“Unfortunately the standard was exceptionally high this year” said every audition results email ever 💀

Thanks for visiting Curtis! We enjoyed having you here. Btw, audition information for the 2023-24 school year will be announced in the fall.

When Ben said "and now in time?" every music student felt it in their souls 🤣

Those were the most constructive feedbacks i have ever heard. It´s is not about you make it or not. They literally made you realize the weak and strong points in your technique.

Thank you Brett and Eddy for having me!!! It was so fun to show you guys around at Curtis :):)

As soon as the teacher started instructing you my PTSD just went on crazy 😂 🙏🏻👑 mad respect man

She is a bloody good teacher. Managed to put it across in a way even someone who is musically-illiterate can understand

I love how Brett chose Mendelssohn to audition because he wants advice from Curtis teachers so he can hopefully nail it for the 4mil Mendelssohn live stream. Edit: Thanks for the likes

Twoset getting amazing opportunities to film with prestigious schools, competitions and people truly proves how far they’ve come

huge props for the audicators to agree to be filmed and for eddie and brett for providing us with some amazing content 🙌

It's says a lot about y'all that Curtis would let you do this. They aren't going to waste time on people who don't play well, even for a fun video

i really like benjamin's point about giving the composers the respect they deserve by poring over every detail of their compositions, every detail that they cared so much to craft

The Curtis audition is NUTS man, only 27 students of all the participants got accepted last year; Not only is the requirement for the PRE-SCEENING harder than most actual in person auditions (1 movement of concerto, one mvmt of a Mozart concerto, 1 Bach Sonata or Partita and one Paganini caprice). The full audition is just complete insanity, having to not just learn but perfect and memorize a Full Violin Concerto A full Mozart Concerto (within the style which is extremely hard to do) A full complete Bach Sonata/Partita and to top it all off A Paganini caprice. Doing this all before the age of 18 is something that only the most talented if talents can do, so they have a level of respect from me like no others.

When the adjudicator told Brett to change his finger positioning for better intonation, wow... 20 years of muscle memory to overcome!

They joke a lot, but they're both genuinely _fantastic_ musicians.

The woman professor is an incredible teacher. She improved his sound like 5x in just 2 minutes.

That female teacher is amazing, such clear instruction and changes that IMMEDIATELY made Brett's sound improved so much. I can see how good of a school Curtis is. When they already have immensely talented students paired with efficient instruction it makes sense the level of musician they produce. Edit: Both instructors just make their violins sing, and its beautiful to watch and hear.

Let’s admire the fact that they got Curtis School of Music to be on a youtube video. These two are doing a great job! Keep it up guys!

As a former pianist who left the music world for a job in engineering, I ugly cried in this video... it brought back the memory of constantly being told you're not good enough, but that's the reality of studying music seriously. Thank you guys for all the light hearted content that makes me feel good about classical music again. It really means so much you have no idea. Edit: wow this might be my most liked comment on yt yet. Yea I hear what y’all are saying. Well, a bit of context, I started piano at the age of four and spent no joke like more than a decade being a deeply and hopelessly depressed child/teen because I would get belittled by my piano teacher pretty much on a weekly basis for not being good enough (yeah the teaching style was very much toxic and shaming driven ) all while trying to pursue straight As at school. It was just a lot. I just couldn’t take it anymore, not as a profession. My love for music is strong, but my mental and physical health took a toll, I just couldn’t sustain it at a high level anymore, something’s gotta give. Then I found engineering which is quite fun, in a way it’s the opposite because i got instant gratification whenever i cracked a problem, vs. piano is a constant, nonstop, hard grind for perfection. But perfection doesn’t exist does it? If there’s anything I learned from my past, I’d say, I feel much better when I want to improve because i love the craft, not because I’m trying to be a ling ling to my parents my teacher or whoever the f i need to impress🥺 and I sincerely, wouldn’t wish my childhood on my worst enemy. Took years to heal from the trauma, and yes, trauma, I still have nightmares about getting yelled at by my teacher or my mom till this day. That’s PTSD for ya baby 😂

I like how the male instructor kept pushing by saying 'more, even more, again' it shows that he can see the potential and ability that his students could achieve.

Curtis is one of those highly prestigious places where it's a real honor to receive praise from their adjudicators, but equally it's a real honor to get demolished by them simply because they're so good at their craft and respect the music so deeply. Their comments are invaluable.

