here - The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush

THE
ARTS ACADEMY
AT BENJAMIN RUSH
11081 Knights Rd.
Philadelphia, PA 19154
215.281.2603
Lori DeFields, Principal
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS
VISUAL ARTS
On the day of the audition students will be instructed to draw from a still life for approximately 45 minutes. Students are
expected to use the entire time to work on their drawings to the best of their abilities. During this time, our visual arts
teachers will ask each student to show their portfolio and engage in a brief interview, then return to their drawing until the
time is up.
Portfolio:
Applicants will submit a portfolio of 6-8 pieces of artwork they have created in and out of school, which reflects their training,
experience and special interests. Small three-dimensional objects, photographs, and graphic design are acceptable for
inclusion. All work should be original. Drawings & paintings should be created from direct observation rather than copied
from photos, comic books or other sources. You MUST include a self-portrait in ANY medium.
Media:
Work submitted may include a variety of media, such as pencil, crayon, oil pastel, charcoal, tempera, watercolor, mixed media,
sculpture, ceramics, wood fiber. Photographs from film or digital media are also accepted. Photographs and graphic design
samples should be printed and included in the portfolio book. Works on video, such as short narrative and documentary films
may be submitted on CD or DVD.
PERFORMING ARTS
Theatre: Students auditioning for theatre should prepare a 1-2 minute memorized monologue.
OR
Present a portfolio of creative writing (short stories, playwrighting, poetry, ect.) Students should prepare to read a piece aloud
(2 minute maximum).
Dance:
All dance auditionees must participate in a dance class the day of the audition and come prepared in proper dance attire to
the audition (ie. leotard, tights, yoga pants and hair pulled up). The students must also prepare a 2 minute dance to present to
the teacher. It is suggested to pick the style of dance that you are best at performing. Please bring a photograph of yourself to
hand in at the time of your class.
Vocal Music:
Applicants should present a performance of two pieces of contrasting style and genre for their audition (i.e. one up-tempo
pop song, one musical theatre ballad). One song may be a pop/contemporary tune but the other song must be a non-pop
song (musical theatre, classical, jazz, folk, patriotic, gospel, etc.) In addition to the two pieces, applicants will be asked to sing
a short sight-reading excerpt that the teacher will play for them and to match pitches on the piano. Students will also be
asked interview questions at the end of the audition.
Please note: Applicants may sing audition songs A Cappella. They can also bring sheet music or a karaoke/instrumental track
(no CDs with vocals). All songs must be memorized.
Instrumental Music:
Including band and orchestral string, wind and brass instruments, piano, guitar and percussion. Instrumentalists should
present two performances of contrasting styles, e.g. classical and jazz. Students may be asked to perorm two (2) major scales
(including chromatic scale); perform a sight-reading selection chosen by the committee; imitate and match the pitch; repeat
rythmic patterns; and identify basic musical notation.