Audition Protocols & Trial Lessons

College Majors Music Majors
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Now that a lot of our kids have gotten the majority of their audition invitations, I’m curious if anyone who has auditioned or had kids audition in the past can give the rest of us some insight on how different schools and programs handle auditions. What does a typical audition day look like at the schools where you/your child auditioned and for that particular instrument?

I’m particularly interested in vocal performance auditions, but I’d love it if this thread just gets filled with descriptions of all different types of auditions :slight_smile:

Juilliard sent out a comprehensive info sheet on collaborative pianists and how to go about scheduling one (and it’s probably going to be difficult, since we’ll likely be flying in the night before her audition), but many of the schools have not. Some assign a pianist and rehearsal time (UNT), some tell you to set up rehearsals yourself (Juilliard), and still others say you won’t be able to rehearse at all (CMU).

Also, we have a few teachers who have reached out, and we’d like to schedule lessons with them while we’re at the schools auditioning. I know Eastman recommends setting up a lesson the next day, but we can’t because she has her CMU audition. A CMU prof wants to meet with her while we’re there, but we haven’t connected with him yet to see if he can do a lesson the day of auditions or if we would need to stay an extra day. Ditto UNT. So, how does that usually work? Which schools offer tours or other activities on audition day, and which ones are just walk in, audition, walk out?

For us specifically, we’re interested in the vocal audition process at:

Juilliard
IU Jacobs
Oberlin
CIM
CMU
Eastman
UNT

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I’m vacationing right now, but when I get home I may be able to find the printout of the audition weekend schedule for IU from last year. My daughter is there for VP—mezzo. I think she still has the folder they gave her somewhere in her bedroom….

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I also have a question about Juilliard - our portal discusses the accompanist process, but says the actual sheet of names is sent out a week before auditions. Does that mean a week before our audition or a week before general auditions start? I haven’t actually gotten any lists of accompanists yet.

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I love this thread idea! My son’s auditions were all virtual due to a covid flare up in 2022 but I can tell you he will be at Oberlin as an audition worker to greet her and chat with you!

TOI TOI TOI!

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Great idea for a thread. Happy to share my kid’s experience. He auditioned for undergrad back in 2020, so know this was a few years ago. And I have secondhand information since he went to his auditions alone.

If I recall correctly, his auditions were (in order) IU/Jacobs, NEC, USC, UMich, Curtis and Juilliard. He finished his last 2 auditions at Curtis and Juilliard back to back and literally the next week all remaining auditions were canceled due to the pandemic.

For classical instrumentalists, generally auditions are without accompaniment. (The exception on the above list is Juilliard) Very different from voice which seems to generally require it. And you jazz applicants get to do jam session auditions which seems so much more cool. :sunglasses:

I would say auditions were very similar in format across the above schools. He was given a check in time, accompanied to a practice/warm up room and summoned at a specific time to walk over to the audition space. The audition space varied from a classroom (USC, UMich) to a small recital hall. (Curtis)

Audition day was always staffed with music students. My son appreciated being able to visit with them informally to get a feel for the school. They are ambassadors for their programs and very welcoming. So take advantage of the opportunity to chat with them. I think there were also guided tours at each location as well. My son dislikes guided tours and generally had a friend who was a current student who was able to show him around.

At some auditions, my son had a brief discussion/informal interview with the adjudicators after his audition. Be prepared to answer or ask questions. This has been brought up on other threads, but some examples of questions:

Where else are you applying?

Do you have thoughts on University vs Conservatory Programs?

Be prepared to speak to the panel, I don’t think there are right/wrong answers, but be able to show you can communicate. And don’t worry, they know everyone is nervous.

Of the above list, Juilliard and Curtis were unique in a couple ways.

Juilliard required accompaniment for one concerto movement. @Kpatterson, I don’t have recent info so will defer to someone who auditioned last year, but I think my son got an accompanist list a couple of weeks before his audition. He scheduled his own 30 minute rehearsal which was just before his audition. I would think you could rehearse the day before but my son arrived late from Curtis and had an early Juilliard audition.

Curtis runs auditions differently for each studio and it can vary year to year. When my son auditioned, there was no prescreen for his instrument. Any candidate willing travel there and pay the application fee could audition. Curtis did a preliminary round in the morning, then a call back for a handful of finalists. There was also a full hour interview with the dean for finalists.

As much as information we all can share can be helpful, I encourage your kids to not overthink or overplan the actual audition experience. Live in the moment, share your talent and hard work, interact with those around you. And have fun!

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It’s been long ago for me. But I can say this…your D should remain flexible and ready for anything…with a smile on her face.

