Admissions

Applications for the 2026-2027 school year will open in November 2025 through the Palm Beach County Department of Choice and Career Options. You can access the application by going to mypbchoiceapp.com.

SY27 The Conservatory School Audition, Admission & Essential Information for the 2026-2027 school year will be available in October 2025.

Admissions Requirements

In order to be eligible for the Middle Grades Music Program at The Conservatory School (TCS), students must:

Be a resident of Palm Beach County at the time of application.
Submit a timely application to the School District of Palm Beach County Choice Program Department.
Successfully participate in and complete an audition process and earn a qualifying score.
The names of all qualifying students will then be submitted to the Department of Choice and Career Options for a random lottery selection process.
If there are more qualifi ed students than spaces available in the program, the fi nal selection of students will take place through the lottery selection process. Students not initially selected will be placed in a wait pool.
TCS considers students for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade admission. However, the majority of student spots are for incoming 6th graders.

Admissions Process

1. Apply

Submit a Choice Application with the School District of Palm Beach County Choice and Career Options Department.

Applications are due Friday, December 5, 2025.

Applications are available online at mypbchoiceapp.com. After you complete the online application, you will receive a confirmation email. Make sure to keep your Choice application login information available to access the website in the future.

If your child has an IEP or 504 plan, please email or bring it to The Conservatory School following your submission of the application. You may email the plan to Choice Program Coordinator, Brooke Brink.

Only one application may be submitted per student. For online applications, one application selection change will be allowed prior to December 5, 2025.

Either one or two choices are allowed on the application and should be rated as first and second preferences. First and second choices do NOT have equal chances of being selected.

The address on the application must match the address as listed in the School District student database. Pursuant to Florida Statute, Section 92.525 and under penalties of perjury, parents/guardians will sign the application verifying that the information stated in the application is true and correct.

2. Audition Appointment

All students must complete an audition before they can be considered eligible for admission to The Conservatory School.

Students who have a completed application with the Choice and Career Options Department will be scheduled for an audition. You will be notifi ed via email about the audition process and the time and date of the audition. You will receive this email by Friday, January 9, 2026. If you submitted a completed Choice application and do not receive an email about the audition by January 9, please contact the Choice Program Coordinator.

3. Audition Preparation

Prepare for your Audition by following the guidelines provided in this packet. Students should be prepared to audition as early as January 26. 2026.

4. Audition

Auditions will be 'blind' where the student will not be able to see the adjudicators and the adjudicators will not be able to see the student. Adjudicators will be able to hear the student perform. Students will see a TCS staff member who will guide them through the audition.

If a student becomes ill and is unable to audition on the scheduled date, written verifi cation documenting the illness from a doctor must be presented to the school within three (3) days of the date of the scheduled audition. A new audition date and time will be selected by the school ONLY if there are additional audition dates available. Students who have not auditioned before the scheduled lottery will not be eligible for the initial lottery process.

5. Notification of Results

The Choice and Career Options Department will send out notifi cation of a student’s acceptance or wait pool status in April 2026.

If your child is placed in an applicant wait pool, it is because there are more eligible applicants than available seats. Students in the wait pool will be selected via lottery, on a random basis, as openings occur. The wait pool lottery is again conducted by the Choice and Career Options Department within the School District.

Appeals Process: Parents who believe their child was not allowed an equitable opportunity to a Choice school during the Audition or eligibility process due to a technical error or inequity may request an appeal. An Application for Appeal of Choice Program Eligibility (PBSC Form 2418) must be submitted to the Director of Choice and Career Options within ten school days from the date of the notifi cation indicating the child’s program assignment, wait pool status, or program ineligibility.

For more information about Choice and Career Options Programs, go to Choice Programs.

Audition Registration

Information about registering for an audition will be sent via email to all applicants in January 2026. A parent, guardian, or another adult representing the student will set up the audition appointment on an online scheduling platform.

Students should be prepared to participate in an audition as early as January 26. 2026.

