Conservatoriums - GENERAL: Entry, atmosphere, auditions etc. (2 Viewers)

[Phanatical]

It is a requirement that a student applying from high school HAVE a UAI, and that they score reasonably well in HSC music, but whether this UAI is 99 or 39 is next to irrelevant. Admissions to the Con are primarily based on the Music Skills test, and your audition/portfolio and interview.

 

[soulshine]

tim, yeah he is really good. but like everyone is saying, dont stress about the UAI side of things. it sounds as though its the last thing they look at... beside, you sound like a really good player.

 

[Jazz Man Tim]

just caus i sound good doesn't mean i AM good.
lol, im improving tho, but we'll see.

 

[moon_styla]

my teacher said that when they consider u for entry into the con (syd con im talking about) they DO look at the UAI... sure, she said it doesnt matter... but they prefer it to be at least 50... there are people there who got less than 50 but just managed to scrape in coz they were good performers..

so.. if ur a GOOD performer, u wont have to worry.. lol if ur not so good... well hopefully you'll get like 99.... but then, i'd do like law or something hehe

 

[Jazz Man Tim]

lol i seee fair enough
oh btw. way to NOT come and visit me today guys

 

[trumpet geek]

Yeah with this whole UAI thing... Um its more of a ranking thing i reckon. Say if you auditioned, and someone else did too and you guys were both of equal standard, then they look at your UAI and theyre most likely to choose the person with a higher UAI. Some people get a UAI in the 90s and not get in, and some get 50s and they get in.... so it is important that you still try and do really well in your HSC, but like you have to focus mostly on your playing or composing or whatever u wana get into the con for. Im a shit trumpet player but i worked my arse off last year i entered heaps of solo competitions, played in concerts, did heaps of auditions and stuff during year 12 and in the middle of my hsc it was heaps busy i got no sleep i almost starved to death but in the end it was all worth it cos finally i was up to the standard that they expect to be able to get into the con and now im here so yay! So yeah if i can get in, then anyone can - you just gota work hard, put heaps of effort into it and be dedicated

 

[compo^_^guy]

im planning to apply to sydney con for composition, i know that i have to have an interview and hand in like three of my compositions(just the ones from the hsc), but i have know idea what like the expected standard is, or how good everyone else is, i dont know what they expect....anyone know people applying for Bmus in composition??

 

[Jazz Man Tim]

calling in ur inner child, calling ur inner child
she'll answer this question easy peasy

 

[ur_inner_child]

im planning to apply to sydney con for composition, i know that i have to have an interview and hand in like three of my compositions(just the ones from the hsc), but i have know idea what like the expected standard is, or how good everyone else is, i dont know what they expect....anyone know people applying for Bmus in composition??

been there and done it and doing the course... so here's my advice if you want it

speaking to other composition guys about their interview, we all had been asked if we were interested/compose in avante-garde style. So expect that question to pop up. Be honest, really. If you don't like some avante garde, say you're willing to draw upon techniques, you wanna hear a range of music and be totally aware etc.

Expect to name composers you're interested and inspired by.

people that didn't get in - i noticed that they stuck to what they knew - they said they composed only tonal/atonal etc. You need to have an open mind, but look focused too.

Generally, just be honest. The composition course has traditional tonal music (bach etc) and also some 20th century avante garde stuff. Just be totally interested and be yourself, otherwise the course was probably never meant for you.

Finishing your HSC and showing them your majorworks - don't hesitate to push them into listening and viewing more than one recording/score. I PUSHED michael smetanin to look at another piece, cuz he was about to finish up with me (and looked like he wasn't pleased - it was one of my worst pieces) and they were very interested in the second piece!

Have a look at what the course involves. It may give you some ideas about telling them what parts of the course you're interested in, such as Music Technology, Compositional Techniques & Analysis, Performer-Composer Workshop....

But yeah

The standards - well, I didn't do very well in my Music 2 & Extension compared to the rest of the state. But I didn't know this during my interview. Just sell yourself. Do your best in the comp, there isn't really much more you could do other than to do your best in the comp and sell yourself in the interview. the interview is a chance to talk to them and tell them your concept, rather than throwing a score at them to figure out.

