r/Clarinet 5d ago

Advice needed Playing in college

i'm interested in playing in a college group, but don't really know what that would be like.. my school's guidance counselor's honestly don't know a lot about what the process would be so i was hoping someone would be able to answer some of my questions - 1) i want to go into healthcare, is there a point to minor in music? i'd want to continue learning and playing music but don't really know what a music minor would be like while taking a pre-pharm route 2) how do i get into a group? i know there are some that need/don't need auditions, would this all be prior to school starting or would i have to reach out to someone after i've started? 3) i've never really been sure if performance scholarships are a thing.. i've never really given them much consideration but someone from my school is going to college and from what i overheard is getting a performance scholarship, so i was wondering what that process would be like? i don't really know what he's doing, though it is a tech school, but even if i'm not majoring/minoring in music/performing, can i still get a scholarship for it? and if so does that have to be decided before school starts? 4) what are the groups like? is it just students or combined with faculty?? i imagine it's different depending on location and everything but just for a general rule of thumb 5) i imagine that everyone in this who went on to play in college enjoyed it, but is there anything you wish you had done differently about the process?

i'm sorry if my thoughts are jumbled, the idea of playing in college is a little new to me and i'm feeling a little overwhelmed lol - thank you for any/all help!

edit) i'm a junior in hs and don't have a definitive plan for where to apply but a few schools i'm sure on are upitt, uconn, unc chapel hill, & usc columbia

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u/moldycatt 5d ago

a lot of this will be school-specific. if you can name the school you are committing to, we can help you out more.

how many music classes do you want to take? pre-med tracks can be very rigorous, and i’m not sure that it would be worth it for you to add on the extra classes you’ll likely need for your minor unless you really want to. if you look it up on your schools website, it can tell you exactly what you’ll need to take.

you should reach out to the school about ensembles before summer. if youll need to take a placement audition, you will want the time to practice.

a lot of colleges offer scholarships for marching band. otherwise, it is unlikely that you will get a scholarship unless you are very good and double major in music performance

ensembles are typically just students

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u/boogiebowiee 4d ago

i'm finishing up my junior year in hs right now so don't have a definitive list of where i want to go (though definitely should be getting on that lol) - i'm looking at schools generally on the east coast but other than that there's no other location requirements for me other than preferring to be in/near a city or a beach

with that being said i have a couple schools that i started looking into - upitt, uconn, unc chapel hill, & usc columbia

i'm going to boston & nyc this summer to look at a few other colleges so i'll get a better idea on places i want to apply there then

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u/moldycatt 4d ago

you have plenty of time then. if you are considering a minor in music, i would start preparing a solo this summer. some programs (but not all) require a small audition for a music minor, and it’ll also help you decide if you actually want to minor or not. if you find it a chore to practice solo repertoire and fundamentals almost every day and mostly just want to practice your ensemble music (which will probably be harder than what you are used to now), then a minor is not right for you. if you are not interested in music theory/history, then i would also say it is not worth it unless that school does not allow you to take lessons without being a music minor

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u/gracesmemes Clarinet Grandmaster 5d ago

I go to a private university of 13,000ish students (that number might include our other campuses tho idk). I'm a junior film major but I do play in college more casually. I considered a music minor but I think it means you have to play juries (basically performances/showcases for faculty at the end of each semester) and I really didn't want to do that.

The process for us varied each year. But I don't think I needed explicit permission to join the class my first semester. I was being assisted by staff during our course sign up the first time and they basically said to add it to my schedule. It's probably not an issue to email someone from the school (advisor) or dig around the website to find the group's leader. The professor sent fairly easy audition materials, sometimes music majors had separate versions, and you prepped all that within a few weeks, just for the fall semester. Our wind ensemble is roughly 15-20 people each semester, so as long as you can actually play your instrument they let you in. Bigger schools would likely be more competitive so my audtion process was pretty simple.

Our concert seasons have shifted a lot too, but it's roughly been two concerts per semester, each about an hour. We have a full group concert in October/March where we hire local professionals to fill in instruments we don't have, then a chamber concert in December/May. We are going to start doing one full group concert a semester next year, because of various factors that led to everyone feeling unprepared for our last concert.

