<p>Are headshots necessary, useful, expected or otherwise at Music school auditions? If yes, what other information would you place on the back of the headshot?</p>
<p>Thanks for any input.</p>
<p>Hat</p>
<p>My S sent a photo to one school - can't remember which. Curtis, perhaps? Don't think it was "required", but only suggested. He did not send one to the schools that did not specifically mention it.</p>
<p>It was a photo from his senior picture sitting (though not the traditional pose), and it was probably labeled however the school requested. My guess would be name, class year, instrument.</p>
<p>Otterbein requests photos - I think you can bring it with you to the audition. I think Curtis does request one too, but they wouldn't expect a professionally done headshot. My D is using her senior picture for Otterbein. She has a headshot, but the senior picture seems more appropriate for this. I would be careful using something more from the MT world for VP, unless specifically requested.</p>
<p>Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but my guess is for college audition purposes, headshots may be more the norm for vocalists and music theater applicants than for instrumentalists.</p>
<p>For college apps, I vaguely recall (MAYBE) Oberlin requesting one, son's other 2 choices did not. This goes back to '01, so my memory could indeed be faulty for citing Oberlin.</p>
<p>However, a photo has been requested for one or two high level festival programs my son has applied to.</p>
<p>Very true violadad - I would imagine MT applicants use them at some point for every application. They are not standard for vocal performance either.</p>
<p>I've wondered about this, too. As I recall, it was optional, but requested for several of the conservatories S (an instrumentalist) applied to. At least one school said something about wanting to be able to greet the face by name when he walked in the door. (I can't really believe they distribute these photos to teachers and staff for "pre-study" before the audition date.) In any case, S did not include photos with any of his audition and application info.</p>
<p>S has been required to submit photos for summer festivals. In one case, we ignored the request and were hounded until it was submitted.</p>
<p>I always assumed that the photo was the way the schools got around the ethnicity quiestion. With a photo, they can make their own determination for their reporting purposes even if students decline to answer optional ethnicity questions. Any other cynics like me out there?</p>
<p>My eldest was asked to submit a photo for his Penn ap (way back in 01 - and it wasn't mandatory). I thought the same as you, musicianmom, that it ID'd his ethnicity without asking. He got in, though, so being a white male didn't hurt him too much. (I tend toward the thinking that being a URM is considered an asset.)</p>
<p>With musicians, though, I think it may be a way of making sure the applicant is really, truly the one auditioning. And also a way of helping the judges keep everyone separate in their minds, later on when discussing various students.</p>
<p>I do think appearance is noted much more strongly for dance and drama at Juilliard. (Every time I ask my S if he's met any cute girls, he says, "Mom, it's Juilliard. They're all cute." :) )</p>
<p>For summer programs, S2 has always had to submit a photo, which has then been used in the programs. Given the varying size, shape, and color of his co-participants, I don't see it as an elimination factor there.</p>
<p>While we're on the subject, how many of the posters (or parents of) playing at a high level, in school (hs, undergrad, or grad) actually have professionally done headshots or other publicity types of photos? </p>
<p>Again, I'm speaking from an instrumentalist's standpoint. While son has been in a few performance scenarios where a publicity photo might have been a nice touch, it was by no means a make or break proposition.</p>
<p>We've talked about it now and again, but find it hard at this point to jusitfy the expense, as there's always an area where the money could be put to better use. </p>
<p>Thoughts?</p>
<p>violadad...I have a vocalist so she's had headshots every 3 years since she was 9, but if your son is not camera shy, check out <a href="http://www.craigslist%5B/url%5D">www.craigslist</a> under "gigs" then "talent" in your area. Frequently there are young photographers that are building their portfolios and are willing to do TFP (Time for Prints). This means your son spends an hour or so getting pictures taken and he gets free prints in return for his time. Then your only cost is the reproduction of the photos - or if they give you a .jpg you can print them out yourself. Of course the usual precautions need to be taken but it can be fun and rewarding for all.</p>
<p>When son had his senior pictures done, we did a bunch with his cello. We have used one of these whenever anything is requested. However, he is currently in grad school and we haven't had anything done since then. It has not been an issue yet. I guess if it becomes one, he will have to sit again, but he HATES having his photo done.</p>
<p>Juilliard said a headshot was optional but not required for vocalists, and since I didn't have my senior pictures done yet, I didn't send one. In cases like Juilliard's where they ask for a pre-screening CD rather than a DVD, I think they just would have liked to see me, but we'll see if it hurts me in a few weeks!</p>
<p>Violadad, I keep waiting for S2 to request professional headshots, but he never mentions it. Last year when he needed one, he had a classmate take one, and it worked out fine (although I wasn't thrilled with it, he was happy enough.) We did what Shennie did - when we got his HS grad pictures taken, we took along his instrument, and he got photos taken with and without, and those worked for most things for awhile.</p>
<p>He has gone to a few things where they requested a photo, but then had their own photographer re-take them once he got there. Last year when he went to Korea, his quintet had a heck of a time getting decent publicity stills, and I wish they had just gone ahead and gotten professional ones done. But then, there are a lot of things about that trip that I wish had been done differently.....</p>
