How to Prepare for Music School

This article is going to be best for you if you have a strong feeling you want to go to music school. If you haven’t already, start researching schools, programs, and audition requirements to see what realistically might work for you. Aside from that, this is how to prepare for music school.

I do want to give a disclaimer that completing these tips will not guarantee that you get into music school. Some people will use all these tips and not pass their auditions, others will. Some students will do entirely different tasks to prepare for music school, and might get in. There are so many variables involved in this process. Some are in your control, and others aren’t!

Overall, the tips I’m sharing today are things I either did or wish I’d done to prepare for music school. They’re also tasks that I’ve noticed many other successful musicians have gone through to get where they are today.

Now that we have all that out of the way, here’s how to prepare for music school!

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Take lessons

I have to talk about this first, because this is one of, if not the very best thing you can do to prepare for music school. Taking lessons is the fastest way to learn your instrument and understand how music works. Working one on one with a teacher every week is the most tried and true way of learning an instrument–we’ve been learning music this way for centuries!

When you’re trying to get into music school, 95% of the time you’ll need to complete an audition on your chosen instrument and prepare repertoire for it. The best way to learn your instrument and your audition repertoire is through weekly lessons!

Looking for viola, violin, or piano lessons? I’d be happy to help! Learn more about my studio here.

Theoretically, the longer you’ve played your instrument and taken lessons, the better prepared you’ll be. You will have had more time to learn and grow your skill set than someone who decided to take lessons a few months before their auditions, and you’ll hopefully feel comfortable with the whole setup of lessons; most music majors have to take one on one lessons every week!

Of course, if you don’t pull your own weight (practicing regularly), your progress will grow stagnant. If you don’t like practicing… a music degree may not be best for you, unless you’re going into something more behind the scenes at a school that doesn’t need you to keep up with practicing an instrument.

Throughout my childhood and teenage years, I went through many phases and feelings in regards to practicing. The older I get, the more I love practicing. Although, to be completely honest, I haven’t been practicing much lately since I’m mostly just teaching.

If you need to practice more and aren’t sure how to get started or how to approach the process, check out the Practice Tips section of my blog! You are not alone; practicing can be a difficult task and many people struggle with it.

Perform as often as you can

Part of being a musician is performing. If you choose to do a performance degree, music education, or music therapy degree, you’ll probably be performing a lot throughout your life! Start performing often as early as you can, to get acquainted with it.

Most people feel (very) nervous when they perform, especially solo. Often, the more you perform, the more you understand how your body and mind react to the idea of performing, and you can find ways to help ease your performance anxiety.

The more performances you have under your belt, the better you’ll understand how to calm your nerves and play well under pressure. Every musical experience you have will help you grow as a person, and performing regularly can teach you a lot about yourself!

Need help calming your performance anxiety? Here are a few tricks you can try!

Learn some music theory

If you’re planning to focus on classical, jazz, or even pop music, among others, you’ll have an easier time getting through college if you come in already having some background knowledge of music theory. If you’re interested in composing, then you’ll definitely want to learn some music theory!

I know many young musicians hate music theory, but now that I’m on the other side, knowing the “why” behind music is SO incredibly helpful! Identifying chord progressions and arpeggios in my etudes helps me learn them faster. Knowing the form (structure) of a typical string quartet helps me understand the music better when I’m just listening for fun. Learning music theory may feel like a drag now, but I promise it’ll come in handy. (I use it more than I use long division!!!)

Go to summer camps

Going to music summer camps is a fun way to get a taste of what your schedule might be like as a music major! Summer camps are also a great way to meet other like-minded young musicians, and you can challenge yourself with harder music and different ensembles than what you might usually experience at your high school.

Check and see if there are any music camps offered at colleges you’re interested in. I once did a summer camp at a school I was considering, and it gave me a great understanding of the campus, the food there, the music facilities, and some of the teachers! This is a great way to “try out” a school while still gaining knowledge and musical experience.

When you go to a high level summer camp, your schedule will likely be pretty similar to what you might experience at college. A full day might include music theory, orchestra rehearsals, chamber group coachings, a lesson, and practice time. That’s pretty similar to a typical day of classes at music school!

There are summer camps based on solo performing; orchestra; chamber music; composing; jazz; pop music… there are endless summer camps available if you keep an open mind and do some research!

If you try something like this, you can see if this musical lifestyle is a good fit for you. Is it too overwhelming? Not stimulating enough? The best thing you’ve ever experienced?? Use your feelings to guide where you want to audition and what kind of career path you might want to go down.

