College Audition Prep Guide

Congratulations on wanting to pursue a degree in the performing arts!

Depending on what degree program you’re interested in pursuing, your audition process may vary:

  1. Bachelor of Fine Arts (Musical Theater)

    The BFA degree audition process includes a pre-screen video and a live audition.

  2. Bachelor of Music (Vocal Performance, Music Education)

    The BM degree audition process may include a pre-screen video and/or a live on-campus audition.

  3. Bachelor of Arts (Voice / Theater)

    Depending on the school, the BA degree with a voice primary or in theater may or may not require an audition.

Note: When you apply to audition for a college program, you typically need to have already been accepted to the university the degree program exists at before scheduling an audition.

In other words: You must be admitted to the university and the college/department the degree is housed within. Your academic GPA and/or testing scores (ACT/SAT) matter for the vast majority of college programs.

BFA Musical Theater

Pre-Screen Video (Dance Reel, Monologues, Songs)

The BFA audition process is extensive - there really is no other way to put it. Many of the more well-known and elite BFA programs require pre-screen video submissions before being invited to schedule a live audition either on-campus or at a regional unified audition (more on those below).

Regardless of what’s stated in this guide, always reference the unique pre-screen and audition requirements for each program you’re applying to.

During pre-screens, applicants are assessed in all three areas which are trained during a typical 4-year BFA in Musical Theater:

Acting Dancing Singing

Acting Pre-Screen & Live Audition

Generally speaking, applicants will be required to have 1-2 monologues prepared — one classical and one contemporary. It is highly advised that you hire an acting coach who specializes in preparing college applicants as your voice teacher and/or high school theater director may not have gone through the process recently. The Swain Studio is proud to recommend the expertise found through the Krista Lively Stauffer Acting Studio(https://www.kristalivelystaufferactingstudio.com) for this very process.

Pro Tip: As a former musical theater voice professor of 4.5 years (hello, Justin here!) I can attest to the importance that acting be as strong as possible as a BFA in Musical Theater is typically housed within the school or department of theater. Invest in coaching your monologues and singing with an acting coach. Krista’s studio is literally seventeen steps from the front door of The Swain Studio and her sessions are very reasonably priced.

Dancing Pre-Screen & Live Audition

When it comes to dancing, if you’re not someone already in dance lessons or you consider yourself a mover, that may limit your possibilities for what programs will consider you for admission. It is highly advised to hire a choreographer to create and/or teach a combo to you and to also film said combo at a dance studio in standard dance attire. If cost is prohibitive, search YouTube for dance combos to learn and see if your theater teacher will allow you to record your combo in your school’s auditorium or rehearsal space.

If you’re invited for a live audition, you will typically be taught a late beginner to intermediate dance combo and assessed in realtime.

Pro Tip: Not a great dancer? Try your best and maintain a positive attitude. Everyone on the other side of the audition table is rooting for you.

Singing Pre-Screen & Live Audition

Depending on the program you’re auditioning for as well as where you’re auditioning (live on-campus, live virtual, live unified audition, private live audition) will determine how much music to prepare. Generally speaking you will need one pre-1970 (Golden Age) and one post-1970 (Contemporary) song selection. You may only sing part of one, both, or each song in their entirety. I recommend creating 30, 60, and 90 second cuts (typically 16-32 bars, though depending on the tempo of the song it may be longer or shorter in duration) and prepare each song in their entirety.

Typically speaking, song selections are encouraged to be contrasting in both tempo and subject matter.

Pro Tip #1: Some program directors will be perfectly alright with you bringing in what you know and are most comfortable with. In other words, if you’ve never sung a Golden Age song selection, some program directors may not stick rigidly to their posted audition requirements. When in doubt always reach out to each program director / program representative you will present an audition for clarification.

