AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION:
MM, MCM and DM applicants should NOT use the University Graduate School portal for letters of recommendation; these are most easily sent by your references via email, fax or mail directly to musicadm@indiana.edu, (812) 856-6086 FAX, or
Office of Music Admissions and Financial Aid
East Studio Building JS 100
1201 East Third St
Bloomington, IN 47405
- Degree Program Application Deadlines (at the music admissions site)
- Screening Process
- Submission Material Hints and Requests
- Applying for Associate Instructor and Graduate Assistant positions
- Huttons Honors College information (for undergraduate applicants; Nov. 1 deadline). Students interested in the Hutton Honors scholarship opportunity must file the Selective Scholarship Application (SSA). Applicants are prompted to do so when they complete the JSOM application (which now is run in conjunction with the IU application system). Potentially, students can also qualify for other selective scholarships with substantial funding.
SCREENING PROCESS for composition applicants
Application materials must be received by November 1 from all undergraduate applicants and December 1 from all graduate applicants who would like priority consideration for financial assistance and who are planning to enter the School of Music in the following fall semester. After a review of submitted scores and recordings by the composition faculty, a limited number of applicants will be invited to interview on the Bloomington campus during audition weekends. This interview is mandatory for financial aid consideration. Those invited to interview should be prepared for a brief ear-training examination (identification of intervals, triads, etc.). Undergraduate admission also requires a classical audition on an instrument or voice for Performance Study Option 1; this is the track recommended and preferred by the composition faculty. Please follow the audition instructions under your chosen instrument. The instrumental or vocal pre-screening materials can be uploaded to DecisionDesk under the same account where the composition materials are uploaded.
Bachelor of Music (B.M.)
Bachelor of Science in Music and an Outside Field (B.S.O.F.)
Master of Music (M.M.)
Doctor of Music (D.M.)
Both undergraduate and graduate applicants should submit a portfolio of their work representing a variety of forms and media. Also required is a list of the applicant's completed compositions, including date of composition, instrumentation, duration, and any performances. Recordings of performances are recommended for B.M., B.S.O.F. and M.M. applicants; if possible, these should be compiled on one CD with the track list indicated on the CD case. D.M. applicants are required to submit recorded performances demonstrating the range of their abilities, and a score for large ensemble (orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber orchestra or sinfonietta). More detailed application/audition information.
Master of Computer Music Composition (M.M.)
Applicants must submit a portfolio of electronic and/or acoustic compositions (scores/recordings) and a complete list of compositions and dates. Where possible, recordings should be compiled on one CD with the track list and durations indicated on the case. Surround works should be submitted on DVD-A. Video works should be submitted on DVD-V. As is the case in the other degree programs described above, those students invited to interview should be prepared for a brief ear-training exam (identification of intervals, triads, etc.). More detailed application/audition information.
MATERIALS FORMAT HINTS and REQUESTS from the IU composition faculty
1. Please do NOT include all scores in one bound presentation. Applicants are best represented by professional looking documents - each score properly bound on its own. This also faciliates review by a committee of six to eight faculty. Only one copy of each score is necessary.
2. Please DO compile all your recordings onto one CD.
3. Please DO include a track list on the CD case (NOT on the CD itself, which of course can't be read while being played).
[Students applying after December 1 may not receive the audition/interview date of their choice and may be at a disadvantage for School of Music scholarship consideration.]
APPLYING FOR ASSISTANTSHIPS in composition or music theory (graduate applicants only)
Deadline for applying for composition associate instructorships and graduate assistantships: February 15
Information and Application Guidelines for associate instructorships and graduate assistantships in the composition department. Applications must be sent by email attachment to the composition chair. Applicants to the Jacobs School of Music should wait to apply for these positions until after you hear from us in late December or early January, once we have completed our screening process for graduate applications.
Deadline for applying for music theory associate instructorships: early January (Check with the Theory Dept. for exact date)
Note: We strongly encourage new (and current) graduate students to apply for associate instructorships in the Theory Department. To do so, you need to check the appropriate box on the graduate application form. If you sent in the form without doing this, and would like to apply for a theory AI, please contact the Admissions Office well ahead of your on-campus interview, to arrange the appropriate interview with the theory faculty. Current IU composition majors should apply for theory AI positions by filling out the online application before their early January deadline. Interviews are held on audition weekends in January, February and March.