What we wish we knew before going to Juilliard for Music... with Timothy Chooi!

🥁 Please welcome my dear friend & rockstar violinist, Timothy Chooi! 🥳
Today, Timmy and I are going to share What We Wish We Knew before attending the Juilliard School in New York City for our Music 😌
The Juilliard School is a performing arts conservatory right in Manhattan's Lincoln Center, and I'm stoked to join forces with Timmy since we both recently completed our Master's degree at Juilliard, and he is additionally in the Artist Diploma program.
Grab a cup of tea, and leave a comment: What did you wish you knew before going to university? 🤗🍵
Check out the video we did for Timmy's channel:
"US vs. Europe: Classical Music Education"
bit.ly/3z1Usts
Timmy's Instagram: bit.ly/3jMaNhe
His Tiktok: bit.ly/3n4gmtK
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Chapterssss
00:00 Meet Timmy! + How we became friends
01:09 1.) We wish we knew... that you can split teachers
01:40 Advantages of splitting teachers & how it works
03:40 2.) We wish we knew... how firm the attendance & curriculum systems are
04:25 Things to consider & Tips to prevent problems
05:53 Learned this the hard way (lol): What to expect for theory/ear training classes
07:00 3.) We wish we knew... finance tips to save tuition cost + manage money
08:19 The realities of living in NYC 🙃
09:13 4.) We wish we knew... that you're not only studying to be a musician
10:06 The Columbia-Juilliard Exchange program: Having options as a musician
11:47 How the internet evolved more diverse job opportunities for us musicians (loved what Timmy had to say here)
11:43 5.) We wish we knew... what to expect on audition day (+ advice)
12:56 Our audition experience
Shh... Bloopers at the very end 🤫
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[@SuminaStuder1]

Thank you guys for tuning into the Premiere, loved chatting with you 🤗 What surprised you the most in this video, and are there any differences to your own university? Leave a comment and I can't wait to share experiences 🎻🧠

[@timmychooi]

Dang, I wish I saw this video before I went to Juilliard. *note to future self

[@Poreckylife]

I feel bad for them 😭 such amazing people. My musical education was free. I got free violin free books free teacher. 🙏

[@christelle_2558]

@@Poreckylife how-

[@Poreckylife]

@@christelle_2558 Well I was a 6 year old when I auditioned for a music school in my country of Croatia. They determined that I had excellent ear and musicality so I was assigned violin. I had free teacher and everything else that a music student needs. Including solfege and violin. I spent around 5 or 6 years in that school. After that we moved and I didn't attend that school anymore. My school was called Ferdo Livadic in Samobor. If u like to look it up ❤️❤️

[@christelle_2558]

@@Poreckylife Wouah that's awesome ,what an opportunity you had I wish they would have that in the UK , props to your talent (✯ᴗ✯) !

[@Poreckylife]

@@christelle_2558 😍

[@emmaservadio]

An audition experience video would be extremely helpful!!! :)

[@chi73]

This type of video is awesome! And I would love to see a video just about Auditions! Also other videos from musicians experiences, professional musicians lifestyle tips and tricks, practise tips, performance tips, performance axiety, and my list goes on... : ) Sry for the overload, just thought I`d throgh in some ideas. Greetings from Zurich! Love you Sumina and your content has helped me a lot in various situationes!

[@ioana938]

Struggling with C D E... I took only a 1st grade in a specialized music school in Bucharest and they drilled a huge amount of solfege into us. The school is based on the Kodaly method. 50 years later, that remains the way my brain works. Picking up the violin this year took a lot of brain reconfiguration...

[@dayaneoliveira1122]

Timothy is so nice and engaging, I love him!🙏❤️

[@ErikJJJS]

Congrats on getting the job as prof at uOttawa, Timmy!

[@scelochrisnjapha5496]

Great video Sumina! I hope you are doing well. I think it would be cool to see more content about the "after school" period of life that a lot of us are in. Deciding on what we want to do with our lives...career wise. And what it takes to be successful as a soloist/chamber musician/teacher/orchestral musician...etc. Thank you!

[@IrinaJannat]

Amazing video. Thank you very much for sharing with us. Lot’s of love from Switzerland

[@Kinzanagi]

Love the collab!

