Many schools require a prescreen submission before you can even get an audition.  The truth is that decisions about which students to invite are often made in a matter of seconds, so make sure your prescreen submission is excellent.  Here are a few things to consider to ensure the greatest chances of success. 

Sing appropriate repertoire:  Avoid arias.  I don’t care if you sound amazing.  If you are between the ages of 16-18, the vast majority of arias are not appropriate for young singers.  Many will instantaneously dismiss your submission for singing the wrong rep, not only because it can be potentially damaging for a young singer, but if you struggle to sing the aria, it is difficult to assess your instrument.  The point is to sing things that make you sound good, not things that might look impressive on paper but that cause you to sing with bad technique.  It is far more impressive to sing a solid Lasciatemi moire than a version O Luce di quest’anima that you barely survive.  Schools don’t want to try to rehabilitate a damaged voice for 4 years (or 2 to 3 in the case of grad school). They want to help you grow, progress, and excel, then put their school stamp of approval on you and claim you as evidence of the brilliant teaching they do!  Pay attention to the repertoire requirements.  They are there for a reason.  If you offer a number of selections that the school hasn’t asked for, or that don’t fulfill the posted requirements, that’s a mistake.  If you are auditioning for multiple colleges, find a grouping of songs that you can use for all the auditions.  If you need secco recitative,  don’t learn it the last second.  Treat it as seriously as you would a full aria. 