ESE/504/ELL Students

When you sign up for an audition appointment, you will be prompted to indicate if your child has an IEP, 504, or ELL plan. If your child has a current IEP or 504 plan, please If you child has an IEP or 504 plan, please email it or bring it to The Conservatory School following your submission of the application. You may email the plan to the Choice Program Coordinator, Brooke Brink.

Failure of a student to accept accommodations at the time of an audition is NOT grounds for an appeal.

Private school students without a School District IEP of a School District 504 Plan may also request allowable audition accommodations if the parent provides appropriate documentation for the student’s disability to the school at the Audition Registration Session.

Parents of students identified as Gifted do NOT need to bring the student’s Education Plan (EP) to the audition.

If you have any questions about IEP, 504, or ELL plans and accommodations during the audition, please contact our ESE Coordinator. ESE Coordinator Office: 561-494-1832.

Audition Process

In the following dropdowns are the specific audition requirements for the audition. Please read these carefully so that your child will be fully prepared for his/her audition. Auditions are scored using a rubric and an incomplete audition presentation will result in a loss of points. Students who are well prepared with all audition requirements and who are motivated to attend The Conservatory School will enjoy the audition experience.

Music - Band

Students may audition on the following instruments:

Flute
Oboe
Clarinet
Bass Clarinet
Bassoon
Saxophone
Trumpet
French Horn
Trombone
Baritone/Euphonium
Tuba
Percussion

At the audition, students will complete the following tasks:

Perform a major scale.
Perform an exercise that demonstrates their highest level of ability. An accompanist is not permitted.
Students must bring a copy of their piece, as well as two (2) additional copies for the adjudicators.
Complete a Sight Reading exercise.
Students will be judged on pitch accuracy, tone quality, rhythmic accuracy, expressiveness, technique, musical effect, and the ability to produce a major scale.

Note: Percussion/Drums - Students perform an exercise demonstrating their highest level of ability on a snare drum.

Music - String Orchestra

Students may audition on the following instruments:

Violin
Viola
Cello
Upright Bass

At the audition, students will complete the following tasks:

Perform a major scale.
Perform an exercise that demonstrates their highest level of ability. An accompanist is not permitted. Students must bring a copy of their piece, as well as two (2) additional copies for the adjudicators.
Complete a Sight Reading exercise.
Students will be judged on pitch accuracy, tone quality, rhythmic accuracy, expressiveness, technique, musical effect, and the ability to produce a major scale.

Music - Vocal

Students will be judged on pitch accuracy, tone quality, rhythmic accuracy, expressiveness, technique, tone matching, musical effect, ability to vocalize, and ability to produce a major scale.

At the Audition, students will complete the following tasks:

Prepare Selection #1 - Perform a memorized solo*. Students will sing a prepared solo by memory. Students will need to bring to the audition two (2) copies of the sheet music for the judges.
- Solo will be judged on pitch accuracy, rhythmic accuracy, tone quality, expressiveness, and musical effect. Please note the judges may not listen to the entire solo due to time constraints.
- Accompaniment: Students may sing with or without accompaniment. If accompaniment is desired, it must be on a CD or fl ash drive. Students must sing without recorded voices on the CD or fl ash drive. No live accompaniment will be allowed.
Prepare Selection #2 - The student will sing along with a provided recording of “Here Comes the Sun” at the audition. You will be singing along with the voices on the recording.
Click here for sing along recording
Vocalization: The student will vocalize along with the assistance of the Vocal Adjudicator on the piano at the audition.
Tone Matching: The student will hear a series of 3-5 pitches on the piano. After they are played, the student will sing them back. Please be aware that it may not be necessary for the student to fi nish the solo for the assessment to be completed by the judges.

*Suggested literature for vocal audition, which may be purchased at local music stores, includes the following (the selections below are suggested, not required):

Folk Songs for Solo Singer, Volumes 1 & 2 - Jay Althouse
The Young Singer – Richard Row
Easy Songs for the Beginning Soprano, Volume 1
Easy Songs for the Beginning Mezzo-Soprano, Volume1
Easy Songs for the Beginning Tenor (for boys with changed voices only), Volume 1
Easy Songs for the Beginning Bass, Volume 1

All above listed vocal literature are available with CDs for rehearsal and performance purposes.