Music: Application process

If you are already a student at Concordia please review the following instructions:

Students enrolled in other Faculty

Concordia students currently enrolled in another faculty (Arts and Science, Gina Cody School, or JMSB) complete the following:

1. Request an undergraduate degree transfer
2. Submit the apporiate form at Slideroom (Music Admission Package).
3. Complete your Music Admission Package in Slideroom

You must submit this first in order to be allowed to sign up for an audition and/or interview. The deadline to submit this request is March 15.

Students enrolled in the Faculty of Fine Arts

1. Complete the Internal Transfer of Program Request Form, and upload it in Slideroom (Music Admission Package).
2. Complete your Music Admission Package in Slideroom

Applicants should upload at least three different pieces or tracks. Please upload a separate video for each piece or track.

Videos may be recorded specifically for the audition and/or include footage from live performances. If your piece requires accompaniment, a live accompanist is preferred but not mandatory.

It is important that the videos clearly show you and your instrument in full, with any technical aspects of performance visible (for example, a pianist’s hands on the keyboard). It is not necessary to show accompanists.

If you are submitting a creative portfolio and an audition, you may combine both. For example, a singer-songwriter applying to the Specialization in Music Composition and Production and wishing to take individual voice lessons can submit videos of themselves performing their own songs – these videos would count as both an audition and a portfolio.

All jazz auditions must include three pieces as follows:

• One blues
• One ballad
• One standard of your choice

For jazz voice, vocal improvisation (scat singing) or vocalise is optional.

For jazz bass, guitar, piano, and vibraphone/marimba, it is essential to demonstrate both accompaniment and solo skills in the audition.

For jazz drums, in your three selections, be sure to cover the following: play swing time, play with brushes and play a Latin rhythm.

Aim for a high standard of performance, a well-balanced program, and demonstrate your strengths and joy in making music.

Points to observe for video auditions:

• Place the camera so that you, your instrument, and your full range of motion are in the frame at all times. It is not necessary to show accompanists. Choose a medium distance that shows as much detail as possible while still allowing the image to be framed as described above.
• State your name and say, “This is my audition for the Concordia University Music Department.”
• State the title and composer before each piece is played.
• The whole video recording should not exceed 15 minutes.
• Composers/arrangers may perform one piece of their own work and are asked to upload or send in scores.

Your creative portfolio may include any of the following:

• Musical tracks, songs, or pieces you have composed or produced. If you compose using traditional notation, you may also include music scores. For original songs, you may upload lyrics or lead sheets. For electronic tracks, you may include screenshots of your DAW sessions.
• Videos of you performing or showcasing your music. This could include solo performances, band performances, laptop or synth setups, DJ sets, or similar.
• If you are submitting a creative portfolio and an audition, you may combine both. For example, a singer-songwriter applying to the Specialization in Music Composition and Production and wishing to take individual voice lessons can submit videos of themselves performing their own songs – these videos would count as both an audition and a portfolio.

Applicants must submit 3 to 5 electroacoustic compositions and/or sound design material.

• Duration can be 2-5 minutes for each
• For each example, there is space to give a description

Label your works clearly and provide context in the online admissions form:

1. Give the title, duration, program/production notes, and your intention in creating the work (for a video, for coursework, for the portfolio etc.)
2. Identify the hardware/software you used, and the source sounds and processes
3. Indicate if you recorded your own sounds for the work
4. Tell us if the work was a collaborative piece, and if so, identify your role

The portfolio is the most important part of your application to the Electroacoustic Studies program, and the committee listens to your portfolio in great detail. The works must be technically correct, normalized and accurate. To get an idea of suitable material, research and listen to examples of electroacoustic and/or acousmatic music online.

When reviewing your portfolio the committee will pay attention to the following:

• Is the work simply sampled from low-quality mp3 samples?
• Is the work made from carefully selected soundscape recordings?
• Does the work use off-the-shelf DAW processing plugins in standard or clichéd ways?
• Does the work show careful attention to all of the sounds, all the time?

Select your best, most representative examples of creative sound work that show your breadth and depth of interest in the field. Electroacoustic compositions and or sound art demonstrating sound generation and manipulation techniques are the most suitable for this application. The committee looks for the amount and quality of sound design being done, the kinds of manipulation, the creative ways in which the sound is put together.

Please contact an instructor if you would like additional guidance before submitting your admissions form:

• Norah Lorway: norah.lorway@concordia.ca
• Ricardo Dal Farra: ricardo.dalfarra@concordia.ca
• Eldad Tsabary: eldad.tsabary@concordia.ca

Special note: Please do not, for any reason, send your portfolio files via email or web file transfer services. Only use the upload site provided above.