answer:My sympathies :( What a crappy situation. Letters of recommendation are voluntary, and I don’t know that a school can hold the instructor accountable. When the instructor is independent of an institution, I think that they might feel even less of an obligation to follow through. I’m not sure how I would personally address this situation, as I am not a parent. As a student, I would be devastated though. I certainly wouldn’t want to continue investing my time with an instructor who doesn’t believe in me. I’m not sure how the guidance counselor may be involved in this situation. Can you shed some light on that inquiry? It’s possible that the lack of a recommendation played a role, but it also could have many different variables. Did they have enough letters from other faculty members and mentors to meet the minimum requirement without this specific instructor’s contribution? Although the music instructor’s letter may have been a huge help, if their other letters were also good then it’s possible that the letters weren’t the only problem. Students can get rejected for all sorts of reasons, ranging from availability to spots to the strength of personal statement. It couldn’t hurt for the student to e-mail the admissions committee and ask if they can disclose why they were rejected.