Each January dozens of music schools around the country review thousands of prescreening recordings. In January 2010, after reviewing a record number of 700 recordings at the Juilliard School, Lee Cioppa (associate dean for admissions) and Geoffrey Scott (then senior assistant director for recruitment at Juilliard and now director of admissions for the Shepherd School at Rice University) had the idea to present a masterclass at the 2010 Classical Singer Convention to address the myriad of issues surrounding making a prescreening recording.
We asked them to turn that masterclass into an article. Read on for their collected insights.
Why did you decide to offer the masterclass at the Classical Singer Convention?
Geoffrey Scott: More and more schools are implementing a preliminary recorded round to reduce the number of unqualified candidates taking a live audition. The process is also beneficial to the applicant: the travel costs saved by an unqualified student are significant.
Depending on the school, anywhere from 10 to 75 percent of applicants will not be invited to a live audition. With such a large number of the applicants being eliminated through the prescreening process, it’s important that this process be taken as seriously as a live audition.
Should singers make a professional recording for the prescreening?
Lee Cioppa: Most schools don’t require a studio recording because of the money involved. If you are invited to a live audition, you will have travel costs, and we understand how expensive it can be to travel to and stay in many cities for multiple auditions. In general, it will cost about $300 (this will vary, of course!) to record for an hour in a professional studio and receive one master recording that you will use to burn copies. You’ll also have to hire your own pianist, which will be above and beyond the recording cost. However, it may still be worth it for you to go into a studio and have a professional take care of everything—particularly if you are making a DVD (which some schools allow in place of a live audition) and you want to ensure high quality audio and visual.
Is it possible to make your own recording?
GS: Yes, it is most certainly possible to make a high-quality recording independently. What is most important, though, is to make certain that the final product is as clear as possible and can provide faculty with the truest sense of the applicant’s “sound.” Some things to think about are the following:
The equipment. The best microphone possible should be used to reduce the amount of ambient or “white” noise that can often be picked up in a recording. As long as you use a microphone that is suitable for classical singing, you can record with pretty much any recording device (even an iPod!).
The space. Using a reasonably large space such as a classroom, a church hall or sanctuary, or even a large practice room, would lend itself to producing a good recording. There should be enough space to allow for at least six feet between you and the microphone.
Accompaniment. This is a big one because so often applicants think the faculty will be taken by their luminous voice. But I promise you, the use of prerecorded, under-rehearsed accom-paniment will cause the faculty to listen more to the bad accompaniment than to the singer. Plus, prerecorded music doesn’t allow you much artistic license. What if you are moved to hold that high C a few extra beats than the recording allows? See? No good. Also, the use of a real piano and not an electronic keyboard is encouraged.
Do you have any other tips about making a recording?
LC: There are a few basic things that are very simple, but really important to the faculty who are listening to the recording. First, make sure that you are performing the required repertoire for your degree level. Each school may have slightly different requirements. Be sure that what you are singing is what is asked for!
Second, check the type of media that each school requires—audio or video? If you send audio instead of a required video, that may disqualify you. And, while it won’t disqualify you, if you send video instead of audio, the faculty may only have a CD player, and not a DVD player. It just makes their life more difficult to have to run around and find the right machine. In general, send a CD for an audio recording and a DVD for a video.
And finally, one of the most important tips that I can give is to find a good accompanist. You really need someone who is at the technical and musical level to assist you in presenting yourself in the best light. Someone who doesn’t know the music, can’t play all the notes, or simply isn’t helping you be as expressive as you want to be really affects the whole performance—and your prescreening recording is a performance!
And I would add just a few more tips to ensure that everything goes smoothly with the faculty reviewing your recording:
1. Listen to each selection to ensure that all music is present in its entirety. You don’t want a recording error to have cut off half of a song!
2. Play every recording on a variety of media sources to make sure it works: CD player (more than one, if possible) and computer. Unfortunately, some CD copies will play fine on your computer, but won’t work in an actual CD player.
