I am applying to several contemporary music programs in the next few months and am struggling with what to wear.
If these were classical auditions, I would go with a suit and tie, but I feel that would definitely be overdoing it. These schools break into two camps too. There’s the Jazz/Contemporary schools (where I think I would wear something slightly nicer) and the Contemporary/Contemporary schools.
I’m just wondering if anyone has any experience with this and can share their knowledge.
My son wore nice khakis and a button down shirt to his auditions – he did both jazz auditions and pop. The straight jazz kids seemed more dressed up, but it comes down to comfort. Look presentable and be comfortable. Good luck!
Would love to hear personal experiences and observations about what is worn to ALL types of auditions. I seem to remember reading about MT and vocal audition-wear last year. These kids definitely seem to have a well developed “look”. No idea how fancy (or not) the classical kids get. Suggestions?
Why not contact the schools via email & ask ?
Following! S wore a nice button down shirt and khakis to Berklee audition and was definitely on the traditional end of auditioners that day. He’s a jazz kid so may go with a suit at some programs. We asked his teacher who just said “look nice.”
At the USC auditions last year, all the classical kids were in black suits/dressy dresses. The pop/jazz kids were in pants and tops or nice not too dressy dresses for the girls. As long as you don’t go in there with jeans and t-shirts I think you will be fine. The faculty is concentrating on your talent, hopefully!
Look nice is perfect! It means clean clothes that are ironed/steamed and a nice pair of dress shoes. I would add two others points (note my D was classical).
Fit, fit, fit. Do your clothes fit? For smaller to mid sized guys you do see pants that are too long with, maybe, dad’s dress shirt? It’s the baggy look. Maybe get a fitted shirt and shorten the pants. A pair of dress pants/khakis with a dress shirt and nice shoes will do (for more style see below). For girls, a nice dress will do with closed toe, low pumps. For girls with an ample bass or treble, it can be hard to find something current that fits everywhere right. I don’t think girls are trying to be a distraction (a sexist word in my opinion) but it is hard to find a good fit for all body sizes…resulting in the dress being too tight in places or too short. You don’t want to add costs now but buying a size up and getting a dress tailored is a solution to fit problems. If you are going to be in classical music in particular, you will need to have gowns tailored consistently so…no time like the present to get to know a good tailor. It’s not that expensive. Of course hair should be neat for all. Make-up for girls basic.
The best advice we got was: don’t be afraid to show a little personality. Classical, jazz, contemporary all probably have an audition “uniform” or two. There’s nothing wrong with the standard. If that’s what makes your kid comfortable, do that. For VP, a stylish, but still conservative, black dress with black pumps is a fine choice. BUT if your kid feels more comfortable (more him or herself) in something more stylish that’s fine. Maybe your kid wants a tie with a little personality. He doesn’t want to look like everyone else. My D went with an ivory dress that had lace with fringes. It was interesting…I was afraid too much. At her first audition as she left, a teacher said…and I love your dress. That teacher ended up being her teacher. Showing a little personality…if it’s you follow the standards or not…can get you to the right teacher.
And of course practice in your clothes to make sure you can move/breath appropriately. Be sure to scuff the bottom of dress shoes so you don’t slip.
Edit: I did argue with my D about her dress. That’s why I remember it so well. I thought it was a tad short too. Guess who got her nose rubbed in it after that first audition. My D now auditions with blue hair…which I don’t comment on. So I have a kid who never followed the standard uniform.
I ended up having a friend who is very fashionable take my S shopping for audition clothes (vs. annoying parent). Two things drove S’ decision-making:
Kid has two nice pairs of trousers (grey and dark blue) and two button down shirts that are plaid. He looks contemporary (and he’s a classical player) and it’s a nice change from ‘concert black’ or tuxedo. Also my friend talked him into fun accessories - cool socks and a nice belt. If you have a Nordstrom in your area, they do a fantastic job with tailoring and if you can catch one of their sales, not much more expensive than other places.