Music Scoring for Visual Media

Music Scoring for Visual Media

Master of Music (M.M.)


The following information is for entry into the 2024-25 school year.


Prescreening requirements

All music scoring applicants must submit a prescreening portfolio via the JSOM Supplemental application by December 1.

Portfolio should include:

  1.  Two or more scores and/or audio/visual or audio/visual samples representing a variety of forms and media, including at least two excerpts of music for film, game, web, or other mixed media. Samples of concert pieces are additionally welcome.
    • The faculty encourage you to present samples of your work that best represent the kind of composer/musician/artst you are as a whole.
    • Submitted sample should not exceed twelve minutes.
    • If a long-form film or other media is submitted or pointed to via links, then a "cue list" of relevant scenes with timings to locate them should be provided.
    • Video recordings should be in in QuickTime or .mp4 format.
    • Any scores should be in PDF format (not Finale or Sibelius).
  2.   A complete chronological list (PDF) of compositions for film, game, web or other mixed media as well as any concert works. This list should contain active links to any work posted and available online.
    • Note: The preferred file name format for scores and recordings is: <title>_<genre>_<year>
  3. Please compose, produce, and upload to the Media section of your JSoM application an original cue for this “Final Frontier” video. 
    • The goal here is to create a sense of journey and wonder as we leave the earth and go into the final frontier of space, and even beyond our galaxy. When you get to the last few pictures of other galaxies, this is where we want the pay off to be, a true sense of magnificent discovery and wonder that lies before us. Within the cue please have occasional shifts as we traverse farther and farther. We would like to hear at least one metric modulation rhythmically, also one actual tempo change. If you have a specific theme being used, then we want to hear two modulations along the way. Please avoid an outright “trailer” sounding cue, we are looking for your voice here and what inspires you. The instrumentation you use is wide open.  It can be orchestral, it can be synthetic, it can be a hybrid of the two, and so on. Its really up to you, as long as the above emotional goals of the cue are achieved.


Live virtual interview

Select applicants will be invited to a live interview after a review of all prescreening portfolios.

If you are invited, you will be scheduled for one of the following audition dates and will receive your schedule by email 3-4 weeks prior to your interview:

  • January 12-13, 2024
  • February 2-3, 2024
  • March 1-2, 2024

International applicants are welcome to travel to Bloomington, but we can also offer the possibility of conducting the interview virtually. Please email musicadm@iu.edu to request an international virtual interview.

You should be prepared for a brief ear-training examination (identification of intervals, triads, etc.).

Please also review our suggested personal computing and software resources.

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