So, you want to go to grad school…
+ Why do you want to go to grad school?
I do not have a reason for going to grad school.
I should go right on after undergrad because I don’t know what else to do if i’m not in school.
If I don’t go to grad school, I won’t have anywhere to practice.
If you answer resembles the above, discontinue your search and explore other opportunities, such as
finding a full-time job
teaching private lessons
creating your own performance group, etc.
You should have a clear, motivating reason. If you do not, I strongly recommend taking a year or two off. That’s what I did!
If you are serious about the study of music and want to refine your skills and knowledge with new teachers, strengthen your weaknesses and/or you have intention of pursuing a doctoral degree (i.e. you want to seriously pursue teaching at a university), then you should definitely audition for MM programs! Keep reading below!
Disclaimer: My Own Experience
Not taking into consideration any personal details about you, I would recommend taking at least a year off in-between undergrad and graduate school. Of course this isn’t for everyone, but that year (or two) off can offer you a chance to readdress why you are going to a graduate program, and also get some “real-world” experience. I absolutely still have resounding ripple effects from activities and projects I started in my two years off. Don’t discount taking a year (or two, in my opinion) off!
+ What are my Masters degree options?
Master of Music in Performance
- This degree is for people who are looking to refine their playing abilities. Getting a degree in performance does not eliminate you from teaching. My degrees are all in performance and look where I ended up!
Master of Music in Education
Master of Science in Music Education
- These degrees will allow you to be certified to teach in the state where you acquire the degrees (and other states that accept that certification). If you want a full-time job in K-12 education, these are the degrees for you. You do not need these degrees to teach at the collegiate level.
P.S. The difference in these two degrees for Ithaca College is: MM candidates must have all their credits in the area of music, while MS candidates must have 6 credits in the area of graduate level education classes.
Master of Arts
- Many times the M.A. degree is a most scholarly-based degree and may be associated with a theory or musicology degree. Sometimes a school may not even offer a M.A. - it is advised to look at the school’s website to confirm your options.
(if there are others, please let me know and I will add it/them here)
+ What is my timeline?
- 2 years out, summer:
- Decide whether you want to go to grad school or not
- Research schools and start to reach out to professors to make connections and ask friends about their suggestions. Roughly decide on repertoire (see below)
- begin to work on repertoire slowly and methodically
- make contact, have lessons
- 1 year out, fall:
- fill out applications
- take sample lessons
- plan to do many recitals that includes your repertoire
- I’d plan to play your repertoire about 20 times in front of people, all on different instruments and different environments, if possible
- record pre-screening videos, if applicable.
- 1 year out, winter:
- mock auditions
- book travel, accommodations
- write to school about any logistical issues or special requests you have for audition day.
- 6 months out
- audition!
- April 1
- You will have heard decisions by this point. Sit in front of that spreadsheet, have talks with those close to you and friends
- Try to make a decision by the middle of the month and live with that decision for a few weeks.
- May 1
- send your acceptance letter to the school
- contact your future teacher and start the open line of communication
- contact the other schools you auditioned at and kindly let them know you won’t be attending their school.
- Summer before
- plan travel, if necessary
- pack
- practice SO MUCH
+ Which schools should I audition at?
If you have spent four years at your current undergrad, then I strongly encourage you to apply somewhere else. Part of the MM experience is to get a different (and, if you’re lucky, conflicting) view on performance style and repertoire while interacting with new colleagues, a new city, new systems for doing things, and basically new everything else.
Unfortunately I cannot help you know what is the school for you. However, you definitely should do several (several!) hours of research on your own, talk with faculty, talk with current students, alumni, anyone who will listen.
+ Researching the new school
I strongly recommend using a table/spreadsheet for:
- Brainstorming and researching all the available schools
- Investigating and documenting important qualities to you
- Comparing all the different qualities
- Narrowing down your list
- Using it to formulate your final decision
Feel free to download an excel doc that I made up for this purpose (at the top of the page). Of course, you should feel free to edit this document to fit your personal priorities.
How I think you’ll use this document
(it will kind of be like a Final Four Bracket):
- Brain dump - go through every state and write down at least the name of the school and the teacher there. You should have at least one school down in each of the 50 US States. I didn’t make tabs for international locations, but please copy, paste and add those for Canada, Europe, etc.
- Make your first educated decisions. Maybe your first choice will be based on faculty or location or…? Your list will probably end up being around 20-25 schools
- From here, I would add all of your selected schools to the “Mike’s Picks” tab (you absolutely should put your own name there, even if it is “Mike”.
- Then really dig in the research on these schools with the intent of narrowing it down to around 5-8 schools. This will probably include website research, calling or emailing people, checking out activity on social media pages, YouTube, etc.
