Hey guys, I have played bass for about 4 years now and I am really interested in going to Curtis. I'm in 10th grade and love to practice scales and excersizes form the Jeff bradetich technique book ( not the 200$ one). I don't really know what else to practice and what else I should be learning. The last solo I played was the bouree from the 3rd solo from bach cello suites. Could anyone give me and tips on what to practice, how to practice, maybe a solo I could start and how to get into Curtis!?
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Double Bass Curtis institute
- Thread starter Madi Adamssss
- Start date
This is a question for your teacher. There's no way a bunch of internet people will know enough about what you personally need to master and those are the things you've got to work to get into the top tier.
The way to get in? Practice, practice, practice. The auditions for schools like that are brutal and there are not nearly enough hours in the day.
The way to get in? Practice, practice, practice. The auditions for schools like that are brutal and there are not nearly enough hours in the day.
I didn't go to Curtis (I studied ethnomusicology at a liberal arts school) but I had a bandmate who did and ended hanging with a few cats who went there. Playing with them was like murder's row; they were just that good. Due to its free tuition and strong track record for producing top players, its probably the most competitive music school in the United States admissions-wise. Its like Harvard/Yale/Stanford/Princeton/MIT selective, perhaps even more so than Julliard due to the fact that if you get in you go for free. I'd say the best thing you can do in this situation is to get the best teacher you can, particularly one who has gotten his or her students into top conservatories in the past. The vast majority of the admitted prepare with teachers of that quality. In the mean time while you find that teacher, practice your sight reading, fundamentals, tone, and time feel. Even if you learn a fancy piece for your audition, it won't really matter unless all of that has been taken care of and you are getting a great soild sound. Good luck!
Curtis is another level. You really need to talk to people who have been there and done that. This interview with Alex Hanna might give you some interesting and perhaps valuable background about Curtis: Invalid Link Removed
The Bradetich exercises are a great starting point and something to continue with, but you'll need to be moving into upper level repertoire fairly soon to give yourself a decent shot at Curtis.
And contact someone on the faculty at Curtis. They'd know better than anyone else what you need, and I'm sure they'd be glad to steer you in the right direction. That could also give you a friend or two when audition times roll around (not saying they'd be partial, but it would ease your nerves to have some familiarity with them).
I wish you all the best!
The Bradetich exercises are a great starting point and something to continue with, but you'll need to be moving into upper level repertoire fairly soon to give yourself a decent shot at Curtis.
And contact someone on the faculty at Curtis. They'd know better than anyone else what you need, and I'm sure they'd be glad to steer you in the right direction. That could also give you a friend or two when audition times roll around (not saying they'd be partial, but it would ease your nerves to have some familiarity with them).
I wish you all the best!
If you haven't already, now is the time to start serious teacher shopping. You might be in a part of the world where you have access to someone who can get you there, or you might be in a situation where you need to consider travelling a moderate distance in order to study with someone of that calibre. If you can find a Curtis grad, or someone who has studied with Edgar Meyer or Hal Robinson, that would be a great place to start. Hal Robinson teaches at the Curtis Summerfest, Wabass Institute, and probably somewhere else over the summer. Edgar Meyer has taught at Aspen for a while, and I assume he continues to do so. While you have missed the deadlines to apply for this year, it would be really great to apply for the summer of your grade 11 year, so you have a chance to work with one or the other before you audition the following year.
If you do not have the opportunity to study with Hal or Edgar directly, or one of their recent graduates, you need to be looking at serious pedagogues in your area. The competitive nature of Curtis has been mentioned before, but you are essentially applying for a position on the Olympic double bass team, as far as competition goes. If you have a major symphony orchestra in your area, get in contact with the principal and talk to them about lessons. If you don't have access to someone like that, find the best local-ish teacher you can, and then strongly consider making biweekly or at the least monthly trips to study with a heavy hitter. While it isn't impossible to get in to a school like that, they literally have the best of the best from around the world applying to study there, so you need to know what you are up against.
Finally, if Curtis is where you are planning on applying, look at the other schools with a similar track record, consider who is teaching there, and what you can do to get yourself to an appropriate level to study at some of the other options. The audition winners list in the Orchestral Auditions section gives you a pretty good idea of the schools that audition winners are coming out of, and if you are planning on an orchestral career, that is worth considering. It is also worth considering summer programs with the faculty at those schools not only because if you audition for those teachers you have a better idea of what they are looking for, but because there are some really great bass pedagogues in North America right now, and having the opportunity to study with any of them for a few weeks over the summer is more than likely going to help with your bass playing.
If you do not have the opportunity to study with Hal or Edgar directly, or one of their recent graduates, you need to be looking at serious pedagogues in your area. The competitive nature of Curtis has been mentioned before, but you are essentially applying for a position on the Olympic double bass team, as far as competition goes. If you have a major symphony orchestra in your area, get in contact with the principal and talk to them about lessons. If you don't have access to someone like that, find the best local-ish teacher you can, and then strongly consider making biweekly or at the least monthly trips to study with a heavy hitter. While it isn't impossible to get in to a school like that, they literally have the best of the best from around the world applying to study there, so you need to know what you are up against.
Finally, if Curtis is where you are planning on applying, look at the other schools with a similar track record, consider who is teaching there, and what you can do to get yourself to an appropriate level to study at some of the other options. The audition winners list in the Orchestral Auditions section gives you a pretty good idea of the schools that audition winners are coming out of, and if you are planning on an orchestral career, that is worth considering. It is also worth considering summer programs with the faculty at those schools not only because if you audition for those teachers you have a better idea of what they are looking for, but because there are some really great bass pedagogues in North America right now, and having the opportunity to study with any of them for a few weeks over the summer is more than likely going to help with your bass playing.
