Doctor of Musical Arts Pre-Screening and Live Audition Procedures

On this page:

• Pre-Screening Procedures
• Notes on Repertoire
• Accompanists
• Practice Rooms During Auditions
• Callbacks
• Criteria for Acceptance

Pre-Screening Procedures

Applicants to the following majors are required to submit pre-screening materials with their application by the appropriate application deadline:

• Cello (audio recording);
• Collaborative Piano (audio-visual recording);
• Composition (scores and recordings);
• Double Bass (audio-visual recording);
• Flute (audio OR audio-visual recording);
• Horn (audio OR audio-visual recording);
• Percussion (audio-visual recording);
• Piano (audio-visual recording);
• Viola (audio recording);
• Violin (audio recording);
• Voice (audio recording).

Applicants who fail to provide required pre-screening materials by the appropriate deadlines will not be considered for an invitation to a live audition.

• Audio recordings must be on CD (preferred) or cassette tape. DATs, minidisks, and DVDs will not be accepted.
• Audio-visual recordings must be DVD (preferred) or North American Standard VHS format. PAL/SECAM tapes will not be accepted.
• The CDs/DVDs AND their cases must include the complete required pre-screening repertoire and must be clearly labeled with the: 

1. applicant’s name,
2. instrument and degree level,
3. repertoire,
4. vocalists only: voice-type.

• It is not necessary that the repertoire prepared for the live audition be identical to the pre-screening materials. However, both the pre-screening and the live audition repertoire must meet the departmental requirements.
• All works with accompaniment must be performed with piano accompaniment on the pre-screening recording, unless otherwise specified in the Audition Requirements.
• Recordings must be genuinely performed by applicants and may not be edited, nor should any effects such as “reverb” be added. To ensure that poor recording quality does not interfere with faculty’s ability to review the material, applicants should avoid distortion, excessive “buzz,” and ensure that accompaniment is not louder than the applicant (where applicable).
• Applicants should review their pre-screening recordings before mailing to ensure that they are playable in a standard CD player.
• Pre-screening materials become the property of The Juilliard School and will not be returned, excepting original scores from composition applicants. We encourage you to keep a copy for your records.
• Current Juilliard College Students are not required to submit pre-screening materials, unless they are applying to a different major.
• Formerly enrolled Juilliard College and Pre-College Students are required to submit pre-screening materials to the majors listed above.

Applicants to the majors listed above whose materials pass pre-screening will be invited to the required live audition in New York, at The Juilliard School. Notification of pre-screening status will be provided to all applicants approximately one month prior to auditions. Applicants for majors that do not require pre-screening materials will automatically be scheduled for an audition.

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Notes on Repertoire

All applicants must prepare the complete required repertoire and follow all instructions indicated. Insufficient or incomplete audition repertoire may affect consideration for admission. Please note that audition requirements which state a complete piece or work are indicating all movements must be prepared. Many departments require a recording of the required repertoire for pre-screening purposes. See here for required repertoire.

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Accompanists

All works with piano accompaniment must be accompanied for the audition. We encourage you to use a Juilliard accompanist for your audition. A list of accompanists will be provided approximately two weeks before the audition. You must contact an accompanist from the list two weeks prior to your audition and provide him/her with a piano score of the repertoire for the audition. Applicants who wish to bring their own accompanists may do so. A rhythm section will be provided for jazz auditions. Collaborative Piano applicants please refer to the Collaborative Piano audition requirements regarding the audition partner guidelines.

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Practice Rooms During Auditions

The Juilliard School does not have practice space for applicants except on the assigned audition date. Practice space is available on the day of your audition on a first-come, first-served basis, with a brief designated warm-up time immediately preceding your audition.

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Callbacks

1. The DMA audition process will take at least two days (up to four for composers). In general, applicants should plan to be available for the entire day following the scheduled audition date. Applicants must be available for all portions of the audition process in order to be considered for admission.
2. All musicians will play for the faculty once. Only Flute has a performance callback. Flute applicants must be available on the scheduled audition date until 10 p.m. for callbacks. Please refer to the live audition requirements for callback procedures. If a flute applicant is not invited to do a performance callback, he/she may reasonably conclude that he/she is no longer under serious consideration for admission.
3. Upon the strong recommendation of the audition panel, applicants will be invited to a required interview with members of the Doctoral Governance Committee, usually on the day following the audition. Interviews are scheduled daily by the Admissions Office as audition results become available. This interview is, in effect, a callback for D.M.A. applicants. Applicants not invited to the interview may reasonably conclude that they are no longer under consideration for admission.
4. D.M.A. applicants must also take a written exam in music theory and music history. Exams are given Monday through Thursday during the audition week and include exercises in harmonization and counterpoint, as well as a music history component. In general, only applicants invited to interview need write the exam; however, it may be written on any date that it is offered.

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Criteria for Acceptance 

• A serious commitment to music training and a career in music performance.
• A potential for meeting the technical standards of Juilliard’s professional training program in the major field.
• Exceptional talent and potential as a performer.
• Broad and thoughtful interest in the world of music, including its historical traditions and contemporary trends.
• A clear dedication to artistic excellence and a desire to exercise artistic leadership.
• A high level and quality of previous training and musicianship.
• A capacity for sustained, disciplined practice.
• Ability to sight-read music.
• Personal maturity and a generosity of spirit essential to ensemble work.

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