How to Prepare for the College Search

How to Prepare for the College Search High school students have a lot going on already, but when you add on the big college search, its hard for a student not to find life extremely overwhelming. This is one giant process that requires a lot of guidance, so it is critical that a student really understands what theyre getting into before taking on this life-changing project. It cannot be treated as something they will coast their way through or just occasionally check on. The college search should be an extremely organized endeavor that you are keeping up with every day and giving very careful attention to. Of course, this takes us back to the overwhelming aspect. How can a high school student get through this successfully without getting completely freaked out? Well, that is why beginning this process way ahead of time is so important. Far too many students leave this search until early senior year, which frankly, is nowhere near enough time to make informed decisions on which schools youd like to attend. Yes, this is a good time to literally get your applications in, but you should have your choices picked out and researched well before then. Waiting too long will not only drastically limit your time to complete your applications successfully, it will put unnecessary extra pressure on you to make a decision quickly too quickly. Having to choose a school in a rushed manner is one of the worst positions a student can be in. So why wouldnt you start looking into this far ahead of time? This is one of the biggest decisions of a young students life, and one of the most exciting; there should be no reason you wouldnt want to begin looking into this very early on. One of the most important ways to guarantee an easier time deciding between your future acceptance letters is to make sure you are only applying to schools you know you would love to attend. There are plenty of things that need to be looked into. On one hand, you must evaluate all the aspects of the school that appeal to you personally the town, the programs, the dorm life, the clubs/sports, etc. On the other hand, it is equally necessary to look into the requirements this school demands of their applicants GPAs, ACT/SAT scores, leadership, etc. Another key reason to look into this search with plenty of time to spare is that you may need some time to improve your credentials. Perhaps there is a school that you love everything about, but that also requires an ACT score above what you have. Giving yourself a chance to shoot up that score will benefit you greatly youll be very let-down if you find you have no chance of getting into that school just because you didnt think about requi red test scores earlier on in high school. If you dont research various colleges requirements early on, you wont know what youre reaching for as you go through your high school career. Once youve given yourself enough time to know what kinds of scores, grades, and clubs you must incorporate into your life, you must also use this time to determine which schools actually offer the things you want personally. Visit the campuses, read review books, research the websites, set up meetings with admissions counselors treat every approach to a school as if you are going to be enrolling in them tomorrow. Get a hold of every aspect of this schools culture that matters to you so you dont waste your time applying to a place that wouldnt really make you happy. In the end, you need to apply to schools that you know would be a fit for you and that you would have a solid chance of getting into. The worst thing you can do is waste your time with places that you are absolutely sure wont work out in either of those areas. This isnt to say that you should unnecessarily limit yourself; dont be afraid to apply to a university you love that may require a slightly higher GPA than you have. Remember, most college admissions officers look at applications holistically, so never write off your chances completely if there is just one tiny factor that doesnt perfectly match up with your qualifications. And finally, never apply to a school just because you feel like you should or because your best friend is. You will be very unhappy later if you end up at a school that you were told you would like, but dont actually like once you get there. In the end, this school is for you and you only. This is why you must look into everything yourself with a very meticulous approach and then decide on your own if you like it. You really cant avoid the exhausted feelings that will come out of this search. Any typical high school student will be inclined to skip over some of these steps and assume theyll be fine. But with enough time set aside and enough belief that this will pay off wonderfully later, this search can be completed with all the attention it deserves and leave you ultimately satisfied.

Encouragement for Those Learning to Improvise Part II

Encouragement for Those Learning to Improvise Part II Suzy S. Did you enjoy Charles M.s article a few weeks ago about learning to improvise? If you missed it, be sure to check it out if youre feeling a bit discouraged.   Learning to improvise can be tricky, and it doesnt come naturally to everyone not even the guitar masters of today. Continue reading to learn more Last time, I discussed how many famous guitarists carefully compose a great deal of their solos, or at least have many melodic ideas in mind before they begin recording solos. I cited Randy Rhoads as an example, but there are many other people that work out their solos Brian May of Queen, and Paul Allender of Cradle of Filth are a couple more examples. This should be encouraging to those beginning to improvise since it proves that even the finest players often need time to find something that sounds good. However, we all must start somewhere and this week I would like to give some advice on how to begin improvising. As I previously stated, I would learn at least ten solos by other artists before starting to improvise, since this is a fun way to build technique and learn how to pace yourself when soloing. After you learn some solos, take a step back and examine the individual phrases themselves. Consider why each of the phrases works where they are in the solo, i.e. why does the first phrase sound like a beginning lick? Why do the phrases in the middle sound like they go there? Is it the character of the melodies? The energy level? Once you begin to ask these questions you can begin to put what you have noticed into practice. Just as people who are nervous often ramble on and on because they don’t know what to do with themselves, beginner improvisers will often just play a torrent of notes, creating the musical equivalent of run-on sentences. In order to control this I ask students to play only one or two well-placed notes per bar. I ask them to try various tones until they find something that piques the ear. You should always be conscious of how the harmonic progression creates a sense of tension and release, and the notes that are selected should mirror the level of tension at that particular time and space. Another great technique is to sing while you are improvising. Your playing will automatically become more lyrical and the lines will “breathe” like a vocalist. While youre at it, try to incorporate snippets of the song’s vocal melody into the solo. The song’s melody is a logical starting point since your solo is supposed to enhance the song, and the listener will already be familiar with the vocal line. As a final suggestion, I would say just play. If you come up with some licks that are particularly inspired, keep them and use them the next time you improvise. Use them as soulful landmarks while you continue down the road of spontaneous expression. As always, keep in mind that Rome was not built in a day. Improvising is a skill that will never stop developing. Want even more expert advice from our teachers?    Sign up for email updates here! Charles M. teaches guitar, music performan ce and music theory lessons to students of all ages in Salem, OR. He holds a Bachelors degree in Music, a Masters degree in Music Education, as well as a Ph.D in Musicology.  Sign up for lessons with Charles, or visit  TakeLessons to search for teachers near you! Photo by StephenGilmer.