It's is insane how these few pieces of advice made such a massive difference. Incredible!

I have incredibly terrible ears, but like whenever the teacher played a piece, it always surprised me how much... I'll be frank, much more emotional and vibrant (if that makes sense) the piece sounded. And then it surprises me at how much Brett or Eddy improves after their advice. its truly incredible!

The only thing I can boast is making it to the finals at Curtis when I was 16 on piano. The trauma of not getting in auditioning at 18 and 19 still haunts me!

I feel that these teachers don't get nearly enough recognition. It's thanks to people like them that we're able to enjoy the performances of all the great soloists today. They are able to pinpoint what needs to be worked on very quickly and give the right advice to the student in front of them. That's an incredible talent ! Their daily job is to transform raw stones into diamonds. We all admire the diamonds, let's for once show love to the diamond makers... 😊💞💞💞

This is an ad for Curtis. And it's darned effective. This is what happens when genuinely dedicated and capable musicians meet remarkable instructors. Great video.

i can see how honorable it would be to be praised by these adjudicators, but also how important it is to receive criticism from them. Brett and Eddy played so much better after their one on one sessions. Truly shows the kind of talent needed to be in a school like this.

Looks like Brett really incorporated the lesson here about the Mendelssohn. I wonder who else he got feedback from? Such a great performance in the 4M live!

Those teachers were extremely good. Their feedback was so specific and well said, that really speaks to the quality of that institution.

I really love TwoSet. They always joke about bad playing violin but when they play seriously, we can see how dedicated they are to their instrument. Thank you for these efforts and for making classical music relevant to this generation! Hope we will be able to watch you guys play seriously more ;)

I don't even play the violin, I play the piano. But what the female teacher said made perfect sense. She's just amazing. A few pointers made such a big difference!

The real Curtis auditions were the friends we made along the way. These teachers are so good. The eye for details that are so minute but that make a HUGE IMPACT in your playing. What impressed me the most was how responsive both of you were to the instruction and feedback. It shows that both of you have so much potential and how open minded you are. Never be afraid of doing poorly. Before we succeed, we must fail. I mean look at our past missile tests.

As a teacher myself I gotta shout out to those amazing teachers! Both were really quick at picking up errors and pinpointing the source of the errors; they both gave very clear instructions despite having very different teaching styles and managed to push but still encourage their students. I guess you’d have to be that good to teach some of the world’s best students, but damn those students are privileged (if I may say that) to receive education at this level and quality. Also imagine how hard it would be trying to land a teaching job at Curtis… The CVs you’d need to have, the test-teach auditions you’d have to give, and the written exams you’d have to nail… My teacher ass hurts just imagining how competitive it would be, that’s basically the Ling Ling Olympics for music teachers…

Brett's violin sounded good in the audition but after the tips his violin was singing heavenly. It is amazing how I few tips can change a piece that much, the piece feel more emotional. Same with Eddy. That's amazing!

Wow! Is that Benjamin Beilman? I was a public juror for the 2010 international violin contest in Montreal (CMIM). I was totally rooting for him, and he won back then! Super cool to see him here.

The teachers are real ballbusters -- got about $100 worth of training from each in little five minute master sessions. Great advertisement for the school.

Dude...I'm not music expert, but those tips from the instructors were insanely precise and seemed to make an instant huge difference. It's freaky how an expert player can incorporate such expert feedback instantaneously and make major improvement in seconds.

Look what twoset has grown to. They have influenced so many people and became so successful! I look up to them!

So much credit to Brett and Eddy for putting themselves out there, especially for the “lesson” part. It can’t have been easy to deliberately set themselves up for critique for an audience. And kudos to the teachers for agreeing to do it. The rest was obviously scripted and acted but the lessons were musical gold. So many insights and practical advice within such a short time, with immediate audible effect. No matter where you are in your musical education or career, you can still learn something, and Brett and Eddy set a fantastic example to the world for continuous self improvement in the love and pursuit of music. I love watching music master classes, they’re some of my favourite things to watch on KZfaq. Teaching and learning are a magical process and it’s a wonderful privilege to watch it take place.

That female teacher is AMAZING at imparting knowledge. Literally one of the best teacher's at anything I've ever seen.

