Grade by Grade Guide for Instrumental Skill Building
A guide to improving your instrumental skills to increase scholarship opportunities from recruiters.
1. Score a superior rating at State Festivals, especially as a soloist
2. Place in a statewide or regional competition, especially in an All-State Honor Ensemble
1. Your solo repertoire (show diverse styles, periods, and technical demands)
2. Your rankings or ratings at festivals and competitions
3. Your leadership potential, demonstrated by participation in school and community ensembles.
Attend six concerts outside of your school this academic year. For example, two concerts at the high school you will attend, two concerts on a college or university campus, and two concerts by professional organizations like your city’s symphony, community chorus, or touring ensemble(s).
Participate in school sponsored music class. Hopefully this is a choral class.
Participate in a community theater performance and/or a city children's choir.
Keep Accoladi updated each semester and summer. Focus on strengthening your video profile before senior year starts.
Attend six concerts outside of your school this academic year. For example, two concerts at the high school you will attend, two concerts on a college or university campus, and two concerts by professional organizations like your city’s symphony, community chorus, or touring ensemble(s).
Participate in school performance ensemble.
Participate in statewide Solo and Ensemble Festival by performing an accompanied solo that is age appropriate. Perform in a district middle school choral clinic. participate in a community theater performance and/or a city children's choir. Pursue and obtain the National Scholastic Junior Musicians Choir Letter award.
Reference: NationalScholasticJuniorMusiciansAwards.com
Attend Summer Music Camp that has age appropriate performance repertoire.
Keep Accoladi updated each semester and summer. Focus on strengthening your video profile before senior year starts.
Attend eight concerts outside of your school this academic year. For example, two concerts at the high school you will attend, two concerts on a college or university campus, and two concerts by professional organizations like your city’s symphony, community concert band, or touring ensemble(s). In addition, add two concerts/performances outside the discipline of your primary performance ensemble like Broadway musical, opera, or a ballet.
Attend one Master Class on a college campus. Continue taking private voice lessons once a week with a more seasoned performer. In 8th grade, look for a voice major at a local college. That person might be a good choice for your first private instructor.
Participate in school performance ensemble like Middle School Chorus or Middle School Show Choir.
Participate in statewide Solo and Ensemble Festival by performing an accompanied solo that is age appropriate. Perform in a district middle school choral clinic. Participate in a community theater performance and/or a city children’s choir. Pursue and obtain the National Scholastic Junior Musicians Choir All-Star Award.
Reference: NationalScholasticJuniorMusiciansAwards.com
Attend Summer Music Camp that has age appropriate performance repertoire. This should be on a college campus.
Keep Accoladi updated each semester and summer. Focus on strengthening your video profile before senior year starts.
Attend eight concerts or recitals outside of your school this academic year. For example, four concerts/recitals on a college or university campus; preferably at the college you are most interested in attending. Attend two concerts by professional organizations like your city’s symphony, community chorus, or touring ensemble(s). Add two concerts/performances outside the discipline of your primary performance ensemble like a Broadway musical, opera, ballet, community chorus, or folksong festival.
Participate in at least one school performance ensemble. For example, High School Mixed Chorus, High School Treble Chorus, or High School Showchoir.
Begin taking private voice lessons twice a month with a professional singer for a six-month period. This professional singer can be a local college professor, a church singer, or any locally recognized private instructor. Begin music theory instruction. This can be through formal course offerings at your school or online instruction.
Participate in statewide Solo and Ensemble Festival by performing an accompanied solo that is age appropriate. If you have not yet achieved the National Scholastic Junior Musicians Awards (Letter and All-Star) pursue and obtain these awards before enterinig 10th grade.
Reference: NationalScholasticJuniorMusiciansAwards.com
Attend extended Summer Music Camp that has age appropriate performance repertoire. This should be on a college campus, preferably on the college campus you want to attend. While attending this camp, take at least one private lesson from the professor in whose studio you might spend most of your college experience.
Keep Accoladi updated each semester and summer. Focus on strengthening your video profile before senior year starts.
Attend ten concerts/recitals outside of your school this academic year. For example, four concerts of large performance ensembles (e.g. Concert Choir, Showchoir, or Jazz Vocal Ensemble) on a college campus where you want to attend. Attend two concerts of small or large ensembles presented by the professors and conductors that you are developing a relationship with. Attend two concerts by professional organizations like your city’s symphony, community concert band, or touring ensemble(s). Add two performances outside the discipline of your primary vocal performance ensemble like a Broadway musical, opera, ballet, community chorus, or folksong festival.
Participate in at least two school performance ensembles and/or school Broadway musical. For example: High School Mixed Chorus, High School Treble Chorus, High School Show-Choir or High School Madrigal Singers. Consider district-wide ensembles like county or regional Youth Chorale.
