Double Degree Program

Admission

For the academic year 2008–09, The Bard College Conservatory of Music will accept students (including a limited number of transfer students) in the following majors:

  • Bass
  • Bassoon
  • Cello
  • Clarinet
  • Composition
  • Flute
  • Horn
  • Oboe
  • Piano
  • Trombone
  • Trumpet
  • Tuba
  • Viola
  • Violin

The Conservatory is now in its third year. In the coming years, the Conservatory will add students in sufficient numbers to reach its full enrollment of approximately 140 students. Please note that degrees in conducting and voice are offered only for graduate students. Please click here for admissions for the Conducting Institute or the Graduate Program in Vocal Arts.


Application Process

Applying for the Bard College Conservatory of Music double degree program is a three part process:

  • Apply for admission to Bard College
  • Submit a prescreening CD or DVD (preferred) (repertoire requirements)
  • Submit a short musical biography

ALL application materials (including the Bard College application) should be sent to:

The Bard College Conservatory of Music
30 Campus Road
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000

1. Apply for admission to Bard College.

For full instructions, see the Bard College Catalogue or visit Bard's website. Candidates may apply to Bard through the regular or the Early Action application process, or, in certain cases, through the Bard Immediate Decision Plan. They may use either the Bard Application or the Common Application, both available on the Bard website. Indicate clearly on the application that you are applying to the Conservatory. If you are using the Common Application, indicate at the top of the page that you are applying also to the Conservatory.

The Bard College application should be sent directly to the Bard Conservatory at the address below and not to the Bard Admissions office.

For general information on admission criteria and Bard's expectations of applicants, see the Bard College Admission webpage.

2. Submit a prescreening CD or DVD.

The deadline for submission of the prescreening CD/DVD is January 15, 2008. Your name and address should also appear on both the CD or DVD and its cover. Click here for repertoire requirements for individual instruments.

You may also upload your audition CD in mp3 format. Please go to http://conservatory.bard.edu/login.phtml for more information.

Live auditions for those who pass the prescreening round will be held in early March 2008. Candidates for admission to the Bard Conservatory will be notified around February 1 whether they have been selected for audition, and, if so, the time and place of the audition. The audition repertoire may be the same as that included in the CD. Auditions take place in New York City around the time of the auditions of other East Coast conservatories. Every attempt will be made to accommodate students for whom travel to New York City presents difficulties. Applicants will be notified of a decision in early April 2008.

Additional materials are needed from those who wish to major in composition: a minimum of two scores with recordings (see below) and a personal statement about why composing has become important in your life and how you see it developing in the future. Students who wish to study both performance and composition as majors should apply in both areas.

3. Submit a short musical biography.

Your musical autobiography should include the names of teachers, dates and places of study, public performances, honors and awards, and other information on your musical influences and education. If you are applying as a transfer student, indicate clearly the number of academic years or semesters you have already completed and your reasons for wishing to transfer.


Do not send application materials to the Bard College general admissions office. ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS (INCLUDING BARD COLLEGE APPLICATION) SHOULD BE SENT TO:

The Bard College Conservatory of Music
30 Campus Road
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000

For further information please call 845-758-7196 or e-mail conservatory@bard.edu.


Prescreening CD/DVD Repertoire Requirements

For piano

  • A work by J. S. Bach
  • A movement of a classical sonata
  • A movement or work from the romantic era
  • A 20th-century work
  • A work of your choice

For violin

  • Two contrasting movements from an unaccompanied Bach partita or sonata
  • A movement of a standard concerto
  • A movement of a sonata
  • A work of your choice

For viola

  • Two contrasting movements from an unaccompanied Bach suite (originally for cello) or partita or sonata (originally for violin)
  • A concerto movement or étude
  • A movement of a sonata
  • A work of your choice

For cello

  • Two contrasting movements from an unaccompanied Bach suite
  • A movement of a standard concerto
  • A movement of a sonata
  • A work of your choice

For bass

  • An étude
  • Two contrasting sonata movements
  • A work of your choice

For flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon

  • A concerto movement
  • An étude
  • A 20th-century work
  • A work of your choice

For trumpet, trombone, horn or tuba

  • A concerto or sonata movement
  • An étude
  • A 20th-century work
  • A work of your choice

For composition

  • Recordings of the works submitted (preferably not in MIDI format)
  • A recording of your playing if you play an instrument, even if you are not intending also to major in performance

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International Students

International students who are interested in applying to the Conservatory should contact the Conservatory office by e-mail to discuss arrangements for auditions. If a live audition in the United States in late February or early March is not feasible, the applicant may be asked to send a videotape or DVD in place of a live audition.

A TOEFL (Test of English as a Second Language) score of 600 (paper based) or 250 (computer based) or equivalent evidence of English language proficiency is expected for admission. In certain circumstances international students may be granted Exception Admit status for their first year at Bard, with the understanding that by the start of the second year these students will have achieved the required level of English-language proficiency. For such students, First-Year Seminar will be postponed to year two. In their first year these students' full-time course load (12 credits) will consist typically of Studio Instruction (4 credits); Independent Study–Chamber Music (2 credits); Independent Study–Orchestra (2 credits); and English as a Second Language (4 credits). In order to complete the double-degree program in five years, Exception Admit students will need to carry increasingly full schedules in subsequent years. For some majors, it may not be possible for Exception Admit students to graduate in five years.

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Fees and Expenses

The annual tuition and fees for the Conservatory program are the same as for the College. Note, though, that the program will usually require five years rather than four, and students may choose to enroll in summer and January intersession programs, which involve additional costs.

Click here for complete information about Tuition, Fees, Billing, and Payment.

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Financial Aid

Through the administration of its financial aid program, Bard College seeks to assist students and families whose personal resources do not allow for total payment of the costs of attending a small private college. The College is committed to helping as many qualified candidates as its funds will allow; in recent years, approximately two-thirds of all students have received financial aid.

Financial aid is awarded on the basis of need, musical ability, and academic achievement and promise. Financial need is determined annually by the U.S. Department of Education, the College Scholarship Service of the College Board (CSS), and Bard College. In order to qualify for financial assistance, students must submit the appropriate forms annually. Forms and other materials are available in the fall and early winter of each year. It is important to meet the deadlines.

The Bard Admission Committee evaluates applications without regard to financial need. International students may be eligible, based on need and merit, for Bard scholarships and loans. Awards are made without reference to ethnic or national origin, sex, age, marital status, or handicap. Types of available financial aid are summarized in the Bard College Catalogue. More detailed information can be obtained from the Office of Financial Aid website.

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