[@chipdale8487]

Great video! I’d love to hear more about your experiences with Julliard additions and how they were like! :)

[@mtraube]

Very interesting, thank you

[@trevorstolz8580]

It would be interesting if you could do a video on what paths are available to mature students. In a nutshell, my personal "story" is that I grew up in a very small town in northern Canada. There were quite simply no violin teachers available. I learned piano as a child however, so I have have a "musical ear", so to speak. I am middle aged now. I passed the grade 7 exam with the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada with First Class Honours. I am now working on grade 8. WIth RCM, there is a grade 10 exam and then an ARCT exam after that. (ARCT means Associate of the Royal Conservatory in Toronto.) An ARCT is definitely something I will work towards. However, it would be fun to study music in music school later. That doesn't necessarily have to mean being a full time student for four years. It could mean during summer programs for adults who take classical music seriously. Yes, I know there are violinists out there who, having started learning when they were six years old or younger, feel that no one can ever accomplish what they have accomplished. However, I think an adult can accomplish a lot in, say, 10 years of dedicated study. Some of these violin prodigies have only been alive for less than two decades! Any thoughts on this ? Another thing is this, if later, when I have an ARCT, I can teach violin in a small town in Canada, where I will most likely live, I will be providing something - violin lessons - where there is quite simply no one else available. Again, I have found it a bit snobbish when very accomplished violinists feel that no one who is less accomplished than themselves should ever be teaching violin. A less qualified violin teacher in a small town is better than no violin teacher at all. Giving children an opportunity that is not available otherwise seems better than not giving them any opportunity at all. They can improve their skills if they relocated to a larger city for music school when they are young adults. I am very serious about getting to an advanced level of violin playing. What opportunities are there for late bloomers?

[@user-ow6mo3xd1w]

Just as an advice with hope of it's usefulness. There are 3 books on violin methodics: by Carl Flesh, by Leopold Auer and by Ivan Golomian. If you know understand and follow them nobody can say you're a bad violin teacher. And of course audio and video examples. like Heifetz as an example of Auer's school and Perelman as Golomian's one etc

[@CaptMusicMan]

I have problems with evaluating myself to see if I can get into Curtis/Juiliard/Geidai. Basically I don't know where I stand among others. So it would be a miracle to have that audition experience video happen and to see an insider's point of view on it. Also awesome video. A lot of my doubts are just gone out the window now :) Thank you so much!

[@rie.k]

Very interesting‼︎🧐💓💓💓

[@yu-mik6150]

That's out of topic but can you drop your skin routine? Your skin is glowing😍

[@rafaele.zavalacamero3099]

Damn it! Wish to have seen it a years ago...

[@nezuko3175]

Me watching this who cant even afford to go julliard

[@yanas9871]

just like 90% of people in the world. education should be free of charge!

[@yogajedi3337]

@@yanas9871 Juilliard is private music education. You want other hard working tax payers paying for others hobbies.

[@maite_0914]

This is amazing! I love the way you talk about these things! 🤍

[@alandeutsch7769]

still watching!

[@yu-mik6150]

I learned solfège in luxembourg and the CDEFGA System in school in germany, so I grew up with both.

[@sasssssa6565]

In France you almost start studying the solfège before starting studying your instrument !

[@kittyvu88]

I have never used solfège so I would definitely struggle 😅 Thanks for the insights :)

[@JacquesLuu]

still watchiing ;)

[@porposeone2213]

I subscribed to Sumina and was planning to hear Timothy's Tchaikovsky in Toronto this November, didn't expect that they know each other😮

[@timmychooi]

Surprise! I’m looking forward to meeting you in Toronto this November :)

[@coloraturaElise]

I know what solfege is, and learned the fundamentals of it in junior college, but none of my instructors ever used it, and I've only ever encountered a couple of conductors who used it.

[@kylemaccloud8565]

What I appreciate the most about European classical music is the teamwork and coordination of all the musicians. I had such a hard time trying to get 4 musicians to play simple blues. Trying to organise 20 career musicians seems completely alien to me. The history and depth of Hindustani music is also very impressive, although that is more of a conversation between a wind and percussion instrument so more individual expression there. Both realms are way out of my ability, I wish I could find better instruction where I live.

