Music Audition Requirements

Applicants to the Music BM are required to complete an audition as part of the admission process. Your audition allows us to learn about your musicianship, artistic voice and creative potential as a performer, composer or collaborator. If you are applying to the Music BA, an audition is not required, and admission is based on Cornish’s standard application requirements.

We strongly encourage you to audition in person on campus, but you may also submit a recorded video audition through your Redhawk Admissions Portal. Prepare three selections that represent the fullest sense of who you are as a musician. If you submit a recorded audition, you will also include a brief interview-style video response describing a meaningful musical experience and how it has shaped your development as a musician.

Preparing for Your Music Audition

Prepare three (3) selections that represent the fullest sense of who you are as a musician. The length of each piece should be somewhere between 2 to 12 minutes.

Your audition materials may be drawn from any of the following:

Pieces or performances that demonstrate your primary instrument or voice type in a classical, jazz, contemporary, or world music setting; solo, with accompaniment, or featuring you in an ensemble.
An improvisation in any style over an existing form/tune or “free.”
Original compositions in any genre with accompanying scores or notation if applicable.
Multimedia works or collaborations.

RECORDED AUDITIONS:

While in-person auditions are strongly encouraged, you may submit a video recorded audition if auditioning on campus is difficult.

Before recording your pieces, be sure to introduce yourself and say the name and composer of the piece you’re performing. Alternatively, you can caption your video with the same information.

PLEASE NOTE:

For performers and singer-songwriters, at least two of the work samples must be recordings of a LIVE performance by the applicant (i.e., not a produced and mixed track).
For composers, at least one of the work samples must be a recording of a LIVE performance by the applicant (i.e., not a produced and mixed track).

In addition, for those submitting video auditions, please create and submit a 2-3 minute interview-style video response to the following prompt:

Describe the most meaningful musical experience you have ever had. This experience may have been when you were performing yourself, or listening as an audience member. What made it so meaningful for you, and how did it shape your perspective as a musician? In your response video, feel free to reflect on how this experience influences the way you connect with others through music or how it might guide your contributions to a collaborative musical community like the Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How should I upload audition videos?

Compress your files to be smaller than 4GB, if possible, for fastest uploading.
Separate selections into individual tracks, as opposed to uploading one large file.
Please title your videos in this format: last name_titleofthepiece

How do I make a good recording?

Recording Quality

Check the quality of both audio and video files before you upload. Is the piano accompanist too loud? Is there crowd noise that is interfering? Does the microphone accurately represent your live sound? If you are submitting a video, is what we are seeing the best way for us to interact with your music?

Audio Processing

If you have used audio processing in any part of your recording, please explain in the description area of each track what was used such as editing, reverb, digital delay, overdubbing, etc. We don’t mind you using these techniques, we’d just like you to identify them so we know what to listen for.

What if I can’t make it to an on-campus audition day?

You can submit video audition videos through your Redhawk Admissions Portal. While we encourage you to audition on campus whenever possible, video submissions will be considered equally for admission.

In some cases, we may be able to arrange an alternative date for you to audition on campus. Please reach out to your admissions counselor for more information.