Recorded Auditions: What You Need to Know

Are recorded auditions on your horizon? Are you planning to send a pre-screen? Deciding whether to forego some of the live auditions because of time or money?

Admission staff and music school faculty may get their first sense of who you are and how you perform through a recorded audition. Whether you submit your audition through one of the uploading companies or mail it yourself, here’s what you need to know.

 

Guidelines -

1. Know that every school or program has its own unique requirements.

Carefully check the requirements for sending recorded auditions for each school or program you want to apply to. You may lose your chance for consideration if you skip a step or assume that what will work for one school will also work for another.

2. Pay attention to deadlines.

They’re firm. You snooze, you lose.

3. Don’t leave your recordings for the last minute.

Continue practicing and honing the music you’ll be submitting well before the deadlines. Music schools and digital uploading companies encourage you to familiarize yourself with the process of recording and uploading a few weeks before the deadline. There are a number of things that can go wrong with the recording, and by planning ahead, you’ll be able to get your questions answered and fix any problems with enough time to meet your deadlines.

4. Create a recording you can be proud of.

Some schools recommend you hire a recording engineer, while others tell you that’s unnecessary. If you’re recording yourself, some suggest you record in stereo with a high quality portable audio recorder. For video, an HD stereo video recorder should be sufficient. Some schools accept the fact that students will record in mono from their phones, tablets, or family camcorders.

Check to see if your high school music department has a recording device you can use, or if your private teacher can help you out. If you do decide to use the services of a recording engineer, read the sidebar in this article.

Whatever you record with, be sure to send the best possible recording that reflects well on who you are and what you can offer the schools where you’re applying. For specific recording guidelines, see the sidebar in this article.

5. Live vs. recorded auditions?

Schools that require pre-screens expect these to be sent via the channels they set up, i.e., an upload company such as Acceptd, ArtsApp, or DecisionDesk, or through the mail.

In the case of a pre-screen, if you make it through this hurdle, you then need to decide whether you’ll audition live on campus, live at a regional audition site if available, or through a digital or recorded audition.

“It’s so easy to send recordings, particularly now that videos can just get uploaded from a central place, that it’s increasingly more difficult to get a sense of whether or not a student really wants to come if they send a recording,” says Amy Mertz, assistant director for admissions and community programs at Syracuse University’s Setnor School of Music in upstate New York.

The live audition allows a two-way interview between you and each school you visit. You get to experience the campus, hopefully get a lesson from a faculty in whose private studio you may end up, determine how well you fit in with other students, and much more. Note that for scholarships, some schools will only consider students who have attended live auditions.

If you are serious about a school but cannot make it to a live audition:

• Contact the admission office and ask relevant questions that show you’ve read their website in depth and are keenly interested in the school.

• Find out if there are alumni in your area who you can meet with to learn more about the school and to whom you can also demonstrate that you are a good candidate for admission.

• Contact any faculty you are interested in studying with, and ask specific questions related to becoming their student or about the program. Learn whatever you can about them before you actually contact them.

(Note that many schools keep a record of communication with student applicants, so treat every email or phone call as if it were a mini-audition.)

9 Recording Tips

Christopher Blood, head of Engineering, Production and Live Sound at McNally Smith College of Music, reminds students that schools are looking for “a good representation of who you are” rather than an overproduced recording. However, since music schools are often highly competitive, you’re wise to pay attention to the following:

• “Have someone in the position of coach in the room with you when you make a pre-screen recording,” advises Doug Long at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. This person may be your teacher, accompanist, or another individual familiar with  your repertoire, auditions, and the recording process.

• According to PJ Woolston, director of admission at USC Thornton School of Music in Southern California, “A recording should, first and foremost, allow the faculty to evaluate the level and ability of the applicant. That means the recording should have good sound quality, and in the case where video is required (usually because faculty want to be able to see technique as well as hear the student), it should also look professional.”

• Good mic’ing is very important. Robert Bullington, president of Front Row Seat Productions, emphasizes the importance of mic placement in order to attain a balanced sound. He urges students to “listen and re-record” if the voice, instrument, or piano accompaniment sounds unnaturally accentuated. “Never put the mic on a piano,” he adds. Instead, find a surface where the mic can be propped up on a tripod that allows the mic to be approximately at audience head level.

The kind of music you’re recording may sound better with specific kinds of microphones. For instance, Max Sverdlove, president and lead engineer at Musical Horizon, says that classical instrumental auditions sound better through microphones with flat responses which are not necessarily pointed directly at you or your instrument.

• The room where you record will also make a difference in your sound. DecisionDesk, a digital audition upload company, suggests a neat looking room with a number of objects in it (eg., chairs, sofas, or a bed), rather than a kitchen or hallway with hard reflective surfaces that can create unwanted reverb.

• The recording should be undertaken as professionally as possible. Katherine Bergman at ArtsApp, a digital audition upload company, says, “Treat the day you plan to record your audition the same way you would treat the day of your live audition.” Dress accordingly. You’ll be taken more seriously.