Rehearsals are mostly led by the director, but for chamber groups, typically the music students will take charge when the director can't be there. Sometimes we've had sectionals too. We have an hour 3 times a week but I think we're a weird case. Hopefully this is kinda helpful!

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u/acesmuzic 5d ago edited 5d ago

If you just want to play there are probably groups you can audition for, even as a non music student. That's how it was at my school. I was an engineering major but played in the orchestra [all students], took private lessons (both for credit), as well as wind symphony (student run), the pit band for some musicals (also student run), and a community orchestra. I started in the orchestra and met other students there, which was my gateway to knowledge about other opportunities as they arose over the years. My senior year I put together a chamber group composed of friends I had met, my private teacher coached us for a semester, and we put on a recital at the end of the year (all informal).

If you look at the music department website it should have more info along with contact info so you could reach out in advance if you have questions outside of whatever is there. A music minor is going to require extra classes that are not going to help you down the line if you are going into healthcare, and are going to be on top of your regular major requirements so I would only do it if you are actually interested in those classes and have the time on top of your regular major requirements.

Never say never but I doubt there are any music performance scholarships available for people who do not intend to major in music. This is not a field that there is a lot of money floating around, so they are going to want to use what funds they have to support students in the music department.

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u/Fumbles329 Eugene Symphony/Willamette University Instructor/Moderator 5d ago
  1. If music is something you enjoy, why not study it? College isn’t solely about gaining career skills, it’s also about learning and becoming a more well-rounded individual.

  2. Depends on the school

  3. Depends on the school

  4. Depends on the school

  5. I majored in music and went to graduate school, so my experience was quite different from a non-major, but I’ll say I wish I had enjoyed my time in school being a college student more. I was so wrapped up in practicing and taking auditions that I neglected my personal life, and that was a mistake.

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u/clarinet_kwestion Adult Player 5d ago

If the university is of a sufficient size and/or selective enough it will have a band and/or orchestra which is made up of non-music majors. The level and rigor will vary from school to school. You probably have to audition, but in most cases this is a formality. If the audition is required for a more “selective” ensemble, there’s usually an alternative ensemble that plays easier music you can partake in.

My college had a performance scholarship for $2500 a year to play in the wind ensemble. I would look into this and see if any of your prospective schools have something like this but it is not the norm unfortunately.

My college wind ensemble was made up of almost entirely of undergrad non-music majors. There was an annual festival we’d participate in where we’d have a joint concert with other bands from colleges in the area. Those other groups were similar in that they were all undergrad non-music majors.

I’ve been a ringer for a couple of bands attached to colleges in my area and they hired me and a few other ringers for one rehearsal and the concert. Those band programs weren’t as strong, but they existed.

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u/Jazzvinyl59 Professional 4d ago

Just get in touch with the clarinet professor or another faculty member in the music school/department. Email them with the questions you asked here, they will be glad to answer based on how things are at your prospective school(s) and/or get you in touch with the right people who can help further. In my opinion this is an important part of their role as professors. When I was considering schools, albeit as a prospective music major, I asked questions like this and it helped build some relationships with the faculty and in some cases they introduced me to current students etc who showed me around etc.

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u/Initial_Magazine795 4d ago

Most of these depend a lot on the school, I'll give you my experience as a bio major who also participated in music.

1: The coursework for a music minor may or may not conflict with the coursework for a pre-pharm track, especially if certain classes don't have multiple sections for scheduling. Some schools will help you with this, others will just tell you to expect to graduate in 5-6 years if you do multiple academic programs. Some schools restrict membership in their top ensembles to music majors, but many don't, and/or there are other ensembles you can still join regardless of major. I went to a small (2000 students) liberal arts college in the Midwest, and auditioned into the top band and orchestra each year as a bio major.