I remember my D’s first audition…assuming that she would have a good amount of time to warm up…maybe meet the accompanist (we weren’t sure). She found the warm up room and was promptly told that they were running ahead and ready for her (she was the last audition…so she didn’t want to make them wait…she was also close by and the door was open so she assumed that they could hear her warming up). She decided to just go for it with a basic warm up…she talked with the accompanist for a hot minute in the audition room…and was off to the races. She is very organized and made sure her music was perfect for the accompanist. She can also communicate well having this experience in competitions. They actually had her sing all 3 songs…and for the last one, the accompanist went waaay too slowly (messed with her breathing) but she just sang it…as best she could. She said it was fine but not what she wanted. The other songs were great. She was accepted. She was in that music school…maybe 15 minutes! Not what we thought would happen. We knew we would miss most of the program (flying the same day) but what can you do?

She did have ONE lesson during an audition that just added more stress…so we didn’t do that again! Note…I didn’t know about sites like this…was not real educated on how “serious all these steps were.” My concern was just getting her in the audition room to “do her thing”. I felt that was the only necessary requirement. I looked at all else…as nice to haves…that we did do at some schools but not all…depending on money, time etc.

I would say most people would disagree with me on our process…including myself! But it does show…that REALLY it’s what happens in the audition room that matters. If it was about everything else…she’d be living in my basement!

TRY your best to organize the music and work with accompanists early when possible…but don’t be surprised if you need to walk into a room…and meet the accompanist with the panel watching. It is a “skill” to communicate quickly and concisely with the accompanist (and cross your fingers). And, if the accompanist messes anything up (it happens) I really think the panel catches that and will overlook it…and your D should just be gracious, smile and do her best no matter what!

Just like any stage performance…you can prep for all…but then you have to be ready to work with whatever happens…with a smile on your face. Good luck!!

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I just looked back at our Juilliard timing from last year’s auditions (double bass). The actual audition was on Feb 25 and we got the list of 2 accompanists on Feb 16. They were specific to double bass who knew the main solo pieces applicants would play. We were able to schedule a practice for the evening of Feb 24.

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“our portal discusses the accompanist process, but says the actual sheet of names is sent out a week before auditions. Does that mean a week before our audition or a week before general auditions start? I haven’t actually gotten any lists of accompanists yet.”

Yes, that part was kind of confusing. They said the list would be sent a week before auditions, but they also said the pianist should be scheduled a week before auditions, LOL. So, I guess watch for that list and be ready to send an email immediately!

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This is all really good advice, and I can definitely see how things could change at the last minute! My DD has gotten a lot of experience working with unknown accompanists in the last couple of years with various competitions, some of which required just walking on, communicating tempo, and singing. But it’s always nice to be able to have a quick rehearsal if possible!

You’ve also inspired me to make sure we get there early for every audition in the event they are running ahead!

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I can speak to UNT, my son is there. It was one of the very organized audition days (as was Frost…Berklee was the worst). We didn’t make it to Eastman bc once he heard from UNT he cancelled the rest (first choice). The day started with a great “convocation” that was very informational and had some student performances. Outside the event booths were set up with info about financial aid, curriculum, music ed, composition etc etc etc. It was very helpful. There was also a very organized process to get your audition packet with room #, time, info specific to you (ie jazz studies info for mine). Packet pick up was before and after the convocation. There were lots of rooms available to practice if you chose to. Something to note: my son was outside the audition room and heard the person before him and freaked out…come to find out it was a doctoral candidate so make sure your student knows they audition all levels!. Most auditions wrapped up by noon. Jazz does not require an interview…they were mostly in the afternoon. After you audition tours were available. If you have any questions please reach out. My son decided to be in Jazz Singers this year vs jazz lab band and LOVES it (rhythm section). He just wanted to change things up and is so happy he tried this. The vocal faculty is great. They are in Atlanta performing this week!

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That’s interesting. My daughter’s UNT audition isn’t until mid-afternoon and they’ve only mentioned being there in time to rehearse with her accompanist. Would you recommend going at the beginning of the day for all the other stuff if she isn’t auditioning until 3 pm? I want her to learn about the program, but I don’t want her to be too tired by the time her audition comes up.

It will be her first audition, but it’s toward the bottom of her list as far as preference right now, so I guess if things don’t go exactly as planned, we can call it a learning experience, LOL. But it would also be ideal to have a great first audition experience to build confidence for the rest :slight_smile:

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They will send you an agenda through Accepted leading up to the audition so I would just follow that. I would think it would be the same format as he is only a sophmore. But yes, the day was super informational so I would do what is recc’d

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I have had 2 girls audition for and attend IU Jacobs for Voice. One in 2017–lyric soprano–and one in 2024–mezzo soprano. I will give the details of last year’s experience since it is the most recent. My daughter was given her audition time and date and a very basic audition-day schedule in her “prescreen pass” email in mid-December. (I put that in quotes because she actually didn’t have to prescreen because she was instate–I believe that changed this year). She was given her first choice date in early February–a Friday–and a late afternoon audition slot.

