<p>I apologize if this was already asked; I couldn't find a thread on it.
Because of the painstaking effort and cost, I am wondering if a CD is necessary. </p>
<p>I'm applying to Penn, Chicago, UVA, Brown and some other schools of that level.
I've played the clarinet for seven years and am a 2013 All Eastern band member (2nd cla). </p>
<p>Should I include a CD, or is "All Eastern band" enough to tell admissions what level
of clarinet playing I can perform?</p>
<p>A complete arts/music supplement requires an example or examples of about 10 minutes total duration. The format of the example varies from college to college. Some colleges require a physical CD while others have a dropbox mechanism for deposit of your recording. Some colleges require a formal supplement, with a resume and a recommendation from a music teacher, while others just require the recording and a brief description of what it is. Some use the common app arts/music supplement while others have their own.</p>
<p>My experience is that Penn does not have a specific process regarding arts/music supplements. So one possibility for Penn is to prepare one and send it to admissions. I’m not sure whether it would be examined with care. Brown has a more specific process than Penn. Stanford and Princeton have very well detailed processes so even if you’re not apply to them you may still want to study their process. I have no experience with UVA or Chicago.</p>
<p>But ultimately your question is “is it worth it – to create the necessary recording?” It depends. Are you very good? If so, then it’s worth it – in the sense that everything matters in applications to very selective colleges. The expense? With the right equipment in the hands of a capable recording engineer it should cost you no more than $200 or so. If you do decide on a recording than don’t compromise on the competence of the recording engineer or the quality of the recording. Modern electronics equipment for the purpose of creating music supplements is relatively inexpensive and a competent recording engineer will have the necessary equipment.</p>
<p>There’s a great deal of material on this subject on CC. Do a search. Also look over the requirements for arts/music supplements for each of the colleges on your list. A search should work here as well.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the detailed response. I will follow your advice.</p>