Pro Tip #2: Even though you are being assessed on your aptitude at singing, you are also being assessed on how well you communicate the intent of the character as they proceed through the song. You are a storyteller first and foremost. I would much rather see a compelling story be told through performance than watch a singer park and bark for a minute straight while focused solely on perfect vocal technique (spoiler: so will the folks in the audition room). In other words: Don’t forget to act.

Unified Auditions

Unique to BFA Musical Theater / Acting, Unified Auditions (also known as “Unifieds”) are an opportunity to audition for a multitude of college programs within the same place. These save you a ton of money on travel expenses and you can often knock out all of your auditions in a single weekend/event. Some unified auditions are consortium style, meaning multiple schools are in the same room at the same time, and others are one-on-one.

Generally speaking, when people refer to “Unifieds,” they’re usually referring to the National Unified Auditionswhich take place in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. There are also other unified auditions such as the Pittsburgh Unifieds, Moonifieds, and Drewnifieds. If you’re reading this and you’re local to our studio, you should absolutely plan on participating in the Ohio Unified Auditions which take place in the Fall each year at the Ohio Thespian Expo.

Why attend Unified Auditions?

1. Cost Effective

Having the ability to audition for 5-20+ schools over the course of 2-3 days can save you thousands on travel expenses.

2. Walk-In Auditions

Some schools will allow you to register for walk-in auditions once you arrive, which can result in greater success at finding your future college program.

3. Face-to-Face Interactions

Although you’re looking to be accepted into a program for professional training the next four years, you should also take into consideration the vibe you get when you speak to college representatives. Ask questions about the culture of the program, success rate of graduates, and training specialties (is the program heavy on a particular acting methodology, how is the vocal instruction and is it taught by musical theater specialists or classical voice faculty, is the program dance-intensive, are students able to double-major, etc). Sometimes you’ll find a program you hadn’t even considered fits what you’re looking for far more than your top wishlist schools!

How Do I Register for Unified Auditions?

Each unified program is slightly different, however, you will generally need to apply to each school you would like to audition for prior to the unified auditions event and register for a time to be seen/heard at each event. The Moonifieds require you to be a client of their parent company, which for some people is an added benefit as you receive a dedicated audition coach to help walk you through the entire process. The Drewnifieds and Pittsburgh Unified Auditions typically fill up within a month of the registration opening for the following year (so keep an eye on each website / join their mailing lists early in your Junior year of high school).

Missed the deadline or opportunity to join a unified audition event? Don’t fret. You are still able to submit traditional applications for each school you are interested in applying for through each school’s website. Need help navigating the process? Reach out to the studio to book a 90-minute appointment by emailing lessons@theswainstudio.com.

Bachelor of Music / Bachelor of Arts

What To Expect & Prepare

Auditioning for Bachelor of Music programs in Vocal Performance, Music Education, and Music Therapy* will generally have the same requirements as one another:

1. (BM) Vocal Performance / (BME) Music Education / (BM-MT) Music Therapy

Generally applicants will be required to present 2-3 selections from memory from the art song and/or operetta repertoire. One art song selection should be in German, French, or Italian, and the other art song selection is expected to be in English.

Note: Some programs will allow applicants to deviate from these standard audition requirements and will allow a third song selection to be musical theater or contemporary in nature. Always check with the auditions coordinator or audition information website for each program you are auditioning for.

Music Therapy Applicants may be required to demonstrate basic proficiency on guitar, piano, and/or ukulele as part of the interview and audition process.

Music Education Applicants may have a separate interview with music education faculty members apart from their vocal audition.

Pro Tip: If you have participated in your school’s Solo & Ensemble program and you’ve studied a Class A or Class B solo, chances are likely that you already have one or more songs in your repertoire that are appropriate for your college auditions. You will want to work on those songs and/or select new or additional repertoire with a qualified private instructor of voice. (Good News: This is something we do already here at The Swain Studio!)