• Hand-held video recorders can lead to shaky-looking videos. Do everything you can to prevent this, such as using a tripod. Music schools don’t like shaky videos!

• Derek Brown of Acceptd, another digital audition upload company, says, “Replay and listen for any distortions, and re-record as many times as necessary to ensure a quality recording.” Another reason to start the process early, so there’s time to make changes.

• Can a recording be too slick? Schools answer with an emphatic “YES!” They also say that they have in place mechanisms to determine whether recordings are authentic. According to Brad Andrews, director of music admissions at University of Redlands School of Music in Southern California, “We have heard auditions where there was significant doubt as to whether the audition was an authentic performance by the applicant. Although we will accept CD or DVD auditions, DVD is preferred to eliminate the possibility of editing or submitting a performance that is not your own.”

• If you’re using a piano accompanist, make sure the piano is tuned well, and that you’re in synch with your accompanist. Rehearsing with the accompanist in advance of making the recording will serve you well.



We Invite Your Comments





 

«
»

 
 

 

 

For More Information & Guidelines About Auditioning

See MajoringInMusic.com’s section, “Applying & Auditioning.”

Digital Audition Upload Companies

A growing number of music schools, summer music programs, and music competitions use an audition upload company to receive pre-screens. These schools and programs provide a link to the company they work with, in the audition section of their websites. The link will take you to guidelines for recording and uploading your material.

Professional Recording Engineer for Pre-Screens & Auditions?

Is a professional recording engineer necessary? The cost may be beyond what’s affordable for you and your family, and certainly no school wants to create financial hardship at this stage in the process. To protect your future plans, however, it’s worth asking the schools high on your list whether using a professional recording engineer for the pre-screen or audition recording will be to your benefit. While some schools encourage applicants to do so, others discourage it.

If you decide to work with a professional recording engineer, it’s important to interview one or more individuals to be certain that whoever you choose will serve you well.

It’s also important that any recording engineer you decide to work with fully understands the recording requirements of each school you’re auditioning for. For instance, Hartt School, University of Hartford in Connecticut specifies, “No editing of any kind. No artificial processing, including but not limited to, reverb, equalization, dynamics (Compressor, Limiter, Expander), and pitch alteration.” It’s essential that your recording engineer knows and works within these guidelines.

Robert Bullington, at Front Row Seat Productions, emphasizes the need to find an engineer who is skilled in recording your repertoire. Classical repertoire has different requirements from jazz, popular, and other genres. “Discuss the requirements of the recording and your expectations candidly, in advance of the session,” says Bullington.  ”Get as many technical details about the upload requirements as you can, and share that with the recording engineer.” Recording engineer Max Sverdlove, who also happens to be a classically-trained violinist from Penn State School of Music, reiterates that “recording classical music is a specialty. You use different types of microphones, you use different set ups, and the way you prepare the final product is different. Most recording engineers are not trained, or do not have adequate experience, with classical music.”

What’s It Going to Cost?

Digital uploads: Typically $10 – $15 per audition upload. Some schools will actually cover this cost. Some audition upload companies will work with you if you cannot afford these fees.

Mailing your recording: You’ll save considerably if you mail your recordings a few weeks before the final deadlines. Compare the US Postal Service (USPS) with FedEx Ground and UPS. Spend a dollar or so more and get receipt confirmation if you go with USPS and track your package the way you can with other mailing services.

Recording Engineer: You could easily spend between $200 – $2,000 by hiring a recording engineer for approximately three hours of work on your video or CD audition. The cost varies, depending on whether you’re performing solo, with an accompanist, or with a full ensemble or band (which requires more studio time). Other considerations include your geographic location, whether you’re recording a CD or DVD, how many pieces you need to record, and how much studio time you actually need. Some recording engineers offer a student discount, so be sure to ask. The better prepared you are with your repertoire and accompanist (if needed), and the more time you spend hashing out any details with your recording engineer before your session, the less it will cost.

What if you want to work with a recording engineer but don’t have the funds to do so? Christopher Blood, head of music production at McNally Smith College of Music, suggests contacting a local music school with a good music technology program. At McNally Smith, students will take on recording projects like these for experience, at no charge.

(Note that in some states, such as New Jersey, recordings are considered “digital property,” and are subject to state sales tax.)

Recording Devices: If you decide to produce your own audition recording, first determine whether you need a good audio-only or video recorder.  You may be able to borrow the equipment you need from your high school, your private music teacher, or your family. If you can afford to invest in a recording device that may also serve you in music school (for recording performances, classes, etc.), you can easily spend up to $500… and much more, the higher you go in quality and if you add external microphones. Max Sverdlove at Musical Horizon says that “getting the best possible microphones, knowing which types to use, and knowing where to place each microphone are the most important details for the best quality recordings.”

Note that the guidelines also apply to recorded auditions for summer programs and music competitions.