Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about auditioning for the USC School of Music:
What should I expect when I visit to audition?
Audition days start around 9 a.m. with a reception for prospective students and their families. Throughout the morning there are scheduled activities, such as a brief recital featuring USC students, a question and answer session with the Dean, and optional tours of campus and the Music Community (a residential area for incoming music majors and minors). Auditions start around 11 a.m. and run throughout the day, and practice rooms will be available for warming up and rehearsing. Students will be assigned a specific audition time when they arrive and check-in at our registration desk (between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.).
If you have registered for an audition, we will send you a final schedule of your audition day's events about 10 days before your selected audition date.
Where can I get help planning my trip to USC?
The University of South Carolina Visitor Center is a helpful resource for planning a trip to USC. The center has lists of hotels and restaurants and information on local sights, such as the Columbia Art Museum and the Riverbanks Zoo. Much of this information is posted on the Visitor Center’s web site at http://visitorcenter.sc.edu, and the center’s phone number is 1-800-922-9755. There is a map of the USC campus available at http://www.sc.edu/uscmap. The School of Music building is located right off the intersection of College and Assembly streets, very close to the Visitor Center and next to the Koger Center for the Arts.
I can’t make any of the audition dates. How can I schedule another date and time to audition?
It is highly recommended that students audition on one of the pre-arranged campus dates, as the audition dates offer prospective students and their families numerous information sessions, as well as optional tours of the Music Community (a residential hall for Music Majors and Minors) and campus. If attendance at one of these dates isn’t possible due to extenuating circumstance, please contact the Director of Music Admission, Jennifer Jablonski (jjablonski@sc.edu; 803.777.6614).
Live auditions are preferred, but recorded auditions are accepted from students who live outside of South Carolina campus and who are unable to make arrangements to travel to audition. Recorded auditions should be received no later than the last scheduled audition date. Please note that it is to a student's advantage to audition in person if at all possible, as we can much better assess students' talent and potential in person.
How many students earn music scholarships? In what areas are music scholarships awarded?
About two-thirds of USC music students have been awarded a music scholarship from USC. USC music scholarships, which require terms of service to ensembles and additional course requirements, are awarded on the basis of merit only.
Out-of-state students who earn a scholarship of at least $250 a semester are eligible for a heavily reduced tuition rate, as long as they meet minimum academic requirements.
Scholarships are offered in the areas of brass, composition, guitar, jazz, organ, percussion, piano, strings, voice, and woodwinds. All students are automatically reviewed for scholarship funds, as long as they audition on or before the last scheduled audition date of the audition cycle.
May I audition on more than one instrument? Can I schedule a regular audition and a jazz one on the same day?
Music applicants may also schedule a jazz audition and/or an audition on a strong secondary instrument – including voice – for additional music scholarship consideration. Let us know of your interest in having two (or more) auditions when you register or email jjablonski@sc.edu with information about what additional auditions you would like to perform.
How do I get reviewed for admission to be a composition major?
You'll need to plan to audition for us on your primary instrument, as all music majors, including composition majors, have to be admitted to the School of Music via audition. On the day you audition, you will also have an interview scheduled with the composition faculty. In that meeting, your portfolio will be reviewed. For more information on how to apply to the Composition program, please visit: http://www.music.sc.edu/ea/comp/apply.html.
How can I learn about other financial aid opportunities at USC?
For academic scholarship information, visit http://www.sc.edu/financialaid/academic.html.
The USC Alumni Association also offers several scholarships to incoming students. For more information on these and application materials, please visit http://www.mycarolina.org or call 803-777-4111.
For scholarships for sons and daughters of members of the Carolina Alumni Association, contact CAA at 803-777-4111 or visit http://www.mycarolina.org.
For financial aid information, contact the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships (http://www.sc.edu/financialaid) at 803-777-8134 or email uscfaid@sc.edu. Students applying for financial aid will need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA, which becomes available in January, may be obtained from almost all high school guidance counselors and is posted on the web at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.
I have questions that I don’t see answered here. Who can address them for me?
Questions about the School of Music auditions and music admissions should be directed to: Jennifer Jablonski, Director of Music Admissions, at jjablonski@sc.edu or
803.777.6614. |
