Students prepare for Jacobs

Only about 25 percent of the 1,600 undergraduate applicants to IU’s Jacobs School of Music are admitted each year.

Prospective students follow a series of requirements for auditioning and interviewing for a spot.

From July 15 to 21, the College Audition Preparation Workshop provides a number of tools for high school students who are considering applying to a music school.

“A person’s musical career starts in their audition as they leave high school,” CAP Director M. Dee Stewart said. “It could be five to 10 minutes long, and that’s it. It’s important for us to make good decisions, and it’s very important to the students because it’s a pivotal portal to their career.”

Fifty-three students from 22 states, as well as Japan and Canada, are attending this year’s workshop.

Although there is no cap on acceptance numbers into the Jacobs School, it generally varies based on the need in each department.

For one weekend in January, February and March, students showcase their talents in hopes of being accepted into the Jacobs School.

Working with students at the high school level does not differ too greatly from working with college-level students, Stewart said.

“Nowadays kids are more cognizant that they need superior training in high school, and they come in pretty well trained in most cases,” he said.

However, he added that it is a leap up from high school to college, and while musicians might have been in all-state bands, there is a difference playing for a world-renowned music school.

“Not only do they have to be able to play their instrument, but they also must be able to make music with their instrument,” Stewart said. “It’s an innate thing, and without the ability, it’s difficult to teach.”

High school senior Michael Kunduler traveled to IU all the way from Birmingham, Ala.

“I came here to get acquainted with everything, meet good people and get ready for auditions,” Kunduler said. “They’re here to give you help and prepare you for what’s out there.”

Senior and trombone player Aaron Small received the program recommendation from his private teacher in Fredericksburg, Va.

“The face time with the professors gives you so much experience,” Small said. “The two days I’ve been here working with professor Stewart, I’ve learned more than I have probably in the last two years.”

Both plan to apply and said they hope to attend IU.

In addition to the 12 faculty members focusing on students in their respective departments, Liz Pfaffle, assistant director of the CAP program, returns to IU for two weeks to coordinate the students’ schedules and make sure everything runs smoothly.

Now a teacher at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, Pfaffle received a doctorate of music in brass pedagogy from IU.

She said the rigourous program schedule creates a realistic college experience.

“I like to give them some idea of what the schedule is like as a music major,” she said.

Participants are able to absorb the chaos with a series of private lessons, master classes and information sessions topped with a mock live audition at the end of the week.

“Students are able to ask questions through the program,” Pfaffle said. “They can say, ‘Hey, I’m working on this solo. What do you think of it for my audition?’”

The young musicians also listen to music produced by IU faculty and students as part of the Jacobs School Summer Music series.

“I enjoy giving back to students,” Pfaffle said. “I like to affect and change people’s lives. I want them to get every single dollar they spend out of it. I want it to be as worthwhile as possible.”

While there are other professional audition programs, Stewart said CAP remains one of the only programs of its kind.

“We remain a resource even after the program is over,” Pfaffle said. “It’s our job to get them to where they want to be. If they want to sing in the (Metropolitan Opera), let’s get them to the Met.”