University auditions?

[jelly1]

I'm auditioning to a Canadian university as a music major in exactly a year (it's not a highly prestigious school, but has a decent music therapy program which I'm interested in) My audition pieces:

Prelude and Fugue in C Minor - Bach
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor, K. 457 - Mozart
Nocturne in C Sharp Minor - Chopin
La fille aux cheveux de lin - Debussy

Any comments? Is it too simple? I'm willing to work as hard as possible, but the thing I'm most concerned about is the competition. I spoke with a few of the music students at the open house and a lot of them seem pretty advanced. I'm currently working on RCM level 9, if that counts for anything. What exactly do they look for? People say potential (how do they know if a person has potential?), but other people say current ability.

Sorry if this topic is repetitive, but I wanted some more opinions about it. Thank you!

[quantum]

WLU? 

[jelly1]

WLU? 

Yes, that is one of the schools I plan on auditioning for.

[ongaku_oniko]

I think experienced teachers know about potential just by looking at a student and listening to them play a bit.

Grade 9? I'm afraid that's a little low for a music major... I mean I'm not saying you can't get in, but can you survive the practical work?

Then again, if you're at grade 9, don't try to play a harder piece and butcher it at the auditions either. Just be yourself and hope for the best

good luck

[brriker]

I think that's fine for a therapy major.  It might be a little light on technique for a performance major, but even then if you play beautifully I think you would do fine.

[jelly1]

Thanks for the replies! I guess I'll have to work extra hard on the technique portion, unfortunately 

[ongaku_oniko]

I just checked Performance major @ U of T a few days back (I was thinking of double majoring.. then I realized you can't do artsci and music at the same time)


And to audition for performance major you need AT LEAST grade 10 RCME level pieces.

I'm not sure what laurier is like, but I assume it would be around the same difficulty.

[thinkgreenlovepiano]

I just checked Performance major @ U of T a few days back (I was thinking of double majoring.. then I realized you can't do artsci and music at the same time)


And to audition for performance major you need AT LEAST grade 10 RCME level pieces.

I'm not sure what laurier is like, but I assume it would be around the same difficulty.

But I thought she said she was doing music therapy, which probably has different requirements? Not sure.
 I don't know about music therapy, I think for pedagogy audition pieces usually have to be at least gr 9 RCM, at least according to my friend who's done research on majoring in music in Canadian universities.

Anyway, just pick pieces that you can play really well and that highlight your strengths (: Those pieces may not be considered extremely hard, but it is still difficult to play them well.

[ongaku_oniko]

I see, I see. I skipped that part since I never knew such a thing existed.

You have to audition for that? :O:O:O weird major.

Non-performance needs at least RCME gr.8, so you're fine, at least for U of T

[jelly1]

As far as Laurier goes, you enter the program as a performance major, then you apply for music therapy in your second year. I believe they might have changed that so people entering first year go into it right away, but I'm not 100% sure.

[quantum]

Yes, that is one of the schools I plan on auditioning for.

WLU prides themselves in small class sizes and an intimate learning environment.  How this affects the numbers of students they offer admissions I am not sure of. 

I think Grade 9 is probably going to be ok for Music Therapy.  As said previously, it is better to play your pieces well than to make a mess of more advanced music.  Just aim for a more refined performance to make yourself stand out. 

You may also wish to brush up on your theory.  I remember doing a group theory test with all the other applicants at WLU on the day of the audition.  However, that was some time ago. 

[quantum]

I just checked Performance major @ U of T a few days back (I was thinking of double majoring.. then I realized you can't do artsci and music at the same time)


And to audition for performance major you need AT LEAST grade 10 RCME level pieces.

I'm not sure what laurier is like, but I assume it would be around the same difficulty.

U of T is like that.  They are a whole different ball game. 

If you are considering U of T please educate yourself with the ongoing U of T Library scandal.  It is the talk of many Canadian universities.  It doesn't affect the music library that much, but make sure you really want to give your money to an institution that operates in such manner. 

This article just scratches the surface:
https://www.globecampus.ca/in-the-news/article/universitys-library-fee-for-outsiders-outrages-academics/


Back to your question: there are other good schools nearby that will allow you to do such double major work. 

[raisinbrahms]

I graduated with a degree in music from a school in the US three years ago, so I'm not sure how relevant this is, but like quantum, I had to do quite a bit of theory/musicianship for the audition.  There was a written theory test, including dictation, an audition on your own instrument including a fair amount of sightreading on progressively more difficult pieces, playing the bass and singing the soprano of some Bach chorales (and vice versa), and a written harmony test where you had to write and analyze in four part harmony.  A lot of it was for placement in the appropriate musicianship and harmony classes (and the ability to pass out of them  ). 

Good luck!

[quantum]

The placement and musicianship test may happen at different times depending on the school.  (I ended up choosing another university even though I was offered admission at WLU).  We had the private lesson placement and musicianship exemption test the week before classes started.  I passed the musicianship exemption, but opted to take the class anyways. It was a very good decision as we had an excellent teacher, and I got to further develop musicianship skills. 

[jelly1]

The theory stuff raisinbrahms listed (singing Bach chorales??) sounds pretty intense...what level (RCM) of theory would be okay for passing the theory test?

Thanks for the answers so far, you guys have been very helpful

[ongaku_oniko]

Again for U of T, it's not that bad, I think lvl 3 harmony and history and lvl 2 rudiments.

Maybe level 4 harmony, can't remember well.

[quantum]

I'd say RCM Advanced Rudiments as a minimum for the theory test.   Basic harmony would be helpful. 

The musicianship skills such as singing Bach chorales, is something you most likely will study in a musicianship course in your 1st year of uni.  I don't think they will be too hard on you during the audition with musicianship exercises.  Some people already have the ability to do this stuff and wish to exempt the course requirement, thus there is a test for that. 

[raisinbrahms]

The musicianship skills such as singing Bach chorales, is something you most likely will study in a musicianship course in your 1st year of uni.  I don't think they will be too hard on you during the audition with musicianship exercises.  Some people already have the ability to do this stuff and wish to exempt the course requirement, thus there is a test for that. 

Yeah, exactly.  Those were more about getting you out of classes than something you were required to be able to do at the onset.  And by singing chorales, I don't mean in German...more like singing in solfege or numbers on the soprano line while playing the bass line on the piano.  Pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time kind of stuff.   

[jelly1]

I have another question, if you guys don't mind

I started grade 9 in January, and I was hoping to do the exam in August. Crazy idea? It's because I was thinking maybe if I did it sooner I'd have more time to prepare grade 10 pieces instead, as opposed to starting grade 10 in January of 2012. The problem with January is that it's in the same month as school exams, which was problematic for level 8 so I don't want the same situation. I already have one piece from each list, and a bit more, I just need to memorize. Technique, I'm still working on...thanks again for the replies

[ongaku_oniko]

Not crazy at all, what grade are you right now?

I know a lot of people who do grade 8 in around 1 year of study, so if you're going from 8 to 9, 8 months is way more than enough.

The thing is, don't learn any extra pieces that you don't need.

And it'll be hard to get a 90+, but if you want a "decent" 80ish mark, 8 months is plenty

[jelly1]

As in school grade? Grade 11. This is actually quite encouraging, I was expecting people to say no. If anyone else wants to share their opinions, please do so!

[quantum]

For RCM grade 9, it is not unreasonable to have a goal for August.  RCM grade 10 has much more material to work on, and you will probably wish to spend more time with it.