How hard is it to get into the UNT College of Music for a trumpet

[BandG33k73]

I'm a sophomore in high school right now, and was wondering how hard it is to get into the unt college of music for music education, I'm currently 5th chair in a band that the top 5 chairs move around a lot, and was wondering what I should be doing to improve my playing to get into the school, also grades aren't that great either if you needed to know that

[takigan]

Have you made All-Region or made a 1 on a Class 1 solo yet at Region solo and ensemble?

Whether you have or haven't doesn't have a whole lot of bearing on whether you will or won't get in.....but it does give a bit of perspective on where your playing ability is at without actually hearing you or knowing what school you go to.

[SergeantFunk]

Ok, so a few points to consider:

 

1) region, area, state band/orchestra placements are great accolades, things for your letter jacket.  However it is your college audition that ultimately gets you into a college of music.

3) performing at state solo & ensemble is more like the environment of a college audition.

3) the UNT education school isn't quite as exclusive as its performance school. Even if your interest is just performance, they sometimes advise to also select education as an option to increase your likelihood of acceptance.

4) typically you must first be accepted into a university academically.  And then through audition you gain acceptance to the college of music. Some students at UNT 'hang around' taking regular classes, still trying to get in musically.  These are usually performance folks though.

5) get with your private teacher, attain all the standard repertoire for your instrument.  Start working hard and increase your lesson time each week.

6) consider taking a lesson from the professor you expect to audition with.  You'll know more what to expect.

7) if you're gunning for a scholarship, fine arts scholarships help of course. But know that the big money is for academics.  So get your grades up, up, up as much as you can.  

7) often education majors are required to be in marching band, so don't overload your coursework in the fall season, especially first year.

 

Hope this is helpful.

[MarktheTrumpet]

I didn't audition at UNT because I felt the program was too big to give the personalized attention I was looking for, but I do have a music ed degree from an equally ranked music school and think I can give you some insight.

 

I had a teacher who compared musicality to a three-legged chair. The three legs that hold up the foundation to a musician are tone, tuning, and time. Without one of these, the chair collapses.

 

Trumpet professors are looking for players who are established in their technique and have good habits. Tone is a very important factor because if you have problems with your tone you most likely need some adjustments to your embouchure. Changing an embouchure can be a very daunting task and can take months, even years to sort out. Many professors don't want to take the time to go through this process and would rather take students who are ready to start developing their musicality with advanced repertoire. If you want to develop your sound, long tones, long tones, long tones. Ask your teachers about the Stamp and Chickowitz long tone studies.

 

One of the most over-looked techniques for young players to develop is their ear. If you can play in tune by yourself professors will notice it and you will truly set yourself apart from the majority of high school players. I'm 23 and I still practice with a tuner in every single one of my sessions. When you do your long tones, watch the tuner and make sure every time you change pitches you are landing as close to in tune as possible. Do the same thing when you are playing a piece and want to check large or weird intervals. If you do this long enough your lips will learn what position they need to be in for each pitch and how to compensate for certain intervals. But, more importantly, it will teach your ear to hear what being in tune sounds like. When you are playing with your band/ ensemble or with a recording you need to use your ears and really listen to the intonation of the group. Make sure you are not sharp/ flat to the other players in the group, but don't adjust to players who are out of tune themselves. Listen to the group as a whole. Again, a lot of young players don't see the importance in this but it is crucial to playing music at an advanced level and will show a high level of musicianship in an audition.

 

You also need to have a good understanding of rhythm and be able to hold a steady tempo. Practicing with a metronome is important to develop this skill, but it goes beyond that. Again, in ensemble make sure you are listening to other players and matching time. When you prepare ANY piece of solo repertoire, it is important that you listen to at least one professional recording of the piece. This will give you an idea of appropriate tempos for the piece and how to tastfully apply ritardandos and tempo changes. But as I think of it, listening to recordings is important for so many other reasons. The best way to develop artistic phrasing and a high level of musical understanding is by imitation. Ask your teachers for what trumpeters you should get recordings of and try to make musical phrases the same way they do.

 

Well, this was a great distraction from work. Best of luck to you! My advice is to stop worrying about what schools to get into until you are a senior. For now, just focus on becoming the best trumpet player you can possibly be.

[BandG33k73]

I got a 2 on a class 1 solo at solo and ensemble with 2 weeks prep, and as for all region this is my first year competing, and will be competing against Chisolm Trail, Denton High, and Boswell, so it will be interesting

[snares]

I will agree that it is the college audition that really dictates whether you get in (besides education). I went to UNT, and got into the music program. I went to UNT for two years then transferred to UT for my last two years to prepare for med school. Anyways. I never made it to area when I was in high school. But I really buckled down for my UNT audition and nailed it, so I got in. I auditioned for UNT in 03, so that wasn't too long ago I guess, but I'm sure there hasn't been a significant change in their system.