Music Industry

You are required to submit a Statement of Purpose (400 – 550 words) that communicates your plans and goals related to the pursuit of this program. Why do you wish to pursue the BS in Music Industry degree at USC Thornton? Besides having a passion for music, what makes you an ideal candidate for this program?

Essay 1

You are required to submit a short answer not to exceed seventy (70) words to the following question:

• Which of the following statements best describes your career goals in the music industry? Briefly explain your choice.
  • I am primarily focused on building my career as a professional artist, performer, songwriter or producer.
  • I am primarily focused on building a career supporting artists, performers, songwriters, or producers – (other than myself) in business, strategic planning, legal advising, or creative development roles.

Essay 2

Choose one (1) of the following prompts below and respond with a short essay (100-350 words).

• Create a five-song setlist (listing the title and the artist) that reflects your life up to this point. What does each track represent, and why did you select it?
• If you were to create a new flavor Oreo for your favorite artist, which artist would you select, and what flavor Oreo would you create?
• Create a very specific music industry conspiracy theory that includes yacht rock, a hologram, or both.
• If streaming disappeared tomorrow and you are tasked with advising an up-an-coming artist/band with no major label support, what is your first move to help them survive?
• If you could host two currently living people in the music industry for dinner, who would you host and what is the first question you would ask each of them?
• If you were stranded on a deserted island with only enough battery life remaining to listen to one song, which song would you select, and why?

A video submission consisting of one (1) recording: You are required to submit a video recording (not to exceed one (1) minute) in the SlideRoom media section responding to the following prompt:

• What will your first job be once you graduate from the Music Industry Program? How will you go about finding and securing this job?
  

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 music profession is changing, and we’re changing with it. USC Thornton’s undergraduate music curriculum maintains a rigorous foundation of the finest professional training, while also offering flexibility for students to chart their own pathway. We aim to develop leaders in the music profession, who can not only take advantage of traditional opportunities, but also discover new ones – and even create their own.

One of the components of this forward-thinking curriculum is the required Final Project, completed in the senior year, which allows students to develop and fully realize a unique project related to their work as young music professionals. This could involve product development, a live music concept, exploring new technologies, addressing a pressing social issue through music, conducting original research, or any number of other possible approaches.

To help us get to know our applicants and their unique identity as young music professionals, 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 Final Project idea today, what is the project you would propose and why?”

The résumé is generally 1-2 pages in length and should focus on the following:

• Education- emphasizing your academic history
• Professional endeavors: identify work, internships, and/or volunteer positions
• Extra-curricular activities: identify activities beyond your classes
• Leadership: identify leadership roles you may have held as part of any of your previous experience(s)

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 (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.