[@asherwade]

W0W-!!! First time I've ever got to see 3-dimensional video { thanks for having the mirror in the background to be able to see 3-D }; 😏🤗

[@katyb2793]

I think most students don't learn solfege in Australia. Except maybe students who do the susuki method. Except that when I went uni, my Conservatorium's aural teacher did EVERYTHING in solfege (she was Hungarian). We had to learn on the fly, and yes it was so stressful! The only knowledge i had of solfege was from the Sound of Music 😂 I'll never forget, our very first class she made us stand up and sing something in solfege by ourselves in front of the whole class. Which included actual singers. The classes were brutal, BUT people now ask me if I have perfect pitch all the time (I do not sadly), and I used to have ZERO aural skills (piano gang!! 😭🤣) so it was well worth it in the end!

[@Gman44044]

Absolutely absolutely loved this video! Most Julliard videos are by freshman or sophomore undergrad kids. Nice to see masters level experiences. I have a bachelors in chemical engineering and masters in computer science, but my dream of musical education remains distant. I'm almost 39 now, have 20+ years of informal guitar education and 8 years of trumpet experience. I'm considering getting a masters degree in music, what are the odds of me getting through in a school like Julliard? You advice really appreciated!

[@foxjacket]

How did you deal with your cold hands at the audition? Definitely want to hear more about auditions! I took a selfie with Timothy after one of his concerts in Toronto a few years ago lol.

[@timaeby]

Learned music theory for 7 years and we only used the Solfege system, had to connect the dots with the CDEFGAB system on my own. Don't know if it's a French thing...

[@ValeriesVignettes]

Hello! I have two sons age 4 and 2. My 4 year old just started Suzuki violin and after summer hoping my 2 year old would start too. You and your brother really reminds me of my two boys! Please can you do a video that gives advice to mums like me! What are the things that worked and didn't work for you when you were brought up learning violin? How can a mum like me help my son learn and enjoy music more? Thank you!

[@sophiejulie2138]

I had solfège in France for almost 10 years as a kid (2 years were mandatory before starting to learn any instrument!) and was confused by A B C... system when I moved to Germany. Also surprised how bad some people (who play well) were with music theory, ie not knowing key signatures.

[@miguelangelvallory1563]

Both great violinists, armonics, arpegys, example : n° 23 Locattelli, not easy ....

[@cozykotatsu]

Yeah, as an American that studied here in the US then studied abroad it was wild to me how lax Europeans and the Japanese student body (I studied in Japan for a year) was about attendance. Here it's not really optional and if you do skip, it's likely you'll miss something really important.

[@Nightmar1500]

Solfège kinda locked in with me easy, probably because I took choir in high school. I associate Do with C, so I usually say “do” (pronounced doe or dough for those who don’t know solfège) to figure out C as a reference tone when figuring things out. A I just sing A because of tuning the orchestra when we didn’t have an oboe…A for dayzzzz

[@louisapang.violin.]

Hi Sumina! Thanks so much for this video!! It was really helpful! Just wondering what it was like at your audition for your Bachelor’s in Berlin? I’m thinking of auditioning for some European schools🥹Thank you!

[@grgryl]

I find it interesting that most universities use movable do but Juilliard and other conservatories use fixed.

[@sadhbhdelahunt]

Interesting

[@grgryl]

Did you have Ms Scott or Ms Cox?

[@francinipaganini9594]

I learned music with do re mi fa sol la si, at least in my country it's like that 😉

[@Poreckylife]

Me too

[@Poreckylife]

My education was free. Everything free.

[@KeithOtisEdwards]

I have a prejudice against Juilliard, because they have a monopoly on all classical music in North America, if not the world, and having a monopoly, they can charge monopoly prices for tuition. This monopoly means that unless you have a Juilliard diploma, you will not perform professionally with major orchestras. You may have graduated from Curtis, Peabody, U. of Michigan, Berklee or Eastman, but you still must graduate from Juilliard. The only famous instrumentalist I can name who did _not_ attend Juilliard is Chloë Hanslip, and as far as I know, she has not performed in the U.S.A. The same is true of composers. Some of their composers are great, but others are still writing atonalism. If they have a Juilliard diploma and the imprimatur of Don Corigliano, their works are performed. Those without the Don’s blessing must stick to writing band music if they want performances. It’s the East Coast Mafia. None of my favorite composers attended Juilliard, and only John Adams became world famous. Bernie Worrell attended briefly, but did not graduate. Is Juilliard worth it? If you want to make it in classical music, you have no choice.

