Admitted students intending to major in music are strongly encouraged to apply for a Carthage Music Theatre Scholarship. Each year, Carthage offers more than $300,000 in renewable music and music theatre scholarships to incoming freshmen and transfer students who demonstrate outstanding potential. Individual scholarships range from $500 to $10,000.

How to Schedule Your Scholarship Interview and Audition

An audition is required for admittance into the music theatre program and for scholarship consideration. All students are asked to first submit an application to the Office of Admissions before scheduling an audition. Students unable to attend the scheduled audition dates may contact the Fine Arts Coordinator at finearts@carthage.edu about alternate audition dates. 

To apply for a scholarship, please review the audition details below then fill out an audition application form. A confirmation email with important details will be sent once the application form is received and processed. Please read and keep this email. Students should add finearts@carthage.edu to their contacts to ensure they receive all the information.

We recommend that students participating in the February Presidential Scholarships try to schedule their music theatre auditions on a separate date if at all possible. 

In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence, masks and social distancing measures will be implemented at the in-person auditions. Details will be communicated via email in either the application confirmation or in a separate message.

Requirements for the Music Theatre Scholarship Auditions

Music Theatre Major In-Person Requirements

In-person auditions are preferred, but virtual auditions are available. Please see the Virtual Audition section below.

Performance Requirements

• Perform two memorized song cuts (solos) of contrasting nature (either style, genre, or tempo), each approximately no more than one and a half minutes in length.
• Perform two memorized monologues, each no longer than two minutes. Your pieces must come from published plays. Do not use your own writing, movies, TV, forensics or speech tournament pieces, or undocumented internet sources.
• A dance call is part of the music theatre audition. It will include ballet, jazz, and modern combinations. Those students who have tap experience may choose to perform that as well. Those with no dance experience are still required to participate in the dance call, but we understand that not everyone has dance experience.
• Music literacy and keyboard skills placement tests will also be part of the audition day.

Other Required Materials

• Email a copy of your resume to finearts@carthage.edu at least one week prior to your audition date.
• Email a clear 8.5 x 11 .pdf copy of your music to finearts@carthage.edu at least one week prior to your audition date.
• Email one letter of recommendation to finearts@carthage.edu. The letter should arrive before the end of February as the scholarship decisions are made in March.
• Bring clothing with you for the dance call:
  • Ballet slippers and jazz slippers (tap shoes optional)
  • Solid leotards or fitted T-shirts
  • Fitted dance pants or black (or pink) tights that can be rolled off the feet for the contemporary portion of the audition.
  • Hair should be worn neatly out of the face and eyes
  • No jewelry or baggy clothes
• A headshot is not required but is helpful. This can be emailed to finearts@carthage.edu along with your resume.

Suggestions for your In-Person Interview and Audition

• Give a clear introduction: state your name and the titles of your pieces.
• Perform facing straight ahead. Pick a focus point just over the heads of your audience or at a slight angle facing them.
• Select pieces that are close to your age range and physical type.
• Avoid dialects, pantomime, and props.
• Dress in comfortable but professional attire.
• Hair should be worn neatly out of your face and eyes.

Where to go for your In-Person Interview and Audition

Auditions are held in the H. F. Johnson Fine Arts Center (JAC). This building is located just south past the chapel. Turn right when you pass the chapel heading south. There is a visitor parking lot to your left. Our building is directly north. There are two sets of doors. Please enter the southwest doors (they have a colorful “JAC” on them) and head straight down the hall to our check-in desk. Our staff will direct you from there to a practice room and the audition room. View a campus map

Music Theatre Major Virtual Audition Requirements

Performance Requirements

Performances should be recorded as a video (a private YouTube link can be used as well). Videos should be emailed to finearts@carthage.edu by the date listed in your confirmation email.

• Perform two memorized song cuts (solos) of contrasting nature (either style, genre, or tempo), each no more than one and a half minutes in length.
• Perform two memorized monologues, each no longer than two minutes. Your pieces must come from published plays. Do not use your own writing, movies, TV, forensics or speech tournament pieces, or undocumented internet sources.
• Prepare a dance video. We understand that not everyone has dance experience. Once the interview and audition are scheduled, students will receive access to a collection of pre-recorded movement combinations similar to the material given at the in-person auditions. Students will be asked to learn and record video samples from this collection of pre-recorded exercises. Students will also receive instructions on recording and uploading audition video submissions into private folders on the ACCLAIM video platform.

Other Requirements

• Email a .pdf copy of your resume to finearts@carthage.edu by the date listed in your confirmation email.
• Email one letter of recommendation to finearts@carthage.edu before the end of February. Letters may be emailed to us directly from your teacher, mentor, coach, etc.
• A headshot is not required but is helpful. Please email a .pdf or .jpg to finearts@carthage.edu by the date listed in your confirmation email.

Suggestions for your Virtual Interview and Audition

• Give a clear introduction: state your name and the titles of your pieces.
• Perform facing straight ahead. Pick a focus point just over the heads of your audience or at a slight angle facing them.
• Select pieces that are close to your age range and physical type.
• Avoid dialects, pantomime, and props.
• Dress in comfortable but professional attire.
• Hair should be worn neatly out of your face and eyes.
• You can choose to perform your selections in any order — whatever makes you most comfortable! Decide before the audition what order you want to do — singing first, monologues first, or alternating singing and monologues. Choose what shows you off at your best!
• Make sure you are in a well-lit room so we can see you. It’s important that the light is in front of you so that we can see your face. If it’s behind you, we will see the light behind you but you will be in shadow.
• Check the background that will be viewable during your virtual audition. A neutral-colored, not patterned background is best. If you don’t have a plain wall to stand in front of at your home, you might try hanging a sheet behind you.
• Positioning your device: your phone, tablet, or computer are all good options for the virtual audition. Please plan in advance for where to put your device — make sure that we can see your body in the frame, and that it is more eye-level so that we can see you. If you are using your cell phone, please put it horizontally for the best image.
• You have multiple options for the accompaniment. You may already have an accompanist in your family or that you can sing with safely. You may be choosing to use a pre-recorded track. The most important part is for you to be able to hear the sound, and for us to be able to hear you! If you aren’t able to have a pianist or a pre-recorded track, you can also sing unaccompanied.
• Check out the sound of the room you are singing from. A more “live” space like a hallway can help us better hear your sound than a heavily carpeted room with lots of books on the wall. Do you know that great feeling of “live” sound in a stairwell or the shower? Look for that kind of resonance.
• Try to avoid any extra background noise. Make sure there isn’t a fan running, vacuum, etc. We know that sometimes noise from other family members is unavoidable — but try to find a quiet place where we can focus on you!
• Try to avoid performing directly into the camera. Just like movie actors don’t generally look directly into the camera, we don’t want you to be directly into the camera. Try looking just off to the right or left of the device. We want to avoid profile, which pulls your voice away from us, but we also want you to be able to gaze past the camera device so that we can see the full life of your audition.
• One last tip: try recording your audition and watching it back. This will help you see what we are going to see during the audition!

Questions?

Contact Fine Arts at Carthage at finearts@carthage.edu or call 262-551-5859.