how hard it is to get into juliard?

[zemos]

does anyone knows how hard it is to be received to juliard school? what kind of things for example will be good enough and in what standard? and in which age should you be?
if someone really knows' please help me... thanks

[Hmoll]

Suggestions:

- 1) look at the Juilliard Website, there's lots of stuff on their admissions and audition requirements.

- 2) do a search here, there's lots of discussion about Juilliard.

Juilliard is very competitive to get into, but hey, someone has to get it in, right? Also, look at other schools. Juilliard might not be the best fit for you.

[scarbo87]

They accept about 8% of their applicants annualy........

.........but if you have what they are looking for then you will get in

[Antnee]

Wow 8%... now is that just for piano or is that everything??

Bt the way, can someone explain to me what makes julliard so much better of a music school than any other? Faculty, Location, Campus? I'm quite curious...

[scarbo87]

HEY....i've never posted on the same thread more than twice in 20 min!

Anyway, yes 8% for mostly everything. However, one thing you have to keep in mind : Consider the majority of the application pool, who they are and how they can play. All of
us serious pianists wish/hope that all the other applicants
will show up playing fur elise,c maj. prelude and Fuge, etc,etc. Unforunatly, this is not the reality. The reality is, however, that there are a great deal of people who can play perfectly fine, and excellent, as a matter of fact, but
have nothing special or new to express in the works they play.Then there are the very few that can find new ideas, bring new freshess, and summon up total originality in such over played works as Chopin ballades, lizt mephisto valse,etc.etc (By the way...I'm not implying that I'm one of these extraordinary people ) but they are out there and they are the ones getting in.And I think that people who visist and post regularly on places like pf are already  a step ahead, it shows that they (we) care enough about our chosen art to invest time in finding out more about it and meeting others in the same field.

On the other hand, i don't know anything at all This is just what i've heard....(we should get some posts from real julliard students here)

Finally, I don't think it's something that is THAT important.....honesty.I, like 34678765 other ppl on this board, am auditioning there in February.  I mean, for a aspiring concert pianist their ultimate goal should't be to go to Julliard or Curtis, but to be on the stage a lot. You could not go to school at all and still win the Warsaw competition. Argerich ,Kissin,Brendel never went to a well-known conservatory. (and Cortot,being the most famous case, was rejected from the Paris conservatoire). But of course, these institutions are no doubt wonderful places to learn and grow as an artist and many of them , Julliard in particular , have astounding faculties..that is a major advantage.
god what the hell am i doing i just spend the last 10 min posting on piano forum when I could have been practicing and
progressing in the very thing i posted about.....what a paradox!

ahahahahah well!  good luck all .....

[Rach3]

I am not practicing at the moment either... what a coinidence. A whole forum full of people not practicing at the moment... what a paradox.

[Spatula]

All of
us serious pianists wish/hope that all the other applicants
will show up playing fur elise,c maj. prelude and Fuge, etc,etc. Unforunatly, this is not the reality. The reality is, however, that there are a great deal of people who can play perfectly fine, and excellent, as a matter of fact, but
have nothing special or new to express in the works they play.Then there are the very few that can find new ideas, bring new freshess, and summon up total originality in such over played works as Chopin ballades, lizt mephisto valse,etc.etc .....

That's very true.  Even if you could have the technical skills of listz and EXPRESSED your pieces like an average joe practicing down the street including their dog, well then there's nothing special that you can offer..

I guess the real thing is talent here...or the ability to discern how music is.  All of this is REALLY subjective, and from what I know, at the audition, they already judge and put a "bar" on how far you can progress by their estimates.  For example if you did the Appassionata SUPER DUPER DAMMNN well and blew them away, they'll be expecting something good at the program graduation recital, so beware.

The thing is, you can't do a crappy job to make the bar easier because they'll know it.   Basically they want you to improve on something that's next to perfect: your piano playing.  And don't ask me how they do it.  

[thracozaag]

 It's just a school...no more...no less.

koji (STSD)

[Rach3]

True. By the way, it is spelled 'Julliard'.

[thracozaag]

True. By the way, it is spelled 'Julliard'.

 Actually it's Juilliard, but there are two alternate spellings:

j-a-i-l-y-a-r-d

 or

j-u-n-k-y-a-r-d

koji (STSD)

[DarkWind]

Really? Why do you say that? Also, I heard that Josef Hofmann helped found it...

[bernhard]

Because he is stuck there

I believe that Hoffman founded Curtis. (Koji was also stuck there )

[DarkWind]

Oh yes that was right, it was Curtis he found.

[maxy]

They certainly seem to take themselves quite seriously at Julliard...  I once looked at their site... spooky!

[scarbo87]

So, Koji.....Is it really that bad ;

[thracozaag]

So, Koji.....Is it really that bad ;

 It certainly has its evil aspects.

koji (STSD)

[ChristmasCarol]

Two of my most negative experiences around piano happend with Julliard graduates.  I was working on the Warsaw Concerto one summer - I was all of 18.  A Julliard graduate walked into the hall where I was practicing and announced that I had started studying too late to be a concert pianist.  Second experience was with a julliard graduate from whom I took a few weeks of piano instruction.  He insisted that I play the Bach inventions with exact fingering.  I couldn't get past two or three bars.  I said, in exasperation, do you think I'll ever play the piano?  He said, in a flat tone, I don't know.  What a jerk eh?  

I worked for a conductor of a volunteer symphony for a couple of years.  He commented once that "we classical musicans are so anal we can't ever enjoy our music"

Basically I have found that passion and quality can be found in the most amazing places.  I'm sure there are some terrific musicians at Julliard, but you can have the attitude.

[allchopin]

He insisted that I play the Bach inventions with exact fingering.  I couldn't get past two or three bars.  I said, in exasperation, do you think I'll ever play the piano?  He said, in a flat tone, I don't know.  What a jerk eh?

What's wrong with that?  You asked for his opinion, and he gave it to you (actually, he was probably even being a little euphemistic).  

[Motrax]

Julliard, like Steinway, lives on it's reputation more than it's merit. The musicians who come out of Julliard were musicians before they entered Julliard. It's a factory which produces technically efficient machines of the piano.  

Instead of Julliard, try a smaller conservatory, or a university which has a good music program, but isn't a conservatory by itself. It will probably be a much more rewarding experience.

[thracozaag]

Julliard, like Steinway, lives on it's reputation more than it's merit. The musicians who come out of Julliard were musicians before they entered Julliard. It's a factory which produces technically efficient machines of the piano.  

Instead of Julliard, try a smaller conservatory, or a university which has a good music program, but isn't a conservatory by itself. It will probably be a much more rewarding experience.

 Your first statement like all generalizations, should be taken with a large grain of salt.  There are many un-machine-like artists who pass through Juilliard with their indivuality intact.
 I think the overriding concern any student should have upon entering college is the private teacher.  If you like your teacher, go to that school.

koji (STSD)

[bernhard]

  I think the overriding concern any student should have upon entering college is the private teacher.  If you like your teacher, go to that school.

koji (STSD)

This is one of the most excellent pieces of advice I have ever seen in the forum.   I agree, look for the teacher, not the institution.

[min@m]

It really isn't that hard to get into Juilliard.  You need to contact a teacher beforehand and see if the teacher will help you get in.  If you play all the notes with a touch of musicality, you'll probably get in.  The range of pianists that are accepted to Juilliard vary greatly, so it is in a way like any other competition.  The level of some of the pianist I have heard at Juilliard are very questionable.