Crane Admissions

See The Crane School of Music for yourself at one of our on-campus audition days!

All prospective students and families get to tour the Crane complex, meet with current students, ask questions at our information sessions, and find out more about our programs from faculty. You also have the option to tour the full SUNY Potsdam campus after your audition. View the full auditions day schedule here.

On-Campus Audition Dates

• Saturday, January 31, 2026 (last day to register: Sunday, January 18)
• Saturday, February 28, 2026 (last day to register: Sunday, February 15)

Directions to the Crane School of Music

While there is no registration fee for on-campus auditions, Crane will provide an accompanist for all live vocal auditions for a $30 non-refundable fee. 

Current SUNY Potsdam students wishing to start as a music major in Spring 2026 will be able to have an in-person audition in November or early December. For more, see the note above about auditions for spring 2026 admission.

Can’t make it to The Crane School of Music?
Consider an off-campus audition.

There is a $50 non-refundable registration fee for off-campus auditions. Crane will provide an accompanist for all live vocal auditions for a $30 non-refundable fee.

The last day to register for all off-campus audition dates is Sunday, February 6, 2026.

Long Island - Mineola High School (Garden City, NY)
Thursday, February 19, 2026 and Friday, February 20, 2026 
Auditions run from 9am to 4pm on February 19; 9am to 1pm on February 20.
Directions
 

Important Notes

• Piano, percussion, and harp students cannot audition off-campus; students auditioning on these instruments must audition on campus or by video.

Not able to make it to one of our audition sites?

The Crane School of Music provides a video audition option for students who cannot otherwise attend a live audition at one of our audition sites. Students auditioning by video should expect to also have a short virtual (Zoom) meeting with the appropriate applied studio faculty (who will reach out to set those up). 

Video Submission Guidelines

• Audition videos are uploaded to Acceptd when you are completing your audition registration form on that platform.
• We prefer that you submit a separate video for each piece.
• Please include your name, the full title of the work and full name of the composer of the work in your video (either spoken before the performance, or included as text).
• Please make sure your video is of a high quality and is as close to a live performance as possible. Do not use a close microphone. Do not use any audio processing.
• Because pianists and vocalists are required to perform from memory, frame the video so it is clear the auditioning student is not reading from music.  
• The video should be framed so we can see your entire body. Vocalists, for example, should be visible from head-to-toe.
• Only vocal auditions need to have piano accompaniment. If you are vocal student, and are unable to record with a live accompaniment, you can use a prerecorded piano part. You can also make a request for an Crane alumni pianist, we will will do through our alumni association; if there is an alumni volunteer in your area, we will connect you to them. As this takes time, please give us adequate time to set this up. Contact auditions@potsdam.edu with these requests.
• While you can certainly record multiple takes of your audition pieces, please only provide us with one version of each one. For each piece or movement, the recording should be continuous. Do not cut and paste different takes for any single piece/movement/song.  
• We cannot accept audio-only audition recordings (CD, mp3, etc.)

Video submission deadlines

• For spring 2026 admission, students will have to opt for the video audition option. The last day to submit your video links is Sunday, November 30, 2025.
• For fall 2026 admission:
  • The regular deadline to submit your videos links is Sunday, February 15, 2026. Students submitting video links by this date will be fully considered for music scholarships.
  • The last day to register and submit your video links is Saturday, February 28, 2026.
• Following receipt of your video(s), audition results are usually mailed to students about a week after the next scheduled on-campus audition day. See the on-campus audition schedule above for those dates. 

Are you interested in pursuing our Bachelor of Music degree program in musical studies with an emphasis in composition? We want to hear your work!

In addition to completing your performance audition, you must also submit a portfolio of your original works to be considered for the composition program. Submit two or three original scores of contrasting character that best highlight your creativity and potential for compositional growth.

Important Notes

• Compositions may be submitted as notation files (any notation program or PDF format) or audio files (if there is no written score).
• For notated scores, you may also submit recordings (live or MIDI), but they are not required.
• Materials should be uploaded to Acceptd when you are completing your audition registration form on that platform.
• Questions and email submissions should be directed to Dr. Jerod Sommerfeldt.