School boasts big reputation

What would you say if someone told you that, in order to get into the university you wanted to go to, you had to practice your instrument every day for multiple hours, be competitive academically, be a better musician than pretty much anyone you know, perform in front of a selection of world-renowned faculty you've likely never met before and then wait nervously for several months to find out if you made the cut? \nThat is exactly what students applying to the IU School of Music do every year. Consistently ranked among the top three music schools in the world, IU School of Music has hundreds of applicants audition every year. \nWhy? Because the School of Music has a reputation for preparing students for an extremely competitive professional world of music. \nMany students come to the IU School of Music based on its reputation. Current students said they had heard of the famous teachers who worked here. Also, they mentioned, when they went to musical events in large cities, IU alumni were often the performers. \n"My teacher (in high school) went here for his undergrad," junior violinist Karen Wyatt said. "Right now he is sitting up front in the first violin section of the National Symphony Orchestra, and he's only in his 30's." \nWyatt's teacher is not the only famous musician who attended the IU School of Music. Sylvia McNair, a soprano who studied here, has performed internationally with such companies as The Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera. \nRenowned violinist Joshua Bell also attended the School of Music and has gained worldwide recognition -- playing internationally, as well as doing the soundtrack for the academy-award winning score to "The Red Violin." \nRobert Dodson, the Dean of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, and Bob Hurst, the bassist on "The Tonight Show," are also alumni. \nIt's not an easy beginning, though. The audition process can be one of the scariest parts of any performer's life. Many music students said they hate it. \n"I can't eat anything the whole day until the stress is over," senior saxophonist Corey Bowers said. "I perform better that way." \nBut they do have certain tricks that have helped them through. \n"The night before an audition, I usually do some 'mental practice' away from my piano," senior Janet Ross said. "I just sit and imagine what my ideal performance will sound like -- the tempo, colors, voicing, phrasing, rubato, articulation, etc., because so much of doing well in an audition is purely psychological. You have to go in with at least some confidence and a positive attitude." \nStudents and faculty agree. \n"Music students are different," Director of Admissions Jeff Clanton said. "They know what they want out of life, and they are confident in pursuing it. Confidence is so important to being successful in this field." \nAlthough Bowers agreed that auditioning is stressful, he also argued that there really isn't that much to it. \n"Don't worry about anything," he said. "Just go in; don't try to act a certain way. Play, smile and leave." \nThere are other things to remember, as well. \n"I hate it when people ask me right before a performance, 'Are you nervous?'" junior voice major Krislyn Weber said. "I really dislike that because then it gets my mind on that track. I'd rather not think about if I'm nervous or not." \nIs going through the auditions worth it? \n"Only (be a musician) if you love it so much that you can't imagine doing anything else," Ross said. "Being a music student or professional musician is a lot of fun and it is rewarding, but it is also thoroughly relentless, exhausting and sometimes terribly discouraging. Performing requires a daily commitment. \n"You can't take a summer vacation. You can't 'cram' for a lesson or recital. You can't pull an all-nighter. You just have to work." \nMany said they think that the most important thing is to distinguish yourself. \n"You have to remember that the people you are auditioning for have seen maybe 200, maybe 500 people in front of you," said Mark Clark, associate professor of music and IU opera theater production director. "You have to be different." \nWyatt said she remembers thinking the same thing. \n"There had to be something about me that made me stand out from all the rest," she said. "I was worried that I was going to be like all the other violinists, so I tried to work really hard on my creativity and my emotional content."\nMost students said they are happy they came here. They said it allowed them to learn and grow in a competitive but healthy and constructive environment, and prepared them to go out into the "real world" of music. \n"(I know) that if I'm good enough to get into a place like this, I have the potential to get into just about anything anywhere," Wyatt said.