Thousands of musicians around globe vie for spot at Jacobs

Jacobs School of Music is regarded as one of the most competitive conservatories in the world.

Fall 2011 applications aren’t due until Dec. 1, but thousands of young musicians around the world have already applied and are hard at work preparing for
their auditions.

Jacobs typically receives about 3,000 applications each year, but the number increases each year, said Townsend Plant director of admissions and financial aid. About 500 new students are accepted each year.

“We have not necessarily been admitting more new students, but our number of students admitted varies from year to year,” Plant said.

As students graduate, they free up spots for more applicants, he said. Jacobs has about 1,600 students at any given time, half being undergraduate students and half being graduate students.

Domestically, students come from every state but mostly from the Midwest, California and the Northeast, Plant said.  Internationally, many students come from Asia and Europe.

Jacobs has relationships and communicates regularly with musical and private schools around the world. Also, the school works with the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) to establish a presence at college fairs and recruitment events around the country.  Jacobs faculty often visit other schools to perform or offer workshops.

The application is a two-part process. Students who apply to Jacobs must also apply to IU. IU must approve students academically before Jacobs considers them musically. Once applicants are approved by IU, they can arrange to attend one of the audition weekends at IU during the months of January, February and March.

All auditions take place during this period except for dance and ballet, which are in the fall. Applicants receive a decision in late February or early March.

Auditions occur during a two-day span. The focus is on the actual audition, but Jacobs also has info sessions, tours and other events for applicants and visiting parents.

The applicants perform before a faculty committee of instructors in that instrument or area, Plant said. The selectiveness of the judges are is consistent from department to department, but it depends on the ratio of applicants to openings.

“You should just treat it like a performance,” junior jazz studies major David Carter said. “That way you’re not as pressured when the panel is critiquing you.”

What students must or may perform hinges upon what department they are applying for. Some departments require a song off a list, while some ask students to prepare a song of their choice or original composition.

Freshman musical education major Maddie Arnold performed “Take, O Take Those Lips Away” by Amy Beach and “Spirate Pur Spirate” by Stefano Donaudy for her audition.

“Time helped me the most in my audition,” Arnold said. “I prepared my songs for over a year, starting in junior year of high school.”

The number of judges varies based on the size of the department. For example, the vocal audition panel is large, whereas the bassoon audition panel has only two people.

“By and large, our auditions are very similar to how other music schools would conduct their auditions,” Plant said. “There are certain indicators that the faculty look for in the auditions to see if an applicant is going to be successful in Jacobs and beyond school.”

“The most accessible students are those who demonstrate a high degree of technical competence on their instrument, great musicality and an overall breadth of experience that is appropriate to their age and level.”

Aside from technical ability, judges also look for professionalism, intellectual curiosity and determination, Plant said.

“The most successful applicants are those who have something to say with their instrument or voice,” Plant said. “They go beyond demonstrating technical competence and try to give the best possible performance that they can and convey their love for what they are doing.”