BS in Music — Required Application Materials

Applications for the Bachelor of Science in Music will open on August 1, 2024 for both the university and the School of Music.

Each specialization within the Bachelor of Science in Music degree has specific application requirements. Carefully review the descriptions below, including the Requirement for All Specializations section. Prepare your submissions ahead of time as you will be asked to upload all required materials as media when completing your application on the Acceptd® portal.

OPTIONAL AUDITION — The audition process is an option for the Sonic Arts and the Creative Practice, Business and Technology specializations of the Bachelor of Science degree. It is required for the Computer Science specializations IF you do not submit a composition.

Taking an audition is required if you also wish to be considered for other degree programs within the School of Music (Performance, Music Education, Composition, Musicology, Bachelor of Arts in Music).

You will indicate your choice to take an audition on your School of Music application. All auditions must be prepared for your instrument according to the School of Music Audition Requirements.

Requirement for All Specializations

Each specialization below lists the required materials you must submit with your application. For each of those items, you are also required to provide a short statement explaining your involvement.

For example:

  • For a musical composition, the statement should explain whether you are the sole author of the work or a collaborator, and whether you are performing on the recording.
  • For a video work, the statement should explain whether you composed the video and the audio, or just the audio.
  • For software submissions, the statement should explain whether you were the sole author or worked as part of a team (if part of a team, explain your contribution to the project).

Sonic Arts Specialization

Required

  • Submit at least one musical composition — may be a score only, an audio file without a score, and/or video files for which you have composed the music.
  • Demonstrate an application or development of a software program. This may include one or more of the following:
    • A paper written for a computer science class that illustrates a programming or systems concept
    • A video that explains how you use a DAW (such as Reaper or Ableton Live or Fruity Loops, or a similar DAW) in your own work.
    • A program or app, including a brief explanation of the program/app with a short video demo as well as examples of the source code (do not send the entire program)
    • A MAX/MSP patch, a Pd patch, a SuperCollider script or a patch using any similar program. Please also include a description of the patch or script.

Optional

  • Perform an audition. A successful audition will not guarantee acceptance into the Bachelor of Science, but it will be considered as a positive element in your application. In addition, a successful audition will provide consideration for other music degrees, if you select that option on your application. To prepare an audition, follow the Audition Requirements for your instrument.

Computer Science Specialization

Required

  • Demonstrate experience with software programming and/or concepts by means of one of the following:
    • An idea for a mobile, desktop or web program which involves music; see Software Proposal example [pdf].
    • A short video demo of a software program or application you created
    • An example of the source code you wrote; see Code Sample [pdf].
    • A MAX/MSP patch, a Pd patch, a SuperCollider script or a patch using any similar program. Please also include a description of the patch or script.

Choose one or both of the following:

  • Submit at least one musical composition — may be a score only, an audio file without a score, and/or video files for which you have composed the music. 
and/or
  • Perform an audition. A successful audition will not guarantee acceptance into the Bachelor of Science, but it will be considered as a positive element in your application and is required if no musical composition is submitted. In addition, a successful audition will provide consideration for other music degrees, if you select that option on your application. To prepare an audition, follow the Audition Requirements for your instrument.

[pdf] — Some links in this section are to PDF files requiring Adobe Reader. If you need them in a more accessible format, please contact us.

Creative Practice, Business and Technology Specialization

This specialization helps you create, produce and promote your music using the tools of the modern music marketplace. The application materials you submit help us to understand who you are, where you are now, where you plan to go in the future, and how this program can help you.

Required Materials

  1. Essay: The Music Marketplace Today and Why It Matters to You
    • What is the most important aspect of music to you? Is it a musical genre? A way of distributing music to the public? Creative technologies that support making and sharing musical experience? Or something else?
    • Why is this important to you?
    • Is this aspect of the music world important to society? Why?
    • What role or roles do you see yourself having in the world of music you are discussing?
    • How will the BS in Music help you to achieve your goals in music?
  2. Sample: Creative Work or Entrepreneurial Project (choose 1)
    • Submit audio or video sample of your creative work - songs, beats, performances, video, or multimedia. Or submit descriptive materials for your entrepreneurship project: website, social media page, or other materials.
    • Describe your role in the creation/production of this work or project
    • Explain how this work relates to what you find important in your essay about the music marketplace today.
    • What does this work represent in terms of your career goals and development?

Optional

  • Perform an audition. A successful audition will not guarantee acceptance into the Bachelor of Science, but it will be considered as a positive element in your application. In addition, a successful audition will provide consideration for other music degrees, if you select that option on your application. To prepare an audition, follow the Audition Requirements for your instrument.
Note on Artificial Intelligence Tools

If you decide to use an artificial intelligence tool (ChatGPT, for example) to help you research and/or draft your essay, be sure to do the following:

  • State that you have used AI and the platform you used.
  • Share the prompt(s) you used to generate the response
  • Describe the steps you took to confirm the AI-provided information is correct. For example, list additional sources that confirm contents of that material.
  • Be sure to fully revise generated content to reflect your own point of view and voice. Don’t let your essay be something generic. Make it about your authentic self.