Jillian Taylor places a call from Berklee College of Music in Boston. Check this: Not only is it her 20th birthday, but also it’s orientation day at the world-renowned institute of contemporary music located in the Athens of America, where she’s a freshman. On this day, she’s running from orientation to ratings auditions, where the faculty will evaluate the new crop of students, determining skill level and grading them on a scale of one to eight.

“Eight is like a prodigy,” Taylor explained, the words tumbling out at a gallop over the phone. “One is like, you’re not very experienced, but you’re talented and have potential. Everybody’s totally freaking out.”