Tuba Players get an Edge in Ivy League Admissions

[Chuck(G)]

The only thing this tells me is that it's hard to march playing a pipe organ...

[iiipopes]

It was a combination of vocal and instrumental, but the fact I could play tuba as well helped me get a $500/year music scholarship to go with my other partial scholarships to my undergraduate college.

[Lew]

There has been talk for a number of years that playing certain instruments can give one an edge in admission to "elite" schools. We were told that one of the reasons my daughter got into Cornell was because she played oboe. She wasn't a music major, and never played for anyone, but just put it on her application.

[windshieldbug]

she played oboe... put it on her application.

Did you ever consider that maybe she got in despite that little fact?

[Chuck(G)]

There has been talk for a number of years that playing certain instruments can give one an edge in admission to "elite" schools. We were told that one of the reasons my daughter got into Cornell was because she played oboe. She wasn't a music major, and never played for anyone, but just put it on her application.

Did they (the admissions committee) even ask her to play? Or could she just as easily have claimed the skill and gained admission anyway?

I'm pretty good at sychronized strabismus, myself...

<img src="http://www.sphoto.com/medium/crosseyelion8.jpg" width=300>

[windshieldbug]

I'm pretty good at sychronized strabismus, myself...

Try to stay focused on the subject of tuba players, will ya?

[Lew]

she played oboe... put it on her application.

Did you ever consider that maybe she got in despite that little fact?

We were told that it was one of the differentiating factors, and that tuba players, other double reeds, and a couple of other instruments helped equally. Being a trumpet, clarinet, flute, or similarly "common" instrumentalist had no incremental value.

[windshieldbug]

We were told that it was one of the differentiating factors, and that tuba players, other double reeds, and a couple of other instruments helped equally. Being a trumpet, clarinet, flute, or similarly "common" instrumentalist had no incremental value.

Seriously

Lew, did you consider that they might consider the fact an indicator of a personalty type; someone that is willing to take on a difficult task and likely work with it until they reached some semblance of proficiency? That they've demonstrated a proclivity to work on that was artistic but not by a popular or easy means? That this fact combined with other traits is an indicator of the sort of student that they want to be successful in their program and not just that they need more for the marching band so that the jocks can draw a better attendance?

[Rick Denney]

Seriously...

Rick "whose jaw is falling to the ground" Denney

[windshieldbug]

Seriously...

Rick "whose jaw is falling to the ground" Denney

Don't make me post that picture of RVW in here...

[EuphDad]

I am an alumni interviewer for an Ivy Leaque school. The admission folk "craft" their class based on the needs of the college at that time. Every incoming class is different. If the school newspaper needs a sports writer, or the Glee Club needs a bass and you happen to have those skill sets, so much the better. It's not unlike recruiting for sports teams. You can't field a football team with all quarterbacks. Schools look at not only the academic record, but also what the student brings to the party. Grades and SAT scores are important, but it's whatever makes one stand apart from the other applicants that can often give you the edge, especially if you're filling an existing vacancy.

Good luck to the Penn tuba player. The Ivy scramble bands are lots of fun without all the marching drills and they get to travel to the away games at some great locations. The Penn Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra are top quality, especially for a school that doesn't have performance majors, but strongly support and encourages participation in the arts. Not to mention there's also the Curtis Institute, Philadelphia Orchestra, Art Museum, cheese steaks and hoagies.

[Art Hovey]

Miracles do happen if you play the tuba.

46 years ago Keith Wilson at Yale was working on a band arrangement of the Symphonic Metamorphoses, which Hindemith had asked him to do. He put the word in to the admissions office that he needed some tuba players, even though he already had Eli Newberger. I have always believed that is what got me in. (It certainly wasn't my erratic academic average.)

76 years ago it was the tuba playing that earned my father a transfer from a little college in Iowa to Columbia University.

[windshieldbug]

76 years ago it was the tuba playing that earned my father a transfer from a little college in Iowa to Columbia University.

He was THAT bad!?

[Tubaryan12]

The year I got into Tuskegee, the band director came up to Cleveland and at least at my school, he only auditioned tuba players.

****edit****

and trumpets (forgot about my roomate)

[David Spies]

Well, except for the Yale School of Music (grad school), which just received an anonymous $100 million gift towards student support. All students accepted by YSM will attend tuition-free.

With Toby Hanks on the faculty and a great curriculum, it's likely that it will become as competitive for tuba grad students as Curtis for undergrads.

The Yale Precision Marching Band always seems to have openings for a few good tubas that have other "secret weapons" at their disposal. Thomas Duffy could always put those talents and gimmicks to good, creative use!

The GPA still makes a difference however. Keep hitting the books!

Not literally--librarians don't seem to like that sort of thing;-)

Dave Spies
Willson Tuba Quartet
Principal Tuba, Racine Symphony Orchestra

[bberlien]

As a tuba student at the Yale School of Music, I would like to assure everyone that there is absolutely no GRE requirement for the School of Music (there's not even a spot on the admissions form for your GPA). If someone wanted to study music history or theory on a graduate level, only then would they be required to take that exam.

As mentioned previously, the Yale School of Music (an independent professional school within Yale University, but not directly affiliated with Yale College (undergrads)) recently received an anonymous $100 million donation which allows the school to let every graduate music student attend tuition free (like Curtis). Financial aid was already quite generous, as half our students already had free tuition.

The undergraduates at Yale tend to be brilliant, and well rounded. I can see where a student's musical activities would aid in admission. Yale's volunteer undergrad orchestra is better than most conservatory orchestras.

Anyone interested in attending Yale, go to our front page for most musical activities at Yale: www.yale.edu/music


Ben Berlien
Yale School of Music '06

[sloan]

Yale's volunteer undergrad orchestra is better than most conservatory orchestras.

Why are those American Civilization majors wasting time on music? Shouldn't they be working hard, getting the most from Daddy's money, training to be professional American Civilization-ists?

[windshieldbug]

Just goes to show what I've always maintained... don't disappoint ANYONE who might be carrying a reed knife...

[iiipopes]

A reed knife? When did we let pipe organ jargon in here? Do you tune on the cone or on the wire? Do you adjust your voicing by the boot or by the scroll slot, or both? Does your hautbois have a secondary notch where the pipe metal flare meets the hoytmetal body for voicing? Reed pipes: the only place where giving a shallot a tight wedgie is a good thing!

[iiipopes]

So what if I were, like, a cimbasso (contrabassoon, contra clarinet, english horn, contra flute, contra trumpet , wagner tuba, soprano trombone,...) specialist?





Bob1062"who, though never having even touched a cimbasso, is leaning toward that direction"

And don't forget to add a hobby of collecting obscure operas.