BY: KAREN KERR
Learning how to create a portfolio for college admissions might seem like a daunting task. With a few helpful tips and tricks – and with an experienced admissions consultant – you can improve your chances of being admitted to the right music school for your personal and professional goals.
Inside Music Schools can help you design a unique roadmap to acceptance, complete with a music portfolio that showcases your skills, talent, and desire to succeed.
The Importance of Student Portfolios for College Music Admissions
An exceptional portfolio can have a significant influence on the faculty members responsible for admissions. Music portfolios are important because they can:
- Showcase your skills and talent;
- Point out your current level of experience and growth over time;
- Allow you to present yourself as a professional;
- Demonstrate your passion for music; and
- Give you the opportunity to tailor your application to meet even the most stringent requirements.
Furthermore, many students find that building a music portfolio for college can be a reflective process, allowing them to better articulate their future goals and aspirations.
What Is a Student Portfolio?
Music portfolios are part of the first step in college admissions, and in most cases, you will submit your portfolio alongside your application, especially if you are majoring in composition, production, or technology. Despite this, a portfolio can look different from one school to the next. Sometimes it will consist of a collection of work that highlights your passion for music, your skills, and your growth as an artist. Some music schools may consider your introduction video a resume. Other schools provide aspiring students with a list of questions to answer on video, and still others ask for clips and highlights of a specific number of works. It is essential to investigate each school’s music portfolio requirements.
General Tips for Music Portfolio Submissions
After carefully reviewing each school’s guidelines for music portfolios, look for areas of overlap that can save you time and effort. Some of the schools you apply to may ask for the same things, which makes it easier to check them off your list. Below are several other tips that can help you create an amazing college portfolio.
Pay Attention to the Requirements
Be sure that you follow the music portfolio guidelines exactly, providing only what they state – no more and no less. This includes details that are often overlooked, such as the file type size or file size. Failing to follow these directions may give faculty the idea that you are showing off, can’t follow directions, or don’t respect their time. If you are a performance major, you may also be required to submit a prescreening video, so be sure to read directions carefully.
Embrace Diversity
Make sure your portfolio is as diverse as possible while still showcasing your greatest accomplishments. You may be one of the best sonata writers of the century, but if you submit a portfolio with three sonatas, faculty likely won’t receive your portfolio well. It is equally important to express yourself and your own points of view in your composition or production. Passionately copying a Bach fugue precisely can showcase your skill but not your artistic interpretation or creative abilities.
Be Specific
Some schools may ask you to describe the pieces in your music portfolio, and you should always be as specific as possible in these descriptions. Explain why you set up microphones in the configuration you chose. Be clear about why you mixed or mastered the piece in a certain way. If you collaborated with another composer or producer, be sure to point out your role in the piece. What was your objective or goal? What were your responsibilities? What did you specifically add to the piece? You may even want to include the digital audio workstation you used if the school allows you to choose from more than one.
Ask for a Professional Review
It is always an excellent idea to have a professional review your portfolio prior to submission, and there are two primary ways to accomplish this:
- Pay Someone for a Conference: In some situations, you can pay a faculty member or producer in your discipline to review your portfolio and provide feedback. If this isn’t an option, contact a renowned composer or producer with their own studio.
- Hire an Admissions Consultant: Inside Music Schools has decades of experience in college admissions, particularly in the music school space. We have helped numerous students get into the schools of their choice with exceptional portfolios that showcase their artistic ability. Music school applications can be tricky, but we can help you navigate and overcome the challenges.
Edit Your Work
The recommendations you receive from a professional or an admissions consultant may seem harsh, but you should never take them personally. You are paying them to help you achieve your dreams, and they are only trying to help. Many students start their portfolio-building process in their junior year of high school (or earlier), allowing plenty of time to correct, adjust, or improve as needed. When you are editing, remember to be innovative and showcase your uniqueness, but don’t try to go overboard with your portfolio.
What Composition Majors Need to Know about Creating a Student Portfolio
If you are an aspiring Composition major, there are a few things you should know before putting together your music portfolio. As a general guideline, music schools will want to see three somewhat specific pieces: one small work including up to three instruments, one chamber work including between 10 and 12 instruments, and an excerpt from a large orchestral piece.
Your portfolio will be about 15 minutes of complete, fully scored works. Some schools will require you to submit live recordings, and if this is the case, don’t use a junior or high school orchestra. You need a good group of skilled musicians. Most schools, however, will ask for MIDI recordings. In some cases, you may also be asked to audition on an instrument in addition to submitting a composition portfolio, so be sure you are equally prepared to do so.