- With this 5-8-school list, you will want to contact the faculty member, arrange to get on campus, experience the schools and do the full experience. This is where you will be taking copious notes in your spreadsheet about everything. Do this visit during the year on a “school day” to get the best info. (See below for what to do on school visits)
- Your final list should be around 5 schools. Nobody wants to be running around to 8 schools during winter. Use careful thought and discipline to narrow these choices. You want options but not so many that a decision seems overwhelming.
- These (up to 5) schools will be the ones that receive an application and you prepare the audition. I would definitely take another sample lesson at this point, even if you have to travel there and pay for the lesson. Zoom is a thing now too, btw.
- After your audition experience, keep your spreadsheet up to date and accurate with all of your thoughts and impressions.
- Once the decisions all come in, you have some serious thinking and prioritizing to do with yourself and those close to you. Use this spreadsheet this whole time to compare apples to apples. You will have to answer the question of what are your priorities in grad school and what are the priorities of the schools you hope to attend. Yup.
- The final step should include visualization. Can you picture yourself at these schools. Really do this! Sit and close your eyes and think about your life as a student there, in that city, at that school, with those people. This sometimes can be a dealbreaker!
- Sign the paper, call the faculty member (calling is still a thing), and politely let the non-chosen schools know as soon as you have made a decision. It’s difficult but professional.
- Keep connecting with the faculty member in the spring and summer to make sure you’re on their radar and that you are preparing adequately for the fall.
Strong recommendation: Keep an open mind - you really don’t know what your #1 school choice is until the end of this long process!
+ What do I do/ask/say at the campus visit?
During campus visit, get info on the following (and log on the spreadsheet!)
- Your impressions of the city
- Your impressions of the campus
- Possible options to live (i.e. would you have to live 5 miles away, could you live on campus, etc.)
- Faculty meeting
- School of Music facilities
- Percussion instrument collection and quality
- Maybe sample lesson?
- See Percussion Ensemble Rehearsal
- See large ensemble rehearsal
- (See Chamber Music rehearsal?)
- See Rep Class
- Visit restaurants/venues in town
- Meet/greet/eat with studio to get vibe and meet colleagues
+ The Audition
What should I play?
I always recommend showcasing the best of your current abilities, and also attempt to show your musical self through your performance and repertoire. No matter what I would program repertoire that has virtuosic elements to show your technique. Work with your private teacher on finding a suitable repertoire for you.
Keep in mind that the audition requirements for grad school haven’t changed at all in decades:
- Snare drum: concert + rudimental + some number of excerpts
- Mallets: two mallets + four mallets + some number of excerpts
- Timpani: some etude + some number of excerpts (beware that some places ask you not to play Carter)
- Setup: some schools ask for setup, some don’t want to deal with logistics
- World: some schools ask for world music, others don’t
What should I bring to the audition?
- I like to have a finite amount of sticks and mallets, with a few extras, in an easy-access bag, like the P-Bag.
- 1 copy of my binder (music, resume, etc.) for each of the people listening to the audition.
- All of my music
- All the black towels I could need, plus 2
- Tuning fork
- Snare drum + stand
- List of questions. Must. Have. Questions.
- Timpani mutes
- Confidence - you’re going to rock!
+ Anything special I should do during the audition?
- Dress nice
- Have a binder/folder with resume, music, “program” for the day
- Practice walking into the room during your mock auditions
- Look faculty in eyes, shake hands if appropriate (probably not in 2021, but otherwise, recommended)
- Have questions prepared. This is important and shows interest. Always have questions ready to go.
What happens after the audition?
- Email the faculty (no need to email the admissions folks unless there is a clerical question). Thank them for their time and continue any conversation. They may or may not respond, FYI.
- Get back to your normal life and just wait.
- If questions arise, definitely contact the faculty!
When you get a response from a school
- Write to the faculty to let them know you received your response, either way. You don’t have to tell them your feelings or decision just yet, but contact is good.
- An acquaintance of mine was auditioning for grad schools and received a rejection letter from his only grad school. He was upset and waited a few days and was trying to figure out what to do with his life next year. Finally he reached out to the faculty member to express his thanks and professional cordiality. The faculty member was shocked to hear that he had received the wrong letter and that he actually was admitted. ALWAYS FOLLOW UP!
+ How do I make a final decision?
Many factors will come into play when you’re making your decision. These could be, but are definitely not limited to:
- faculty connection
- studio members interactions
- location / proximity to home
- school or outside-school opportunities
- financial aid
Again, after you have gone through this process that sometimes takes over a year to complete, I believe you should talk to family, think on your own (with the spreadsheet below) and absolutely sit with eyes closed and try to visualize yourself in that location at that school. Sometimes it won’t make a difference, but it could really be a dealbreaker for you. Do the visualization a few times to make sure you are in the right mental space to do this practice.
Once you’ve signed the paper, call the faculty, send polite notes to the non-chosen schools and buy a t-shirt of your chosen school. You’re in! Now the real work begins…
As always, if you have questions or comments, I’d love to hear them. Please contact me at the button below!