Admission Procedures
Instructions for Application
The Yale School of Music application for the 2013–2014 academic year is available online at http://music.yale.edu. The information that follows will assist applicants in filing the application. For an explanation of requirements and structure of various programs, please refer to the section entitled Degrees in this bulletin.
Although the deadline for receipt of application material is December 1, 2012, applicants are urged to submit credentials well before the deadline.
Application Fee
Each application submitted to the School of Music Office of Admissions must be accompanied by an application fee in the amount of $100 (U.S.). This application fee is nonrefundable and will not be credited toward tuition or any other account upon admission. There are no fee waivers. There is no additional charge for audition appointments.
Master of Music (M.M.) Degree
Applicants who will have earned a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent prior to September 2013 qualify to apply to the M.M. program, a two-year curriculum.
Master of Musical Arts (M.M.A.) Degree
Applicants who will have earned a master’s degree in music prior to September 2013 may apply to the M.M.A. program, a two-year curriculum. On the basis of the audition recording (detailed below), applicants may be invited to New Haven to audition for a faculty committee and to take written examinations. Candidates must also demonstrate proficiencies in musicianship, keyboard, and a second language. Applicants to the M.M.A. program are required to appear in New Haven.
M.M.A. applicants are also required to submit a sample of scholarly writing (thesis, term paper, etc.). In addition, of the three required letters of recommendation, one must be an academic reference.
Candidates holding a master’s degree are not obliged to apply to the M.M.A. program and may prefer to apply to Yale’s A.D. program, which has fewer academic requirements. Application to the M.M.A. program should be elected only by those who feel prepared, both in performance and academic credentials, for an accelerated degree program.
Certificate in Performance Program
Applicants who have not received a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent may apply to the Certificate in Performance program, a three-year curriculum.
Artist Diploma (A.D.) Program
Applicants who will have received a master’s degree prior to September 2013 may apply to the Artist Diploma program, a full-time curriculum requiring a two-year residency. Candidates who have earned the M.M. degree at Yale may apply to the program and will be expected to complete work for the Artist Diploma in one year.
Recording and Audition Repertoire Guidelines
An audition recording, labeled with name, instrument, and works performed, is required from all applicants. Audio recordings are expected, unless otherwise noted. Please enclose your repertoire listing within the recording case; do not refer to a separate listing.
Yale does not assume responsibility for loss of recordings and scores; copies should be sent. Compact discs and videotapes will not be returned.
The works listed below have been designated by the faculty as appropriate repertoire for the recording and audition. Some substitution may be acceptable, but students should adhere to the suggested repertoire as closely as possible. Please note that the repertoire guidelines listed below are subject to change. The most up-to-date repertoire may be found online at http://music.yale.edu.
Keyboard
Piano (1) a Bach prelude and fugue or another original work by Bach (not a transcription); (2) a sonata or variations by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, or Schubert (for the recording, provide at least two contrasting movements; for the live audition, prepare an entire work); (3) a larger Romantic nineteenth-century work; and (4) a twentieth- or twenty-first-century composition (for a multi-movement work, provide at least two contrasting movements).
Organ Prescreening Recording Guidelines: Representative works from the major areas of organ literature: (1) a major Bach work; (2) a Romantic work; and (3) a contemporary work.
Live Audition Guidelines: Organ applicants are strongly encouraged, though not required, to perform different works from those on the prescreening recording. However, works should be chosen from the same three categories. Applicants will also be asked to demonstrate sight-reading ability and other essential musical skills.
Strings
Violin (1) a movement of an unaccompanied Bach sonata or partita; (2) a movement of a Romantic or twentieth-century concerto; (3) any Paganini caprice; (4) a short work of the applicant’s choice that shows off his/her violinistic style; and (5) a movement of a Mozart concerto.
Viola Prescreening Recording Guidelines: Violists must submit a recording of their playing with high-quality audio. A DVD or video upload is preferred, but only if the sound quality is high. If high-quality audio is not possible on a video recording, then applicants should submit a CD or audio upload instead. Provide at least fifteen minutes of music, including the applicant’s choice of three works of contrasting style. One movement of each work is acceptable. Piano accompaniment is required, where applicable. It is not necessary to choose pieces listed in the live audition guidelines below for the prescreening recording. The repertoire chosen for the recording is the applicant’s choice.
Live Audition Guidelines: Prepare one piece by Bach, one sonata, one concerto, and one short piece, as follows: (1) the Prelude from any Bach cello suite or the first movement of any Bach sonata or partita for solo violin; (2) the first movement of a Romantic viola sonata by a composer such as Brahms, Glinka, Franck, Schubert, or Vieuxtemps, or a transcription of a piece such as Brahms Op. 38, the Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata, the Grieg Cello Sonata, etc.; (3) the first movement of a viola concerto by a composer such as Bartók, Hindemith, Walton, Martinu˚, Bowen, Penderecki (first and second movements), Schnittke (first and second movements), Elgar (Cello Concerto, arr. L. Tertis), etc.; (4) a short required piece will be announced to invited applicants four to six weeks before the audition; (5) Artist Diploma and Master of Musical Arts viola applicants only: in addition to the repertoire listed above, prepare the Bach-Kodály Chromatic Fantasy or one of the Primrose transcriptions (with advance approval by the viola faculty, another piece of similar character and degree of difficulty may be substituted).