[@parniashokrollahi949]

What would you actually suggest for bachelor audition and of course if you want a full scholarship ? For example is it good to play Bruch violin concerto?

[@valerieettenauer1474]

I personally would recommend an a little harder concerto with lots of very virtuous passages such as Tchaikovsky or Brahms but 3rd movement of Bruch is also great, depends which movement they want you to play :)

[@pazdiazderivera9121]

Are there insider terms to julliard students? (Like in my prev school we had "terror prof" for professors who rarely give high grades)

[@SuminaStuder1]

Yes. But I can't post those publicly 😂

[@pazdiazderivera9121]

@@SuminaStuder1 😂😂 fair game 👍 Makes me way more curious though 😊

[@Poreckylife]

What is insider terms? Is it protection for students again horrible teachers?

[@marciahoward535]

[@AL-pu7ux]

I’m assuming alphabet is like “fixed do” ? Either of those are pointless. The whole purpose of solfege or numbers is to think in terms of intervals.

[@mariano2078]

I Did Solfeo (Solfège) For Many Years In Puerto Rico Using The Eslava Method. I Think Do Re Mi When I Do Sight Reading. I Don’t Think A B C..

[@katie4623]

You mean in Europe, students don’t expect to have to go to class? What’s the point of enrolling for a degree program if you don’t intend to go to class?

[@yanas9871]

You are expected to go to class, but there is no obligatory attendance, and no attendance list, so they won't know if you were there 100% of time or not. As I understand, this system is something that students were actively fighting for. I like it, because in this case you're just considered a person mature enough to decide yourself whether you want to go to class or skip due to some special circumstances. Like if something happened and I am all stressed and tired, there is no point in going because I know I won't really learn anything and I also won't rest. So it is nice to have an option to stay home. In the end, you are the only person that needs classes; it won't benefit anyone if you just go solely because of attendance reasons but unable to study.

[@jesavius]

That's very weird. Solfeggio isn't taught in US music schools. So, you guys aren't alone since a lot of Americans don't know what solfege is either.

[@nousnavi2167]

Yeah, you are lucky to come out relatively unscathed by the mean-spiritedness simmering barely beneath the surface and your passion for music intact! Congrats! Also, the US does not have the humane state benefits, e.g., free graduate education, universal health care, excellent and affordable public transportation etc., available in many European countries, notably Germany. Therefore, the economic burdens and associated psychological challenges on students are far greater in the US.

[@juliejules7780]

Why does his name have two o's

[@Poreckylife]

Why your name has two j's

[@johannesbachlein149]

Twoset smashed Juillard: kzbin.info/www/bejne/banLn4mfrsSMnMk

[@kl8922]

Glad I never majored in music performance. Let me guess... you don't know calculus and harmonic vibrations of your G string.

[@KKK-zo4dq]

you are very beautiful

[@barronweir123]

How about its a scam? Youll get in debt and not get a job or a job that will make enough money to justify the debt...

[@davidwatermeyer5421]

How incredibly immature American culture seems compared to European culture. Militarization perhaps? Music let us remember is about our souls. Not something to also shove through the conveyer belt like every other damn thing we do in this increasingly materialistic world. Classical music is the one of the few things that keeps me sane. A scream to everyone. Life isn't a race. Ask who you are and be patient and stop rushing. Or you'll miss the point of it all. Listen to Joni Mitchell's "Clouds"

[@user-ow6mo3xd1w]

Looks like even juliard is not worth it these days. You come to them already a violinist, waste 4 years, and then they don't even guarantee you anything. Those years should be spent on solo carreer making, just like in 19th century

[@mitcherny6965]

Off-topic but according to the proper English Grammar one should say: I wish I HAD KNOWN about it...(before another past action).

[@pluutoop]

Mit you are one of the most horrifying beasts I have ever seen live on this earth. You bully every single KZbinr. Be careful Karma is a bi...c..h. You Will get what you give.