Audition Season Begins!

I would think, after having been through college auditions with Mark, I would have this process down to a science.  Nope.  College applications and auditions are like snowflakes--no two are the same.

Johannah is applying to five different schools for viola performance:  Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, The University of Michigan, The University of Illinois, Penn State, and BYU.  I won't say if the order listed is any indication of which colleges she actually wants to attend....and which she doesn't.

Last summer, I sent Johannah to BYU to a music festival.  I've written about it before, but to sum up the experience, the festival did nothing to spark any kind of interest in her attending BYU.  Little did we know that the "straw" hadn't quite broken the camel's back....

At the festival, Johannah (and the other violists) were told by the professor that they would have a better chance of attending BYU if they auditioned in person.  I'm not sure if she's aware of this (or if I should contact the ACLU), but this is discriminatory.  Due to the expense of traveling, all universities make allowances for those who live further than a certain distance from the school.  Mark sent in a CD as his horn audition to BYU and was eventually offered a full-tuition scholarship to attend.  This teacher was saying that Johannah could send in a DVD (not a CD, because as she said, there is no chance if you send in a CD), but she would consider live auditionees before she would consider a recorded audition.  Think about this.  She's going to accept someone based on the fact that they come to her...not based on merit.  That's fine for the majority of Mormons who live in Utah, but in case she hasn't heard, there's an even larger population outside of the Beehive state.

The audition date for BYU and Penn State happened to be on the same day, and seeing that Johannah would rather attend Penn State over BYU (that says something there), we knew we needed to move the audition date for BYU.  Unfortunately, we waited weeks to hear from someone at BYU about doing this, after sending emails and leaving voice mails.  In fact, I was watching the price of airline tickets rise daily while waiting for someone to contact us.  I became so desperate that I begged Ethan to head over to the fine arts building and talk to real people in person.  He did all he could, but the necessary personnel just weren't around.

I must interject here that this is not how it is at any other music school.  In fact, the other music schools bend over backwards to help anyone and everyone.  They "court" the kids--the teachers write individual emails to the kids, they set up tours of the campus, they give us free lunch when we show up.

Then, a miracle happened.  The person in charge of scheduling auditions answered the phone!  And in true Larisa fashion, I just lost it.  First, I lost my temper, telling this unfortunate graduate student that she was completely irresponsible (I'm sure they aren't paying her enough to field phone calls like mine).  Then, I unloaded every negative feeling I have about BYU in general--their overall attitude of superiority and entitlement.

Finally, the stress overcame me, and I broke down crying.  On the phone.  To some strange 20-something.  The airline prices had nearly doubled by this point, and I couldn't handle the thought of paying over $1,000 for a 15 minute audition.

Believe me, they don't pay "Kaitlin" enough money.  She stayed calm through it all without becoming

Here's a picture of me, after the phone call.
Take THAT, BYU!!

condescending.  She told me that she would take care of it, and to her credit, she did.  She must have mentioned what I said to the teacher, because the next day, Johannah received an email, telling her that her recorded audition would be treated "fairly".  However, she still encouraged her to audition live.  Oh, the inhumanity.....

You would think a recorded audition would be so much easier, but all of the Kennedys can tell you that making a recording is the WORST!  Between the equipment, the multiple takes, the lighting, the sound (or the lack thereof when he comes to four cats and five dogs in the house)--it's a nightmare.  Too, in a live audition, the judges never want to hear the entire audition repertoire--they just want to hear a bit of each--but with a live recording, the auditionee must play every note, down to the last measure.  And when was the deadline?  Only two days later.

Yep, that's right.  Because of nobody calling back or contacting us, Johannah had to make the recording in just 48 hours.

If you want to see her audition, here it is:  Johannah's BYU Audition

At this point, John was as fed up as I was, although his irritability towards the school might have stemmed from every bad thing I had to say about it....  He suggested that this might be a sign.  Did Johannah really want to study with a woman who cared this little about her?  We already knew Johannah doesn't like the school, but those feelings can be overcome with a really fantastic teacher.  The teacher wasn't receiving five stars from any of us, so was this really worth it?

Johannah made the DVDs, and she did it for one reason.  She will be accepted to most, if not all, of the schools to which she is applying.  However, if she doesn't get any money, we can't afford to send her to them.  So, BYU is the financial backup.  A painful way to look at it, but a real way to look at it.

Deep breath...

Just two days later (and a day after sending in the DVDs), Johannah and I headed to Cleveland and Baldwin Wallace Conservatory for her first live audition.  What a difference!  The school had an entire day set up for the students, and the teacher was ready to show some love.  In fact, she had specifically invited us to come this weekend because she was giving a viola concert the night before.  It was lovely, to see how touched she was that we showed up.

Mark was certainly not worried about the length of his fingernails before his auditions.
What a difference an instrument makes!

The good ol' "Hall of Stress".  Dare I tell Hannah that it will only get worse at the bigger schools?

And in all honesty, Johannah was a rock star!  She stayed calm all morning, through her theory placement test and *cough, cough* her piano placement exam.  She sounded better than I've ever heard her play in an audition, and afterwards was told by the teacher, Louise Zeitlin, that she would be receiving a letter of acceptance.  This, from a teacher who is known throughout all viola circles.  This, from a teacher who has every right to make demands and be arrogant and yet is kind, funny and humble.  This, from a teacher who embodies everything a parent wants for their child in a teacher.

One word:  snowflakes.