Creating Your Student Resume, Curriculum Vitae (CV), and Repertoire List

When students are first learning their instruments, they most likely are not thinking about the documents they will need when they audition for summer programs, competitions, jobs, and colleges. However, starting a resume or curriculum vitae (CV) early on, as well as keeping a running list of repertoire, is absolutely vital. Virtually every program will request one or both documents in some form or other.

The earlier you start creating these documents, and the better you are about keeping them updated, the easier your life will be when you need to submit applications quickly and rapidly. There is nothing like finding out on the day an application is due that you need to also submit a resume or repertoire list. Having an updated set of information will make your life so much easier.

What is a Resume or CV?

A CV, which stands for the Latin term Curriculum Vitae, is basically a long, categorized list of everything important you have done in your life. You can think of a musical CV as a very comprehensive musical resume. While few student or educational programs will ever ask for your complete CV, they may request a specifically categorized resume of one to four pages that includes information from your CV.

Through the years, we have found that different programs request very different sets of information. As a result, we have found the best way to keep all that information available is to create an ongoing CV. The info within the CV can then be excerpted into a short resume as needed. It is common to be asked, for example, for a one-page performance resume, or a two-page general resume. You will need to customize each resume for the occasion, but that is not usually too hard if you already have all the information organized in your CV.

What Information Should be in Your CV?

The information included in your CV should include the following:

As you continue your studies through college, you will likely add more of the additional optional sections listed at the end.

How to Make Your CV

Your CV should look like a resume, but with lots more information. Start with a centered header including your name, contact information, and instrument. Then create sections like what was listed in the previous section. Use bold or a larger font for headers to easily separate sections. If you are listing a lot of things out, you may want to use bullet points to differentiate them. Bullet points can also be used to provide more detailed explanations of specific information, though this is generally not needed for students.

It is typical to put the information on the left and the dates on the right. Try to line things up and be consistent with spacing, fonts, font sizes, and headers. The usual practice is to list the most recent items first, followed by everything else in reverse chronological order.

For lots of sample resumes, CVs, and templates, you can see this resource from the Eastman School of Music. Note that these documents are designed for college students and professionals, so some of the information may not apply to younger students.

How Much Information Should be in Your CV?

Initially, you will likely include every single performance, competition award, ensemble, and school in your CV. As you mature, however, you may decide not to include everything. For example, if you played one piece on a school recital every month, that might not be worth including. Sometimes, you can categorize performances together as well, so the aforementioned example could become just one entry with a span of dates listed. Obviously, you cannot list every single solo performance, orchestra concert, or chamber music concert for your entire life! Make sure the important ones are included, though.

What is a Repertoire List?

Programs often request a list of the pieces that you have played in the past as part of your resume or in addition to it. Some ask for everything you have played, while others may ask just for pieces from the past few years. Once again, it is useful to have a list of almost everything that you can edit to include the relevant pieces from whatever categories or dates are requested.

We have found that the best way to make a repertoire list is to use an online spreadsheet such as Google Sheets. This method allows you to create separate sheets for solo and chamber music, add categories, and sort by categories, date, or composer. Using an online version will allow you to quickly share the spreadsheet with your teacher or anyone else you choose.

What Should You Include on Your Repertoire List?

At first, you will likely include every major piece that you have played. Obviously, you don’t need to go all the way back to Twinkle Variations, but you should include any “real” pieces you played that are beyond simple pedagogical pieces.

These are categories you may want to use:

• Solo works
  • Concertos
  • Concert pieces
  • Virtuosic or showpieces
  • Sonatas
  • Other pieces with piano
  • Unaccompanied pieces
  • Etudes, caprices, and exercises
• Chamber music
  • Quartets
  • Trios
  • Duos
  • Other instrumentations relevant to your instrument
• Orchestral solos/excerpts

While it is not typical to list every single orchestral piece you have played, you may want to include ones that have important solos for your instrument or are particularly important excerpts. If you are learning orchestral excerpts, you can record those in this section as well. Providing a list of orchestral repertoire or excerpts is more common for wind and brass players.

Organizing Your Repertoire List

There are several different ways you can potentially organize your list. Typically, we have found having two to three large sheets or pages, for solo repertoire, chamber music repertoire, and orchestral repertoire, to be the most helpful. Within each sheet, list the composer (last name first so it can be sorted easily), the name of the piece, the type of piece (such as concerto or etude), the movements you played, and the date (year) you played it. While programs don’t usually need to know when you played something, including the date can help when a program requests repertoire from a specific time period. You may also want to include an extra column for comments, where you can include more specific information, such as if it is in progress or you learned it but never performed it.

You can view a sample template for a repertoire list here. To save it and make it your own, select “Make a Copy” under the File menu.

Start Early and Update Often!

It is never too early to create a CV, resume, and repertoire list. More importantly, however, you need to keep these documents updated. Aim to spend a few minutes updating them monthly if possible. It is very easy to forget performances or pieces you have played if you wait a long time between updates. You will be very thankful you have everything all set and ready to go when it comes time to apply for programs, competitions, and auditions.