Incoming Status: Graduate
Area of Interest: Music
Entry Semester Available: Spring 2010 and Fall 2010
Application Deadlines: Spring 2010 - October 15, 2009
Fall 2010 - January 1, 2010

• Admission Requirements
• Application Process
• Pre-screening CD/DVD and Live Auditions
• International Students Application Instructions
• Fees and Expenses
• Financial Aid

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

SPRING 2010: Very few programs at the Conservatory of Music typically accept applications for spring admissions. If you are interested in spring admission, please call the Conservatory at (914) 251-6700, to find out if the major you want to pursue at the Conservatory will be accepting applications for spring. If your intended program is open to the receipt of spring applications, all pre-screening materials will be due in the Conservatory of Music office by October 15, 2009. Live auditions for spring 2010 will take place in early November.

FALL 2010: The Conservatory will accept applications for all graduate programs and instruments.

Who may apply:

• Persons holding an undergraduate degree or the equivalent from an accredited college in the United States or an approved institution of higher education abroad.
• Persons who are enrolled for a bachelor's degree who are in their senior year.

Choose one of three graduate programs:

Master of Music
Performers Certificate - (Post Baccalaureate: One-Year or Two-Year)
Artist Diploma - (Post Masters: One-Year or Two-Year)

These programs are offered in the following areas:

• Brass
• Composition
• Harp
• Strings
• Percussion
• Piano
• Opera Studies
• Studio Composition (Masters in Music only)
• Woodwinds
• Jazz Studies
• Classical Guitar

All applicants are required to:

• Apply online using the Online Graduate Application
• Submit all required transcripts and documents (including any required documents from international students) except for your pre-screening recorded audition to the Office of Admissions together in one package.
• Submit a pre-screening recorded audition CD/DVD along with the non-refundable $56 audition fee (made payable to Purchase College, Conservatory of Music) directly to the Conservatory of Music. Students are selected for a live, on-campus audition based on faculty evaluation of the pre-screening audition. Only students who are offered a live audition will be considered for admission to these programs. Selected students will be notified by email of their live audition date.

APPLICATION PROCESS

A complete application includes transcripts of all previous post-secondary education, a personal statement, three letters of recommendation from students teachers and, if applicable, results of the TOEFL or IELTS examination.

Please follow all application instructions carefully. In cases where students fail to follow the requirements and instructions listed here, we cannot guarantee the application can be reviewed and the application may be withdrawn from consideration.  For faster processing of mailed materials, please do not staple items together. 

Step 1: Submit your completed application:

Apply online using the Graduate Application at www.applyweb.com/aw?suny47gd. (You must apply using the online application. We are no longer accepting paper applications.) The application fee is $50 payable to Purchase College.

Note: International Applicants see the International Student Application Instructions.

Step 2: Complete your application:

Submit all of the following information required to complete your application together in one package:

• Official transcripts (in envelopes sealed by the registrar) from all schools attended
• Personal Statement
• Three (3) letters of recommendation

Mail your package to:

Office of Admissions
Purchase College
Attn: Graduate Programs
735 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase, NY 10577-1400

Note: International students may have TOEFL or IELTS scores submitted electronically.

PRE-SCREENING CD/DVD AND LIVE AUDITIONS

Please follow all audition instructions and requirements carefully. In cases where students fail to follow the requirements and instructions listed here, we cannot guarantee the pre-screening audition can be reviewed and the application may be withdrawn from consideration.

All music applicants must go through a two-step audition process:

STEP 1: PRESCREENING AUDITIONS
Mail your pre-screening recorded audition and $56 non-refundable audition fee to the Conservatory of Music no later than October 15, 2009 for Spring 2010 admission and January 1, 2010 for Fall 2010 admission.

Your CD/DVD must be clearly labeled with the following information:

• First and Last Name as it appears on your graduate application for admission
• Address as it appears on your graduate application for admission
• Email and Cell phone numbers that you submitted on your graduate application
• Intended program and instrument (if applicable)
• Title and duration of each music selection

PRE-SCREENING AUDITIONS AND AUDITION FEES MUST BE MAILED TO:

Conservatory of Music
Attn: Conservatory Coordinator
Purchase College
735 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase, NY 10577-1400

PRE-SCREENING AUDITIONS RECEIVED WITHOUT THE ABOVE INFORMATION AND/OR THE AUDITION FEE WILL BE DISCARDED.

STEP 2: LIVE AUDITIONS
If the pre-screening audition is successful, students will be selected for a live audition. Students selected for live auditions will be notified by email directly from the Conservatory of Music and will be assigned a live audition date at that time.

All live auditions take place in the Music Building on campus. Visit the Conservatory of Music Audition Information page for both the pre-screening audition requirements and live audition requirements.

FALL 2010 LIVE AUDITION DATES

CLASSICAL DIVISION

BRASS
Trumpet: Monday, February 15
French Horn: Monday, February 15
Trombone: Thursday, February 18
Tuba: Thursday, February 18 

STRINGS
All String Instruments:  Thursday, February 18 and Saturday, February 20

WOODWINDS
Flute: Friday, February 19
Clarinet: Friday, February 19
Oboe: Wednesday, February 17
Bassoon: Wednesday, February 17

PERCUSSION
All: Monday, February 15

HARP
Monday, February 15 and Tuesday, February 16

PIANO
Saturday, February 20

GUITAR
Wednesday, February 17

VOICE/OPERA
Monday, February 15; Wednesday, February 17; Thursday, February 18;
Saturday, February 20

COMPOSITION
Tuesday, February 16

JAZZ and STUDIO COMPOSITION

STUDIO COMPOSITION
Thursday, February 18 and Friday, February 19

JAZZ
Friday, February 19 and Saturday February 20

IMPORTANT: Live audition dates are assigned at the discretion of the Conservatory according to instrument and program. Due to limited time and resources the Conservatory cannot change assigned audition dates. Only in cases of emergency will the Conservatory try to accommodate a request to change an audition date. the Conservatory cannot guarantee that a change can be made. Please plan accordingly.

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS - Visit the Conservatory of Music Audition Information page for both the specific pre-screening audition requirements and live audition requirements. For help with specific questions regarding these audition requirements, please contact the Conservatory of Music at music@purchase.edu.

If your audition is successful, and if your application for admission to Purchase is complete, you will be notified on or around March 15, 2010. You can check on the status of your application by logging on to your MyPurchase account. If you are offered admission, you will be asked to submit an enrollment deposit by May 1, 2010.