intense than your average job interview. Each school's music department has a reputation that they want to uphold, and so the interview is really the only way they can evaluate if you'll be a student who can help uphold the department's reputation.

That's basically how the auditions went. I got accepted to 4 of the six schools I applied to. For once in my life, I felt like I actually accomplished something.

Based on what my friends and fellow students have told me, flute is one of the easiest instruments to audition on, followed by clarinet and all the saxophones. Guitar and piano are the hardest, generally, because they require that you have some formal classical training (even if you apply to a jazz program for either one!), and they are looking at minute things like the correct finger and hand positions, where you place your fingers on the frets or keys, finger picking on the guitar - stuff like that.

It all sounds really intense but if one prepares well for the audition, it'll go smoothly.

Edit: Most schools in the US also have the same audition requirements and process. I applied to two American schools for music - DePaul in Chicago (my cousin just started her freshman year in September there as a piano major), and Julliard (really just for kicks - I got as far as sending them my DVD audition, and of course they wanted everything memorized).

You're awesome. Too awesome.

[Burning Down]

Originally Posted by Odyshape

You're awesome. Too awesome.

If you actually read that whole post, I commend you - you're awesome.

Thanks.

I can't wait until I'm out of school for good, and in the real world. Actually I won't get away from it because I want to teach, but school will be so much better when I'm the one standing at the front of the class and getting paid to be there

[Odyshape]

Originally Posted by Burning Down

If you actually read that whole post, I commend you - you're awesome.

Thanks.

I can't wait until I'm out of school for good, and in the real world. Actually I won't get away from it because I want to teach, but school will be so much better when I'm the one standing at the front of the class and getting paid to be there

Its funny you should mention that. I usually don't read long posts and near the bottom I was like was thinking about how much time this would have taken to write and then felt bad for all the times I neglected to read longer posts hehe.

You're lucky you know what you want so soon! I have changed my major already and I am not even done my first year! I just feel like there is so many things I could be interested in and have really no clue at what I could be good at and have been taking some more courses I wouldn't usually consider.

Like I am taking a computer science course right now and think that could be really interesting. It is funny though its not even the working with programming and that business that seems interesting but the methodological process of breaking down extreme complexity into a simplistic digestible pieces. Like I always thought programming was the most crazy out there thing on the planet so it is exciting to maybe clear some of that up.

I guess what I am trying to say is my interests behind some of my classes seem to not always tie to what specifically they are about but it implies to be able to be successful in them. Like shifting my perspective from being "programming is a 100% complete mystery" to actually being able to do something with it (although my course starts off with some basics and only near the last half do we work with python) seems to be the most interesting part.

I also wanna try acting.... I WISH I WAS WHERE YOU WHERE... but this is still pretty fun too

[ThePhanastasio]

My acquaintance has a show that's being pimped nonstop by NBC. I really hope she does well.

[Frownland]

I nailed a scholarship interview with The King's College today, and I've met a few people who got full rides from a good interview. Can't wait to hear back from them!

[ribbons]

My daughter just called to say that her flight back to college has landed. First it was delayed due to bad weather, then delayed further because of an argument (!?) between the captain and first officer (captain refused to fly with him for some reason, and they had to get a new first officer on board). Anyway, I'm glad she made it there safely. And I'm rejoicing because she's doing very well and loves her school.

[Howard the Duck]

Originally Posted by Frownland

I nailed a scholarship interview with The King's College today, and I've met a few people who got full rides from a good interview. Can't wait to hear back from them!

i was accepted by King's College actually for law, but no scholarship

couldn't afford it

as for me - Chinese New Year is very near