Happy New Year! What did your sons wear to their auditions? Any recommendations on proper attire for a music audition? Did they wear suits? Oxfords and khakis? Polo shirts? Thanks in advance.
I think somewhere along the lines of business casual is fine. A suit may be overdoing it, esp. since it may be uncomfortable to wear one while playing an instrument. I’ve seen mostly dress shirt + dress pants (or khakis) + dress shoes. Maybe a tie.
This is going to sound catty and most kids looked fine but there’s always these 2 groups:
Girls - clothing is too tight, too short, too revealing
Boys - clothing is too long (walking on the back of their pants), too big (dad’s dress shirt?) and too wrinkly
I really think for any kid, clothing that is clean, fits comfortably and is pressed (particularly for boys) will do the trick. A nice pair of dress slacks and a nice dress shirt are fine. Think of it as a job interview. If you have the financial means and cooperation of your son (!) buying good quality clothing may be worth the effort.
I will say this is for classical. And you should read other opinions as I have a girl vocalist.
And for jazz the “uniform” seemed much more relaxed. Wrinkly khakis and bed head seemed to be the uniform for jazz musicians to graduate in from my experience. All the classical students were decked out. It was interesting to note the difference.
And yes…dress shoes as mentioned above. A tie could be rolled up in a back pack to take out if he feels under dressed … but I’m sure many boys were “tieless”. See what he’s comfortable with too.
My son has had one audition so far - he wore a colorful dress shirt (no iron) with a tie and black pants and dress shoes. Other guys seemed to be dressed similarly (some w/o ties).
His teacher recommended a dress shirt/dress pants or khakis/dress shoes, with a tie if he was willing. He said for cold climates a nice sweater over a dress shirt is fine. He said some guys wear suits but it isn’t necessary.
Thanks everyone!
My son wore suit and tie to all of his auditions. Probably not necessary but he was used to it and, actually, felt pretty strongly about it. He’s a jazz saxophonist and it was always suit and tie for competitions and gigs from his sophomore year in high school.
It may not be dad’s dress shirt, but most high school and college age guys are skinnier and/or more athletically built than their dads. But most off-the-rack dress shirts are cut for their dads, so there may be too much material in some places. I.e. dress shirts may need alteration.
S plans to wear a suit to his jazz bass auditions. He wore one in the pre-screen videos. They wear suits in jazz bands. We estimate that nobody “looses points” for going in that direction.
As an undergraduate and now has a graduate student my son has played on many jazz auditions. He once said to me the quality of playing was inversely correlated with how dressed up an applicant was. The kids who looked like they were dressed to impressed or had been dressed by mom or dad never got admitted. So my advice to those who have Jazz musicians is just be YOURSELF. Where what represents you and makes you feel the most comfortable. Because I suspect those in the room can tell if you are not being you or not particularly comfortable and that will work against you.
My S is quite slim, he wears slim fit dress shirts. I have gotten them at Kohls, Macys and now Banana Republic. My S also wore a colorful dress shirt, tie and dress pants for his auditions, he’s a classical musician.
I would say neatness is the most important. True story. When I was with my son at his Eastman audition (he’s a senior there now) I witnessed something amazing. An Eastman professor came out and made a very big deal to some parents about their son’s ability. This boy had on jeans and converse sneakers. He did have a neat appearance.
For classical and music ed auditions, son was advised to wear a suit and then remove the jacket folding it neatly before performing. We did see many young men in neat slacks, dress shirt and tie. At one school, a student was exceptionally rumpled, unshaven and had bed head. When we went to an information session, the dean of music who heard the audition did go out of his way to discuss that they liked to see their musicians with a neat appearance. This was a music ed school and I’m assuming this was because they were educating future teachers.
For public school job interviews, he did wear a suit and tie for all interviews. As a teacher , he wears slacks and a dress shirt (most days without a tie).
For boys, definitely jacket and tie. It can be khakis, loafers and a blue blazer. Remember this is somewhat of a job interview. In the classical world in particular the expectation is that the artist will be properly attired.
We did quite a lengthy thread on this last year if someone cares to use the “search” feature!
mezzo’sMama is correct, there have been more than a few threads about this. In terms of music performance, you don’t need to wear a suit and tie or a formal gown to an audition (I defer on vocal auditions,not my world), what is often called “concert wear” is fine, which is basically a nice pair of pants and a nice shirt (my S usually wears all black), for a woman could be a pants outfit or a dress or skirt and top, this isn’t the 19th century. The most important thing is to wear something you are comfortable with, that doesn’t hinder movement or make you too hot or whatnot.
For singers, remember that you may well be on a stage with the adjudicators below you. That means:
Guys- Get a good haircut the week before your audition. Your socks need to match and your pants should be long enough not to look silly. Please shine your shoes. Do NOT wear a tux!
Girls- Your dress needs to be knee length or just above and mezzos can wear pants. No bare legs, open toed shoes, stiletto heels (but 2-3" heels are fine), thigh-high boots or things that will have them looking at your feet rather than your face. Get your hair off your face, simple jewelry, no cleavage. No formal gowns!
You want to be comfortable but look good. This is, in its way, an interview, and you are being judged on your first impression-make the most of it!