Grab those headshots, resumes, monologues, and three of your favorite songs (that fit the requirements of course), it’s AUDITION SEASON for prospective LMU students!
Let’s face it, college applications are overwhelming. How do you manage school work, extracurricular activities, and researching/applying to colleges all at the same time?
Prepare audition materials in advance. In other words, avoid waiting until three days before a scheduled audition to memorize four monologues (lesson learned). It is unnecessary stress and is definitely not a confidence enhancer. I was very confident for my vocal performance program auditions because I had chosen songs and prepared them months prior to my auditions. My hard work had paid off. I had been accepted into LMU, Chapman University, and waitlisted at Carnegie Mellon University for voice performance programs. Start early, it will be one less thing you have to worry about during the first semester of senior year in high school.
Determine what you want out of a Fine Arts college. For each school in consideration, start asking questions such as: Does it have a large or small program/department? What kind of degree would I be working toward (BA, BM, BFA, etc.)? Is there a graduate program (if so does this mean that graduate students will get all of the performance time)? Are there any off-campus performance or internship opportunities? What kind of repertoire will I have acquired by the time I graduate?
Words of wisdom:
If you happen to get rejected from a certain program, that does not necessarily mean you delivered an inadequate audition. It often depends on what voice type or actor they are particularly looking for that year. In other words, a soprano vocalist could give a spectacular audition but not gain acceptance into a program because the college currently already has enough sopranos within their program.
Why I chose LMU:
I tend to learn more effectively in smaller classes so LMU’s tight-knit music department attracted me. LMU values making one on one connections with professors and peers. Everyone wants to see each other succeed and grow as performers. That’s what it’s all about.