Admissions
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Please note that the Yale School of Music is a graduate professional school within Yale University, offering Masters and Doctoral degrees, the Certificate in Peformance, and the Artist Diploma. Submission Addresses U.S. Postal Mail: Private Couriers (FedEx, UPS, DHL): Office of Admissions |
The postmark deadline for Fall 2009 Applications will be December 1, 2008.
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Materials Required for Applications for the 2009-10 Academic Year
Checklist of required application materials:
- Application Form (submitted online)
- Prescreening Recording / Materials
- Transcripts/Academic Records
- Three Letters of Recommendation
- Résumé
- Application Fee ($100)
- TOEFL Score
- GRE Score
- Sample of Scholarly Writing
Application form. The application form must be submitted online on or before December 1, 2008. No paper version of the application is available. Only the School of Music application must be completed to be considered for admission; no additional Yale University application is required. Applicants to the organ, choral conducting, or early vocal music programs may complete the School of Music application OR the ISM application, but should not complete both. Applicants may close and reopen the application at any time if unable to complete it in one sitting.
Prescreening recording/materials. All applicants must submit prescreening materials, with the exception of students currently enrolled in the Yale School of Music. See the prescreening guidelines below.
Transcripts/academic records. We require transcripts from all universities and conservatories that you are currently attending or have attended in the past. Students currently enrolled in the Yale School of Music are not required to submit transcripts. We do not accept photocopies. Transcripts must arrive in official sealed envelopes. Transcripts should be postmarked by December 1st or as soon as possible thereafter. All transcripts must be in English or translated into English by a certified translator.
Letters of recommendation. Three (3) letters of recommendation are required. Students currently enrolled in the Yale School of Music must submit only one (1) letter, preferably from their major teacher. Letters should be postmarked by December 1st, but we understand that some letters may be late. It is not necessary to notify the Office of Admissions if a letter will be late. Letters should be written by teachers, mentors, or advisors who can comment meaningfully on your abilities as a musician. Letters should be submitted either online directly by the recommender (via the online application) or by mail in a sealed envelope with the recommender’s signature across the back. Letters sometimes encounter unexpected delays, so please be sure to follow up with your recommenders.
Résumé. We prefer resumes to be uploaded electronically into the online application. Please do NOT submit a duplicate paper copy if you have already uploaded an electronic copy.
Application fee. The application fee is $100. There are no fee waivers or refunds. Unpaid applications are not reviewed. We prefer application fees to be paid by credit card on the online application. If you do not wish to pay by credit card, please send a check or money order payable to Yale University. Include your name and application reference number on the check. All checks must be in U.S. dollars and drawn on a U.S. bank.
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Applicants must take the TOEFL if English is not their first language (see exemption policy below). Minimum score requirements: 79 internet, 213 computer, or 550 paper. ETS Institution Code: 3992. Applicants who do not meet our minimum score requirements will not be offered admission. Photocopies of score reports are not acceptable. All scores must be sent to Yale by ETS directly. We expect TOEFL scores to be submitted by the December 1st application deadline or shortly thereafter. Please schedule an exam appointment several months before this deadline. www.toefl.org
TOEFL Exemptions. Applicants who will have studied full-time at an English-speaking institution for at least six years prior to beginning studies at Yale may be exempt from the TOEFL, with approval from the Office of Admissions. University and/or high school transcripts evidencing six years of strong grades must be submitted to be considered for an exemption. Applicants who will have studied less than six years at an English-speaking institution are required to take the TOEFL.