Cello Prescreening Recording Guidelines: (1) the second movement of the Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante or the first movement of the Shostakovich Concerto No. 1; (2) the first movement of the Haydn D Major Concerto or the last movement of the Haydn C Major Concerto. For the prescreening round, a video is required (DVD in NTSC format).
Live Audition Guidelines: Prepare the same two pieces that were submitted on the prescreening recording.
Bass (1) a movement of a Bach cello suite; (2) a movement of a concerto or sonata; and (3) two contrasting orchestral excerpts. For the live audition, add a short contemporary piece.
Guitar (1) a work from the Renaissance period; (2) a work from the Baroque repertoire (transcriptions and arrangements of the music of Weiss, Scarlatti, and Bach are preferred); (3) a work from either the Classical or Romantic repertoire; and (4) a twentieth- or twenty-first-century composition. Guitar applicants who are composers are encouraged to include a work of their own (although it cannot replace requirement number 4). For the audition, a short required piece will be announced to invited applicants four to six weeks before the audition and should be prepared in addition to the repertoire above.
Harp (1) a work by Bach or another Baroque composer; (2) a solo work from the standard repertoire, such as Impromptu by Fauré, Suite by Britten, Légende by Renié, works by Parish Alvars, Rhapsodie by Grandjany, and so forth; and (3) a sonata from the standard repertoire by composers such as Casella, Tournier, Tailleferre, Hindemith, Houdy, and so forth.
Woodwinds
Flute Prescreening Recording Guidelines: (1) Sonatine of Dutilleux (with piano); (2) the second movement of Mozart’s Concerto in D Major; (3) on piccolo: Rossini’s Semiramide Overture (select one of the standard excerpts); and (4) a work of the applicant’s choice. For the prescreening round, a video is required (DVD in NTSC format or video upload).
Live Audition Guidelines (all live auditions must have piano accompaniment): (1) the third movement of the Ibert concerto or Jolivet’s Chant de Linos; (2) from memory: the second movement of Mozart’s Concerto in D Major; and (3) the first movement of any Vivaldi C Major piccolo concerto.
Oboe Prescreening Recording Guidelines: Recordings must include piano accompaniment where applicable. Applicants provide 15–20 minutes of music of their choice, sampled from each of the following: (1) a major sonata; (2) a solo piece or étude; (3) a major concerto; and (4) four varied orchestral excerpts.
Live Audition Guidelines: Auditions must include piano accompaniment where applicable. Prepare (1) two movements of a major sonata; (2) two movements of a Baroque concerto, sonata, or solo piece; (3) two movements of a major concerto (with cadenzas where applicable); and (4) six varied orchestral excerpts.
Clarinet Prescreening Recording Guidelines: (1) exposition of the Mozart Concerto with accompaniment, orchestral or piano; (2) Stravinsky: second of the Three Pieces for solo clarinet; (3) Mendelssohn: Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (through the trill passages); (4) exposition of a Brahms clarinet sonata of the applicant’s choice with piano; and (5) a five-minute selection of the applicant’s choice that shows his or her best qualities, preferably a contemporary work.
Live Audition Guidelines: selections from the above may be requested, in addition to possible sight-reading.
Bassoon Prescreening Recording Guidelines: Recordings must include piano accompaniment where applicable. Applicants provide no more than fifteen minutes of their playing, excerpted from the following: (1) a sonata; (2) a concerto; and (3) two to four varied orchestral excerpts. Video is preferred, but audio is also acceptable.
Live Audition Guidelines: Auditions must include piano accompaniment where applicable. Prepare (1) at least two movements of a major sonata; (2) at least two movements of a major concerto (with cadenzas where applicable); and (3) six varied orchestral excerpts.
Brass
Applicants should prepare repertoire that will show their playing to the best advantage with the most variety possible both instrumentally and musically. Repertoire should display a broad range of styles, genres, and technical demand, with examples covering the full range of the instrument, and should include the following: (1) four or more varied standard orchestral excerpts; and (2) four or more varied selections from the solo repertoire. A “selection” is defined as a solo piece, étude, or individual movement of a sonata or concerto.
Percussion
Prescreening recording guidelines All applicants must submit an unedited video (DVD in NTSC format or video upload) containing the following repertoire: (1) a major work for either marimba or vibraphone; (2) one piece from Elliott Carter’s Eight Pieces for Four Timpani; (3) a solo piece for multiple percussion; and (4) an étude for snare drum.
