Collaborative Piano

Doctor of Musical Arts

Application & Audition Requirements

Your application must be submitted online by the appropriate deadline. To begin, create your Juilliard Admissions Account, gather all of the required application materials, and follow the instructions to complete your application.

Start your online application

An artistic resume must be uploaded as part of the online application. The purpose of submitting a résumé is to provide the Admissions Committee with a document that quickly sums up your background and accomplishments. The résumé should contain lists, not full prose paragraphs such as in a program bio. The elements to include in your résumé are as follows: 

• Your name and major (violin, jazz trumpet, soprano, etc.)
• Your contact information (including address, phone, and email)
• Education: Where you studied, degree or diploma earned (or to be earned)
• Teachers: Particularly for classical instrumentalists and vocalists, listing your most recent teachers and the dates when you studied with them is important information for the Committee
• Master classes where you performed: List teacher and date (for example, June 2020)
• Ensemble experience: Youth orchestras, choirs, jazz bands, etc.
• Competitions and awards: Include dates
• Performances: If including orchestral performances, only include those if you were the soloist; otherwise list recitals and chamber music performances
• Other experience: If you have done volunteer work, held a job, etc., those can be listed here 

You do not have to use these exact categories in this exact order. Use what is logical for your background, but make sure to put your name at the top of the document, and include your education and your teachers. DO NOT SUBMIT A PROGRAM BIO. It is not useful for purposes of applying to Juilliard.

A dossier is defined as a collection of files and materials on the same subject. For musicians, this is a combination of performance and biographical materials that can be used for promotional and professional uses and is similar to an Electronic Press Kit.

Your dossier should include the following, as appropriate: 

• a program bio
  • A program bio can include your background information, performance and education experience, career highlights and achievements, and any additional descriptions about your musical style.
• a representative repertoire list from the past two years, including examples of important works from the contemporary literature
  • The representative repertoire list should include the pieces you have performed within the last two years, along with contemporary and classical literature in your repertory.
• press clippings/reviews
  • As part of the dossier, you may include press clippings or reviews from any performances or recordings that received media coverage. This can include quotes from an album review, a venue, or a musician you’ve collaborated with, as well as any additional articles discussing your performance or work.
• a list of recordings
  • The list of recordings may include any pieces that you have professionally recorded.
• a link to your website 
• a press kit
  • The press kit can include the above materials listed, along with any additional promotional materials that you have that are related to your music career.

All of the required materials for the dossier should be combined into one PDF file and uploaded to your application status page by February 16. Please note that you will not be able to upload the dossier until you have received an official audition invitation.

Juilliard’s Admissions Committee uses your essay(s) to learn more about you as an individual and gain a sense of who you are beyond your application, transcript, and audition.

Essay Requirements

• 1–2 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font
• written in English (not translated from another language)
• must be your own original work
• submitted within the online application

Topics
You must provide an essay on both of the following topics:

1. Many artists experience a moment that crystallizes their career goals. Describe what that moment was for you. Give us specific details about the setting, about what you were doing at the time, and about how that moment continues to affect your actions to this day.
2. Explain your motivation for pursuing the D.M.A. degree and how your experience in the doctoral program will be relevant to your performing and/or academic career.

Additional Essay Requirements
Additional essays are required for:

• Formerly Enrolled Juilliard Students
• Currently Enrolled Juilliard Students

Optional Essay
Should you have a personal or academic circumstance to share that you feel can provide context for a particular point on your resume - for example, a gap year, unusually low grades in a semester or year, etc. - you have the option to submit an additional short essay.

Graded Paper

All DMA applicants are required to submit a graded academic paper as part of this application. The paper must be written in English, must have been written in the final year of the applicant's current or most recent program, and must be at least 1,200 words in length. The subject must be a musical or general humanities topic; papers on scientific, technological, engineering, and mathematical topics are not acceptable.

A one-minute video uploaded to the application in which you record yourself giving the following information:

• Your name
• Your major (i.e. flute, composition, organ). Voice applicants: please include your voice type
• Your current music teacher
• Your current school and grade level
• One fact that you want the Admissions Committee to know about you that they cannot learn from your application materials AND
• Tell us about one piece of music that excites you and why.

To record your video, navigate to the "Music Introduction Video" tab in your application. There you will find instructions for starting the recording. Because the video will be recorded directly from the application, not uploaded as a video file, we recommend allowing yourself ample time to prepare and test your recording in the application module. You can record and save your video at any time before submitting your application, and can delete and re-record your video as needed prior to submission. You will need to use a computer (any type) or cell phone (Android only) with a webcam and a browser that supports media recording (Chrome and Firefox). At this time, video recording is not supported on iPhones or iPads. If you have any trouble with the video recording module, please call or email the Office of Admissions.