Play in as many ensembles as you can

The more you can play, the more you’ll learn about music in general, and the better you’ll get. A very helpful way to get in more playing time is by joining ensembles.

I grew up playing piano, violin, and viola, and decided I wanted to major in viola performance. My school district didn’t have a strings program, so I was involved in band (mallet percussion), choir, the school musicals, youth orchestra, community orchestra, and community theatre. I was so involved, and very busy, but always surrounded by music of all kinds.

Exposing yourself to different genres of music will help you understand what you like best and what you would like to focus on. You never know what type of music might become your favorite! Playing and being surrounded by different types of music will also help you grow as a person and as a musician.

It’s so helpful to work with a variety of directors and teachers. Everyone you work with will have a slightly different perspective on music, and keeping your mind open to these ideas is so beneficial to growing your musicality! I know I’ve had at least one big takeaway from every single music teacher I’ve worked with. Hearing new perspectives, opinions, and outlooks will help you develop your own opinion, making you a stronger musician.

Personally, participating in youth orchestra was one of the best ways I prepared for college. I decided in high school that I wanted to be in a professional orchestra because I loved youth orchestra so much (I eventually changed my mind once I learned how rigorous the audition process, and even the concerts are!). We played professional level music in that orchestra, which taught me really difficult techniques and showed me great practice time management in high school.

Being stretched by a high level ensemble will keep you on your toes and help accelerate your process. I’ve found that my own private students who are involved in ensembles learn so much faster than those who only take lessons!

Research music careers

Research what careers there are in music to see what exactly you think you might want to do. Of course, your career goals will probably change throughout college and throughout your life as a whole, but get a taste of what the music world is like, and what you might feel drawn to.

A career in music is different from any other career. Your options and path will probably be less clear cut than others. Keep an open mind, and know now that your path might not be linear. You might have to “create” your own career and shape what your life looks like, more so than your friends who are going into elementary teaching or nursing (not that their careers aren’t interesting! It just might be more simple and linear in most cases for them to find jobs and keep them).

Anyway, research what music careers are out there, and dig a little to see what interests you the most. Look up vlogs for those careers- maybe search “day in my life as a music therapist” and see what comes up.

If you know anyone with a music career (which you should, if you’re in ensembles and taking lessons- your teachers are musicians!), and ask what their life is really like and how they got to where they are now. See if you could shadow them for a day to get a taste of what their career is like. If you’re interested in something your teachers don’t do, ask if they know anyone with that career, and see if you can get in touch with them.

Keep your mind open and brainstorm and experiment as much as you can! I personally student taught for my piano teacher the summer before I went to college. This was a huge help in starting my teaching career. She was right there behind me as I taught my first music lesson, and gave me tips during and after the lesson on what I could do better next time. Doing this got me more excited at the prospect of having my own private studio one day, and gave me the confidence that I was on the right path.

Listen to as much music as you can

Listening to music is a valuable form of practicing. Listen to the music you’re working on to learn it faster, but also research other genres and listen to as much different music as you can. Just like I said earlier when we were talking about ensembles, experimenting with different styles of music can open your eyes to your new favorite thing!

I’d recommend spending a little extra time listening to whatever you’re most interested in. For example, I wish I’d listened to more viola music before I went to college. I had such little knowledge on standard viola repertoire when I got to school! A lot of the classical music I knew where pieces I’d played, or works I learned about in music history class. I wish I’d done a little more research and listened to other classical pieces in high school.

Anything you hear will help! Stream the music you’re interested in; watch videos; go to concerts! It will all help. By doing these things, you can learn more about how your instrument is played: small nuances in techniques and playing style you might not have figured out on your own.

Every time you listen to music, you can learn something new: different styles, ways of playing, new instruments, different sounds… the possibilities are endless!

Of course, you don’t have to turn every listening session into a learning environment. That can become overwhelming, and could cause you to dislike listening to music. Just like with anything, it’s a balance! Explore and keep an open mind, but don’t overload yourself.

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I hope these tips were helpful for you! Again, there are other equally valuable ways you can prepare yourself for music school, these tips are not a prerequisite for music school, and doing these things will not guarantee you a spot at school. I do, however, think that adding these routines and mindsets to your life will help you become a better musician (and a better human overal!), and will help you feel more prepared for music school than if you hadn’t tried it at all.

If you have any other tips, please share them down in the comments! Any advice you have will be so helpful for fellow readers. I’m sure there are other great ways to prepare; when I think of more, I’ll make a part two!

Happy practicing, and best of luck!