2. (BA) Music / (BA) Vocal Performance / (BA) Theater

Various college programs now offer a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance or General Music Studies or Theater. BA programs are an excellent option for students who are interested in pursuing a second major. Generally speaking, I encourage students to double major when possible, as it will open up different career and academic pathways after graduating from their respective Bachelor’s degree programs.

Some BA programs in Music or Theater do not require an audition, however, if you intend on taking voice lessons from your university, you will sometimes need to complete an audition to gain acceptance into the voice studios. Consult the specific audition repertoire requirements of each program to know precisely what they expect to hear in such an audition.

Note: If you are simply looking to earn a degree in music or theater and voice or acting lessons are not part of your program’s curriculum, you are always able to seek instruction outside of your college/university as a separate expense.

Application / Audition Timeline

Junior Year

I generally advise students applying to BM/BA/BME programs to begin researching and preparing for their college auditions the Spring of their Junior year of high school (early Summer leading into Senior year at the very latest). For BFA applicants, the summer prior to their Junior year is a good time to begin researching different programs to apply to. There are a multitude of reasons for this:

  1. Students are able to schedule campus visits prior to the Senior year (which is a beast to get through on its own)

  2. College essays, social events, musicals, competitions, and other program commitments will all be vying for their attention once the Senior year begins

  3. Students are able to reach out to and ideally meet faculty members at each of the universities they’re interested in attending

    • This can be especially helpful when it comes time for auditions and scholarship offers to be sent out, as students who have a track record of contacting/visiting a particular university are often offered additional recruitment scholarships by admissions offices to entice matriculation into their programs.

  4. It allows students to pivot and explore other interests if they ultimately decide not to attend college for a degree in music or theater

Senior Year

For each of the students I walk through the college audition process for BM/BME/BM-MT/BA programs, I create a spreadsheet for them and share it with both them and their parent/guardian to help keep track of submission deadlines, audition requirements, as well as live audition dates. Unlike BFA programs, there are no consortium style or unified auditions and students are required to attend on-campus live auditions, or if travel is absolutely not possible - virtual auditions.

Summer Tasks

  • Finalize list of schools to apply / audition for

  • Finalize audition repertoire (songs, and for BFA applicants your dance reel/monologues as appropriate)

  • Prepare college admission essay(s)

  • Prepare pre-screen video recordings (late summer) for schools requiring pre-screen auditions

  • Reach out to college faculty to inquire about scheduling sample lessons

  • Reach out to college admissions offices to schedule campus visits for Autumn semester

Autumn Semester

  • Submit applications for each university you’re interested in applying for (September/early October)

  • Follow-up on scheduling sample lessons

  • Finalize campus visits with admissions offices

  • Polish audition repertoire

  • Early Admit Auditions (generally early admit auditions begin in October through December)

Spring Semester

  • Complete auditions (typically by the end of March)

  • Review admission offers

  • Schedule and attend final campus visits for schools you have been accepted to

  • Commit to a program by the National College Decision Day (May 1st)

Pro Tips:

  • Send follow-up thank you emails after you’ve completed each audition.

  • Be kind and respectful to everyone you meet at each audition — you never know who is on the selection panel.

  • Have your music printed double-sided, hole-punched, without any extra markings in a black three-ring binder (reach out to the studio for assistance with this) in the correct keys. Have nothing extra in said binder except your music. It is not necessary to place music in plastic protective sheet covers.

  • At each audition, be prepared to answer questions about yourself, why you want to major in music, what you have done to prepare (instruments studied, music camps/workshops attended, …). You should also ask faculty questions during each audition when given the opportunity to do so. This is a great time to learn more about vocal studies at each school you audition at.

  • For BM/BME/BM-MT/BA Applicants: There is usually a musicianship portion of each audition (sight-singing and rhythm). If you are not familiar with sight-singing in major keys through two flats or two sharps, or are not proficient in sight-singing, this is something you will want to work on prior to the live audition process for 2-3 months with your private voice teacher. Demonstrating poor musicianship at the live audition can make or break your audition and/or limit scholarship possibilities.