Score
Make sure you have all the parts of your score notated, including the dynamics, articulations, phrasing, slur marks, and attacks. Music schools want to see more than just the notes; they want to see the markings that instruct the musicians how to play them. Fortunately, this is where you can showcase your passion and creativity as an artist, demonstrating your command over the composition process. You can even include a brief video explaining the emotions you wanted to evoke or your creative process.
Repertoire (for performers and/or composers)
Many schools will ask for your entire repertoire list, which should include the name of the piece, composer, instrumentation, and even when the piece was composed or performed. They will also ask if, when, and where the piece has been performed in a public setting, whether at a state festival or Carnegie Hall. You can also notate which repertoire has been memorized. Sometimes they may even wish to know which publisher’s version/edition of a piece you are working from.
Potential is Important
Though competition for music school acceptance can be fierce, the faculty looks for much more than just existing skills and talent. They want students they can feel confident they can teach and mold into the next generation of notable composers – not students who think they already know everything. Showcase your potential for growth in your portfolio or live performance.
Listen to the Masters
Listening to and analyzing a wide range of old masters and composers is the best thing any aspiring music school student can do. Put on good quality headphones, pick up the score, and listen as you follow along. Don’t just listen to Mozart and Beethoven; find scores for The Beatles and Billy Joel. Each one of these artists has their own unique way of composing music that deeply resonates with people, and as a music student, it is up to you to find your uniqueness.
What Music Production Majors Need to Know about Creating a Student Portfolio
For music production majors, the more music you know and understand, the better you will be at production. Your understanding of jazz can help you communicate with jazz musicians, and your love of classical music can help you connect with an orchestra. Before putting together your production portfolio, make sure you understand exactly what the school wants, and do not offer anything more or less. Like music composition majors, you may also be asked to audition on an instrument, and you should be equally prepared to do so.
Talk to Faculty
Talking to department faculty is one of the best ways to gather information that can help you build a successful portfolio. Sending a text or an email asking for a Zoom call is an excellent opportunity to learn more about what the faculty expects from you. Ideally, you should speak with two or three different people at different schools.
Demonstrate Your Versatility with Variety
The more versatile you are as a producer, the more valuable you will be as a professional. Include contrasting styles in your music portfolio where you can. For example, if you can combine acoustic guitar with electronic music, it shows your ability to put things together in unique ways. Similarly, if you play an instrument, insert music you played yourself.
Show Your Style and Personality
Think outside the box when it comes to producing music. The music school wants to see your mastery of technical aspects, your musical style, and your potential for growth. Don’t produce music that has already been done (unless specifically asked for); look for something unique that showcases your versatility. Make sure you include a note about the production style and how you accomplished it.
For more helpful information for music production and technology majors, check out these additional blog posts:
- Program Spotlight: The Best Programs for Sound Production, Audio Production, Audio Engineering, and Music Business
- New Worlds: A Guide to the Best Schools for Music Production
- Desktop Audio Production for Students
Reasons for Music Majors to Hire a Consultant when Creating Their Student Portfolios
Hiring a consultant may seem like an added expense, especially with the costs associated with building an incredible music portfolio. In reality, hiring an admissions consultant is an investment in your future for several important reasons.
Opportunities to Meet with Specialists
Admissions consultants build networks with people from schools across the country, giving you the opportunity to meet with specialists like faculty members, professionals, or even alumni from their top school choices. The feedback you can receive is priceless. For example, a music school faculty member helped one of our students diversify their portfolio by adding different instrumentation and tightening a piece that was simply too long.
Gaining a Solid Foundation
Students can be amazing composers and producers without understanding the technical aspects behind their work. This is immediately noticeable to faculty, and while it may not speak to their inherent talent or skill, it certainly can impact the faculty’s perception of mastery and even teachability. Consultants and their networks can recommend books or other resources designed to help you shore up your writing before applying to music schools.
More Tools for Your Toolbox
Professionals, including admissions consultants and school faculty, offer a host of tools that students can use to improve their abilities for a lifetime. If you start working with a consultant as a sophomore or junior, you can lean on their years of experience throughout the entire process of selecting and applying for music school.
IMS’s Unmatched Expertise in College Admissions for Music Majors
The team at Inside Music Schools has extensive experience in college admissions and music education. We are in a unique position to help you select the right music schools for your needs and goals. Navigating the application process can be a challenge, but IMS can make it simpler and more effective. Explore our broad range of Admissions Consulting services and reach out to schedule your initial consultation.
Karen Kerr
An accomplished professional with over 28 years of experience in higher education, admissions, and recruitment, Karen has always made her goal finding the best-fit school for student musicians. Most recently, she served as the Director of Admission and Recruitment at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, where she was responsible for recruitment, auditions/interviews, and admissions of all undergraduate and graduate applicants. Prior to joining the Frost School, she was part of the admissions staff at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance where she reviewed applications at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.