3. Label both the recording and its case with your name, program, degree, and the selections you are presenting. It’s so annoying to have faculty ask “What is the applicant singing?” and have no idea because the repertoire is on the CD itself, and not on the case!
4. Pack the recording securely and mail it using a system that can be tracked so you can confirm receipt. Every year we get broken CDs that were sent in a regular envelope—and, yes, every year CDs get lost in the mail. If a school is very strict about the prescreening deadlines, it is critical that you have proof of when you mailed it and can also confirm delivery.
What would you say are some of the most common mistakes singers make when recording?
LC: Great question! I’ve heard a lot of poor recordings over the years, and there are some things that we hear over and over again. One biggie is adding effects to the recording, especially reverb. It totally covers the true quality of the voice. Don’t let a professional tell you that it will make the recording sound better, and don’t add it yourself.
Another is sending recordings of live performances. In general, those recordings simply aren’t good enough. I understand the desire to show the faculty that you sang a big role, or had a wonderful recital opportunity, but rarely are they recorded well enough to really evaluate the voice. Oh, and I often hear from students: “That recording that didn’t pass the prescreening was old—I sound much better now.” Unfortunately, at that point, it’s too late! Send a recording that is relatively recent—recorded within the few months before the application deadline.
GS: I would add that one of the biggest mistakes some singers make is choosing repertoire that is beyond their capability. Young singers especially succumb to the temptation to sing repertoire beyond their artistic ability. Applicants often feel that because they have the notes, they should sing the piece—not true. The repertoire presented should be age and Fach appropriate, contrast in style and tempi to show range and flexibility, and allow the singer the ability to communicate or, dare I say, emote [gasp!]. More importantly, however, singers should love and enjoy the music they present. Singing notes on a page is quite uninteresting to the faculty, and it’s a sure way to put them to sleep.
What are some common questions that you get about prescreening?
LC & GS: We actually compiled a list!
When should I start the process?
It is a good idea to review the prescreening audition requirements and note any that meet your current repertoire selection in the spring of your junior year. You should then seek the advice of a private instructor or trusted music teacher for guidance on additional repertoire.
Who will listen to my recording?
In general, departmental faculty listen to your submission. It may be the full voice faculty or a smaller panel.
Why are they asking for this specific repertoire?
Repertoire is chosen for the technical acumen needed to perform a work, and also to see if you possess the artistic sensitivity to differentiate between musical styles and periods.
Do they listen to the whole recording?
Because of the sheer volume of applications, it is usually not possible to listen to your submission in its entirety. However, faculty are very familiar with the repertoire and will listen to the beginning, middle, or end of multiple tracks to get the full breadth of an applicant’s ability.
Can I sing “this” instead of a requirement?
In general, substitutions are not accepted (see the question about repertoire above). You should always ask for permission from the school before making a substitution.
In your masterclass, you had some examples of great charts that you suggested would help in preparing for the whole prescreening and audition process. Can you talk about those?
LC: I love charts! There are a few things that are really helpful to keep together in one place, so that you can keep track when applying to multiple schools. One of the best charts you can create is one to compare the audition requirements for each school that you apply to and audition to see if there is any overlap. You can save yourself a lot of headache by concentrating on one set of repertoire for six different schools as opposed to six sets for six schools.
Just a couple of years ago, I asked a Juilliard voice student to create a chart of audition requirements for 15 different schools. What she discovered is that a student applying to all of those schools would actually only need to prepare four works to cover all of the requirements! Other great things to put into spreadsheets are the application and prescreening deadlines, and also all of the application requirements. (See the above table for an example.)
Any last thoughts?
LC: I think I’d like to conclude with one last tip. Sing what you love. Making a recording is challenging. Singing auditions is challenging. There are so many variables that can affect your performance. But if you are singing repertoire that you absolutely love, then no matter what, your passion for music and your love of singing will come through.
GS: Hopefully you’ve found this information somewhat beneficial! Lee and I are not faculty and do not make the decisions on prescreening, but we have spent a great deal of time working with faculty on this process and have attempted to provide you with a few words of advice to help you navigate this daunting process.