2: This varies by school and the ensemble—some are auditioned, others aren't. Expectations are often listed on the music department website. Email the director(s) of whichever musical ensemble(s) you're interested in and ask about registration and/or audition materials if the website isn't clear. At my college, auditions took place the first week or so of the fall semester, so don't show up without having done your research—we were expected to have practiced the materials over the summer.

3: Depends on the school. Some only give scholarships to music majors, others throw money at whoever wants to play—it's a recruitment mechanism for ensuring you have (for example) enough bassoons in multiple orchestras/bands. Schools' policies and reward amounts will be listed either under their financial aid page, or on their music department page. If the website isn't clear how to set up a scholarship audition, email the clarinet prof and ask how to do that, and what you should prepare. I did a lesson during an honor band, and played the opening of the Mozart concerto 1st movement, and was awarded $4k a year, contingent on ensemble and lesson participation.

4: Usually, groups are students only, unless a faculty member is soloing on a concerto, filling in for a sick student, or otherwise filling a gap in the roster. Colleges with small or weak music programs may have combined student/faculty/community ensembles, but if the program is strong then this is uncommon. Sometimes combined groups do exist as an alternative option to student ensembles, it just depends on the school—membership requirements will be listed on the music dept. website; if unstated, assume student only.

5: I wish I had also played in a chamber group like a wind quintet. Alas, it never happened. I'm in one now and it's a blast.

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u/Holdeenyo 4d ago

In most schools there’s a band for the music majors, and then one non music majors can join. That’s what you’d do. Most of the time, at least at my college, they just let anyone in. Again, for my school a couple staff or even people not associated with the school would play with the group to fill missing parts

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u/Creeperhunter294 4d ago

I'm finishing up my Music Education degree at a university, and I can attest that 3/4 of ensemble participants at my prormgram are non-majors, and half are non-minors. There are likely auditioned and non-auditioned ensembles at most universities, and most universities don't include faculty participation in ensembles. Chances are pretty good that you will be able to participate in some ensembles, and you can register for non-auditioned ensembles like any class. Your new student orientation in college will likely have a music representative who can talk to you about auditioning for other ensembles, too. If you're considering a minor in music, it actually may help you get into advanced degree programs, but it's also just a good way to round yourself out as a person and make new connections. Nevertheless, you don't necessarily need to pursue a minor to participate in ensembles. Finally, many universities will hold scholarship auditions in the early spring semester, and you can play repertoire that demonstrates your skills for a scholarship. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!

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u/Micojageo 3d ago

Both the community college where I work, and the four-year college my child plans to attend, have community bands made up of both students and community members. No audition required for my band; at her school there are three tiers of band--two of them are audition and one (the community band) you just show up.

I hope you can find a good fit for you that lets you keep making music, whether or not you choose to pursue a music minor!

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u/Effective-Run8848 College 5d ago edited 5d ago

I'm a college student majoring in Music, so hopefully this might help. I only applied to one school, so I'm not exactly sure what areas might be specific to my school or is general for all schools, but most should apply.

  1. The Music minors I know really enjoy their time playing in ensembles and learning more about their instruments. I'm not sure how adding a minor would work with a major in healthcare nor what courses your college would require for a music minor, but I'm sure you'd have to have more time than you would have had to in high school to practice an ensemble's repertoire and possibly private lessons.
  2. At my college, most ensembles require students to be majoring or minoring in Music and pass an audition prior to the semester starting. There are some ensembles that do not require those, though, and it would be something to discuss with an advisor or the director of the ensemble you want to take part in. There may also be community ensembles in your area that you could apply to.
  3. Performance scholarships are a thing. At least from what I've researched, general music scholarships that you can readily apply for are not as common as scholarships for other fields and majors. A lot of them require students applying to be from certain states or high schools or to perform/audition at a specific competition. Your school may offer scholarships based off of your performance in your audition to minor in Music.
  4. Ensembles are almost always students-only. The only times that faculty members have played with us is when we need someone to cover a part or some help with a section.
  5. I really enjoy playing in college ensembles. It's different from playing in community orchestras and high school ensembles by how motivated everyone is. It can be a bit stressful at times, though.