Portfolio Submission Instructions

A photo of tubes of paint

Arts portfolio review for first-year applicants

First-year applicants who wish to demonstrate a remarkable talent in the arts have the option to submit a portfolio of their work for faculty review in up to two artistic disciplines. If you wish to do so, choose your preferred form of artistic expression(s) from the art supplement question on your admissions application.

Once we have processed your admissions application, the Portfolio Submission form will be added to your Application Portal. This form will ask you questions relevant to your planned artistic involvement while in college, as well as provide the option for you to submit an arts resume.

Once you submit the Portfolio Submission form, a Portfolio Upload link will appear in the checklist within your Application Portal. Use the Portfolio Upload link to submit the materials that best represent your interests and talents. Each program's requirements are described below.

Three easy steps to submit an arts portfolio

  1. Indicate your interest in submitting a portfolio on your application
  2. Submit the Portfolio Submission form available in your Application Portal
  3. Use the Portfolio Upload link in the checklist in your Application Portal to submit a portfolio

Portfolios are welcome for the following programs: Dance, Theater, Studio Art, Music

🟩 Dance

Applicants may submit up to two selections, with each selection containing a maximum two minutes of video featuring performance, rehearsal, or studio work representing your abilities. Each submitted video should not exceed two minutes. Your submission(s) can be an original piece or pieces choreographed by you or by another choreographer. The chosen submission(s) should highlight your uniqueness and strength as a dancer and/or choreographer. If you choose to submit a recording or recordings focused on group performance(s), please clearly identify which performer you are.

🟩 Theater

In lieu of a visual portfolio, the Department of Theater is interested in who you are as an artist and how theatre has impacted you. We ask that you take the time to answer the following short answer questions. Answers should be written, video submissions will not be reviewed.

  • Please tell us why theater interests you as a field of study and a creative practice. (up to 300 words)
  • Please tell us one true story about your personal engagement with theater studies and/or practice. (up to 300 words)
  • Please give an example of what you've learned about collaboration with others in your theater studies and/or practice to date. (up to 300 words)
     

🟩 Studio Art

Painting, drawing, and printmaking: submit five slides in any of the following: still life, figure, landscape, portrait, self-portrait, and deliberate abstraction. Drawings and paintings can be submitted as one portfolio, not to exceed five images.

  • Sculpture: submit five images of three-dimensional works in any or all of the following: mixed media, wood, metal, clay, installation or found objects.
  • Photography: submit five images.
  • Video, digital media, and electronic art: submit no more than three video segments of no more than five minutes each. If your work is a website, make a video that demonstrates the operation of the site. Do not submit the link or HTML code.

When uploading, please name your files with the name of the program, followed by the name of the area of interest, and a sequence number, i.e. "Studio Art Sculpture 1," "Studio Art Sculpture 2," etc.

🟩 Music

All Musicians:

Applicants may submit a maximum of two portfolios (i.e. flute/piccolo and classical soprano). Within each portfolio, please submit two or three short selections, of less than five minutes each, with the title and composer included. Submit unedited videos, recorded in a natural acoustic, with your face and hands (as relevant) in full view.

We are keenly interested in identifying artists who will have an outsized impact on our musical community. You are strongly encouraged to include a detailed musical resume as well as a narrative detailing your commitment to your musical area and how you intend to engage in music at Dartmouth.

Classical Instrumentalists

Solo performance or solos with accompaniment is preferred. Do not send full ensemble recordings unless you are a featured soloist. If you play a secondary instrument i.e. piccolo as secondary to flute, please submit two videos for your primary instrument and one video for your secondary instrument. If you play three instruments in an area, i.e. soprano, tenor, and baritone saxophone, please provide one video of each, clearly labeling your primary instrument. Percussionists should submit up to three videos covering as many areas as you are comfortable with, i.e. battery, mallets, timpani. Please only submit drum set videos as a third, tertiary area within a classical percussion portfolio.

Reviewed Instruments Classical:

  • Flute and/or Piccolo
  • Oboe and/or English Horn
  • Bassoon
  • Clarinet and/or Bass Clarinet
  • Saxophones (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone)
  • Trumpet
  • Horn
  • Trombone and/or Bass Trombone
  • Euphonium or Baritone
  • Tuba
  • Percussion
  • Piano
  • Harp
  • Violin
  • Viola
  • Cello
  • Double Bass
  • Classical Guitar
  • World Music: classical instruments from a non-Western tradition
Jazz Instrumentalists/Vocalists

Any instruments/vocals performed in a jazz style, or any style drawing from improvisation and Black creative music, will be reviewed. Solo performance, solos with accompaniment, or improvised solo accompanied by an ensemble is preferred. If you play secondary instruments, i.e. clarinet as secondary to saxophone, please submit two videos for your primary instrument, and one video for your secondary instrument. If you play three instruments in an area, i.e. soprano, tenor, and baritone sax, please provide one video of each, clearly labeling your primary instrument. Please submit your portfolio under the instrument that seems most appropriate.

Reviewed Instruments/Vocalists Jazz:

  • Jazz Saxophone
  • Jazz Trumpet
  • Jazz Trombone
  • Jazz Bass/Tuba/Sousaphone
  • Jazz Guitar
  • Jazz Piano and/or Keyboard
  • Jazz Drumset and/or Percussion
  • Jazz Vocals
  • Jazz Woodwinds: other
  • Jazz Brass: other
  • Jazz Instrumental: other
Vocalists: Classical and Gospel

Solo performance, solos with accompaniment, or improvised solo accompanied by an ensemble is preferred. In gospel choir portfolios, submitters are encouraged to include one video of their participation within an ensemble as a soloist or non-soloist. If you perform additional styles not indicated here, i.e. popular, musical theater, non-western, etc. please submit one to two videos in a primary style (classical or gospel), and an additional video in a secondary, supplemental style.

Reviewed Vocals:

  • Classical and Popular
  • Classical Soprano I or II
  • Classical Alto I or II
  • Classical Tenor I or II
  • Classical Bass I or II
  • Gospel Soprano
  • Gospel Alto
  • Gospel Tenor
  • Gospel Bass
Composition

Please provide two to three examples of your work including scores and recordings. If an individual work exceeds five minutes in length, please submit an uninterrupted excerpt or divide a single selection across multiple videos.

Reviewed Compositional Areas

  • Classical: instrumental and/or vocal
  • Songwriting: popular and/or musical theater
  • Electronic/Digital

 

 

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