• Make a good recording: What does that mean?  Above all, the sound quality has to be good.  If we can’t hear you, we can’t even evaluate you.  Fuzzy pictures, moving or shaky cameras, videos which show you from only the neck up or  from below your face will not help your chances.  Some won’t even review your materials if the video quality isn’t good, they skip to the next one as it isn’t worth the time.  On the other side of the spectrum, do not pay for high-end recordings which sound auto-tuned and manufactured.  We can tell.  Often these prescreens with “high production value” aren’t even synced with the audio but they look fantastic.  If it sounds fake or inauthentic, we’re less likely to be interested and wonder what you’re trying to hide.  We want to hear and see you.  We’re not looking for a finished product, we’re looking for potential and ability.  Don’t record in the corner of your bedroom, a stairwell, a closet, or a garage. Often, a simple setup even when recorded from an iPhone or iPad will tell us what we need to know. Churches, living rooms, vocal studios, occasionally even practice rooms will work well.  
• Show us what you can do, not what you can’t: Assuming you have appropriate repertoire, what kinds of things do you need to show in your prescreen?  To cover your bases, you should demonstrate as much as possible without drawing attention to your weaknesses.   Try to show your comfortable singing range (not every possible note on which you can phonate),  a long sustained line, something that moves a little or has coloratura, something that shows us your ability to convey different emotions and a variety of styles and languages. You will almost always need something in English.  Italian and German songs are usually a safe bet, but if you have not taken French or had sufficient time to work the language, leave this language out or any others that are not completely solid.  Stay away from strophic pieces, unless they are short.  We’ve heard all we need to hear in the first or second verse, the rest is not helpful in the audition setting. Some songs are strophic but the strophes are short and the song moves quickly, which is fine.  Songs like Ständchen or Die Taubenpost are too long.  Even songs like Silent Noon, though an appropriate choice, may be too long for an audition or prescreen.  If all of your selections are essentially the same piece by different composers with the same vocal range and similar emotional content, that is not as compelling as a group of songs with diversity.  for example, if you pair a song such as When I think upon the maidens, with Caro mio ben, and An Silvia, you show a variety of emotion, range, language, pacing, and tempi. 
• Double and triple check the pronunciation of titles and composers:  You would be surprised at how often the titles and composers are mis-pronounced in prescreen videos and live auditions.  Though I doubt that many are immediately eliminated for botching pronunciation, it changes what we listen for and where we put you on the ranking list.  I listen for other mistakes when I’ve heard a few already.  If you announce yourself on the recording (not usually a requitment as your video will be part of your complete application), speak clearly and loudly enough that we can hear on the recording.  We learn a great deal about you by the way you announce yourself and your pieces. 
• Attire:  Though your audition attire for the prescreen may be slightly different than for a live audition, you should still treat it as an audition.  If you sing in shorts and a t-shirt, it will be difficult to take you seriously.  You send a clear message with what you are wearing.  You don’t need to wear a tuxedo or a formal gown, but look professional.  Show off your own personal style.  Often it’s the little things that stand out, like a pocket square or a classy looking dress.  Those things help us remember you. The big flashy clothing choices may be memorable, but for the wrong reasons.  You also want us to remember you and your instrument, not just your dress or shoe choice. Above all, be comfortable.  Don’t sing in anything that you think looks good, but restricts your movement or breath.  If you are comfortable, you’ll sound your best, if you’re not comfortable, it will show.  For example, if no tie feels better than a tie, don’t wear a tie!
• Accompanist: We understand, you’re trying to pass high school, make sure your songs sound good, and get all of your applications in by the deadline.  It’s a lot to do.  Don’t neglect the accompanist factor though.  So many prescreen recordings feature a pianist who is obviously a friend or neighbor who “plays a little.”  Don’t skimp on a good accompanist, they are so much more than someone to play chords for you while you sing.  A good collaborator will help you to sound your best, account for any issues that happen during your performance (like running out of breath or a spur of the moment inspired decrescendo) and will help you notice mistakes or stylistic inaccuracies before you submit your recording.  A good accompanist makes you look good! It’s worth the money to hire someone.  Don’t go with the cheap or free option, it won’t help you, especially if the pianist you choose struggles to play your repertoire or has to play things at a different tempo than the one you need to take.  In the long run it will also save you money as you’ll probably be able to record what you need in fewer takes and can choose the best one instead of struggling to get one that is acceptable. 
  for auditions that don’t require a live accompanist, make sure your track isn’t too loud,  too fast or too slow.   
• Submission Instructions: Carefully follow the submission instructions.  It is rare that an application comes in with all the necessary requested material.  We almost always have to follow up on letters of recommendation, for example, and often other components are missing.  At the Blair School of Music, we ask for a monologue as well.  Occasionally, we see students leave this off of their submitted materials altogether.  It takes time for us to hunt the student down, get request the material, wait for it to be uploaded, then review it. Don’t gloss over the instructions, that’s part of the test! 
• Letters of Recommendation: These can count more than you think.  If a letter is generic and the reviewer gushes about how wonderfully perfect you are in every way without giving specifics, we don’t believe it.  It doesn’t help your cause.  On the other side, if you ask someone to write you a letter who doesn’t have a lot to say or who has plenty of negative things to say, this is also going to hurt you.  Ask those individuals  whom you trust to be honest, clear, and to write a letter by the deadline.  Sometimes we have to give up when the person you’ve listed as a reference doesn’t provide a letter and we don’t hear back from them in time.  Ask the person writing the letter to use specific examples that illustrate your abilities and to talk about how you measure up in terms of the students they have taught. Phrases such as  “Sophie is among the top 5% of the thousands of students I have taught over the past 15 years in terms of work ethic and motivation,” instead of  “Jimmy is very talented,” will help us understand your abilities much better.  Ask the review to talk about your progress and what you have developed in the time they have known you. Have them cite examples of things related to music that may also make you more attractive to schools.  When asking for letters of recommendation, ask at least 2 weeks in advance, give the reviewer specific instructions and information about the deadline and how to submit the letter. Do not ask 1 week our or less.  You risk not getting the letter at all or getting one that is poorly crafted and sparse in detail. 
• Get your materials in early: Every year, young artist program and University servers threaten to crash when students send in materials at the last possible second on the night before the applications are due.  I kid you not!  Do not wait until the last second.  The fact of the matter is that we too are under deadlines.  We have to let students know in a timely manner if we want them to come audition.  If you submit late, you create an overload and a bottleneck, therefore ensuring we will have less time to look at and review your application.  Applications that come in earlier always receive more attention. This is simply because we have to finish reviewing them all by a specific deadline.  If 70 new applications come in at 11:59pm the day before out decisions are due, we can only look at them so long before making a final decision in time. 

Ok singing world, what do you recommend to ensure success in the prescreen submission?