My cousin is a Curtis Alum. I never really knew what that meant until now, except that he rejected Julliard to attend Curtis instead. Whenever he was home for the holidays we used to play ping pong a lot at family gatherings. One year, he was suddenly exponentially better than previously and said, "I play a lot with friends at school" and now I see why! It's so funny years later now seeing this ping pong table as a "feature" of the school.

Confessions of a graduate from a music conservatory. I love your video Brett and Eddie. You captured the audition day mood perfectly. Ben and Erin were literally giving off those auditioner vibes that drive you crazy). It's giving me flashbacks of my audition- some good; many I have chosen to forget! The truth is that many people who go through Music Uni, aspiring to be a performer, peak in their final year, only to find nothing for them after graduation. The main music paths are either private tutoring, community orchestra, or freelancing together with casual work (at best). Some move into classroom music or start a music school business. Others have done amazing things in primary and high schools with their band programs. And for a number of music graduates, their dream in life is working to build the next generation OR build local musical communities- whether it is tutoring, conducting school bands, or doing gigues and community orchestras- and that is perfectly good, respectable and extremely important. However, for a significant portion of music graduates, myself included, they have had to give up their musical journey, to focus on building new careers because of the lack of work and money in music and the arts. I love my job as a high school language teacher, but I still wonder from time to time whether something miraculous and life changing could still happen to me. As a child, I dreamed of performing my clarinet in the main concert hall at the Sydney Opera House...and to this day some part of me still wishes for that to happen. But when I watched this video, I felt heartened. It is inspiring to see you two have a conviction that performing and promoting classical musical is not just a hobby- but a craft you love, a cause worth pursuing; and a career to build your lives upon. And not only do you have that conviction; you act upon it. You continue to demonstrate a willingness to learn, develop, and push your limits to find out how good you can be- even after tertiary study! It seriously deserves respect, because many graduates could only dream that they could do that. To be honest, seeing you makes that belief that I can properly return to music and become better than I was at my peak, just that little more real.

This is actually amazing, because I could literally hear Brett getting better during his lesson. What an amazing opportunity!

Im not a musician but I imagine those lessons were very vulnerable for you two and applaud you for filming that

The amount of attention to details that goes in each passage is astounding. What a precious opportunity to learn with these masters, I'm so jealous!

That woman teacher (erin), is on some next level teaching skills. He improved immediately. I thought most violinist knew the bow striking and stroking stuff that she said. I am starting to see that the brain and dissecting information is the difference in many of the human performance. There are a select few that are way detail oriented and they are usually the rockstars within technical fields. Very interesting.

I graduated from Curtis. Class of 1979. Your walking through those doors brought back many incredible memories.

The instructors are amazing! The tips they gave Brett and Eddy really made a huge difference on how the pieces sound.

I know TwoSet is all about being funny and crazy, but this video is seriously one of the best. The transformative power of music is shone brightly.

amazing. That teacher. Her observations. Her instructions. And Brett's response. WOW WOW WOW to see how great teachers and great students work.

Shout out to Curtis for embracing a modern glimpse into their conservatory. Wildly entertaining!

I don't know why, but it's funny for me that they both said that the starting dynamics was mezzo-piano and both were wrong. It reminds me of the time when they played scissors paper rock A HUGE amount of times (more than 12?) and showed the same every time. For me it's another proof that Eddy and Brett share one brain, like real friends! AND IT'S ICONIC!🥰

The teachers whispering to each other was very funny for literally no reason.

I am a beginner music student but I appreciate that the adjudicators agreed to be filmed. This is an excellent video to encourage musicians and beginners. Thank you.

There, the door. 17:13 Those final gestures said it all.

I am so happy that the school they chose was Curtis, and not other flashier schools more known to the public. Everyone who graduates from Curtis wins jobs after just a bachelor's. But also everyone who gets into Curtis are already at the level to win jobs.

I'm not a musician, but I did study other stuff, like drawing and painting. The advice the teachers gave, it hit close to home. It's that very specific little thing that you never notice your whole life until someone point it out and it just completely changes the game. Understandable how the school can produce all those crazy graduate.

