Music Admissions Foundations
Practical, specialized training for the unique demands of music admissions.
Created by enrollment leaders with experience across CalArts, Colburn, Eastman, Juilliard, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and other specialized arts institutions.
Dates: 8/6, 8/13, 8/20, 8/27
Times: 90-minute sessions at 2 pm ET
Cost: $595 / Register by June 30 for $100 discount
Built for the unique demands of music admissions, this four-session professional development series provides practical, field-tested guidance on funnel strategy, applicant conversion, auditions, decision-making, scholarship processes, yield, and retention.
Music Admissions Foundations is designed for new and early-career music admissions professionals who want a clearer understanding of how recruitment, assessment, and enrollment fit together across the full cycle. Through live, discussion-based sessions, participants will explore the admissions funnel, applicant conversion, audition management, and yield strategies, and begin to develop an understanding of goal setting, admissions and scholarship decision making and the transition from admitted student to enrolled student. Grounded in the realities of a music school setting, this series offers practical context, shared language, and immediately useful takeaways for day-to-day work.
This series is ideal for:
new admissions counselors working in schools and departments of music, independent conservatories, and arts-focused institutions of higher education
early-career enrollment staff who support recruitment, auditions, application review, or scholarship communication
professionals who want a stronger grounding in recruitment strategy, terminology, and day-to-day practice in specialized music settings
Participants will leave with:
a clearer understanding of the music admissions funnel and calendar
practical tools and ways to think about applicant conversion and enrollment goals
greater confidence in supporting auditions and admissions decisions
a better grasp of scholarships, yield strategy, and the transition from admit to enrolled student
an opportunity for a one-on-one session with one of the instructors after the course is finished
Series Overview
Session 1: Big Picture Basics
Start with the foundations: the admissions funnel, the rhythm of the admissions calendar, and the ethical responsibilities that shape student recruitment.
Session 2: Applications and Applicants
Explore enrollment goals, conversion strategy, and the data and marketing practices that help move prospects and inquiries toward application.
Session 3: Auditions and Decisions
Take a closer look at audition logistics, admissions decision-making, and the scholarship and financial aid processes that influence enrollment outcomes.
Session 4: Yield and Retention
Focus on strategies for yielding the incoming class, connecting marketing to enrollment outcomes, and understanding the handoff from admissions to student success and retention.
Meet your instructors
Robert Borden
Robert Borden is President of Blueprint Enrollment Consulting and Co-Creator of the Blueprint App. He also serves as Associate Dean of Enrollment at Tianjin Juilliard and has previously held senior enrollment leadership roles at CalArts, Cleveland Institute of Art, Eastman, and RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
Steve Castles is a strategic enrollment consultant specializing in the Slate CRM and admissions strategy for arts-focused institutions. His background includes enrollment leadership at San Francisco Conservatory of Music and CalArts, and his current work with Blueprint and Query Arts focuses on helping institutions strengthen systems, recruitment strategy, and enrollment operations through the Slate.Steve Castles
Kathleen Tesar is a longtime leader in music admissions and enrollment management. Her background includes Juilliard, the Colburn School, and the Eastman School of Music, and her work has focused on admissions, financial aid, and student recruitment in highly specialized music environments.Kathleen Tesar
Your Questions, Answered
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This series is designed for new and early-career music admissions professionals, including admissions counselors, audition/application coordinators, recruitment staff, enrollment assistants, and team members who support prospective music students.
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Music admissions is often learned informally, under pressure, and in the middle of the cycle. This series gives early-career professionals a structured foundation in the language, calendar, strategy, and decision-making context of specialized music enrollment, helping them contribute more confidently and reducing the amount of one-on-one onboarding required from senior staff.
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No. The course is relevant for conservatories, university schools of music, music departments, community colleges with music programs, independent arts schools, and any institution where music recruitment, auditions, or artistic review play a role in admissions.
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Yes. The course is especially useful for admissions professionals who understand general recruitment but are new to the specialized timelines, faculty partnerships, audition models, and student decision factors common in music admissions.
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Each session is 90 minutes, with time for instruction, discussion, examples, and questions.
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The series is designed as a complete sequence, and participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions. Each session builds on the previous one.
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Light reflection or applied exercises may be included, but the course is designed to be manageable for working professionals during the admissions cycle.
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Please get in touch with us at training@bpenrollment.com with any questions about Music Admissions Foundations Training.