Arjun Ramamurti is a potential Social Studies concentrator at Harvard College. He has played in the Mozart Symphony Orchestra and multiple pit orchestras in college, and is currently orchestra managing the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert and Sullivan Players’ Production of Patience.


It is easy to be overwhelmed by the transition from high school to college. There are many adjustments that have to be made, from the most basic lifestyle changes of residing with roommates and doing what seems to be an endless amount of laundry, to the academic changes of having professors who will not know your name unless you make an effort to get to know them. At the same time, there is a whole new set of classmates and surroundings to get used to. In the midst of all these changes, it is easy to sell yourself short, which is exactly what I did. The story of my transition from high school music to college is much closer to the story of what you shouldn’t do when you come to college than what you should. Looking back now, I can hardly believe that I made as many mistakes as I did.

First, a little bit of background. Currently, I am in the second semester of my freshman year at Harvard, planning to concentrate in Social Studies.  In my years before college, I took cello lessons at New England Conservatory and played in orchestral and chamber music groups at NEC and with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. In high school, I was a member of the Northeast Senior District Orchestra and Massachusetts All-State Orchestra three times, and a member of the All-Eastern Orchestra my senior year. Since coming to Harvard, I have been a member of the Mozart Symphony Orchestra, the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Company’s production of The Tempest and Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert and Sullivan Players’ production of The Mikado, and am currently playing in the pit and orchestra managing for the Gilbert and Sullivan Players’ production of Patience.

What I suffered from was a chronic lack of confidence. I was convinced that the cello sections of all the orchestras would be filled by internationally-renowned child prodigies. I was so pessimistic that I did not audition for even a single musical group when I arrived on campus. It is always easy to come up with excuses to avoid auditioning—the other musicians must be better, you didn’t practice much all summer, everyone else must have gone to music camp—but none of these are good. No matter how unprepared you feel, if you are at all interested in playing on campus, make sure you audition. You’ll regret it later if you don’t.

Therefore, my biggest piece of advice is to never underestimate yourself and the power of the LHS music program. You should walk into your auditions brimming with confidence. The vast majority of students, even at the top schools, have had nowhere near the musical experience or exposure that an LHS student has. Nearly everyone I talk to is astounded by the fact that the music program started in 4th grade at Lexington, and when they hear that LHS routinely sends twenty or more students to Districts and All-State each year, they are dumbfounded. To be sure, many, if not most, of the musicians who are members of the major orchestras on campus participated in their hometown’s youth orchestras and took private lessons at local conservatories. But few can boast of regular, four-times-a-week, in-school rehearsals that students from LHS can. It is almost certain that you have spent more time playing in ensembles than most of your competitors in college.

That being said, even if you do miss the boat on auditions (which you shouldn’t), the great thing about college is that there are so many opportunities to get involved with music. The unbelievable variety of organizations on campus means that you can always find others who are interested in the specific areas that you are. This broad range of organizations not only allows you to narrow down your focus to what you enjoy, but also means that, if you so desire, you can find groups that are less time-intensive. If you are uneasy about committing 4-6 hours a week to play in a major orchestra on campus, looking for these secondary groups is a great way to stay involved in music. For me, one of my fondest musical experiences at LHS was playing in the pit orchestra for Evita my senior year. Once I got on campus, I began to look for opportunities to play in the pit, and almost immediately found The Tempest and Mikado. These sorts of experiences are fun and are a great way to take a break from homework.

As with nearly everything else in college, playing music is what you make of it. Don’t be afraid to audition for music ensembles, even if you are convinced that you will never be accepted. With thousands of students on campus, no one is going to seek you out and ask you to play. But they will be glad to have you.

14 March 2008