February 8th, 2007
Audition feedback — TMI?
I thought it would be of interest to report the feedback I got from our “honest interviews” last week. One student had an audition, and it was not a good one. He could not identify intervals, chord qualities and their inversions, couldn’t sight-sing a melody, and knew very little classical repertoire. I held up the mirror and told him as gently as I could, what he needs to work on if he truly wants to get into a music school.
Two days later, I got an email from someone, perhaps a friend, that ripped me to shreds. “You don’t deserve Max.” My screen was smoking as I read the letter. It occurred to me later, that high school students may not always have the maturity to be hit in the face with their shortcomings. Nor do I trust them to report to their parents what actually was said.
In retrospect, in situations where we want to tell the student what they need to work on, it is probably best done in the presence of the applicant’s parents.
We can afford this luxury as we only interview approximately 15 students from our applicant pool. Doing this in a “cattle call” audition or one where large numbers of applicants are involved is clearly NOT practical. But in smaller situations, I still feel that helping your semi-finalists, or even applicants who are deluded as to what is involved in a music school curriculum, IS useful.
Here is a redacted copy of the letter I sent to Max’s friend and parents.
Dear Friend of Max,
Thank you for your honest reaction to Max’s report about the audition. Although I don’t know who you are, I’m actually glad to hear from you and ask that you send this email on to Max’s parents. I wish that I could have met with them after the audition but time did not permit.
Max is clearly a passionate musician with a great heart and a drive to become a songwriter composer. We did not advise him to abandon his interests in music, or tell him that his compositions were bad. The bulk of the audition was devoted to testing musical skills. We were honest with him in our evaluation. Our suggestions as to how to be better prepared for any future audition were straightforward:
He needs to be able to sight-sing.
He needs to work on hearing intervals, as well as chord qualities and their inversions.
He needs to know more about classical music.
He needs to be able to clap a notated rhythm.
He needs to have a portfolio with music that is in line with what we actually teach.Our audition is NOT a performance audition, we simply wish to know at what level the student is. We tell all students that we will only be listening to brief passages of their performances. Max was no different.
To be clear, these prerequisites are the same that we hold up for all entering applicants. If the applicant can not do the above mentioned things, they cannot survive as a music major in any music program. We told him what he needs to work on if attending a music school that teaches CLASSICAL musicians is his life goal. I’m sorry if this hurt him, but it is simply true. We made a choice to tell him what to work on, rather than smiling, giving him no feedback, and then later wondering why he was not admitted.
If Max wishes to grow and compete in the world of popular music, no training whatsoever is required for that path, simply determination and music that people want to listen to. The ability to read music and know about classical music is NOT required. The only school that applies to this path it the school of hard knocks.
Max’s musical interests lie primarily in popular music and film music. Unfortunately, we do not offer majors or courses in either of these areas. Max was auditioning for enrollment into a department that is oriented toward traditional classical music: not jazz, pop, or film music. The only school I know that could help guide this interest is Berklee School of Music in Boston, which is excellent. All other music departments, schools and conservatories will require a basic entry level in music knowledge and performance skills.
Please tell Max that we are not the arbiters of taste, but we are certainly qualified to evaluate basic musicianship, and know from that evaluation who will survive in our program and who will not.
Professor Roger Bourland
Chair, Division of Composition
UCLA Department of Music
February 8th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
You’re a good man, Roger. You have explained as carefully, sensitively and intelligently as possible how and where Max needs to progress. You can’t do more than that. Sometimes people only hear what they want to hear.
How are you, by the way?
Cath xx
February 8th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Thanks Cath!
I presume you mean ‘how is the k-stone.’ Well, it’s either still sitting in my bladder waiting to terrorize me one last time, or I passed it without incident. I may have to get another CT scan to find out. But, no pain or unpleasantness now. Things are back to normal.
February 9th, 2007 at 10:53 am
What a gracious and thoughtful response … and one I hope is read properly. It could happen, although I must admit I’m doubtful. Sigh.
February 9th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
I wonder if it would be appropriate to record the audition? I’m sure for some it would invoke even more stage fright—but then at least one could send the candidate off with a record of what was really said, and of course retain one for such situations as you describe.
I wonder how much the American Idol phenomenon operates here.
February 9th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Roger -
First off that was VERY generous and extremely fair. What my comment to an earlier post tried to communicate is that embarking on musical training is fraught with risks especially if you come from a family of non-musicians and a community indifferent to the arts. It can be difficult to find proper preparation.
At the same time, as your letter points out, there are many young passionate aspiring musicians who have no clue what is required to meet the demands of a good conservatory/music school. Your guidance in the letter was invaluable and I hope he or she thinks it over carefully and uses it wisely.
I hope my prior comment was not insulting to you. My indictment is more with the state of music education in the US primary and secondary schools — if you are not in an affluent school district and/or a community with a strong interest in music and other arts, even those showing musical talent will most likely be ill-prepared for the conservatory or other undergraduate music training.
The good news is that you may have prevented that person from quitting music entirely or at least doubting himself and never attempting seriously to becoming an excellent musician. At best, he or she will do the hard work and find a niche in music. At worst, he or she may decide after some study and exploration that music will be an avocation rather than a vocation. Heck, most of Charles Ives’collegues at the insurance agency knew him for his original ideas in insurance policy rather than music composition!
May you continue with your generous work without ever forgetting to take care of your own aspirations and needs.
February 9th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Brad, no, American Idol’s approach to criticism is heartless and has no place in education. It is the modern day equivalent of throwing people to the lions. Audiences love to watch the agony. Yesterday someone mentioned that applicants should record themselves before audition. The recording, especially if they have never heard themselves, speaks volumes–that is, if they have an ear to begin with.
CS, heavens no! nothing insulting. It is so true that those that have previous training in music are at an advantage. But there are many self-motivated and self taught applicants that rise above their school’s limitations. I am an example of that as I had no lessons on anything musical until after I left home.
February 10th, 2007 at 9:35 am
It’s interesting to me that this subject is so highly charged that even the comments can be potentially somewhat confrontational—and in re-reading mine I realize I was quite ambiguous.
What I meant when I made the American Idol remark was not that the audition/interview was like that sad spectacle of a show—but rather to suggest that the cultural milieu that countenances such a phenomenon might distort and skew the expectations of would-be performers (and by extension composers), and especially those of their sponsors (parents, friends, musical associates).
I’ve been unable to watch even an entire episode of AI, it makes me cringe so. Besides that, I don’t like that histrionically hyper-melismatic pop style that I gather is favored.
In fact the whole issue of Fame gives me the creeps. I had an otherwise rather wise woman, a “sensitive” and spiritualist, once express the hope that I would become famous. When I asked why she more-or-less said (after showing a flash of incredulity at the very question) that then I would be more prosperous. But it was clear to me that she had thought it self-evidently desirable.
Once in a lunchtime colloquium at UCLA, a visiting astronomer mentioned a problem in his field, something to do with molecular clouds. The late George O. Abell, who did have a measure of fame much due to his having done an extensive Sky Survey at Palomar in his early years and in the process having his name associated with the catalogue of galaxies and planetary nebulae that resulted, asked Well what’s the answer? The visitor replied We don’t know—If you can figure out the answer to that you’ll be famous! George: How famous? and the person replied, Well, famous among the hundred or so workers in the field.
George said immediately Oh. That’s not famous enough.
June 17th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
[...] Track 4 – An interesting perspective and dialogue on audition feedback on Roger Bourland’s blog. [...]