Musical Audition Requirements

All music applicants must complete an audition with the Cali School of Music. Your audition may consist of one or more of the following: a formal audition on an instrument or voice, an interview with faculty, a portfolio submission. The exact requirements will depend on your program of choice. You can find the requirements specific to your program and all the information needed to prepare and complete your audition below. Please review thoroughly! 

Should you have any questions regarding the audition process and requirements - please reach out to: Linsay Setzer, Coordinator of Music Admissions - setzerl@montclair.edu

Audition Details

Once an application is submitted, students are eligible to audition. Audition registration is mandatory for all applicants unless otherwise noted in your application portal. Please review the information below to complete your audition registration.

How to Register

Audition registration is available through your application portal, only after your application has been submitted.

You will have access to the audition registration form through a link on your application checklist. Follow the link to the registration page, where you will choose an audition date & method, then complete the form that follows. When registering for an audition, please only choose one audition date and one audition type.

Types of Auditions

The Cali School of Music offers two options to complete an audition. Both methods require a non-refundable audition fee of $35, which can be paid through your application portal.

  1. Live Audition applicants will complete an in-person audition, on campus. You may choose your audition date, but the time of your audition will be scheduled for you. Your schedule will be emailed to you about one (1) week prior to your chosen audition date. If an interview is required for your major, it will be included in your audition schedule.
  2. Video Audition applicants will video record the required audition repertoire & submit the videos as links for review. You may submit up to 4 individual links, or you can organize all of your video files into a singular, sharable YouTube playlist or Google Drive folder. If an interview is required for your major, you will be scheduled for a zoom call on your chosen audition date. You must have your videos ready at the time you submit your audition registration form. You will not be able to submit your form without the videos.

Audition Preparation Guidelines

Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email that includes details for attending your audition. Please refer to that email & the information below to ensure you are fully prepared.

  • Review the program requirements and make sure you have prepared all that is listed, including any additional interview or portfolio materials specific to your major of choice.
  • Prepare extra copies of your music. Instrumentalists - please bring 1 spare copy of your music should faculty wish to review. Vocalists - your repertoire must be memorized, but please bring a prepared binder (ipad is also acceptable) with at least 1 copy of your music for our accompanist.
  • Attire: you may wear whatever you feel comfortable in. This can range from formal audition attire to jeans and a t-shirt. We invite you to wear what you are most comfortable in, what is most accessible to you, and what makes you feel like you are putting your best foot forward during your audition day.
  • There are no additional events planned for the audition days (tours, group info sessions, placement tests). We will have a waiting area with light snacks and water available, as well as student ambassadors and faculty present, should you wish to ask questions or mingle with current students. Placement tests will be given only after you have been offered admission.

Recording Guidelines

  • Make sure you are in a quiet, well-lit space and briefly introduce each song. You may record your music solo, with a backing track, or with an accompanist. If you use an accompanist or track, please check that your playing/singing is heard clearly in the video and is not overpowered.
  • Please make sure that you are framed correctly. Vocalists - at minimum, we must see you from the waist up. Instrumentalists - we must see your face, and all aspects of your playing (hands & instrument).
  • All scale requirements should be recorded in one video or edited into one video file. Repertoire can be recorded & submitted individually.
  • Be mindful to double check that you have recorded all of the required repertoire (graduate or undergraduate) for your primary instrument or voice. Any applicants with missing or incorrect repertoire will not be reviewed until all requirements are submitted correctly.

Submitting Videos

  • Your videos will be submitted through your audition registration form. Therefore, you must have your videos ready at the time you register for an audition date. Please be mindful of the audition registration deadlines if you are choosing to audition through video.
  • You can choose to submit your videos as a Google Drive link or a YouTube link. You must submit a minimum of one (1) link and will have the option for a maximum of four (4) links. It is preferred that you create a single playlist or google drive folder with all the audition requirements to submit as one link. You may list your audition videos as "private" but please ensure that link sharing is turned on so all required faculty can review your materials.

Dates and Deadlines

At this time, all scheduled audition dates have ended. The Cali School has elected to review new applicants on a rolling basis and maintain an Audition Waitlist for students who wish to submit audition materials for ongoing consideration for the Fall 2026 term. Please note that rolling admission may not apply to all programs, and certain audition expectations may differ from our normal review process.

  • Voice is no longer accepting undergraduate submissions. This means that undergraduate students who are applying to any program with voice as their primary instrument will not be reviewed for Fall 2026 consideration. Graduate voice applicants are still eligible for review.
  • Recording Arts & Production is no longer accepting new submissions for Fall 2026 consideration.

We encourage all Voice and Recording Arts & Production applicants to consider submitting an application for a future semester (Spring 2027, or Fall 2027).

All other programs and primary instruments are eligible for review. Next steps will be communicated through automated emails via the application portal. To be considered for Fall 2026, please submit an application to the University and follow all instructions.

