Audition Tips from UO Faculty

It's Audition Time!! I thought it would be fun to talk to some of our faculty and get their thoughts. So here are their words of wisdom..

“Make sure you are tuned and warmed up before walking in to audition.  Choose repertoire that you are very comfortable performing but that also shows your technical skills and musical creativity.” Steven Pologe, Professor of Cello

“Choose your music wisely.  Choose music that shows what you do really well.  I’d rather hear something simple and performed well, than something really hard that you can’t play.  Keep in mind that you’re probably going to be nervous – so choose something that you can do even when you’re freaked out.” Brian McWhorter, Professor of Trumpet

"Be ready to perform when you enter the room. There can be a big difference between playing in the practice room and performing for an audience. Also, expect to interact verbally with the audition committee. This demonstrates maturity, personality, and provides insight into how it would be to work with you as a student." Steve Vacchi, Professor of Bassoon

“If you are nervous at your audition, breathe deeply until you feel slightly calmer.  Remember that we all want you to do your best and we've all been exactly in the position you are in at the audition.  We are a very sympathetic audience.” Lydia Van Dreel, Professor of Horn

"If you are unsure of what would make a good choice of repertoire for an audition, you can sometimes ask the professor. Don't be shy!" Fritz Gearhart, Professor of Violin

On a fun note, I just came across a picture from last month's Holiday Yule Ball at the UO School of Music and Dance where some undergraduates got jiggy in Aasen-Hull Hall. Great night of socializing with friends, light refreshments, dancing, and music provided by a local DJ.

Who said music students can't have fun! 

 

Music Day!!!

Monday is our very first open-house style Music Day for prospective students and their parents. We have a lot of very exciting events planned including a showcase recital, a sample music theory lecture, lunch with current students and many master classes throughout the day. If you're still thinking of coming, it's not too late! Go to music.uoregon.edu/musicday  to register.  Hope to see you here!

Picking the Right School

My sister just happens to be a senior in high school this year. She’s never played an instrument and she’s not quite sure about her future major (psychology and communications are two frontrunners).  We’ve been trying to narrow down her options for a while, but the list of eligible colleges just keeps on growing! It’s very hard to pick a school that will be the best fit for her. Also, the more we talk, the more I realize that there is a huge difference between her college search and a typical music student’s search. 

I think this whole process is actually much easier if you’re a prospective music major. The most important thing in the college search will probably be your future instrumental/voice teacher! If you are inspired by them and can imagine yourself growing as a musician under them, then you’re all set. If you plan on being a music education major, make sure you meet with the music education faculty, or if you’re thinking of going into composition, meet with the music composition faculty.

Of course, some other factors that you should consider may include the quality of ensembles, the caliber of the program as a whole and the general feel of the school (can you imagine yourself as a student there? – small tip, go on a music school’s facebook page, you’ll get a good sense of a school’s atmosphere and vibe). However, the private teacher that you’re going to be seeing every week is probably going to shape your experience the most. That teacher is also someone that you’ll keep in touch with for the rest of your life.

So, here are some simple steps for music major success:

•    Visit (schedule ahead of time!) and take a lesson with the faculty
•   Listen to the ensembles rehearse
•    Walk around and see if you can talk to some current music students
•    If you live far away, there’s bound to be clips you can watch online. You can also email the teacher; I know that some of our teachers are open to Skype lessons, never hurts to ask!
•   Make sure to peruse the music school’s website inside and out. There’s going to be a ton of information on there that you can use when making decisions (for example, check out my recent addition to the SOMD website, the Inside Scoop). 

I hope this is helpful and, as always, feel free to email me (elaskus@uoregon.edu) with any questions or suggestions for topics that you would like me to cover on this music admissions blog. Having been a music major myself, once upon a time, I know what it’s like to go through the whole process and I love being able to help students and their parents with it. It’s quite an adventure!

Aaron’s Extraordinary Concert

Last month, I attended one of the most interesting and memorable performances that I’ve seen here at the SOMD. To my surprise, it was a bassoon doctoral recital.

Aaron Pergram, UO doctoral student in bassoon performance, put on not just your everyday degree recital, but a multimedia presentation of interdisciplinary arts entitled “Urban Arts.” The recital incorporated music, dance, film, art and media in an ingenious and memorable way. It took place in Aasen-Hull hall – our new large, instrumental rehearsal hall – with its soaring 35 ft high ceiling.

