The Ideal Candidate - 5 Essential Parts of the Application Process: Part 1
Authors: Dr. David Schroeder and Lukas Gabric, Guest Contributors
Each year music programs across the country are bombarded with thousands of applications from deserving student musicians seeking acceptance into their colleges, universities and conservatories. Everyone knows there is strong competition and that impressive list of accolades you’ve been working on for years may or may not be compelling enough to earn a spot within the music community of your choice. So how are you planning to set yourself apart from the competition, because practicing daily, memorizing your audition piece and networking, while beneficial might not be enough. From the application process and interview to that pivotal audition, this editorial will provide you with insight from some of the most well respected music educators.
This post will be separated into 5 sections, including: The Ideal Candidate (featured in this post) Choosing The Right School The Campus Visit and The Music Community The Audition; The Importance of Mentors Questions To Ask The Interview and Closing Thoughts.
The Ideal Candidate According to Dr. David Schroeder, educators are looking for a number of attributes in an ideal candidate, including:
Passion
Conviction
Dedication
Persistence
Self-motivation
Curiosity
The key to these is finding a teacher/mentor who can direct a student to the right information, allowing them to develop their musical skills in an organized stepwise approach. “A prospective student seeking to become part of a highly competitive music program faces various challenges and pressures. These difficulties can be most effectively overcome by managing your time well. Musicianship is not a singular skill but consists of a multitude of numerous abilities. In order to train and develop these diverse skills I advise people to write a detailed routine that encompasses various sound exercises, technique exercises such as scales, arpeggios and etudes, repertoire studies and depending on the program improvisation itself along with all the skills needed to do it well. Ask your teacher to assist you in managing your time and to formulate an effective routine. In other words, you need a game plan,” mentions Lukas Gabric.
While criteria varies for each program, educator and panel, remember to be authentic, be genuine, be you. That’s what has gotten you to this point. You likely encompass many fine attributes already, but attention is in the detail. Take notice of any deficiencies you may have and learn how each program can help you improve. Play to your strengths. The best instrumental musicians know the range of their competencies, which allows them to excel while they continue to develop other areas.
NEXT: Part 2. Choosing The Right School, The Campus Visit and The Music Community
About The Authors
Dave Schroeder has mastered a broad range of instruments, adding to Combo Nuvo’s sound palate including the chromatic harmonica, alto clarinet, alto and bass flutes, sopranino saxophone, blues harp and penny whistle. For over a decade, his main musical focus has been dedicated to Combo Nuvo, but he has also has performed and/or recorded with such iconic jazz artists as Teo Macero, Toots Thielemans, Airto Moreira, Oscar Cartro-Neves, Kenny Werner, Don Friedman, Lee Konitz and Dave Liebman, to name a few. As Director of Jazz Studies at NYU Steinhardt since 2003, Dave has attracted a diversity of internationally acclaimed artist/faculty, many of whom have been featured with Combo Nuvo over the years. As a music producer, he created the NYU Jazz Masterclass Series, documenting legendary jazz artists including Hank Jones, Clark Terry, Benny Golson, Jimmy and Percy Heath, Phil Woods, Barry Harris and Cecil Taylor, and is currently the creator and host of the NYU Steinhardt Jazz Interview Series, viewable on YouTube.
Lukas Gabric started his musical education at the Conservatory of Carinthia in his native country of Austria. He holds a BFA from the New School University, an MA from the City College of New York, a postgraduate Artist Diploma in Jazz Studies from The Juilliard School, and currently pursues a PhD in musicology at the CUNY Graduate Center in NYC. Gabric was selected as a member of the European Generations Unit’12 - an ensemble consisting of winners of the Swiss Generations Competition. In 2013 Gabric was a semifinalist in the Thelonious Monk Competition in Washington D.C. He placed third in the biannual North American Saxophone Alliance Competition in Champain/IL’14 and received the Best Soloist and Audience Choice Awards at the Getxo Jazz Fesitval’14 in Spain. Gabric's composition Fire Dance was awarded with an ASCAP Herp Alpert Composition Award in 2016. Gabric is a lecturer for music history and theory at the City College of New York and serves as saxophone faculty for The Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program as well as the George Jackson Academy.
www.lukasgabric.net