Arts Portfolio FAQ

An Arts Portfolio is treated as one factor among many in an undergraduate application. These materials are entirely optional and will be reviewed at the discretion of the Office of Undergraduate Admission and the arts faculty. Students are never penalized for submitting or not submitting an Arts Portfolio.

An Arts Portfolio (formerly called the Arts Supplement) is a way for students to highlight their talents and accomplishments in the arts. Stanford applicants with serious interest or background in musical performance, composition or conducting may choose to supplement their application for admission with an audition in music. Audition videos, compositional media, and supporting documents must be uploaded via the web from your application. After Stanford receives an application, the student is sent a link and instructions for uploading a portfolio within a few days. Recordings may reside on an external site such as YouTube or Vimeo, and can be submitted by posting a hyperlink to the online audition. Vocal, instrumental, and conducting files must be submitted in video format, and most show the student's face. No audio-only files will be accepted except for composition submissions.

You may submit one Arts Portfolio. We suggest that your Arts Portfolio in Music contain two or three short, contrasting pieces. In general, portfolios should focus on one category only, and performance portfolios should focus on one area only within that category. Refrain from submitting multiple instruments or elements from multiple general genres. Instruments within the same brass or woodwind family in different pitches are OK. Different orchestral percussion instruments in the same Arts Portfolio would be considered usual.

We are unable to offer live auditions.

For a list of voice and instrument areas we are able to evaluate, visit our Arts Portfolio page.

Choose pieces that best demonstrate your abilities. We review all submissions that come in complete and by the appropriate deadline.

VOCALISTS in the Western Classical subcategory are strongly encouraged to include at least one piece in English and one in another European language.

COMPOSERS have no time limit and should submit two or three audio files of pieces of contrasting style, with audio files, if available.

Not necessarily. However, résumés should be concise and have a clear organizational structure. Commonly listed items include: current and previous instructors, notable soloist opportunities, employment related to music, awards and honors, and select repertoire lists. Tip: Put your name in the file name of the résumé!

We regret we are unable to offer live auditions.

No. When you apply to Stanford, you apply to the university as a whole, not to a particular major, department or school. An Arts Portfolio is an optional supplement that allows you to show a different aspect of yourself when applying to Stanford. To understand degree requirements in Music and the steps for declaring a Music major or minor, visit the Stanford Bulletin online at https://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/schoolofhumanitiesandsciences/music/.

The instructions for creating an Arts Portfolio are the same for all applicants, regardless of what major they might choose. If you have extraordinary talent in the arts, you are encouraged to create an Arts Portfolio. When you apply to Stanford, you apply to the university as a whole, not to a particular major, department or school.

In some cases, yes. You can check with the rleigh [at] stanford.edu (subject: Arts%20Portfolio) (undergraduate student services officer). We regret are unable to review Indian classical music areas.

Your video(s) should be about you, and we should be able to see and hear you clearly. Your video(s) can include other musicians provided that you set up the camera and microphone so the focus is on you.

An arts supplement video for taiko which includes other players is acceptable if the applicant is unambiguously identified and the piece includes a substantial solo by the applicant. It will only be possible to evaluate submissions in which the applicant's playing form (kata) can be viewed. To that end taiko players are encouraged to submit duets or ensemble pieces in which they are solo-ing in the front row of the ensemble and clearly identified.

The portfolio portal will ask for the email address of a recommender, who is specific to the portfolio in Music.

Arts Portfolio videos should be no older than a year from the submission deadline.

Not in most cases. (Exceptions: percussion or a series of wind or brass instruments in different pitches.) You can include other performance experience in your music résumé, but we may only review one specific category per applicant. Classical and jazz submissions should be considered separate instrument or voice areas, and you will need to choose one area only.

Students may perform with an accompanist, with recorded accompaniment, or without accompaniment. If performing with prerecorded accompaniment, the recording should be played from a device with a speaker in the room with you. We are sympathetic to the fact that the sound from the latter is less that ideal, but we cannot allow overlays or other edits that manipulate the content of the performance. The speaker of your output device will be completely acceptable.

There is no advantage or disadvantage to performing in any of the ways described above.

We would prefer that Conducting videos provides a front or side view of the conductor (i.e., not from behind in the audience), though, we will accept a video shot from the audience's perspective.

Yes. Ten minutes is a suggested combined length for your performance videos. Please be aware that the faculty may choose to review ten minutes or less of the video.

You may choose to submit your pieces as separate files if you wish, and this may be more convenient. You can insert a title slide for each piece if you wish.