I love how coachable and teachable you both are. I'm in medicine and it doesn't matter how long you're in any field you can always learn and improve

im not even a musicians. but omg the teaching, you can immediately see the improvement. imagine you study in there for years then combined with talent and hard work

❤️ You guys improved exponentially for every second of teaching! I hope you guys have the opportunity to work regularly with private mentors and teachers outside of your usual KZfaq schedule so that it’s not just up to yourselves to evolve. I got so many feels watching this 🙏🏼

Finally a video of Twoset playing seriously!! I thought it's gonna be a Menuhin competition video again but not really, love it!! And you guys are just awesome!! With jet lag and cold weather, you are still able to play so well in front of others!! May Ling Ling be with you!! Lots of love and respect!!

She is giving such amazing feedback, not only making him do it but allowing him to comprehend and think of the reason he is doing it. In such a short amount of time, his skill improved drastically. Loved the video, you are doing great service to the music world not only from the learners' side but also from the institution's. An instrument may be just an instrument, but an instrument like the violin needs a human to sing its soul. You have the right mindset and skills to appreciate and learn, and the difference is plain. It was inspirational to see what can really be achieved

They got schooled soo much. Just means that that the school is not name and history only. They really teach much better even to someone that already went to school for years

Wow, A free lesson from Erin Keefe, the concert master of our own Minnesota Orchestra! Thanks so much for posting this.

Many, many years ago ( like 1973 or 74) I wanted to study with Michael Tree, who taught viola at Curtis. So I auditioned. Afterwards Michael Tree came out to speak to me and said Inplayed very well. But so did Doris Lederer. She was 17 at the time and I was 23. He broke it to me very kindly: Curtis Institute ALWAYS takes the younger candidate…

Those are EXCELLENT instructors. Both Brett and Eddy, who already play very well, got instantly better following those notes. Well done

When the teachers started instructing, with very clear instructions and encouraging words, even a non-orchestra musician like me...my mind was just blown. I felt chills, like wow it makes so much sense why these teachers are among the best in music education. It felt like I was swept by their expertise.

wow I’m amazed at how good Brett is at taking in feedback. He instantly applies them and the results are very noticeable.

WOW! That suggestion to Bret's bow made all the difference!. Amazing!!!!

Oh my gosh guys, putting yourself out there in such a raw and exposing way as an artist for context is SO brave. Respect

WOW this is magical! Even with just a single phrase, Ms. Keefe improves the music from brett from nice to AmAZiNg! That's really what a master would present! Also, I"m super amazed by how Bretts and Eddy can instantly adjust to the instruction and produce such differences! They're truely professional.

That hushed "OH my god.." at 13:35 hahaha. Imagine heading to practice a quartet and passing Brett and Eddy on the stairs to your practice room 😂

Yeah Curtis- Sylvia Olden Lee was my vocal coach- 2 of the most informative years of my life- learned huge amounts of repertoire that I'd never heard of and perfected things I already had somewhat learned- what I loved was the plethora of great musicians in evety category- you could give a recital, record something , or just get together with colleagues and use Curtis Hall freely. Plus you were on full scholarship. My teachers were phenomenal! Dr. Sokoloff, Thomas Grub- Harold Parker ( who I studied with privately and taught me how to sing correctly RIP)- We shared our teachers with Juilliard and since I lived in NY I could always get make-up lessons. WOW-This video Brings sweet back memories

This is one of the bravest things you guys have ever done on your channel. To let your viewers watch you in a lesson. It's not only what it reveals about your playing, it shows us what is important in the interpretation of the pieces you chose and shows me, at least, that your technical ability isn't in question, so much as the limits of your exploration of technique and your interpretation of the music. Which is completely understandable for talented, hardworking musicians like the two of you. And I'm under the impression that, even for the very best musicians, the musicality and emotional expression one brings to any piece of music is always deepening with experience and maturity. A fantastic video! Thank you so much for putting yourselves out there.

As a complete non musician the two lessons were such eye openers. Made me wonder if teaching shouldn't be part of the selection - to see how candidates respond to it.

It's really striking how much their playing improved just in those few minute lessons. The teachers are really great and I'm glad Twoset got this oppurtunity! (Is it weird that i was kinda hoping tht they wud get in, despite knowing it was acting? 🤣Lol)

I am an old doctor ( late 50's) and despite all the discourage I received and criticism from many people I decided to learn violin ( 7th attempt in 15 years! ), this is my last time trying to learn this beautiful instrument. It is extremely hard and stressful to do it , doing exercises for right hand , left hand , bowing, pinky , etc etc Also learning to read music is like learning a new language with a different alphabet ( I speak 4 languages) , making an effort to coordinate hands, bow, posture really hard ! And I am not even talking about the metronome , how difficult is for me to follow it, understanding rhythm took me months and 3 teachers to finally get it. Medical school is nothing compare to this . If there is any adult violin beginner keep reading this they are the only ones who can relate to what I just wrote.

