You audition and then get placed with either professors, or third and fourth year Con students. As a Secondary student, you have the opportunity to learn or improve on a new instrument. Or if you're already familiar with a particular instrument, you can learn new styles of playing. One third year student, whose major is Classical Saxophone, also takes Secondary lessons in Jazz Saxophone with a Jazz Saxophone major. He gets a lot of encouragement from the people in the jazz scene and have played with them in jams and ensembles.
Secondary study is great for bringing different musicians and musical interests together.
My most memorable performances have been student compositions. I think it's great that we have such a strong interest in contemporary music. Any other way that it would've been done, wouldn't have worked. Just as the Double-Degree Program gives Con students the best of both schools, Secondary study shares the resources of the Conservatory with College students who love music but aren't looking to study it as intensively. The Community Strings Orchestra is just one of the many performance groups that Secondary students can participate in.