We hear from lots of applicants with questions about their audition video, so we’ve put together this handy guide to help you with preparing yours.
One of the most important parts of your application to the Ingenium Academy is your audition video. We love receiving these, because we get to meet your musical personality straight away! It’s not a scary or intimidating challenge - your audition shows us your strengths as a musician and helps us to gauge your level, so that we can make sure you get the most out of your time with us.
Step 1: Choose your music
All the information about what you need to include in your audition video is in the How To Apply section of our website. Find the page related to auditions for your chosen programme, e.g. ‘Piano Auditions’.
On these pages there is a description of what you need to include in your video, but to make it extra clear we’ve written it here as well:
Instrumental Programme
- One movement (or part of a movement) from a work written for your instrument. This can be performed either with or without piano accompaniment.
- The orchestral excerpt for your instrument, downloadable here as a PDF.
Vocal Programme
A minimum of 2 contrasting pieces. At least one piece must be sung in English, and at least one piece must be unaccompanied.
Piano Programme
- A minimum of 2 contrasting pieces
- 1 piece of technical work (a scale or study/étude) appropriate to your current level
Saxophone Programme
- A minimum of 2 contrasting pieces, or excerpts from longer pieces. Both accompanied and unaccompanied performances are fine.
- 1 piece of technical work (a scale or study/étude) appropriate to your current level
When you’re choosing what piece to prepare, remember that this audition is not just about showing us how fast you can play or how high you can sing - we want to see you at your very best, so choose music you love that shows off your musicality as well.
Your video should be no more than about 10 minutes long and no less than 5 minutes - but don’t worry too much if your chosen video is a tiny bit longer or shorter. It’s ok to perform part of a piece, and there is no need to have an accompanist if you don’t have access to one.
Step 2: Practise
The secret to every great musician! Practice makes perfect, so spend some time with your chosen pieces and work on the bits you find difficult. If you want your musicality to shine through in your performance, first master the tricky bits so that you can think about the whole phrase, not just the notes or lyrics.
Step 3: Get ready
We don’t mind if your video is shot in a practice room, a school hall, a living room or even in your garden! What we do care about is that we can see and hear you clearly, so try and make sure you are in a quiet environment with enough space to perform. Please ensure we can see your technique, and your face (so we know it’s really you).
You can use any method you like to record your video. Smartphones, tablets, laptops, video cameras and any other kind of recording device are all equally acceptable. We don’t need a Hollywood movie, just make sure the quality is good enough that we can see and hear you well.
Step 4: Perform
Good luck! Remember to enjoy it, and relax. Remember we aren’t looking for the perfect performance, we want to see your personality and your love of music shine through.
Step 5: Send your video
Once your video is captured, you’re ready to send it to us. You don’t need to know how to edit videos, so if you send us your pieces separately that’s fine. There are just a few things to remember before you send your video:
- Make sure the file name includes your full name (so we know who it is).
- We cannot accept videos that have been manipulated to change/improve the performance.
- Most file types are fine, but we prefer .mp4 or .mov files if possible.
There are lots of different ways to send your video audition to us. You can upload it to our application form, or send it via YouTube or Vimeo (but remember to keep it ‘unlisted’). Normally we recommend using WeTransfer for large video files, which is a very reliable website.
… and you’re done!
We can’t wait to watch your auditions, seeing so many talented young musicians from all over the world is the highlight of our week.
If you have any questions about your audition, we are always on hand to offer help and advice at info@ingeniumacademy.com