Hope that helps! If you want more info, PM me, or keep asking questions

 

[compo^_^guy]

hey ur_inner_child, thanks heaps that really helps alot. i really hope i get in, must be cool to be doing that course, thanks

 

[Phanatical]

The Composition lecturers don't give a crap about how well you do in the HSC. They care almost completely about the quality of your compositions. You're given a score out of a certain number by the Chairs of Unit (Michael Smetanin and/or Anne Boyd), then a score by the Musicology Unit based on your assessment in the Entrance Exam. This score must be above the minimum standard in both areas, and then is compared to the performance of other students. Generally there will be a cutoff to how many students are accepted, so if you get a final score of 64, and there are 14 people who applied for that course that scored 65 or above, then you'll be the 15th person to get an offer. But if there are only 7 places available for a particular unit, then you will not get an offer unless the other applicants reject theirs.

Once you get into the course, you will be expected to study many different forms of composition. First year students are especially encouraged to compose outside of their normal boundaries, so you will be exposed to composers like Stockhausen, Andriessen, Berio, Stravinsky, and expected to utilise various techniques to create forms of music you haven't done in the past.

I guess this is where I give the SECS sell - www.secsmusic.org - the resident Composer's Society of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. There are plenty of programs that will be running this year that you might want to get involved in - we do a number of Concerts which will display works by Composition students at the Con, but perhaps more significantly is the SECS ED program, which will be running HSC Music workshops sometime this year. Best bet though is to talk to students in the course and find out their opinions.

 

[ur_inner_child]

don't listen to the 14-places scary shit

there's 20 in our comp major class, so don't think their cut off is strict or anything

 

[compo^_^guy]

what about the music skills test? what's in that? is it hard?

 

[ur_inner_child]

what about the music skills test? what's in that? is it hard?

i found a lot of hard stuff and a lot of ridiculously easy stuff.

somewhat like a section of the hsc over and over, like melody dictation, intervals, harmony, etc.

they use it also to put you in particular streams. So don't stress if you're not particularly good at something, just work on it, considering you should be anyway for the hsc

for instance, I'm in the top stream for harmony and analysis (god knows why?) and lower middle when it comes to aural perception (stuff like melody dictation etc).

 

[trumpet geek]

what about the music skills test? what's in that? is it hard?

Ooooohh that music skills test thing was fucking hard i was seriously shittin in my pants while i was doin it i almost started crying but i somehow managed to get into the top stream class for harmony and aural... but im struggling soooo much arghh i hate it stupid perfect pitched people im my class are soo annoying arghhhh!!!

 

[JoeysBoy]

It is a requirement that a student applying from high school HAVE a UAI, and that they score reasonably well in HSC music, but whether this UAI is 99 or 39 is next to irrelevant. Admissions to the Con are primarily based on the Music Skills test, and your audition/portfolio and interview.

This is wrong!!! This year, the dept of education (or whoever) brought in a minimium UAI of 70 to all music courses (I think its all? Maybe only Bmus Perf or whateva)

This is what my Cello teacher at Newcastle told me... and she's head of Cello at the con there, so it must be true! Maybe its only at Newcastle, but just be wary if you want to go to a place like Sydney (shudder) for music or something...

 

[Phanatical]

There has never been a UAI cutoff for the Con. Most of my successful classmates got UAI's far less than 70. It is the University, not the DET that sets course requirements and cutoffs. For Music students at USYD, the UAI makes up one part of a total score that each candidate is given, and then every candidate is ranked based on this score. For applicants, it's important to have a good prior study history (whether it's a good UAI, or a good previous degree/diploma) - but it's more important to have a good portfolio, a good interview/audition and a good entry test result. That's why somebody with a 99 UAI might not get into the course, even though somebody with a 65 UAI does.

 

[Bunny04]

If you bum out in your UAI - there is always teh DIp.Mus course (which is MAJOR level instrumental straight performance Minus Music tech and Historical and cultural studies. ) Thats what happened to me.. I got a very low UAI and it turned out to be all fine cause thye put me in DIp Mus

 

[demosthenes]

can anyone tell me the audition dates for classical?

 

[Bunny04]

The dates for Auditions are held in the last week of novemeber- early december.
I think from memory last year they were held November the 27th to December the 9th or something like that, and then the Music Skills test was Held every day. from the 8th till the 12 or something