Aasen-Hull hall

Here’s the layout of my evening:

Right from the start, I walk in and feel as if I’m at an art gallery opening, or a coffee shop, or at a happening jazz club. The room is filled with paintings by local artists, fresh flowers and shimmering tea lights (safely housed in glass vases – to calm our worried facilities staff).  People are looking at art, laughing, mingling, listening to jazz tracks in the background – already a far different experience from the more typical silence and coldness of a classical pre-concert atmosphere. The giddiness and excitement in the air becomes palpable. Way to start off on a good note!  Finally, the lights dim, the background jazz fades and Aaron walks out to briefly discuss the experience we’re about to have and the ideas behind his project. Again, a far cry from the typical silence of classical artists. Aaron is a brilliant musician AND a human being who talks to us and concocts fascinating projects. This is going to be fantastic!

The program begins with an arrangement of a piece by Leonard Bernstein from the musical West Side Story. Aaron is joined by piano, drums, bass and seven dancers from the dance department. As the piece unfolds, Sondheim lyrics are brilliantly displayed on the projection screen, accenting and complementing the music and the dancing. Then comes a world premiere of composer Jeff Parola’s Downtown Detour, in which we are treated to sizzling bassoon pyrotechnics with a backdrop of the 1982 cult film Koyaanisqatsi by Godfrey Reggio. Bassoon sounds zoom by as do the cars in the time-lapse video of a Los Angeles freeway. Simply mesmerizing.

The next piece, Andy Warhol Sez by Paul Moravec, explores the high art of urban life. The seven movements present seven famous Warhol quotes. Here’s one of my favorites:

“I broke something today, and I realized I should break something once a week...to remind me how fragile life is.” – Andy Warhol

The paintings that are physically displayed throughout the room are also projected on a large screen in front, each of them complementing a quote from the King of Pop. I’m swaying to the music, reading Warhol and staring deeply into the paintings in front of me– all my senses are triggered. Later that night, we are treated to a piece for electric bassoon, a tango from Buenos Aires, a composition for bassoon and boom box, and an exploration of Urban Jazz Club and Piano Bar music – arranged by Aaron himself.

Aaron's Poster

After the concert, I walk away feeling highly entertained, stimulated and excited. This was an event that I couldn’t stop talking about for days and would have happily come back to see again. Now, you’re thinking, what does this have to do with music admissions? 

Choosing the right music school these days is very different from what it was 50 years ago. I feel very strongly that the kind of performance that Aaron put on is just the thing that will transform and revitalize classical music. If we are to train the 21^st century musician, a music school’s general attitude and structure has to be open to these types of imaginative concerts. 

Students majoring in music need to be in tune with their communities and with the ever changing landscape of live performance. They need to know the challenges of attracting an audience, as well as the rewards of presenting something extraordinary to their community. What we do is very important, so how can we make our art more approachable and present it in ever more innovative ways? In response to its current identity crisis, can classical music adapt? How can we make our performances a higher priority for the general public?

This is meat and potatoes for the next generation of performers here at the SOMD.  With the support of our faculty and staff, we hope to nurture and encourage this spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation that’s already rife throughout our student body. 

Before writing this entry, I caught up with Aaron, hoping he could tell me more about the process that went into putting on an innovative concert like this (check out Aaron’s highly successful marketing campaign that involved these movie-like trailers of his upcoming recital). 

Aaron Pergram, bassoon

 

Click here to read my full interview with Aaron.

"In the end, everything depends on you doing something that is truly meaningful for the people who you serve." Clive Gillinson, executive and artistic director of New York's Carnegie Hall.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_EYx7g0Aog&feature=player_embedded

Where's our Faculty!?

Summer’s the perfect time to finally catch up on your practicing and visit colleges. The only problem with visiting is that most of the music performance faculty is not on campus! This often frustrates prospective students, so this year, I decided to draw up a little list (not at all complete but getting there) of the summer festivals and camps at which our faculty either teach or perform. So whether you’re from Australia, Singapore, New York or Oregon, you just might find them in your neck of the woods. If you do, feel free to shoot them an email, they might be available to meet with you and even hear you play. How’s that for getting a jumpstart on your college search!

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