Indiana University

Audition Information

The undergraduate priority deadline of November 1 has passed. The final deadline for undergraduate applications for Fall 2012 admission is December 1, 2011. After this date, applications will continue to be accepted depending on space availability. Please contact our office with any questions at (812) 855-7998, or via email at musicadm@indiana.edu.

Please note that we are no longer accepting applications for Recording Arts (BS, AS), Musicology (MA, PhD), and Piano (DM) for Fall 2012 admission.

Application Deadlines

For Fall 2012
Application Deadline = November 1, 2011 (undergraduate applicants)

Application Deadline = December 1, 2011 (graduate applicants)

For Summer Session 2012, including Summer-only Visiting Students:
Application Deadline = February 1, 2012

* January (Spring) admission is limited and is dependent upon space availability in individual departments. For optimal merit-based financial aid consideration, fall admission is encouraged. Please contact our office if interested in January admission.

Audition and Interview Weekends

  • January 13-14, 2012

  • February 3-4, 2012

  • March 2-3, 2012

Additional Audition Dates (for Ballet only)

  • Friday, December 2, 2011

  • Friday, March 23, 2012

Use the Right Navigation Menu for specific audition requirements for each instrument or area.

Most programs in the IU Jacobs School of Music require an audition, and in some cases an interview is required. Auditions and interviews are held on three weekends each year: one in January, one in February, and one in March. The Department of Ballet offers two additional auditions dates in December and late March. All auditions and interviews are held on the Bloomington campus. The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music does not offer regional auditions. Audition and interview dates are scheduled only after students have completed both the IU Application for Admission and the IU Jacobs School of Music Application.

You will indicate your preferred audition weekend on your Jacobs School of Music application, and we will make every effort to honor the specific date you request. However, it is possible that you will be assigned an alternate date. A confirmation e-mail will be your official notification.

On the weekend of your audition, you will be scheduled for an audition or interview between 8 a.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday. Please make your travel plans after you receive official confirmation of your audition/interview date and time. Because of faculty availability and the large number of applicants, it may not be possible to honor special requests for particular days or times during an audition weekend.

Only those applications received by the deadlines noted above will be guaranteed an opportunity to audition. Each request to reschedule any portion of your interview/audition will result in a $88 rescheduling fee. If you have received your audition or interview confirmation by email and you are considering a change,  please contact the Office of Music Admissions, (812) 855-7998, to receive detailed information about the reschedule and payment procedures. The deadline to request a change is one week prior to your scheduled audition.  Please note that not all change requests can be accommodated.

Ad Hoc Auditions and Recorded Auditions

(All auditions must be completed by the final audition weekend March 2/3 2012).

If you are unable to attend one of the official audition dates sponsored by the Office of Music Admissions, but wish to have an audition in person, it may be possible to arrange an ad hoc audition.

To schedule an ad hoc audition, you must contact the chair of the department for your instrument area or where your desired academic program is housed. For a listing of faculty telephone numbers and e-mail addresses, contact the Office of Music Admissions or see the online personnel directory. Once the department chair has granted the ad hoc audition, send an email to musicadm@indiana.edu, and indicate the ad hoc audition date and the name of the person who granted it. Note that faculty members are not obligated to grant ad hoc auditions.

Recorded auditions are acceptable; however, we strongly encourage applicants come in-person to the Jacobs School of Music for an on-campus audition. It is important to note that in some areas of study, screening auditions are required in order to be invited to campus for a full audition. If you are sending a recording to us, please indicate on your labeling if the recording you have provided is a “final” audition recording, meaning not a pre-screening recording. Recordings will be processed only when all application materials have been received and reviewed. Audition recordings become the property of Indiana University and are not returned. The repertoire on the recording must adhere to the established audition requirements. Please see the audition requirements by instrument and degree.

Any recordings submitted (either for purposes of pre-screening or that are to be used as a final audition recording) must be of high quality and compatible in either video (NTSC) or audio (no DATs) format. The preferable format for audio is compact disc, and the preferable format for video is DVD. All recordings should be clearly labeled with your full name, repertoire, instrument, and degree sought (B.M. or B.M.E., etc.) Recordings that are not clearly labeled, or that have incomplete information will not be reviewed.

Your audition recording must be sent directly to the Office of Music Admissions, not to individual faculty members or to other admission offices (international or university). The Jacobs School of Music Office of Admissions is not responsible for recordings or other application materials that are sent to other offices in error.

Basic Musicianship Test

All entering freshman and transfer students with fewer than two semesters of college-level music theory (including ear-training) will take the Basic Musicianship Test. This evaluation is an aural and written test that is designed to determine a student's placement in beginning theory classes. The test will be given during the audition weekends. You will receive your test time along with a written confirmation of your audition/interview schedule. Ballet applicants are not required to take the Basic Musicianship Test.