Lang and Parsons
A visual portfolio is required for all applicants to the BA/BFA program with Lang and Parsons. We require applicants to submit their Common Application before uploading their visual portfolio. We assess portfolios on the basis of the technical and conceptual abilities displayed in the work. In order to review your application, we need to receive all required materials.
Freshman and transfer applicants must submit a portfolio of 8 to 12 slides. Portfolios can include a range of media such as drawing, painting, sculpture, fashion design, animation, performance, graphic design, or sketchbook pages. You may submit sketchbook images, including videos of yourself leafing through your sketchbook pages. We encourage you to show experimentation and range in terms of subject matter, approach, skills, and materials. Your portfolio does not need to include work specific to your chosen major unless you are applying as a transfer student, in which case we do encourage major-specific work as well as images of work completed in any studio courses you’ve taken. You may upload several images or process materials in one slide.
You must submit your portfolio through your Admission Hub after submitting the Common Application. After submission of your Common Application, you will receive an email with instructions for accessing your Admission Hub. Your portfolio should be submitted as soon as possible upon receipt of that message. You must use the same email address that you used to complete your Common Application when you create and upload your portfolio. You may not make changes to your portfolio once submitted. All submissions are final and may not be edited.
All applicants submitting a portfolio are required to use the available description/text boxes to give brief descriptions of their process, including their ideas and concepts, sources of inspiration, use of materials, etc., for at least two of their favorite pieces in the portfolio. Please do not submit AutoCAD drawings, anime drawings, or images that directly copy another artist’s work.
Applicants are encouraged to learn more about the visual portfolio by reviewing our Portfolio Help page.
Lang and Jazz
All applicants to the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music are required to audition. The College of Performing Arts will hold on-campus auditions for fall entry only. Submitting audition recordings is always an option for both spring and fall.
Applicants will be invited to schedule their live audition or submit audition recordings once their Common Application has been received.
In-person auditions are conducted with a live rhythm section of current student musicians (piano, bass, drums), so make sure to bring copies of sheet music or charts. We ask that you perform at least one tune with the live musicians when auditioning in person.
Please direct any questions to [email protected].
Repertoire
Auditions are primarily judged on the following criteria:
The audition is the primary evaluation tool for both acceptance to the BFA program and scholarship consideration. All merit-based scholarships are awarded at the time of admission and are included in your decision letter.
Singer-Songwriter Applicants
- Two original pieces, showcasing proficiency in composition and individual artistic vision, in addition to the criteria outlined above.
- One piece of your choosing, original or otherwise.
- If you are auditioning live, all original performed pieces must be self-accompanied. If you wish to perform with a rhythm section (piano, bass, drums) for any of your material, please bring three copies of legible charts for each tune.
- Audition recordings may include accompaniment or collaborators, so long as the applicant is prominently featured.
Electronics Applicants
- Two pieces, original or otherwise, showcasing proficiency with a Digital Audio Workstation for performance and/or composition, in addition to the criteria outlined above.
- One piece to be created based on the following prompt: Create a new audio work inspired by an era of popular music. Examples include the 1920s Jazz Age, 1950s rock 'n' roll, and 2000s hip-hop. Support your piece with a short essay explaining your choice and describing your process for executing your idea. (300 words maximum)
- Electronics auditions must be submitted as recordings through the Online Application Center.
All Other Instruments and Vocal Applicants
Prepare and perform three pieces, no longer than 15 minutes total:
- A standard. This piece should highlight your improvisational skills where applicable. Refer to the Traditional American Songbook, blues tune, jazz tune, and Bossa Nova descriptions in the Typical Repertoire information below.
- A piece of your choosing, in any style (jazz, blues, pop, soul, rock, R&B, an original work, etc.), which you can perform solo, with pre-recorded backing tracks (for recorded auditions only), or with a live rhythm section.
Another piece of your choosing, in any style (jazz, blues, pop, soul, rock, R&B, an original work, etc.), which you can perform solo, with pre-recorded backing tracks (for recorded auditions only), or with a live rhythm section.
We want to see diversity in your three audition pieces. Aim to play at three tempos and in three styles, and show us works you love to perform. We want to see you at your best!
Typical Repertoire
The Traditional American Songbook includes songs taken from American musical theater that can be performed in a variety of contexts. George Gershwin ("Summertime"), Irving Berlin ("Blue Skies"), Cole Porter ("What Is This Thing Called Love"), and Rodgers and Hart ("My Funny Valentine") are some of the best-known composers of these pieces.
Blues tunes include songs from the long tradition of American blues, from W.C. Handy's St. Louis Blues to Robert Johnson's Sweet Home Chicago to more swing-oriented songs like "Alright, Okay, You Win" and "Got My Mojo Working" and more jazz-oriented songs like "Now's the Time," "Route 66," and "Blue Monk."
Jazz tunes come primarily from the instrumental jazz world and include works by Duke Ellington ("Take the A Train"), Charlie Parker ("Ornithology"), Miles Davis ("Tune Up"), Thelonious Monk ("'Round Midnight"), Charles Mingus ("Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"), John Coltrane ("Moment's Notice"), and hundreds more.
Antonio Carlos (Tom) Jobim is the most commonly played composer of bossa nova tunes, including the frequently performed songs "Girl from Ipanema" and "Desafinado."
Singer-songwriter repertoire from the 1960s to the present, including the work of Lennon and McCartney, Ashford and Simpson, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Elton John, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Prince, Tom Waits, Radiohead, Rufus Wainwright, Ani DiFranco, Alicia Keyes, and more, is welcome.
Backing Track Resource
Applicants who are unable to come to campus or to record with a live rhythm section are strongly encouraged to use a digital accompaniment resource, such as:
Recorded Auditions
If you are submitting an audition recording, you should upload recordings through your Admission Hub. You will receive an email with the link to your Admission Hub after submitting the Common Application. The Admission Hub will open on September 15. If you submit your Common Application before September 15, you won’t be able to upload recordings until September 15. Please upload each tune individually and label the files with your last name and the name of the song. Total time should not exceed 15 minutes.
We prefer audition recordings with live accompaniment if possible. If that is not possible, pre-recorded accompaniment tracks are acceptable. While the audio of audition recordings should be of high quality, we do not require applicants to record their auditions in a professional studio. All video audition files must be clearly labeled with your name, the instrument, and the title of each track.
In order to receive consideration of the highest level, audition recordings must be received at the Office of Admission by the application deadline.