Keyboard Studies

Applicants to programs in Keyboard Studies must submit a recording to be prescreened by the faculty. Video recordings are required. Audio only recordings will not be accepted. The results of this prescreen will determine whether an applicant will be invited to perform a live audition. Prescreen results will be sent to applicants via email in late December.

Each movement of each piece submitted for prescreen must be uploaded as a separate file in the media section of the SlideRoom portfolio (e.g., a Bach prelude and fugue must be uploaded separately, each movement of a Beethoven sonata must be uploaded separately). Each uploaded file must also be labeled to indicate the composer, title, and movement (if applicable). This labeling must be done in the designated “TITLE” field in the SlideRoom portfolio. 

The prescreen recording should include the following works entirely from memory:

1. Baroque – a Prelude and Fugue by J.S. Bach from The Well-Tempered Clavier
2. Classical – a complete multi-movement sonata by a classical composer, up to and including Schubert, but excluding Beethoven opp. 49 and 79
3. One piece from the Romantic, Impressionistic or Contemporary repertoire
4. An etude of virtuosity at the level of those by Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Debussy, Bartok, Stravinsky, or Ligeti

All applicants should carefully note that no concerti will be accepted as audition pieces and that all audition pieces must be memorized. Persons failing to prepare the full audition program following the guidelines described above on the prescreen recording will not be permitted to perform a live audition nor offered admission to the program.

The Keyboard Studies faculty welcomes and encourages repertoire composed by marginalized and/or under-represented groups, including but not limited to, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women. To view a list, please click here.

All applicants to undergraduate Thornton programs are required to submit a single-take, unedited, and preferably unscripted 1-2 minute video that offers a brief personal introduction and answers the following question: How do you envision using your USC Thornton education to become a force for positive change in the evolution of the music profession and music as an art form?

The classical music profession is changing, and we’re changing with it. USC Thornton’s undergraduate classical music curriculum (called “The ReDesign”) maintains a rigorous foundation of the finest conservatory training, while also offering flexibility for students to chart their own artistic pathway. We aim to create musical leaders who can not only take advantage of traditional opportunities, but also discover new ones – and even create their own. All four years are aimed at the two things most important to musicians: taking their musicianship to the highest levels and preparing for a thriving professional life.

At the heart of the ReDesign is the Young Artist Project. This individualized, mentored project is pursued during the junior and senior years of the program, and requires students to develop and fully realize a unique project related to their work as a classical musician. This could involve developing a hybrid performance, conducting original research, exploring new technologies, or applying creative expression to a pressing social issue.

To help us get to know our applicants and their unique identity as young musicians, all applicants to undergraduate programs in the Thornton School are required to submit (via SlideRoom) a single-take, unedited, and preferably unscripted video of no more than two minutes. In this video applicants must answer the following question: If you were pitching your Young Artist Project idea today, what is the most daring project you would propose and why?”

The résumé should list musical, professional, and academic experience and is generally 1-2 pages in length.

This list should include works studied and performed. Etudes, scale studies, arias, art songs, chamber music, solo pieces, and original compositions are all examples of what could be included in this list.

Current USC students are required to submit an unofficial USC transcript and “Registered Course List” available through myUSC.

To access your “Unofficial Transcript,” log into myUSC (my.usc.edu) and click “OASIS.” Under “Course Information,” select “Unofficial Transcript,” which is the history of your completed courses including units and grades. Important note: the STARS report will not be accepted in lieu of the “Unofficial Transcript.”

• Note: If you are currently enrolled in your first semester at USC and have not yet completed any courses, upload a PDF document with the following statement: “I am currently enrolled in my first semester at USC and have not yet completed any courses at USC.”

To access your “Registered Course List,” log into myUSC (my.usc.edu) and click “OASIS.” Click “Continue” to access your course information and then select “Registered Course List.”

• Note: you only need to upload your registered courses for the current fall semester.

Optional letters of recommendation for the Thornton School may be submitted through the SlideRoom References section. Important notes for optional letters of recommendation:

• Any optional letters of recommendation you want reviewed by the faculty must be submitted via the Thornton SlideRoom References form by the appropriate deadline (October 1 for spring admission, December 1 for fall admission). We cannot guarantee the review of any material received after the deadline.
• Any recommendations sent via mail or email will not be reviewed by the faculty.

Applicants to the Thornton School will be required to complete and upload the following form in SlideRoom:

• Consent and Release Form (if applicant is under 18 years of age by December 1, 2024)

For helpful Slideroom media upload troubleshooting tips, please click here.

Applicants must prepare the following works entirely from memory for the live audition:

1. Baroque – a Prelude and Fugue by J.S. Bach from The Well-Tempered Clavier
2. Classical – a complete multi-movement sonata by a classical composer, up to and including Schubert, but excluding Beethoven opp. 49 and 79
3. One piece from the Romantic, Impressionistic or Contemporary repertoire
4. An etude of virtuosity at the level of those by Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Debussy, Bartok, Stravinsky, or Ligeti

All applicants should carefully note that no concerti will be accepted as audition pieces and that all audition pieces must be memorized. Persons failing to prepare the full audition program following the guidelines described above will not be offered admission to the program.

The Keyboard Studies faculty welcomes and encourages repertoire composed by marginalized and/or under-represented groups, including but not limited to, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women. To view a list, please click here