I don't have a trained ear, but I feel like you guys are 80% there and really benefitted from that short instruction. The devil is in the details and those two instructors know their shit.

This goes straight on my "best of Twoset" playlist - perfect balance between funny and serious, educational and fun.

I just had my audition there about a month ago, I didn’t get in but was in the final 3! Amazing you guys get to film in these amazing places!

As someone who grew up playing the cello and taking music lessons 2x weekly, Ben's comment of "Could it be even more shocking? Mmm-hmm. And now in time." gave me flash backs - because that was literally how my teacher would do it

Just watching you guys get some pointers and immediately implementing them was a testament to your talents and potential. I would have been so nervous I may have dropped my violin

i like how eddy was so secretive about his sibelius 3 mil and wouldnt play for us and here bretts just dropping the entire first passage lmaoo

I’m not a musician but I am a teacher and I’m so impressed by how nice the teachers were. It’s obvious they know their craft and seem very understanding and have great communication skill. They used Brett’s and Eddie’s knowledge to make them aware and get better from there. The improvements were obvious from a non-musician standpoint, I’m in all honestly sooooo speechless Sorry they got rejected 😂😂

As someone who knows little to nothing about classical violin, I was impressed not only by the instruction but also how Twoset adapted in the moment to the point where the instructors seemed satisfied with their progress - sometimes it’s easy to just freeze up on the spot but seemed like they were able to rise to the level of instruction

These challenges are getting pretty intense, I like that they’re upping the ante to possible life-sustaining crippling shame. Very refreshing

So beautiful, I'm crying rn. Eddy looks like a child who's entering a new school for the first time. Spinning 360 degres, "whoah!" He looks so happy.

My gosh, the teachers are so young, I'm impressed !! That's crazy how they achieved to get where they are so early in life 👏🏼👏🏼

You're both the best... They are the best of the best. The school looks so cool

I love their teaching style!!!!! They don't discourage you and they gave the most meaningful, helpful advice ever

This is insane, the lessons they gave you, I don't study music, but all the thought that goes into it, and how they articulate to you exactly that they look for and how to improve, BUT not exactly telling you what to do, they want you to figure it out on your own and your own style.. this is really awesome to watch

What i love about twoset is that you're SO motivated to show people the world of classical music, and EVERYONE YOU WORK WITH is too! These people could be stuffy, stuck up, self-important jerks who are completely inaccessible and just said no to you coming along, but they let you explore the whole school, they played along with the jokes the entire time, they took time out of their schedules to give you lessons. That's incredibly generous and just shows that while the world of classical music seems so exclusionary, so many people in that space want to get others involved in classical, show everyone that it can be fun, and honestly just have a good time messing around. From Chloe Chua to Hilary Hahn to the Curtis faculty to you two, musicians just want to get everyone involved!

13:25 PROPS TO HIM FOR KNOWING THE JOKES HAHAHHAA

These Curtis adjudicators are unbelievably gifted. It's a whole different plane of talent to instruct so well.

My audition at Curtis was definitely my most nerve wracking audition. Didn’t get in, but just being asked to audition was cool.

I hope TwoSet realizes how much they inspire people with videos like this. I wanted to learn the Violin for 10 years but only they gave me the push to finally do it and book lessons this year. On my 3rd month now and I absolutely love it and practice daily! Even as a beginner, there is so much to take away from their videos by just watching them play. These masterclass lessons were excellent to watch. Gotta go practice now 🎻

Fascinating peek into your world and the value of great teachers. This one is at the top of the list for "favorites".

Wow, these are EXCELLENT teachers!! So helpful, specific, while also being positive!

If these are real instructions that they got, a real lesson (not scripted), then...dude...Those are wonderful teachers...I'm clueless when it comes to playing instruments and even I noticed the improvement. No wonder the school is top. 👏👏👏👏

Brett takes constructive criticism so well! He is so quick to adapt his playing as per the advice! I am beyond impressed by him!