Yu Xueting squeezes out of the three-deep crowd that has packed the corridor, puffing hard, yet beaming. "Well?" asks his mother, a noticeable tremor in her voice. The 19-year-old takes a deep breath, raises his long fingers in victory and replies, "I made it!"

Yu has just won the lottery -- the professional musicians' lottery. Beating out dozens of competitors coming from all over the country, he has just passed the Shanghai Conservatory of Music's professional entrance exam, making him one of only 20 to be recruited this year by the piano department of the 77-year-old conservatory, one of Asia's best.

Shen Yiqing, Yu's mother, lets out an audible sigh of relief. She has been her son's staunch supporter throughout the rigorous pre-test preparation as well as throughout this grueling exam.

"I was confident of my boy's talent and skills, the rigors of the test still had me worried," Shen says.

The three-round, four day exam included a preliminary and advanced test of performing skills and a final round test of theoretical proficiency.

"Passing the first rounds was small victory, really," says the shy piano major, "because I knew there more to come that could defeat me yet."

"Thank God it's over," he adds, with feeling.

If Yu felt that his ordeal was particularly difficult, he may be right. This year, the conservatory received a record 1,283 applications for 296 places in the freshman class. That meant a larger talent pool for the conservatory to choose from -- and fiercer competition for the applicants.

Conservatory students are often presumed to be child prodigies who have been studying music since before they could walk. While that is not always the case, Yu did begin studying the piano at the age of four -- but conservatory authorities are quick to point out that talent and highly honed technical skill alone are not going to get an applicant in.

Take the advanced performing skill test, for instance. The test consists of the interpretation of an assigned work, picked at random the night before, which tests the applicant's comprehension of different composers' works.

"Some students who impressed me a great deal in the first round performance of self-selected work lagged far behind in the second round," says Zhou Keng, vice director of the piano department.

"The fact is, skill doesn't count much beyond a certain level. To us, the purpose a conservatory education is the cultivation of the musicians of the future rather than textbook instrument players."

Fully apprised of the high standards, Yu began preparing for the test over two months ago. Rather than enroll in the conservatory's pre-test training course that mainly give guidance on the final round theory test, Yu elected to prepare by reading the autobiographies of famous composers -- he found this approach helpful, especially when he was asked to play an unfamiliar Chopin's waltz during the second-round test.

In recent years, the conservatory has gained international fame, primarily due to its students winning prestigious international competitions -- the most famous example is Huang Mengla, who won the top prize at the 49th Paganini International Violin Competition in 2002. These successes have obviously influenced applicant's choices as they drew up their plans for the future.

But not all of the Conservatory's 16 departments are equally popular. According to the recruitment office, performing majors like vocal music, piano and violin enjoy an overwhelming popularity, with each drawing more 150 applicants. In sharp contrast, departments like folk music and violin making draw far fewer applicants (the violin making draw two applicants this year), with folk music conducting attracting no candidates at all for the third year in a row.

"If everything goes smoothly, I hope I can be selected for an international competition in my second year," says 18-year-old Lu Yuting from the attached middle school to the Wuhan Conservatory of Music. Like Yu, Lu successfully qualified for a place in the piano department.

"Anyway, even if I fall short of it, I can at least win a seat in a local orchestra with that experience."

"I don't blame students for being overly realistic, as they reflect the music industry of today, which has been placing too much attention on fame and awards," says Li Jingxia, director of the folk music department.

"The fact is that no more than five percent of our students will have the to display their skills at international competitions, let alone claim a title. For most of them, the reality is that they have to earn a living after graduation, just like any other college graduate do."

Not quite like any other college graduate. Given that most music students started their studies at a very early age, and have since devoted the majority of their time daily practice, they do not and cannot devote an equal amount of time on their academic coursework. As a result, they score around 250 out of a possible 600 in the college entrance exam -- last year, it required 441 to enter a key university in Shanghai. One result of this imbalance is that it is nearly impossible for conservatory graduates to move into any other field.

With the rate of unemployed graduates climbing, this is an issue. According to the student affairs office of the conservatory, almost 20 percent of the total 160-strong 2003 graduates have not reported job contracts to the office, a figure that is almost doubled the number in 2002.

The reason may be expectations, explains student affairs director Yu Jiaqi. "While it's understandable that after four years of studies and paying over 10,000 yuan ($US1,205) tuition every year, most students want to practice their knowledge and skills in a first-class orchestra, but the fact is, vacancies like this are very limited, as large orchestras are consistently staffed."

According to Yu, most of last year's graduates joined smaller or newly established orchestras or music troupes, and who didn't find their perfect job right after graduation are mainly giving occasional performances at pubs or commercial activities, making some money and adjusting their objectives.

Li Yuejun will graduate from the composing and conducting department this July. Despite her coveted major, the 22-year-old now performs live gigs at local jazz pubs on weekends and she has made up her mind to become a professional jazz diva after graduation.

"I also once vowed to become a maestro, wearing a swallowtail and conducting an orchestra before an audience of hundreds ," says the slender young woman, smiling. "But as I embarked on my course of study, my understanding of the meaning of music broadened. It is less important to prove yourself by becoming famous. What is important is to still hold that passion for music that you had the first day you entered this college. That's what I cherish most."

For the young ones, like Yu, who are still enjoying that first flush of victory that comes with being accepted into the conservatory, talk of careers and futures seems a long way off indeed. But Yu knows that it's going to be an uphill struggle.

"I'm studying with the best of the best. If I want to succeed in this environment, I've got to work really, really hard," Yu says.

(eastday.com April 13, 2004)