Berklee College of Music
Voice
Audition Information
Berklee College of
Music Undergraduate majors
https://www.berklee.edu/majors
The
Audition
Prepared
Piece: Berklee embraces and values all music styles so you should
prepare a piece that you are comfortable with and displays your strengths as a
musician. It should be approximately 3-5 minutes in length, in any style, which
demonstrates your instrumental proficiency and your overall musicianship. Do
not choose a piece or a style of music you think the audition team wants to
hear. Rather, select a piece that puts your "best foot forward" and
highlights what you feel represents your best playing. Ultimately, the audition
is a discovery process and we want to find out what you do well.
It is recommended
to seek the guidance of your private instructor and/or musical mentor when
selecting your prepared piece. Here are some examples and additional guidelines
that may help when selecting your prepared piece:
•
A tune from a well-known artist or band (any
style)
•
A standard or jazz tune (which may include blues
and rhythm changes) with your own improvisation
•
A composition from the instrumental/voice
repertoire or an aria or musical theater selection
•
A transcription of a well-known artist's solo
If composing or
songwriting is your primary focus, you may choose to play an original piece
that showcases your individual style. However, the original piece should be no
longer than three (3) minutes, and you should also prepare a second piece from
the above listing (no longer than 3 minutes).
If you require
accompaniment for your prepared piece you may bring an accompanist, play-a-long
CD or MP3 player. It is not recommended to use the original tracks of artists
or bands as play-a-longs. If you are playing to a track, it is preferred that
you use standard play-a-long/music-minus-one or karaoke tracks so that you are
not playing your part along with the part on the recording.
For example, we
would prefer a singer use a karaoke track that does not have the lead vocal
part on the track rather than singing along with the artist’s original
recording.
Improvisation: We would like
to hear you improvise over a short progression to gauge where you are in your
instrumental development. Your prepared piece may include improvisation, but it
is not required.
Blues: You should be
prepared to play over a standard I-IV-V blues progression.
Reading: The examples
range from basic to complex in order for the audition team to gauge your
reading ability. You will have 15 minutes before your audition to warm-up on
your instrument and review the reading material before being asked to play the
examples in the audition.
Ear
Training: You will be asked to participate in call-and-response exercises.
The audition team will play short rhythms and melodies, which you will either
sing back or play back on your instrument. You may also be asked to identify
intervals and chord qualities. The audition team will also gain a sense of your
ability to match pitch during this section of the audition.
You may also be
asked to demonstrate your range and technical facility via typical practice
routines and exercises (scales, arpeggios, etc.).
Some
valuable things to remember
We have
provided online
audition practice materials (play-along exercises) that will help you
prepare for the Improvisation and Blues sections of the audition.
Applicants accepted
to Berklee will be taking core music classes including harmony, ear training
and arranging classes, in addition to private instrumental studies and
ensembles, so the audition is formatted to assess students' overall
musicianship. In addition, we are also interested in seeing how you function in
an ensemble setting.
We take a holistic
approach in our evaluation process where each component of the audition helps
the audition team assess your overall abilities as a musician. While each
component is important, we recognize it is common for applicants to have
imbalances in their playing abilities. We realize many applicants may not have
advanced skills in improvisation, reading, ear training or multiple musical
styles, but our curriculum materials are designed to help students build skills
in these areas.
The
Interview
You will
participate in a 15-minute interview with our admissions representative to
discuss your goals and aspirations, and what you will bring to Berklee. The
board of admissions encourages applicants to share their creative work. Instead
of bringing supplemental material to your interview, please provide a link to
Youtube, MySpace, or a personal website when you submit your application.
Checklist
•
Vocalists may choose to bring their own
microphone and a cable for their prepared piece but it is not necessary.
Updated on 09/22/2018