BIMM audition advice
A guide to acing your audition with us
Even the most experienced musician gets audition nerves – it’s totally normal. But you don’t have to let audition anxiety stop you from bringing your ‘A’ game.
We’ve auditioned thousands of students, which means we’ve seen it all. So, here are our top tips to smash it out of the park when you meet us. You’ve got this.
Do:
- Check your inbox: make sure you’ve received an email confirming your audition booking and our audition guidelines. If you haven’t, get in touch.
- Read the audition guidelines properly: they’re there to help you prepare and perform at your best.
- Rehearse (a lot): arrive ready to perform confidently without lyrics or lead sheets.
- Tune up: make sure your guitar or bass is in tune.
- Relax: it’s normal to feel nerves — we want you to do well too.
- Keep an open mind: auditions cover all courses (degrees and diplomas) within one discipline, so you may be recommended for a different course than the one you applied for.
- Perform it: treat your audition like a live set — bring the same energy and commitment you would with a crowd in front of you.
Don’t:
- Don’t skip the guidelines: read them — they’re essential.
- Don’t wing it: avoid last-minute cancellations, leaving prep until the night before, or turning up under-rehearsed.
- Don’t choose the wrong key: if you’re auditioning for Vocals or Songwriting, pick a key that fits your range — change the arrangement or use a different backing track if needed.
- Don’t ignore technique exercises: practise them — they’re covered in the audition guidelines for a reason.
- Don’t assume you’re in: a recommendation isn’t a guaranteed place — an official offer comes from our Admissions Team, subject to meeting academic requirements.
1. Our Admissions Team will book your slot and send you a booking confirmation email. In this email, you will find guidelines on how to prepare for your audition/interview.
2. If your application requires a recording, demo submission or presentation, you will need to send it to our Admissions Team before your audition/interview. This is to ensure that your assessor receives it and can conduct a smooth audition/interview. Full details of where and how to submit these files will be in your booking confirmation email.
If you do not wish to have an in person audition/interview, or are unable to, we also offer a remote audition/interview submission.
The remote audition/interview process is very simple. You will be satisfying the same requirements as you would for a live audition/interview, but instead, you just send your work to us within a two-week deadline and a BIMM assessor will mark it, give a recommendation to yourself and our Admissions Team and provide feedback via email.
If you would like to choose this method of audition/interview, please contact the BIMM Admissions Team who can send you detailed guidelines on what you need to prepare and how to submit it.
Our course audition guides will help you prepare for your Zoom Audition. It is important that you read each section to give yourself the best chance of obtaining a recommendation for your chosen course.
Please note that we require you to have already made a booking for an audition or interview before submitting any supporting material as requested within the guidelines below.
View the BIMM Music Institute Dublin Audition Guidelines (All Streams)
You’ve completed your audition, here’s what to expect in the coming months:
BA (Hons) Commercial Modern Music
- You should expect to receive your audition/interview results in the next 2 weeks, so keep an eye on your email!
- Following a successful audition, you will receive a ‘conditional’ offer from BIMM Music Institute. This means that provided you meet and submit the remaining entry requirements to the CAO, you should expect an official offer.
- If you have already completed your Leaving Certificate (or equivalent), make sure you have sent your transcripts directly to the CAO as you will not receive an offer until the CAO have reviewed your qualifications.
- If you are completing your Leaving Certificate in June 2024, your results will automatically be sent to the CAO in August.
- The entry requirement for mature applicants (23+) is audition/interview only so you will not need to submit academic transcripts to receive an offer.
- The CAO offer calendar can be found here: CAO Timetable of Events
BA (Hons) Music Business
- You will receive your interview results in the next 2 weeks, so keep an eye on your email!
- Following a successful interview, and provided you have no requirement to submit proof of English you should expect to receive an unconditional offer along with your contract from our Admissions Team.
- If applicable, you can now submit your proof of English proficiency to our Admissions Team for review. Provided you meet the English Language Requirements, you should expect to receive an unconditional offer.
- Once you have accepted your unconditional offer and paid your deposit, you will be contacted regarding your induction and enrolment shortly!
Foundation Diplomas
- You should expect to receive your audition/interview results in the next 2 weeks, so keep an eye on your email!
- Following a successful interview/audition, you will receive a ‘conditional’ offer from BIMM Music Institute. This means that provided you meet and submit the remaining entry requirements, you should expect an official offer.
- If you have already completed your Leaving Certificate (or equivalent), you can submit your transcripts to our Admissions Team at [email protected]
- If you are completing your Leaving Certificate in June 2024, you will be reminded to submit your transcripts to our Admissions Team in August, following the results.
- The entry requirement for mature applicants (23+) is audition/interview only so you will not need to submit academic transcripts to receive an offer.
Ready to start your music career?
Whether you’ve already applied or you’re just looking at your options, you can still book your audition. You can even audition before you apply to BIMM. In fact, auditioning early is advised as it’s your chance to find out more about our courses.
Our Admissions Team is always available to answer your questions. Just call +353 1 5133 666 or email [email protected].
Good luck! We know you’ll give it your all, so come and show us what you’ve got.
