We’re at that time of year when the tremendous level of talent, dedication and intestinal fortitude it requires to pursue a professional conservatory degree, and ultimately a life, in the arts begins to hit home for many of our applicants. Our performing arts programs are fast approaching their final auditions and the School of Art+Design is making lots of admission decisions. For me, observing and participating in these rigorous processes brings into full relief just how highly competitive the visual and performing arts world is.
It’s important for students seriously considering applying to a professional visual or performing arts training program like those offered in our School of the Arts to do a thorough self assessment and seek out the advice and input of their arts teachers and professional artists, school counselors, and peers. It’s also important for students interested in the Arts to understand that there’s more than one way to pursue them. For instance, at Purchase (surprise, surprise) we have several Bachelor of Arts degrees (as opposed to the Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees of the conservatories) that allow students who may not be ready for a BFA program to pursue their artistic interests within a liberal arts degree program.
I attended a program last fall at the Rye Country Day School (RCDS) to talk about applying to arts programs and what follows here is borrowed, paraphrased, and directly quoted from a handout from that school’s excellent College Advising Office. Thanks RCDS College Office!
Students: When deciding whether or not to pursue a professional conservatory training program, you need to take a long, hard and honest look at yourself – Ask yourself, what are your personal and professional goals? How deeply motivated are you to spend many long hours of study, practice, and rehearsal (often a minimum 60 – 70 hours a week) pursuing your chosen artistic field? How much competition can you handle, and how well do you deal with rejection? Ask yourself, how badly do you want this, and is it right for you? Most importantly, you should try to make an honest, realistic assessment of your level of talent and skill. There are a number of ways to do this – from attending portfolio reviews for visual artists, like those of the National Portfolio Day Association, to an informal music, dance, or acting audition for a professional instructor before a formal audition.
It’s also a good idea to attend a strong summer pre-college program in your chosen area of the arts. Such programs allow you to test whether you really love spending 14 hours a day playing jazz trumpet or doing theatre or making art. You’ll also gain valuable experiences doing so and you can often get assistance creating portfolios or prepping audition pieces.
Prepare early and as much as possible! There’s no excuse for not being ready to perform a great audition. Start early and stick to a schedule. Some programs, like our Conservatory of Music, require you to submit a recorded audition first and you must give yourself enough time to coordinate your recording team (accompanist, recording situation, teacher, etc.). As RCDS college office says, “DON’T make the mistake of thinking you can get a professional-quality CD or portfolio together during fall of senior year — plan to do this in the summer before senior year if possible (though you can add a few pieces to a portfolio later.)” And follow the school’s instructions! Give us what we ask for on your CD, DVD or tape. Don’t exceed time limits or perform pieces not asked for. LABEL EVERYTHING YOU SUBMIT CLEARLY! I can’t tell you how many times a student’s work ends up in the wrong department or cannot be matched up with his/her application because it was not properly labeled. If you’re planning on applying to a Theatre Design/Technology program like the one here at Purchase, you should be keeping examples of your work – Lighting plots, scenic design drafts, prompt books – from past productions you’ve worked on. You will need those materials for a portfolio when you apply.
“Learn everything about auditions.” I’m going to quote directly from RCDS for this, as they said it so well. “Things to keep in mind: 1) you must be organized about knowing exactly what each program requires in an audition – different programs will ask for different monologues, different music repertoire, etc. 2) you will have only limited flexibility in determining when you audition – most schools offer specific dates, and the later you arrange a date the more likely you may be shut out of your preferred time. (Sometimes, a later audition date means a later admission decision, so ask.) 3) you must consider your school and extracurricular obligations when making these dates to avoid serious conflicts. 4) An audition starts when you enter the building; you must behave in a professional manner, including the way you dress, what equipment or paperwork you are expected to bring along, etc. Distracting or problematic behavior in the hall can kill your chance to make a good impression. 5) You also have to be prepared to have a brief interview as part of the audition, or even to perform a piece a second time after receiving some feedback. Dancers and musical theatre students must be ready to take one or more dance classes and have all appropriate footwear and clothing. NO gum chewing, ever.”
“Remember that the application process is different for conservatories (or art schools).” The deadlines to apply, to complete the application, and doing your talent review are different from the regular liberal arts admissions deadlines, so you must make sure you visit the application instructions section of the website to be fully informed. This way you know that we require pre-screening of a tape/cd for our Music auditions, and that the deadline to submit it is in early January. You will also learn that we do not offer a formal Early Decision admission program ifor our arts majors. If you’re going to audition for Dance at a regional audition, you will need to audition earlier than those doing so on campus. If you’re coming to campus for your Acting audition, you’ll need to make your travel arrangements. And remember that all applicants must submit official test scores and transcripts, event though these decisions may rest primarily on the quality of your audition/portfolio/interview, etc.
Ultimately, the key is to stay organized, informed and aware so that you don’t miss any crucial requirements or deadlines along the way.
If you read this and realize that though the rewards of pursuing a professional degree in the visual or performing arts sound exciting, you just aren’t ready for that level of intense specialization yet, then consider your other options,m such as Bachelor of Arts (BA) majors like Drama Studies; Cinema Studies; New Media; and Media, Society and the Arts allow students to pursue their artistic interests on a broad basis within a liberal arts context. As a Drama Studies student, you can take advantage of opportunities to write and direct your own plays. We’ve had Cinema Studies students direct short films and some go on to graduate school to pursue professional directing degrees or go right into the film industry. Our graduates from these BA programs have gone on to professional trianing programs at the graduate level and to careers as artistic professionals of all kinds, which goes to show that you don’t necessarily have to professionalize before your time. So remember that the liberal arts can be a rewarding avenue towards your artistic career goals.