Attend one Master Class on a college/university campus. Take private voice lessons once a week with a professional singer. This professional singer can be a local college professor, a church singer, or a locally recognized private instructor. If the private instructor is not a college professor, then you may want to add two lessons from the college professor whose studio you want to be in before your Solo and Ensemble Festival participation or before your All-State audition. Continue music theory instruction coupled with sight-singing development. This can be through formal course offerings at your school, college-prep classes, or online instruction.
Participate in statewide Solo and Ensemble Festival by performing an accompanied solo that is appropriate to your technical ability. Audition for and make the grade-level appropriate All-State Chorus. Pursue and obtain the National Scholastic Musicians Choir Letter.
Reference: NationalScholasticMusiciansAwards.com
Attend extended Summer Music Camp that has age appropriate performance repertoire. This should be on a college campus, preferably a campus you want to attend. While attending this camp, take at least one private lesson from the professor in whose studio you might spend most of your collegiate experience. This can be a nationally recognized summer enrichment program such as “The Governor’s School for the Arts” in your state or a camp where America’s most noted conductors and performers act as instructors.
Explore both a college and a university setting to discern which environment resonates most with you. Complete a music career aptitude assessment to unveil your innate inclination towards a particular music profession.
Reference: MyMusicFuture.com
Keep Accoladi updated each semester and summer. Focus on strengthening your video profile before senior year starts.
Attend ten concerts/recitals outside of your school this academic year. For example, four concerts of large performance ensembles (e.g. Concert Choir, Showchoir, or Jazz Vocal Ensemble, etc.) on a college campus, preferably where you want to attend. Attend two concerts of small or large ensembles presented by the professors and conductors that you are developing a relationship with. Attend two concerts by professional organizations like your city’s symphony, community concert band, or touring ensemble(s). Add two concerts/performances outside the discipline of your primary vocal performance ensemble. Examples are: Broadway musical, opera, ballet, community chorus, or folksong festival.
Participate in at least two school performance ensembles and/or school or community theater Broadway musical or show choir. Consider district-wide ensembles like county or regional Youth Chorale.
Attend two Master Classes on at least two different college campuses. Continue taking private voice lessons once a week with a professional singer. This professional singer can be a local college professor, a church singer, or a locally recognized private instructor. If the private instructor is not a college professor, then you may want to add two lessons from the college professor whose studio you want to be in before your Solo and Ensemble Festival participation, or before your All-State audition. Continue music theory instruction coupled with sight-singing development. If AP Music Theory is offered on your campus take this course. In addition, take a music history course to learn the basic style periods and composers and works related to each of these periods. All of the above can be achieved through formal course offerings at your school, college-prep classes, or online instruction.
Participate in statewide Solo and Ensemble Festival by performing an accompanied solo that is appropriate to your technical ability, as well as participate in one small ensemble. Audition and make the grade-level appropriate All-State ensemble and/or the American Choral Directors Association state, region, and/or national honors choir. Perform in a solo recital in the spring of this academic year. (This recital could consist of four student performers with each performer singing three memorized selections.) Compete in a regional or national singing competition. For example: the National Association of the Teachers of Singing, the local symphony chorus or community chorale. Note that the prizes for winners are often college scholarships. Pursue and obtain both the National Scholastic Musicians Choir Acclaimed Musician Award and the Ovation Award.
Reference: NationalScholasticMusiciansAwards.com
Attend extended Summer Music Camp that has age appropriate performance repertoire. This should be on a college campus, preferably on the college campus you want to attend. While attending this camp take at least one private lesson per week from the professor in whose studio you might spend the majority of your collegiate experience. Consider a nationally recognized summer enrichment program such as “The Governor’s School for the Arts” in your state or one of the nationally noted summer camps for the classical singer.
Explore a conservatory and an institute of music/vocal music academy especially if you are considering becoming a performance major. In addition, explore a life in the military as a military career musician by visiting a base where one of the musical units is housed. In addition, complete a music career aptitude assessment to unveil your innate inclination towards a particular music profession.
Reference: MyMusicFuture.com
Keep Accoladi updated each semester and summer. Focus on strengthening your video profile before senior year starts.
Attend four concerts/recitals outside of your school this academic year. Each of these concerts should be at the schools that you are auditioning for acceptance and scholarships.
Participate in at least two school performance ensembles and/or school or community theater Broadway musical or show choir. Consider district-wide ensembles like county, regional, or state Youth Chorale.
Participate in statewide Solo and Ensemble Festival by performing an accompanied solo that is age appropriate. Audition for and make the grade-level appropriate All-State ensemble and/or the American Choral Directors Association state, region, and/or national honors choir. Compete in a regional or national aria or Broadway ballad competition. Most importantly, take the first audition time available for each college or university where you are auditioning. Follow each audition with personal hand-written notes of thanks to each person on the audition committee. Pursue and obtain the National Scholastic Musicians Band/Orchestra National Hall of Fame Award.
Reference: NationalScholasticMusiciansAwards.com
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