Transcripts are an important component of the decision process. They help us determine if you have sufficient scholastic competence to succeed in coursework at the level for which you are applying. The transcript requirement will be placed on your checklist with a clear deadline at an appropriate point in the application process. DO NOT SEND YOUR TRANSCRIPT UNTIL YOU ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT IT.

Official versus Unofficial Transcripts

• An official transcript is one that is sent from your school directly to Juilliard.
  • To avoid the possibility of fraudulent transcripts, we DO NOT accept transcripts sent via email.
  • An official transcript must show courses taken and grades earned.
• An unofficial transcript is one that you (the applicant) send to us or upload to your application.
  • Because the transcript did not come from your school, it is insufficient for admission and does not fulfill the checklist requirement.

How Do I Send Juilliard My Official Transcript?

• Follow your Registrar’s process to request a transcript sent to Juilliard.
• In the U.S., many schools use secure electronic sending services such as Naviance, Parchment, eSCRIP-SAFE, or other system.
• Schools outside the U.S. typically send hard copy of the official transcript to Juilliard via regular or express mail.
• Electronic or paper?
  • Electronic sending services must use this email address: [email protected].
  • A paper record of your academic progress, including grades earned, is an acceptable alternative to an electronic transcript if it is sent in a sealed envelope directly from the issuing institution(s) to the Juilliard Office of Admissions (mailing address below).

Transcript Requirements for Students Studying Outside the US

• Official transcripts must be sent by the stated deadline once the requirement is added to your checklist.
• If your transcript is not in English, we require the transcript in its original language as well as a certified translation.
• Your official transcript(s) must show all prior and current coursework, including at least 24 credits of liberal arts courses.
• You will be notified if an official evaluation of your transcript is required in order to verify your academic level. Companies such as SpanTran (use this link for a discounted evaluation: SpanTran Pathway - The Juilliard School), WES, or ECE can provide this service for a fee.
• We understand that the current academic year has not ended, and that, if you are currently enrolled, you have not yet completed your program. Please submit your transcript as is by the deadline; a final transcript will be required later, if you are admitted and choose to enroll.
• You may view the status of transcripts at any time by logging into your application account.
• Hard copies of transcripts may be mailed to:

          Office of Admissions
          The Juilliard School
          60 Lincoln Center Plaza
          New York, NY 10023

In your application you will be required to identify two individuals who will provide your recommendations. The recommendations should address your academic and performance potential for the Doctor of Musical Arts program.*

*Please note that currently enrolled Juilliard students are also required to have two letters of recommendation in support of their application. These letters can come from internal faculty members or those not affiliated with The Juilliard School.

The recommendations themselves are not due until later in the application timeline. Recommenders will receive an email with a link to securely upload their letters to our application system. We will only accept recommendations received through our application system.

You may view the status of recommendations at any time by logging into your application account. 

A key element of your study at Juilliard is your major teacher assignment. Music students receive 15 one-hour lessons per semester with a Juilliard studio faculty member.

How to Indicate Your Preferences

• You are required to submit your teacher preferences through the online application
• If your preferences change, you can update your selections through your application status page

How Your Preferences are Used

• Your teacher preferences are confidential and do not affect admissions decisions. Studio faculty are not advised of teacher preference selections until after admission decisions are finalized by the committee
• We aim to confirm studio assignments with notification of admission
• If admitted, your teacher assignment will be based on your preferences to the greatest extent possible. No teacher assignment can be made without a documented request for a specific teacher

Researching Teachers

If you are not familiar with our faculty, we strongly recommend researching the teachers in your major prior to the application deadline, as follows:

• Review the teachers’ online bios in our directory and listen to recordings of each artist
• Ask your current teacher(s) for recommendations
• Consult with friends who may have studied with them
• Optional: Set up a meeting or lesson with the teacher(s). Although not all faculty are available to meet with applicants due to their teaching and performing commitments, you may use this form to request contact information for up to four teachers. Scheduling the meeting and payment of any lesson or meeting fee is your responsibility.

This program provides a scholarship for the full cost of tuition plus a small stipend. If you are a US citizen or permanent resident, you may apply for federal student loans to assist with additional required fees and living expenses by completing the FAFSA.

Visit the Office of Financial Aid for more information.