GRE (Graduate Record Exam). Master of Musical Arts (MMA) applicants and all composers must take the GRE General Test and submit an official score report. Applicants to the Master of Music (MM) and all other degree programs should not take the GRE. All composers, however, must take the GRE, regardless of degree program. Students currently enrolled in the Yale School of Music are not required to take the GRE. We do not have a minimum score requirement for the GRE. Photocopies of score reports are not acceptable. All scores must be sent to Yale by ETS directly. ETS Institution Code: 3992. We expect GRE scores to be submitted before the December 1st application deadline, but we will accept late scores if necessary. GRE scores will not be accepted after the date of your instrument audition or composition interview. www.gre.org
Sample of scholarly writing. Only Master of Musical Arts (MMA) applicants must submit a sample of scholarly writing. Applicants to the Master of Music (MM) and all other degree programs are not required to submit a writing sample. Writing samples should be roughly between 5 and 20 pages in length. Please do not submit a sample longer than 20 pages. The topic may be musical or non-musical. All writing samples must be in English. We prefer writing samples to be uploaded electronically into the online application. Please do NOT submit a duplicate paper copy if you have already uploaded an electronic copy.
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Prescreening Recording and Audition Information
for Applications for the 2009-10 Academic Year
Applicants are invited to Yale for an audition on the basis of the prescreening recording and other credentials. All applicants will be notified whether or not they have been invited to audition by January 23, 2009. Auditioning applicants must be prepared to perform all material specified in the repertoire guidelines below. The audition may also include tests of sightreading ability and other essential musical skills.
Yale does not assume responsibility for the loss of tapes, CDs, and scores. Original copies of these materials should not be sent. Recordings, videotapes, and scores will not be returned.
Prescreening Recording and Audition Repertoire Guidelines
for Applications for the 2009-10 Academic Year
Both the prescreening recording and the live audition must adhere to the repertoire guidelines below. However, the actual works you prepare for the audition may be different from the works you prepare for the recording. The audition repertoire you select may be different from your prescreening repertoire, as long as both adhere to these guidelines. No repertoire substitutions may be made where specific works are requested.
KEYBOARD
Piano
For the live audition, pianists should bring a typed list of their audition repertoire into the audition room for the faculty committee.
Prescreening Recording and Live Audition Guidelines:
| 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, prepare at least two contrasting movements; for the live audition, prepare an entire work) |
| 3) | a larger Romantic nineteenth-century work |
| 4) | a twentieth-century composition (for a multi-movement work, prepare at least two contrasting movements) |
Organ
Prescreening Recording Guidelines:
Representative works from the major areas of organ literature — a major Bach work, a Romantic work, and 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 (see above). Auditioning applicants will also be asked to demonstrate sight-reading ability and other essential musical skills.
STRINGS
Violin
Prescreening Recording and Live Audition Guidelines:
| 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 piece by Kreisler, Sarasate, de Falla, or comparable composer |
Viola
Prescreening Recording and Live Audition Guidelines:
| 1) | a movement of any of the Bach cello suites OR a movement of a suite for solo viola by Reger |
| 2) | a movement of a sonata by Schubert or Brahms |
| 3) | a movement of either the Bartók concerto OR the Walton concerto OR Hindemith's Der Schwanendreher |
Cello
For the prescreening round, cellists must send a video (VHS or DVD in NTSC format).
Prescreening Recording and Live Audition Guidelines:
| 1) | the first movement of the Haydn D Major Concerto OR the last movement of the Haydn C Major Concerto |
| 2) | the second movement of the Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante OR the first movement of the Shostakovich Concerto No. 1 |
| 3) | the second movement of the Boccherini A Major Sonata (Allegro) OR the first and second movements of the Valentini Sonata |
Bass
Prescreening Recording Guidelines:
| 1) | a movement of a Bach cello suite |
| 2) | a movement of a concerto or sonata |
| 3) | two contrasting orchestral excerpts |
Live Audition Guidelines:
Same as recording guidelines, plus a short contemporary piece.
Guitar
Prescreening Recording and Live Audition Guidelines:
Representative selections from the major areas of the literature, including a major work of Bach, a major classical composition, and a twentieth- or twenty-first-century composition.