Live audition guidelines Percussion auditions each last one hour. (1) a major work for either marimba or vibraphone (examples of acceptable works include, but are not limited to, Minoru Miki’s Time for Marimba; Gordon Stout’s Two Mexican Dances; Steven Mackey’s See Ya Thursday; Philippe Manoury’s Le Livre des Claviers; or Franco Donatoni’s Omar); (2) a solo piece for multiple percussion (examples of acceptable works include, but are not limited to, Iannis Xenakis’s Rebonds or Psappha; David Lang’s Anvil Chorus; or James Wood’s Rogosanti); (3) Jacques Delecluse’s Étude No. 1; (4) Anthony Cirone’s Étude No. 32; (5) two pieces from Elliott Carter’s Eight Pieces for Four Timpani; (6) two- and four-mallet marimba sight-reading will be required; (7) the following orchestral excerpts: (a) timpani: Beethoven, Symphony No. 9; (b) timpani: Richard Strauss, Burleske; (c) timpani: Mozart, Symphony No. 39; (d) snare drum: Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade; (e) xylophone: Messiaen, Exotic Birds; (f) glockenspiel: Debussy, La Mer.
Voice
Opera Provide seven selections from the operatic, oratorio, and/or art song repertoire of contrasting style and language. Four of these selections should be operatic arias.
Early Music, Oratorio, and Chamber Ensemble Prescreening Recording Guidelines: Include seven selections of contrasting style and language from the sacred music (oratorio, mass, cantata, sacred song, etc.), opera, and art song repertoire. Selections can be chosen from any period, including contemporary compositions. However, at least three selections should be from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. At least one aria by J.S. Bach is required. Applicants should choose selections that highlight their versatility as a performer.
Live Audition Guidelines: Prepare five pieces of contrasting style, language, and period. These selections may be the same or different works from the prescreening recording. Of the five selections, prepare at least two Baroque selections (including one aria by J.S. Bach) and a third selection written prior to 1700. All works should be chosen from the same reportorial categories as above. Applicants will be asked to demonstrate sight-reading ability and other essential musical skills.
Composition
Applicants must submit scores and recordings of three recent works (no more than three, please), each written for a different group of instruments, voice, and/or electronic media. Those applicants who advance beyond the prescreening round will be invited to New Haven for a thirty-minute interview with the composition faculty.
Composers may upload recordings and PDFs of scores to the online application, or submit hard copies by mail. Large scores that would be difficult to review on a computer screen should be sent by mail. Please submit all portfolio materials by the same method. Do not submit a combination of uploaded files and hard-copy materials.
Conducting
Orchestral Conducting Applicants must submit a video (DVD in NTSC format or video upload) of up to twenty-five minutes in length. The video camera should be positioned behind the orchestra and pointed toward the front of the conductor. We are primarily interested in rehearsal footage, although some concert footage may be included. Those applicants invited to New Haven for a live audition will be expected to demonstrate a highly developed level of comprehensive musicianship, including theory, transposition, keyboard skill, performance on their primary instrument, and score reading. In addition, invited applicants will be asked to conduct several selections from the standard orchestral repertoire (announced in January) with a University ensemble.
Choral Conducting Applicants must submit a video (DVD in NTSC format or video upload) of up to fifteen minutes in length showing the conducting of both rehearsal and performance. Those applicants invited to New Haven for a live audition will be expected to demonstrate a highly developed level of comprehensive musicianship, including theory, transposition, keyboard skill, and score reading. Individual conducting assignments for the live audition will be made in the letter of invitation to audition.
Recommendations
Each application must include three reference letters to support the applicant’s candidacy for graduate study.
Transcripts
Applicants must submit official transcripts (academic records) from all colleges or universities attended. Faxes and photocopies are not acceptable.
Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)
All applicants to the composition department must take the GRE General Test, with the exception of those who already hold a degree from, or are currently enrolled in, the Yale School of Music.
Contact the Educational Testing Service for further information at www.gre.org or call 609.771.7670.
Note: Applicants who have not submitted the required test scores will not be considered for admission.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Students for whom English is not a native language must demonstrate a level of language proficiency appropriate for graduate study. The School of Music requires a minimum TOEFL score of 86 on the Internet-based test (equivalent to 227 on the computer-based test and 567 on the paper-based test). TOEFL applications may be obtained online at www.toefl.org. The institution code for TOEFL reports is 3992. Students are advised to make testing arrangements at least six months before the application deadline.
Note: Applicants who have not submitted the required test scores will not be considered for admission.
Auditions/Interviews
Applicants are invited for a personal audition (interview for composers) in New Haven on the basis of the prescreening recording and other credentials. Applicants will be notified in January or February and must be prepared to perform all material specified in the repertoire guidelines. Qualified Yale undergraduates who are interested in studying with School of Music faculty may request to audition at the same time as graduate applicants. High school seniors who have been admitted to Yale College may request to audition for School of Music faculty during Bulldog Days in April. Applicants may be asked to demonstrate sight-reading ability and other essential musical skills during the audition. Auditions are held in New Haven.
Audition/Interview Schedule, 2013
Auditions and interviews for all applicants will be heard Monday, February 25, through Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Audition dates for specific instruments are posted online at http://music.yale.edu/admissions/dates.html.
M.M.A. entrance examinations, required of all M.M.A. candidates, will be given only on Friday, March 1, and Saturday, March 2, 2013. Applicants are required to be present on both days.