Program Requirements by Concentration

Instrumental & Vocal Performance (BMus, AD, MM)

  • Audition on a primary instrument or voice - following classical repertoire requirements (graduate or undergraduate)
  • No interview or portfolio review is needed for Performance applicants

Note: Students who wish to apply as jazz performance majors must follow the Jazz Studies requirements & repertoire

Vocal Performance and Pedagogy

Graduate (Master of Music) only

  • Audition on a primary instrument or voice
  • Complete an interview with a member of the voice faculty.
    Applicants who audition in person will complete the interview during your assigned audition time. Applicants who audition via video submissions will complete the interview over zoom. The interview will be scheduled via email - after your audition videos have been reviewed.

Music Education – School and Community Settings

  • Audition on a primary instrument or voice
  • Complete an interview with a member of our music education faculty

Undergraduate applicants may choose between our Classical Education track, or our Jazz + Education track:
Classical Education applicants will follow the requirements above, along with the classical repertoire outlined for your primary instrument or voice.
Jazz + Music Education applicants will follow the requirements above, along with the Jazz repertoire outlined for your primary instrument or voice.

All undergraduate applicants must choose "School & Community Settings" as your program of choice on your application. Once you are ready to register for an audition, you will be given the option to designate either the Classical Education track, or the Jazz + Education track on the required audition form.

MAT/MA applicants do not have to audition. However, they must contact Dr. Marissa Silverman via email to schedule an interview, once their application is submitted.

Dr. Marissa Silverman (Graduate Music Education Coordinator) – silvermanm@montclair.edu

Music Therapy

  • Audition on a primary instrument or voice
  • Complete an interview with a member of our music therapy faculty. During the interview, you will be required to complete a self-accompaniment performance:
    • Sing one (1) song from any genre of music while self-accompanying on your choice of piano or guitar. Use of basic block chords is fully acceptable. Precise written accompaniments are not required.

Undergraduate applicants are permitted to audition following our classical repertoire requirements, or our jazz repertoire requirements:
Classical: applicants will completed the requirements above following the classical repertoire outlined for your primary instrument or voice.
Jazz: applicants will complete the requirements above, following the jazz repertoire outlined for your primary instrument or voice.

  • Graduate applicants do not have to complete a formal audition. Instead, graduate applicants must schedule an interview, during which you will be required to complete a self-accompaniment performance, as follows:
    • Sing two (2) songs from any genre of music while self-accompanying - one song on guitar & one song on piano. Use of basic block chords is fully acceptable. Precise written accompaniments are not required. Please pre-record each song as a video and submit them to your application portal. Or you may share the videos via email when scheduling your interview.

To schedule an interview, graduates must send an email to Dr. Brian Abrams at abramsb@montclair.edu

Music Composition

  • Audition on a primary instrument or voice
  • Complete an interview with a member of the composition faculty
  • Prepare a portfolio for review that includes the following:
    • A minimum of three (3) original creative works in any genre - contemporary, classical, jazz, songwriting, musical theater, electronic music, media scoring, etc. Include scores and/or recordings as applicable. When submitting music for acoustic instruments or voice, recordings with live musicians are preferred. If live musicians are not available, purely electronic versions (e.g. MIDI) are acceptable.

Jazz Studies & all Jazz tracks

Audition on a primary instrument or voice - following the jazz repertoire requirements

  • Audition on a primary instrument or voice - following our jazz repertoire requirements
  • Complete an interview with a member of our Music Education faculty

Note: When submitting your application, you must select "School & Community Settings" as your major of choice. You will then specify you are a Jazz + Education major on your audition registration form.

  • Audition on a primary instrument or voice - following our jazz repertoire requirements
  • Complete an interview with a member of our Music Therapy faculty. During the interview, you will be required to complete a self-accompaniment performance, as follows:
    • Sing one (1) song from any genre of music while self-accompanying on your choice of piano or guitar. Use of basic block chords is fully acceptable. Precise written accompaniment is not required

Recording Arts and Production

  • Complete an interview with a member of the Recording Arts & Production faculty
  • Prepare a portfolio that demonstrates your musicality and showcases your current abilities. The portfolio should include at least two (2) of any of the following projects:
    • A performance on a music instrument, vocals, hardware (ex. push controller), audio projects, sound design, cover songs, original songs, or beat making examples. You may perform/include any songs or repertoire of your choice.The components that make up your portfolio must be organized into either a YouTube playlist, or a Google Drive folder. You will be required to submit the link to your portfolio on the audition registration form. Please ensure that the share settings for your portfolio are set to "anyone with the link can view."

Note: RA&P applicants do not have to complete a formal/classical audition. Your audition consists only the interview and portfolio mentioned above. RA&P applicants are required to follow the same audition registration and scheduling steps outlined for all applicants in order to mark your audition as complete and guarantee an interview & review of your materials.

