Applicants for the Program in Music Composition must have demonstrated compositional skills and a Bachelor’s degree, preferably in music, from an accredited college or university. An applicant whose undergraduate degree is in a discipline other than music must have demonstrated knowledge of music theory appropriate to his or her musical goals, technical ability appropriate to musical goals, ability to read music, and ability to perform on a musical instrument. Each student must have access to computer hardware, software, and user skills adequate to the needs of the chosen musical genre.
rolling admission Process
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; we recommend meeting the priority review deadline for full admission and financial aid purposes.
Rolling Admissions Final Deadline for August 2012 Residency: June 15, 2012
Application Materials.
You may fill out an online application, download a .pdf application from our website, or request an application form to be sent by mail. In order to be considered for admission to the Music Composition program, all applicants must submit the following:
- A completed and signed application form.
- A $75 non-refundable application fee (made payable to Vermont College of Fine Arts).
- A resume of education, relevant professional experience, compositions, significant performances, scholarships, and professional recognition.
- Official transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate coursework. The applicant should request that these transcripts be sent directly from each college to the Vermont College of Fine Arts Admissions Office.
- Two recent letters of recommendation sent directly from the writers to the Admissions Office. These letters should discuss your qualifications for master’s level study in composition and your aptitude for independent learning.
- A statement of purpose up to 1000 words in length. The statement of purpose should address the following questions:
What are your current musical goals and reasons for seeking a Master of Fine Arts Degree
in Music Composition?
Which area of composition (Contemporary Composition, Electronic Music, Jazz, Scoring for
Media, or Songwriting) are you most interested in pursuing through VCFA studies?
- Three samples (.mp3) of your original compositions with scores in .pdf format. Scores can be sent via the online application as attachments or via mail directly to Admissions. Preferably, samples will be in the area in which you wish to focus at VCFA. If you wish to study in a genre different from your samples, please address your rationale for moving into that genre and your qualifications for doing so in your statement of purpose.
For Scoring for Media applicants, at least one sample should be composed to picture
(.mov format); audio/visual samples and interactive samples may also be sent as links
to content imbedded within a website. Please credit any studios or collaborators
involved in the creation of your recordings.
Electronic Music/Sound Art applicants submitting works for electronic media alone
are not required to submit scores. Compositions combining acoustic instruments with
electronics should be accompanied by a score.
- A list in pdf format that briefly describes your music samples and puts each into context or addresses its significance to your development as a composer or to your compositional process. Please provide dates of completion, performance information if any, and instrumentation, or in the case of electronic music, what programs were used.
Access our online and .pdf applications here.
To submit your music samples, access our ftp site here.