The day of her audition we arrived just in time for the undergrad voice meeting that was held at 1 pm in the back of the Musical Arts Center. We didn’t come to campus for the general undergrad music info session because it was being held at 9:30 am and we were driving in. She had already been to campus many times with her older sister and had taken a Jacobs tour the previous fall. However, general IU campus tours and Jacobs specific tours were being held throughout the day–all you had to do was show up to the starting point in the Musical Arts Center at the time that worked for you.

After the undergrad voice meeting, we hung out at Soma coffee shop right across the street from Jacobs. My daughter warmed up about an hour before her audition time and then headed to the audition room. Last year all of this occurred in the same building–the Music Annex which is the practice building. However, this year that building is being renovated (thank goodness–it needed it), so I’m not sure how that will be handled. Practice rooms have been temporarily located in an adjacent building (Simon) so maybe that all will be held there this audition season.

Her audition was held in a voice professor’s studio room, so it wasn’t a huge space and quite intimate. She had 4 people listen to her sing. There was no practice with the accompanist–the accompanist simply came out to the hall and talked to her just before singing to check tempos, cuts etc. She had been told to prepare 3 songs. She was asked to sing 2. The first was her choice–an Italian aria. The second they chose–a Spanish piece. She had also prepared an English art song but was not asked to sing it.

She received her acceptance about 10 days later. Over the next few weeks she scheduled a couple of sample lessons with studio profs (she really enjoyed them). Scholarship info came right around April 1. She committed a few days after that and found herself a spot in a studio a couple days later.

Tips for IU Jacobs–if staying the night, the Biddle Hotel in the student union is a great choice. Gives you a real-life campus experience. There is a Starbucks right down the hall too:). You can walk to all the audition stuff from there. Soma (mentioned earlier) is a relaxing place to grab a drink and snack between music events. Mother Bears Pizza and Ami (Japanese) are great meal options close to Jacobs.

Wishing all you auditioners out there all the best!

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Thank you for all this info! We’re flying in the morning of her IU audition, set to arrive around 11 am, and she has a late afternoon audition – I think 4ish? I need to double check that. So, we might make it in time for that 1 pm meeting if everything is on time and we hustle. We’ll be driving straight from IU to Oberlin for her next audition that night, so we won’t be staying overnight, but the hotel is good to know for future reference.

Thanks also for the acceptance/scholarship timeline. That info is not always easy to find, so it’s good to have a ballpark idea when to expect to hear back from them.

We tried Mother Bear’s pizza when we visited in June, and it was good :slight_smile:

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A little update to this thread for anyone who has a UNT audition coming up. My daughter auditioned for vocal performance Saturday. It was a very organized, well-run process. They had a meeting at the beginning of the day that we did not attend. We also did not go to any of the tours or talks that they were giving, but they did have tours of the music buildings as well as talks by professors, student ambassadors, etc, going on all day.

They emailed a few weeks ago giving us a time to practice with her accompanist. We got there about 45 minutes ahead of time, checked in, and were shown the room where she would meet the accompanist and told to be there 10-15 minutes early just in case. They directed us to the practice building across the street, and we went and found a practice room for her to warm up. Went back to the music building, and I sat in the lobby of the recital hall chatting with other students and parents while she rehearsed (she said the collaborative pianist was fantastic). They were running about 15-20 minutes early, so pretty much as soon as she returned from rehearsal, they came for her to take her into the recital hall for the audition. I tried to listen at the door, but it is VERY soundproof, LOL. She said it went well, and they asked if she had any questions at the end. She asked about performance opportunities for undergrads.

Prior to the audition, one of the teachers that had reached out to her after her prescreens emailed to see if she wanted to have a lesson after her audition, so we stayed for that afterward. So, there is the possibility of a day-of lesson if you arrange it ahead of time, but you will probably have to wait until the end of the day after everyone is done auditioning.

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This is an interesting thread idea - thanks!

My son (double bass) has had auditions ranging from just him and the bass prof in the prof’s office (UMich, CCM, Oberlin) to a group of bass, cello, viola professors (CU Boulder, Univ of Washington) to a full panel of all 10 string professors (Lamont at DU). Some schools were kind of crazy, and he couldn’t get a warm up room (Univ of Washington, CU Boulder) and at others it was all easier to navigate (there were enough rooms and people around to help him find one). Some schools had presentations for students and parents and tours, some didn’t. For the ones that did, it often didn’t work for our timing due to other auditions (or even his audition time at that school) which was too bad. I found the presentations to be really informative, and I would have liked my son to get tours of each school, and it’s worked out that he’s had 0.

We were late on having him do any trial lessons. He was unwilling before he passed his prescreens because he wasn’t sure he would pass any and he didn’t want to be wasting anyone’s time. Once he passed prescreens he had more confidence. He contacted the profs at almost every school for trial lessons. Many responded and did lessons with him over zoom before his auditions. That was incredibly valuable for everyone. One prof offered him an in-personal trial lesson the day before his audition, and 2 others offered trial lessons at the end of the audition for later that same day. We were pleasantly surprised by how open and willing all of the bass professors were to meet with him.

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