My US Audition adventure: last stop – Bloomington

It took me a while to find the time to write this final blogpost on my auditions, so let me catch you up again. This journey starts in New Jersey after my audition at Manhattan School of Music, where I booked a hotel near Newark airport.

ARRIVING AT BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA

As stated in my previous post, I left New York with a heavy heart. Yet, fueled with a fresh load of unforgettable and inspirational experiences, I figured I shouldn’t be too sad.

I left the hotel with a shuttle bus and was dropped off right at the entrance of the airport. Since I flew with United Airlines, I had to pay $20 extra for my suitcase (I hadn’t counted on that one, so be sure to check additional baggage fees whenever you book a flight), but other than that little detail, the flight was very pleasant and we even arrived early. I was also in luck with my luggage, because it had arrived at Indianapolis Airport on a previous flight.

I had scheduled the GoExpress Shuttle to Bloomington with enough time to spare, so this was an ideal opportunity to check in with my family and let them know I was still alive and kicking. By the time the shuttle arrived, I had spotted some other musicians who turned out to be auditioning at Jacobs School of Music as well. They had booked their stay on campus, yet I didn’t run into them anymore during audition weekend.
The driver of the shuttle bus was incredibly kind and helpful and this was the first time I felt like I was meeting genuine American folk: other than the busy, time-is-money-fueled  (though still friendly) people I encountered in Boston or New York. This feeling was enforced when I arrived at the bus stop nearest to my airbnb – which was still 25 minutes on foot – and when I took my very first Uber ever. Everyone was so patient and reassuring and helpful! Yes, I liked the place very much 🙂

My host wasn’t at home when I arrived, but she had given me very clear instructions on how to get in and where to find my room, so I rearranged my backpack, freshened up and headed towards Jacobs School of music to meet the first professor I had contacted.
He turned out to be a very busy, well-spirited, but utterly exhausted man who gave me a short, yet practical lesson and advised me to contact some of his colleagues who might have a spot for me in their class next year. He was also so kind to drop me off at the airbnb afterwards.
There I met my host, looked up how to walk to the school the next morning and fell asleep in the softest bed I have ever slept in.

JACOBS SCHOOL OF MUSIC

I had two days to get to know the school before audition day, so I enjoyed a chilly morning walk to the school and tried to recognize the buildings in the morning light. It wasn’t until then that I realized how huge this campus was. I thought NEC and MSM were big, but man, Indiana University – in the middle of nowhere – was an entirely different story. The music department alone consists of 5 enormous buildings: a brand new main building, the old main building connected to classrooms and practice rooms, the library, a separate practice building and a concert hall. This required some insider’s help!

I found the office of admissions in the new main building and was helped by the sweetest lady ever: she gave me every possible map she could find regarding the entire campus, suggested where I could find the cheapest and/or tastiest food, explained how I could find the personal studios of each professor, even printed me a document with the cheapest cab companies…seriously, this woman deserves a medal for her dedication and kindness. In the folder she gave me, I could also find classes and concerts I could attend as an auditioning student. I decided to attend one of each.

So, armed with new information, I made my way to the practice building. Although there were lots of students practicing already, there were still some rooms left where I could study as much as I needed.
And the one time every room was occupied, a young violinist kindly vacated the room. Seriously friendly folk, I’m telling you!

During my first full day at Jacobs, I encountered another professor*: we talked for a long time, got to know each other and instantly clicked.
That evening, I attended a master recital by a violinist in the old main building. She played a varied program with much enthusiasm and her performance was loudly rewarded by her friends and family in the hall.

The second day I got up at 6 and practiced from 8 – 11. I had to check in at the concert hall and pick up another folder with my audition time, room and practice room. Afterwards, I joined an allround tour of the whole campus, energetically guided by a senior student.
I also met with two remaining teachers: they both gave me a short lesson and one of them even invited me to one of his classes where his students performed for one another.
I attended a contemporary jazz & soul music course about Aretha Franklin, enthusiastically presented by a teacher who had actually worked with her. How cool is that!

In between all my appointments, I visited the library and fetched some delicious food. Because I knew I would encounter some major jetlag when I would return, I rearranged my suitcase as much as I could and crawled into bed as soon as possible so I could get up at 5.30.

*Turns out he has his own YouTube channel with very interesting content, so if you have some time, do check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/user/dafeneo

Oh, and if you’re wondering if my method of going to bed and getting up earlier each day had any positive effect on the jetlag: yes, I can assure you it did 🙂

AUDITION DAY

My host kindly dropped me off at 8 am so I could leave my luggage in the main building* during my audition. I took my time to prepare properly and get a decent meal before collecting all my energy to perform for the jury.

This time, the audition was set in one of the personal studios in the old building. There were three teachers present as jury members, two of whom I had met with the previous day. They asked me to perform 3 pieces.

I must admit, of all the auditions I had done, this one felt most natural: maybe because of the carpet and the cosy atmosphere of the studio, maybe because I had connected so well with the teachers or maybe because all the stress of the trip had finally left me because everything went according to plan…bottomline is: I enjoyed and I stepped out of the room with an amazing feeling of satisfaction and contentment.

Since I had to leave for Indianapolis that afternoon, I decided I should celebrate first. I paid a visit to the smoothie bar, treated myself with a slice of lemon cake and a peach-strawberry-apple juice (which tasted absolutely devine) and decided to bring an extra for the lovely lady of the admissions office who had kept an eye on my luggage and had taken care of me so well on my first day.
I walked around campus one last time, enjoying the sunlight and wondering if this would become my next school, whereafter I ordered an Uber to get me to Indianapolis.

*the picture is a practice/class room building, not the main building.

RETURNING HOME

My Uber driver was a middle-aged woman with a cracking voice who smoked a grapefruit-smelling vapor and drove a dark blue pick-up. I loved her instantly. We got along well and had a good talk while getting near the airport.

My flight was bound early the next morning, so I had booked my second and final hotel of my trip which provided me with a free shuttle.
I remember I had figured, while booking everything back home, I might want some extra luxury on my last day in the States to celebrate the end of my adventure. Turned out I know myself well, because I was most grateful for the swimming pool.
I went to bed as early as I could, set my alarm at 4.30 and prayed I would get a good night sleep because I feared I might not sleep on any of the three flights I had to take the next day.

My return trip got me from Indianapolis Airport to Newark Airport with United Airlines (again with the $20 fee of course ;-)), from Newark to Keflavik with WOW Air and from Keflavik to Brussels with the same flight agency.
There was a lot of waiting, a lot of searching for decent yet affordable food and – as I feared – no sleep which resulted in a 33 hour traveling day. I used the waiting time at Newark for writing a draft of my first two blogposts about this expedition and tried to save my energy as much as I could for the coming week.
When arriving at Brussels, I encountered my first and only bad luck: I forgot my coat on the plane and never saw it again. I did find my luggage though and was warmly welcomed back by my parents.

REFLECTION

I can’t tell you how cool it was to write this story down and relive it from day one. It reminded me of how much I’ve grown since my graduation in 2017, musically and personally. It made me realise how much I’ve changed by stepping that far out of my comfort zone. And it somehow fastened my determination to study in the USA even more.
Yes, this adventure isn’t over yet 🙂
I promise I will keep you posted on the developments, but for now I hope you enjoyed reading about the process.
And if you’re a musician, trying to figure out how to study in the USA, I hope you found some valid tips and tricks along the way.

Much love

Nathalie