"The Experience"



Applying to Professional Colleges for Art and Music

Author: petersons, Category: College Search

Applying to a school such as Juilliard requires a different competitive edge than applying to one like Harvard, because the goal of selective art and music colleges is to admit students with extraordinary talent. It won’t matter if you have a stellar academic record — if you don’t stand out in the fine arts, you won’t make it in.

Examine the evidence
To start, your application essay probably won’t be the thing that sways the admission committee. Most professional art and music colleges require evidence of your talent, skill, or ability. Thus, you should expect to provide that proof via an audition or a portfolio of your best work.

Check each school’s requirements carefully, as each one may have different requirements. For example, they may accept only a certain amount of submitted artwork, or you may be able to send in a videotape in lieu of a live audition. Make sure you know what’s expected and prepare accordingly.

Talent matters
Your admission to a competitive fine arts school will be based, in part, upon review of traditional criteria such as your grade point average, level of coursework, test scores, essays, and interviews. However, for most professional colleges, the evaluation of your portfolio or your audition will supersede the review of all other criteria for admission.

Many visual arts colleges even prescreen potential applicants by reviewing portfolios prior to application in order to determine eligibility for admission. This process usually occurs during senior year, and can give you valuable guidance early in the admission process (in other words, you’ll know which schools not to apply to!) This helps colleges create a more targeted pool of applicants and is also the reason that acceptance rates at many visual arts colleges appear to be higher than other selective institutions.

If you’re a little less than confident about your skill level, don’t let this practice discourage you. There are some schools that give equal weight to your talent and your academic achievement. Artists also occasionally give in to the tendency to underestimate their talent!

The other path traveled
If you think your chances of getting into a competitive fine arts school are questionable, apply to comprehensive colleges and universities that offer majors in art and music as well as a variety of other fields. Most of them will rely on academic criteria to make an admission decision and your portfolio or audition, if required, will play a secondary role.

Improve the odds
If you have your heart set on the visual arts and a top-of-the-line art school, you should gain as much studio experience as possible to develop a strong portfolio. Take full advantage of your high school art program, enroll in extra Saturday or summer classes, or hire a private tutor. Exhibit your artwork whenever the opportunity arises, and get some background and education in art history, as well as the works of contemporary artists.

If you plan to study music, remember that experience and confidence need to be clearly evident in your audition. Therefore, become involved as much as possible in your own high school music activities as well as local, district, and state youth orchestras, choirs, and performance ensembles. The more you perform and study, the more confident you will be on stage.

Reality check
Competition for admission to the best fine arts school is tough. There are many fine musicians and artists applying, but not everyone will get in. Do what you can to increase your chances, but be realistic. If you need to, get feedback from teachers, family, friends, and mentors before you pin all your hopes on one particular school. Honest feedback can help you decide on where to apply, and you may discover some options of which you weren’t even aware!

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