Questions regarding the requirements or portfolio materials can be sent to Dr. Bryan Powell at powellb@montclair.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some of the most common inquiries we receive surrounding the audition process. 

Please note that the offices of graduate and undergraduate admissions handle all things related to the University application. Questions regarding the application, submitting materials, transcripts, recommendation letters, etc. – should be addressed to the admissions office relative to your level of study.

Do I need to submit a separate application for Montclair State University and the John J. Cali School of Music?
No, you only need to submit one application to the University. Once you select ‘music’ as your program of choice, the application will auto-update with an additional form for the Cali School.

Do I need to submit anything to the portfolio section of my audition registration form?
The portfolio section of your audition registration form is only required for students applying to Composition or Recording Arts. Or, for any student auditioning through video submissions. If you are not auditioning through video submissions or either of the mentioned concentrations, you do not need to utilize the portfolio option on your audition registration form.

When is the deadline to submit my application/supplemental materials?
Your application, supplemental materials, and audition registration all need to be completed by the listed deadline for each audition date.

For further information, please scroll up to review the Audition Dates & Deadlines.

What is the difference between the Music Education – Classical Focus, and the Music Education – Jazz Focus?
The Cali School offers one complete degree in Music Education (listed as School & Community Settings). However, students may choose between the Classical Focus – where your primary instrument & ensemble studies are based around classical repertoire, or the Jazz Focus – where your primary instrument & ensemble studies are based around jazz repertoire.

While your application will reflect Music Education – School & Community Settings as your chosen major/concentration, there are clarifying questions on the audition registration form that will allow you to make the distinction between classical & jazz. Additionally, the repertoire and audition process will differ for each focus.

Those interested in Music Education - Classical, will follow the repertoire requirements listed for Music Education under your primary instrument. Those interested in Music Education - Jazz, will follow the repertoire requirements listed under Jazz Studies & Jazz Education.

Do you offer music minors?
We do not offer minors in music.

How do I register for an audition?
Audition registration is completed online, only after you have submitted your application. You will have access to the private audition registration link through your application portal.

For further information, please scroll up to review the Audition Registration and Methods.

Are there pre-screenings?
There are no pre-screenings for any of the programs at the Cali School at this time.

Can I audition for two programs at the same audition?
We do not accept dual consideration at the same audition date. However, students are permitted to re-audition for another program, or on another instrument, after their initial audition.

Do I need to take placement tests at the audition?
No, placement tests are not part of the audition process. Pending a successful audition and acceptance to the Cali School, students will receive emails with the links to placement tests for aural skills and theory classes only. Your results will not affect your admission decision and are only used to ensure you are placed into the correct course levels. These emails are typically sent after the audition season has fully ended (May or June).

I chose my audition date, but I haven’t received my time yet. When will I get that?
Audition & Interview times are scheduled manually by the Coordinator of Music Admissions and will be sent in a confirmation email about 1-2 weeks prior to your chosen audition date.

Do I need to bring my own instrument?
All Instrumentalists are expected to bring their own instrument, except for percussionists & pianists. If you do not own your primary instrument, or need access to one because of travel, please reach out to the Coordinator of Music Admissions to see if we can supply you with an instrument for your audition.

Do I need to bring an accompanist?
No, you do not need an accompanist. Instrumentalists should be prepared to perform on their primary instrument without an accompanist; vocalists will be provided with an accompanist from our faculty. Please bring a copy of your sheet music to supply to the accompanist at your audition.

If you are auditioning with video submissions, you may choose to perform solo or provide your own accompanist or backing tracks. Please ensure your voice/instrument is not overpowered by the accompaniment.

Can I submit a video instead of a live audition?
Yes. While we prefer for all applicants to audition in person, we understand that some students may have religious, travel, or alternative conflicts on our offered audition dates.

How do I submit an audition video?
Videos are submitted on your audition registration form. Please have your videos organized into a YouTube playlist or a google drive folder. You will submit your videos as links at the bottom of your audition registration form. Please note - you must have your videos ready when you complete the form or you will not be able to successfully register for an audition.

Do I need to register for an audition if I am submitting a video?
Yes - you must have your video links ready in order to register for your video audition.

What if I can’t attend any of the scheduled audition dates but still wish to audition in person?
We highly encourage you to prioritize your college audition and offer several dates & methods to do so. If you are still unable to attend any of the scheduled audition dates, please reach out to the Coordinator of Music Admissions for alternative options. These are subject to faculty availability and are not guaranteed.

If I don’t pass my audition, what are my options?
Incoming students may audition up to three separate times for the Cali School. If you do not pass your initial audition, you are welcome to reach out to the Music Admissions Coordinator and request to register for a future audition date. Or, if you feel you need more time to prepare for another audition, you may enter the University undeclared/undecided (pending academic acceptance) and audition to transfer into Cali as a change of major during your first semester, or at the end of your first year.