2024 Summer Arts Academy Scholarship

The Joel Foundation has generously donated 4-week scholarships for 15 students to attend LIHSA’s Summer Arts Academy. 

The criteria is:

  • Students must be in grades 8-11
  • Students must play a musical instrument or have prior experience in musical theatre or live vocal performance
  • If accepted, attend LIHSA’s Summer Arts Academy for all sessions (Weeks 1-4)  
  • Participate in a live performance at LIHSA on Friday, July 12th 
  • Complete and submit audition by Friday, May 10th

 

Audition Requirements: 

Instrumental Music

Instrumental Music

You must use YOUTUBE to upload your video. It should be an UNLISTED link and not marked private. No other video applications or formats will be accepted. 

At the beginning of each video, before performing, briefly introduce yourself by providing the following information. 

  • Your full name; 
  • Your school district; 
  • Title of the piece you will be playing; 
  • Why did you choose this piece? How does this piece speak to you as a musician? (30 seconds or less). 

Video 1 

Perform ONE prepared solo selection without accompaniment. Playing without accompaniment means playing by yourself without a track or additional instruments. 

  • Select a piece you feel confident performing that shows your skill level and musicality. 
  • Your face, hands, and whole instrument should be clearly visible, including the full keyboard for pianists. 

This audition video will be used to assess the following components: musicality, rhythm, technique, expression, and for certain instruments pitch, tone, and intonation. 

Video 2 

Perform ONE scale of your choice at a tempo (speed) you find comfortable. For Video #2, drummers (i.e., candidates who play non-pitched percussion instruments) submit a video of TWO rudiments, rather than scales.  

  • This is another opportunity for reviewers to learn more about how:  
  • low and how high you can play; 
  • comfortably and quickly you can move from note to note; 
  • clean and precise your playing is; 
  • well you are able to play in tune; 
  • well you know what notes make up your selected scale; 
  • playing the correct notes is most important; 

 

Musical Theatre

You must use YOUTUBE to upload your video. It should be an UNLISTED link and not marked private. No other video applications or formats will be accepted.

At the beginning of the first video, before performing, briefly introduce yourself by providing the following information.

  • Your full name
  • Your school district
  • Why you chose your monologues or songs (30 seconds or less)
  • Why do you want to study acting / musical theatre? (30 seconds or less)
  • State the title of the song, the name of the character, full title of the musical, composer and lyricist.

Musical Theater Song Videos:  (submit 2 videos)

Perform and upload 16 bars (or approximately one [1] minute) of a memorized song from a musical.  Songs can be performed with live or recorded accompaniment; accompaniment recordings should have no back-up vocals.  Choose a song performed by a relatable character and decide to whom your character is singing and why. You may select your own musical theater song to perform but are welcome to review and select from this  sample musical theater song library.

We recommend submitting a ballad and an up-tempo song. 

This audition video will be used to assess the following components: musicality, rhythm, pitch, tone, intonation, vocal range, technique, and expression.