This year, all auditions will be video recordings. Video auditions must be received by the application deadline. Submissions after that date will be considered on a rolling basis.
Prepare and perform three songs, each as a separate video, no longer than 15 minutes total:
- Song 1: A standard performed solo, with pre-recorded backing tracks or a live rhythm section if safe and possible. This tune 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. Review the Backing Tracks information below, too.
- Song 2: 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, or with a live rhythm section if safe and possible.
- Song 3: 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, or with a live rhythm section if safe and possible.
We want to see diversity in your three audition pieces. Aim to play three different tempos and 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 and performed in a jazz context. George Gershwin ("Summertime"), Irving Berlin ("Blue Skies"), Cole Porter ("What Is This Thing Called Love"), and Rodgers & 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 commonly performed works "Girl from Ipanema" and "Desafinado."
Singer-songwriter repertoire from the 1960s to the present, including the work of Lennon and McCartney, Ashford & 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 record with a live rhythm section are strongly encouraged to use a digital accompaniment resource such as:
Video Auditions
Applicants submitting video auditions will upload recordings through The New School’s Online Application Center.
We prefer recorded video auditions with live accompaniment if possible. If not possible, pre-recorded accompaniment tracks are okay. While the audio of audition recordings should be high quality, we don’t require applicants to record their auditions in a professional studio. All video audition files must be clearly labeled with the applicant's name, the instrument, and the title of each track.
Video auditions must be received at the Office of Admission by the application deadline.
Once your application and audition upload is complete, you’ll be invited to schedule a video conference interview. Interviews are ten minutes and are intended to help us to get to know one another better. There’s nothing specific you need to prepare.
Audition Evaluation
All auditions are primarily judged on the following criteria:
- Individual expression
- Technique
- Musical maturity
- Originality
- Ability to phrase a melody, perform with a committed rhythmic feel, and improvise confidently with a rhythm section
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 included in your decision letter.