By Steven Lipman
Students applying to music schools like https://www.musicmattersacademy.com/post/beginners-who-want-to-move-higher-can-use-this-intermediate-guitar-lesson often make the same mistakes – something that could cost them acceptance to their top choice colleges and conservatories. Here’s how 40 years in the music education and admissions business has helped my consulting clients achieve their goals.
My educational and professional home for forty years, Berklee taught me a great deal about how to make musical dreams come true: both my own, and those of ambitious students from all over the world, who aspired to develop a professional life in music. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1969, and not long afterward, started as a faculty member and then an administrator in the college’s admissions department.
A clarinetist by training, I soon found that my true vocational calling was the field of admissions, leading a team of passionate admissions counselors, and for nearly four decades, guiding students and their families through the often-intimidating process of seeking entrance into a competitive contemporary music mecca. In the role of Director of Admissions for many years, I witnessed first-hand the common challenges and concerns students confront when applying to music schools.
Students, and the high school music teachers, directors, and families that support them, all typically share one overarching goal: building a fruitful and enriching career in music, one that showcases their talent and leads to fulfillment, happiness, and, hopefully, some material comfort. Between them and that goal stand a number of obstacles, which students and those who support them must navigate.
In addition to the fact that colleges and universities are becoming less and less affordable, music schools, in particular, are more competitive than ever. As well as, the burnout among music school students – a product, in part, of choosing the wrong school for them – has led many students to turn their backs on a career in music.
I retired from Berklee several years ago, but I couldn’t ignore what I saw as a pervasive and distressing trend of talented young musicians giving up when obstacles to their path forward in higher music education emerged. Simply put, to me, every kid that puts down her instrument is a whole career of wonderful musical output and creativity wasted.
Too many gifted music students decide to forego potentially life-changing experiences available to them at great music schools, because they don’t tap into outside resources and their own reservoir of persistence and passion.
Here are several important topics to discuss on the journey to choosing the best-suited school:
Opportunities – Parents and students tend not to know about the possibilities for study, enrichment, and student life at potential schools. There is a diversity of experiences available in terms of specific fields of study, clinics, hands-on training, faculty mentorship, social connection, and everything in between. Pursuing a degree in music is about a lot more than sight reading and ensembles, and it is important to uncover the rich array of opportunities that exist for serious student musicians.
Myths – Legends abound about how impossibly difficult and out-of-reach certain music schools are, or how others are overrated and not worth consideration. In the end, it’s all about knowing the schools, knowing yourself, and finding the fit.
Inspiration – There’s something about pursuing music as your course of study—with the goal of building a career in the music world—that is truly special and unlike any other educational experience. In doing so, you are joining a long lineage of artists who strive to make their creative mark on the world. Conveying this sense to students, I think, is crucial to propelling them forward on their path, and giving them the motivation to both tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities before them.
Preparation – Knowing exactly what’s ahead in terms of applications, auditions, and developing a showcase of their talent offers students a definitive edge in the admissions process. I’ve been there on both ends, as a student and the director of admissions at a world-renowned music college.
Overview – Finding the right school to study music is challenging, but not impossible. Make sure to do your research, visit the schools you’re most interested in, meet the faculty and seek out the opportunities that best match your goals.
Author BIO:
Steve Lipman is the founder of Inside Music Schools, a music college admissions consulting service. Steve is one of the country’s leading experts on music education and college admissions. With 40 years of direct experience, Steve most recently served as Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at Berklee College of Music located in Boston. Specializing in the field of both classical and contemporary popular music, this boutique consultancy collaborates with student and their families, private music schools, colleges, summer music camps, music festivals and associations to set goals, drive growth, and help them reach their full potential. The primary activity of SLA/IMS is working with music students and their families to define dreams, make college choices, and prepare them for the college admission and audition process.
From the author:
With the high level overview of what I do as a music school admissions consultant, I invite you to connect with me to learn more.
Contact me to connect: I love music education.