Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz and Contemporary Music - Instrumental Concentration - Woodwinds

The Instrumental concentration within the BFA Jazz and Contemporary Music degree prepares you to become a unique contemporary musician. Our challenging and flexible curriculum lets you chart your own course, combining technical, conceptual, aesthetic, and historical aspects of jazz and contemporary music. Your academic journey as an instrumental student includes composition, improvisation, ensembles, lessons, and individual choice. Under the mentorship of faculty who are leading contemporary musicians, you gain instrumental fluency and performance experience and develop innovative skills to pursue a wide variety of careers in music. Take classes across The New School, including Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts.
Woodwinds
Choose your private instructor from more than fifty saxophone, reed, and flute teachers musicians like Anat Cohen, Billy Harper, and Joel Frahm. Other great faculty include Jane Ira Bloom, Jim Snidero, Elena Pinderhughes, David Schnitter, Darius Jones, and Melissa Aldana. Choose from ensembles like Charlie Parker Ensemble, Explorations in Swing, Thelonious Monk Ensemble, Herbie Hancock Ensemble, Joe Henderson Ensemble, Sonny Rollins Ensemble, The Art of the Rhythm Section, and Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, and more.

Complete the Required Essay
Essay 1

What social issue or construct would you choose to affect change through your study or work at The New School? (200-400 words)
Essay 2
What specific aspects of The New School's academic programs or community drew you to apply? Please pay particular attention to the college and program that you have applied to in your essay. (200-400 words)
Applicants will be invited to schedule their live audition or submit audition recordings once their Common Application has been received.
Letters of Recommendation
First Year Applicants
Applicants applying directly from high school must submit one counselor recommendation and one recommendation from a teacher. The Common Application School Report is also required.
Interviews
All applicants are required to complete a virtual Performing Arts Admission Interview with our faculty. Applicants will be invited to schedule their interview separately from their audition scheduling/submission process after a complete application has been received.
Consider Submitting Standardized Test Scores
The New School does not require submission of SAT or ACT scores and they do not generally play a significant part in our review process.
International Secondary School Requirements
The New School welcomes applicants from all over the world. To be competitive for admission, applicants must be on track to complete required coursework to earn a high school diploma within their home country that qualifies them for university entry. Below are some of the most common international secondary school curriculums that we see students applying from and helpful guidance for each one.
International Baccalaureate (IB): Students can pursue either the IB Diploma Program (DP) or IB Career-related Program (CP). Applicants who are taking individual IB courses as a supplement to a national curriculum are permitted to pursue individual IB courses rather than the DP or CP.

Minimum required scores are:
TOEFL iBT- 79
IELTS - 6.5