<p>I think headshots for MT folks are a lot more important than for instrumentalists. I've seen advertisements for head shot photographers, offering to "show the personality" etc. And yet, when I look through their sample photos, I really don't see anything "special" about them. If my kid needed them, I'd be inclined to drag him down to Portrait Innovations or some such place. They've done a great job on other photos, for such low prices.</p>
<p>Thanks, Binx! My criminal mind wasn't working! This makes sense (sadly):</p>
<p>"With musicians, though, I think it may be a way of making sure the applicant is really, truly the one auditioning." </p>
<p>I hope auditions don't become like SAT/ACT testing where the students are required to provide photo IDs before being allowed to sit for tests!</p>
<p>My S does have professional photos with instrument that can be used for publicity. He has also run to the corner camera store for passport photos that he's submitted to some places where the quality of the photo didn't seem at issue... I'm beginning to think we're missing something in these photo request/requirements?????</p>
<p>Thanks all for your thoughts. S did investigate a bit while at school, and found that few if any of his compadres had pro shots done. I was actually quite surprised that local photographers and on campus students with the skills did not actively target the pool of musicians, vocalists and mt students at son's school. (Maybe it had been tried before, but I sense a marketing opportunity no one's considered.)</p>
<p>I was a decent amateur photographer, made a few bucks selling some shots and doing a bit of freelance, including a couple of engagement/bridal announcement shots, but I'll be the first to admit my skills are rusty and I was more of a landscape than portrait photographer.</p>
<p>Maybe one day during a blizzard, I'll have him kit out in full regalia with instrument and dust off the old equipment.</p>
<p>violadad, could it be that musicians aren't known for having extra cash around? I (an amateur, at least until this job!) was asked to photograph a new vocal group in NYC and we must have spent 5 hours walking, shooting, walking, shooting. The four guys huddled in a deli and finally gave me a stack of 20s and had just enough left over for deli lunch. Luckily, all digital and they could download the photos to their heart's content. I've always liked my photos of my sons when they've needed a headshot or a replacement pic for an awful yearbook photo, especially since they give "real" photographers a fake smile. With a digital camera and a little software, you can go a long way. Take the photo outdoors with a blurred background--sky? or blur it using software.</p>
<p>Re: headshots. We are so fortunate to have a very good friend who is a professional photographer. His graduation gift to DS was a photo shoot which was absolutely terrific...lots of choices, and as many prints as he needs for as long as he wants them. What a nice gift!! Oh...and he also did a DVD of DS's senior recital.</p>
<p>DS was required to include pictures on a couple of applications but I don't remember where they were to...might have been to summer programs. He also used his senior picture.</p>
<p>Coming from someone who has gone to several vocal performance auditions, when they say it's optional - bring one. </p>
<p>We went to this place called picture people, and we just got pictures of just my shoulders up so that we could pick and choose and then crop them the way we wanted. We didn't spend a ridiculous amount of money getting "professional headshots" and yet, they still looked really great. They're the type of people who do little kid photos posing. </p>
<p>Anyway, once you have a basic photo of you, at least in my experience, the way I've handled it is to send a headshot when neccesary with the application or with a pre-screening CD, and then either choose a different one or the same one and bring it with your resume on the back, or attached. The reason I say this, is because I've actually spoken to someone on the admissions staff of Carnegie Mellon who has told me why he thinks all vocal majors should bring them. They hear a large group of singers, specifically many many girls singing each audition day. Many of them look alike and many of them sing the same songs. If there isn't something unique about your voice, it may be hard when referring to the scores later to figure out why they gave you that score and what you look like. With a picture, the judges have something to bring back the picture of you into their minds. Also, bringing the resume and the headshot gives you that little edge of being unique. If you write things on your resume that are unique to you, while or before or after you sing, they can go, "Oh, she won that award, and oh, I can see her singing that solo." It helps them visualize who you are as a person, rather just a person singing three songs.
To put it bluntly, in the music world, it's all about seperating yourself from the crowd. A headshot won't make or break an audition, but it definitely helps.</p>
<p>I think it can depend on the background of the school too. CMU is very musical theater oriented - much better known for that than VP so it makes sense that they would be inclined to want headshots with resumes on them. The same is true of Otterbein - they want a picture and are very strong in MT. I think it never hurts to offer a picture and resume - I think it would be fine to have them on separate sheets in case they want the resume only. VP programs are often more interested in your rep list than your photo. My D used Picture People too and they did a really nice job - they can't do all the touching up of the pro shops, but I like the natural look. Some headshots look too touched up. Her drama teacher called and asked her to audition for a movie that was being filmed locally and he called the night before the audition so a trip to the mall for a picture was all she could do.</p>
<p>My D's program is strictly classical voice and she is specifically in an Opera
program. Her teacher who still has a pretty strong international career beleives that every audition (even to undergrad) should be treated as a professional audition and a quality head shot should accompany the resume. She looks for professionalism and plenty of other teachers sitting in on auditions look for professionalism as well. (it couldnt hurt!)</p>
<p>musica, for auditions, did your D have the resume printed on the back of the headshot, or was it a separate document? My D has kept them separate thus far, with only identifying info on the headshot.</p>