My apologies for the delay, if I have any readers at this point.  In the last couple months I moved to a new city and have been getting settled in and everything.  I have been getting letters from prospective graduate schools, some good and some bad.  I will be interviewing in the next week or two and still have yet to hear from 3 of the schools I applied to.  There isn’t much to talk about considering this part of the process mostly involves waiting.  I’ll try to go over some of my interview experiences once those occur.

Everything is sent to my prospective schools.  I used USPS’s Delivery Confirmation to make sure each one arrived at its location.  No problems there.  Now I just have to wait!

Here are my score copies, ready to be sent off to the schools! Thank you Kinkos. They did a spiral binding with a clear cover and a black backing.

So I’ve done the initial applications at all of my prospective schools. I am applying at a mixture of conservatories/universities. Some people say that one can get a better liberal arts education at a university, whereas the conservatories are more focused on just the musical aspects. Honestly, I don’t think I have a preference either way - and that’s assuming “people” are correct.

It was interesting to see the requirements for various programs and how they differed from each other. For example, some places expect applicants for a graduate degree in composition to have a bachelor degree in composition. This was only the case with a few that I researched - the vast majority only wanted you to major in music or show evidence that you have the training necessary to be competent at the graduate level. Most places handle recommendation letters online now, which is very convenient and much easier to work with. It would’ve added quite a headache to the overall process if I had to collect and mail all the letters myself. I’m already having to do that with my transcripts, as some places want them directly from your previous universities, while others will take them in a sealed, official envelope along with the pre-screening materials.

Another big source of stress has been trying to get recordings of my most recent pieces. The dilemma I’m facing is that my best work has been written very recently, and therefore has not had a chance to be performed live…yet. I have plenty of recordings of my work, but some of the schools want pieces that have been written in the last 2 years. Most composition faculty members would say that MIDI sounds horrible, and although sampled instrument technology and quality has come a long way, it still can’t match a live performance. Some people suggest paying professionals or college students to perform chamber works - which is what I am trying to do with one of my pieces. I’ve also heard that some composition majors have been accepted into good schools with a MIDI recording or two. Actually, some schools only require that you submit scores - recordings being an optional (albeit preferred) supplement. Basically, it comes down to the caliber and expectations of the schools you’re applying for. If you want to get into a great school, you will most likely need live recordings.

The December 1st deadline is drawing close, so I’ll be very busy in the next week trying to finish up recordings and get them sent out. One final thing I have learned is that it is a good idea to send your application materials using a method that can be tracked by whatever carrier you choose. If the materials get lost at any point, the schools will need proof that you sent them on time to determine if you met the deadline or not.

For those of you that don’t already know, I’m applying for graduate school in music composition. Most of the application deadlines for the schools I’m applying to are December 1st, so I’ve been busy trying to get things prepared. Hopefully I’ll be able to blog about my experiences a little, and perhaps even provide some advice for an aspiring composer or two. One thing I can tell you straight off: start getting things together earlier than I did. I had been considering taking another teaching position, however it took me until August to really decide that I wanted to go back for a Master in composition.

I had always told myself that I would continue down both paths (teaching and composing) as far as they would take me - or until I was forced to make a choice. After some disappointing outcomes with respect to my teaching interviews this summer I started thinking hard about composing, and whether or not it was something I wanted to study full time. After hearing some encouraging words from various people, I realized that my decision was made for me. It became clear to me that this was no longer a matter of “what should I do?” - it became something that I HAD to do. Composing has always been a part of my life, and I thought I’d be able to pursue that while teaching. However, now I’ve been given the chance to devote all my attention to it, and I intend to make the most of it. My wife, Lindsey, will graduate from BSU this December and has graciously agreed to allow me to drag her across the country if need be to find a university/conservatory that best fits me.

So, expect more details on the ins and outs soon. Obviously I’ll have to be somewhat confidential with respect to certain things until I make the ultimate decision next spring, but I’ll try to keep the blog updated more often!