Harp
Prescreening Recording and Live Audition Guidelines:
| 1) | a work by Bach or another Baroque composer |
| 2) | a solo work from the standard repertoire, such as Impromptu by Faure, Suite by Britten, Feerie by Tournier, Serenade by Parish-Alvars, Fantasy on a Theme of Haydn by Grandjany, and so forth |
| 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 (one of the standard excerpts) |
| 4) | a work of the applicant's choice |
Live Audition Guidelines:
All flute applicants are expected to perform their audition with 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 |
| 3) | the first movement of any Vivaldi C Major Piccolo Concerto |
Oboe
Prescreening Recording Guidelines:
Recordings must include piano accompaniment where applicable. Prepare 15-20 minutes of music of your choice, sampled from each of the following:
| 1) | a major sonata |
| 2) | a solo piece or étude |
| 3) | a major concerto |
| 4) | four varied orchestral excerpts |
Live Audition Guidelines:
Auditions must include piano accompaniment where applicable.
| 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) |
| 4) | six varied orchestral excerpts |
Clarinet
Prescreening Recording and Live Audition Guidelines:
| 1) | a movement of a major sonata |
| 2) | a solo piece or étude |
| 3) | two contrasting movements of a concerto |
| 4) | several orchestral excerpts |
Bassoon
Prescreening Recording Guidelines:
Recordings must include piano accompaniment where applicable. Prepare 15 minutes of music of your choice, sampled from the following:
| 1) | a sonata |
| 2) | a concerto (with cadenzas where applicable) |
| 3) | two to four varied orchestral excerpts |
Live Audition Guidelines:
| 1) | at least two movements of a major sonata |
| 2) | at least two movements of a major concerto (with cadenzas where applicable) |
| 3) | six varied orchestral excerpts |
BRASS
French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba
Prescreening Recording and Live Audition Guidelines:
We recommend that you prepare repertoire that will show your playing to the best advantage in the most variety possible instrumentally and musically. Your repertoire should display a broad range of genres, styles, range, and technical demand, and should include the following:
| 1) | four or more varied standard orchestral excerpts |
| 2) | four or more selections from the solo repertoire (a "selection" is defined as a solo piece, étude, or an individual movement of a sonata or concerto) |
PERCUSSION
Prescreening Recording Guidelines:
All applicants must submit an unedited video (DVD or VHS in NTSC format) 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 |
| 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 de 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:
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VOICE
Opera
Prescreening Recording and Live Audition Guidelines:
Prepare seven selections from the operatic, oratorio, and/or art song repertoire of contrasting style and language. Four of these selections should be operatic arias. Prescreening recordings may be submitted in CD or DVD format only.
Early Music, Oratorio, and Chamber Ensemble
Prescreening Recording Guidelines:
Include seven selections from the oratorio and art song repertoire of contrasting style and language. Selections can be chosen from any period and may include opera arias or contemporary compositions. At least three selections should be from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. In your selections, highlight your versatility as a performer. Applicants should submit two copies of their audition CD. Each CD case should include the following information in type print: applicant's name, voice type, age, repertoire listing, and current school (if applicable). Please include a repertoire listing on the cases only, and label each CD with applicant's name and voice type.
Live Audition Guidelines:
Please prepare five pieces of contrasting style, in at least three languages and from several periods. At least one of these pieces should be from the Baroque period and one from the Renaissance, or prior. For the audition, you may choose your first piece and the audition committee will choose one or two additional pieces. Opera arias and contemporary pieces are acceptable repertoire. Please demonstrate your flexibility as a performer. Applicants will be asked to demonstrate sight-reading ability and other essential musical skills.
COMPOSITION
Applicants must submit scores and compact discs of three recent works, 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 30-minute interview with the composition faculty.
CONDUCTING
Orchestral Conducting
Applicants must submit a video (DVD or VHS in NTSC format) 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 present a highly developed level of comprehensive musicianship, including theory, transposition, keyboard skill, and score reading. In addition, applicants will be asked to conduct several selections from the standard orchestral repertoire with a University ensemble.
Choral Conducting
Applicants must submit a video (DVD or VHS in NTSC format) 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 present a highly developed level of comprehensive musicianship, including theory, transposition, keyboard skill, and score reading. In addition, applicants will be asked to conduct one or two assigned choral works with a University ensemble. Click here for additional information.