<p>Hi everyone, I'm the mom of a middle school music student and I've gotten great advice for my ignorant self here before, so I'm going to ask again.</p>
<p>He will be applying to high schools next year (he's played clarinet for 4 1/2 years and sax for 2) and is currently in a very well-regarded music magnet program and takes private lessons from a teacher who usually deals with graduate level students. That said, a couple of high schools to which he will apply next year have an audition process including providing a "current portfolio." What does that mean? I'll ask his teachers, of course, but I'm a little embarrassed that I don't know. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>zm, “portfolio” normally is a tem used for fine arts applicants, or music composition students.</p>
<p>Typically, the music performance terminology is a music resume, or in some cases, a curriculum vitae, or “CV”. It’s also fairly common to be asked for a repertoire list. Not to make you crazy, but there are some prior threads on the format, what to include below. I listed the most current thread first, but there is good info in all.</p>
<p>Double check the parameter’s for EACH program, just to make sure that any aren’t actually looking for a CD, DVD, or a youtube or other online snippet. </p>
<p>For the resume especially at that age and level, they are looking for years of study, level of private study and instructors, school and outside experiences (school and non-school ensembles, youth orchestras, competitions and/or awards, summer programs or camps; any mentoring or teaching experiences, or volunteer/charitable music specific experiences.</p>
<p>The repertoire list (if required) typically will include pieces performed publicly, etudes mastered and in progress.</p>
<p>The length, depth and breath of either is really a function of your son’s experiences. Unless you’ve got a music 24/7 kid, neither will probably be extensive.</p>
<p>Thanks so much violadad! I had absolutely no idea about all of that. Being in a magnet program, he mostly plays in ensembles in his school both after hours and during school hours. He does play in a community program, as well, on the weekends, but it’s not at that super high of a level.</p>
<p>You may want to ask his private lesson teacher about that. If his teacher doesn’t already have him working on some etudes or solo type music, he needs to get him started on something (that could be used for audition purposes). Those are the types of pieces that they are really looking for in the “portfolio” and not-so-much ensemble pieces.</p>
<p>My son is a senior in high school and is currently applying for college. For some of the colleges he had to turn in a music portfolio. Most of his playing experiance has been in school ensembles, but fortunately he had about six or seven serious etudes and classical pieces that he had practiced with his private teacher and on his own. You really rarely get to play the type of music that the colleges are looking in a “portfolio” for during public school music classes with the possible exception of solo & ensemble pieces or region/allstate audition pieces - and even with the region band audition pieces they are usually just a very short exerpt and not quite long enough.</p>
<p>zoosermom: It is not clear to me either what a school would want in a performing musician’s portfolio. None of the programs, colleges, or teachers that my son has applied to ever asked for anything called a portfolio. I would call the school and ask them what they like to have included in it. </p>
<p>A portfolio is usually a body or selection of works by a creative artist, so for a performing artist, I would assume that is recordings of the student performing music, but it is odd that they wouldn’t just say they need, for example, “a 10-minute recording of 2 or 3 contrasting works.” Perhaps the school prefers the generic term “portofolio” which is applicable to all, but not specific enough for anyone.</p>
<p>I would be surprised if the school meant a resume or CV when they used the word portfolio unless the people writing the requirements was unfamiliar with the English language (but there are plenty of those types around).</p>
<p>So call them and there’s no need to feel any lack of knowledge on your part.</p>
<p>imagep: Yes, your interpretation may be exactly what the school wants. My comments about word usage weren’t directed at anyone on this site, but at the school. </p>
<p>For a performing musician to submit a repertoire list when a portfolio is requested would be like a photographer submitting a list of title of their photographs or a composer submitting a list of titles of their compositions or a poet/writer submitting a list of titles. A portfolio by definition needs to include the actual work which the artist has produced and in the case of a performing musician, that work is their performance not the name of the work they perform.</p>