Admission to Artes Musicales at ASAB (Universidad Distrital): tests and preparation

Admissions requirements and structure

Musical Arts is a public undergraduate program in Bogotá that awards the professional degree Maestro en Artes Musicales, with three specializations: Performance, Composition and Arranging, and Conducting.

Before thinking about the entrance exams, check your Saber 11 results. The guidelines state that you must meet Universidad Distrital requirements, particularly the score on that exam. Although Saber 11 accounts for only 5 % of the final score, meeting the minimum score is mandatory: check it on the university admissions page before paying the application fee.

The specialization exam and aural skills

Specialization test

This is where you demonstrate your instrumental or vocal skills, or present your work if you are applying for Composition and Arranging or Conducting. It is an in-person exam before a panel, scored out of 100, with a minimum passing score of 60. Check the guidelines for the pieces, studies, or scales required for your specialization, and prepare repertoire you truly know well. A score of 60 out of 100 may not seem like a high bar, but nerves and pieces prepared at the last minute can leave you out. Aim to be comfortably above the minimum.

Dictation and aural skills

Dictation tests your aural skills: identifying and writing down intervals, chords, melodies, rhythms, and harmonies from a recording. Consistent practice builds these skills: ten minutes a day singing intervals, repeating short motifs, and clapping rhythms someone plays for you are more effective than a marathon session the week before.

Watch out for a common mistake: preparing only your instrument. The concepts and performance exams count too, and the guidelines warn that a low score on any of them has a significant impact on the final result.

The remaining exams, one by one

Specialization (40 %)

This exam carries the most weight and depends on the specialization you apply for: Performance, Composition and Arranging, or Conducting. The requirements for each are published in the guidelines; review them with your teacher at least six months in advance, because they determine much of what you will practice.

Dictation and reading (20 %)

• Dictation: identifying and writing down interval, chord, melody, rhythm, and harmony structures from a recording.
• Reading: singing intervals, triads, and four-note chords, plus melodic and rhythmic sight-reading and a prepared reading for voice and keyboard submitted by video.

It covers a lot of ground. For a step-by-step approach, see how to prepare for music dictation.

Harmony and counterpoint (20 %)

It assesses voice leading within common-practice harmony and two-voice species counterpoint through questionnaire-style exercises. For many applicants, this is the least familiar topic, so it helps to start early:

• Voice-leading rules: voice movement, parallel fifths and octaves, and resolving the leading tone and seventh.
• I–IV–V–I progressions in several keys, first in root position and then with inversions.
• First-species counterpoint, note against note, before moving on to the other species.

Reading and writing (15 %) and Saber 11 (5 %)

The basic Spanish reading and writing skills test carries three times the weight of Saber 11. It consists of a questionnaire based on a reading passage, with multiple-choice questions, writing tasks, and a concept map. Prepare for it as you would any other test, not as a formality.

How to prepare for ASAB

A well-prepared ASAB applicant combines solid instrumental skills with theory that goes beyond the basics. A week of preparation might look like this:

Harmony and counterpoint are difficult to learn alone: you need someone to correct your exercises and show you why a parallel fifth sounds different. This is where a teacher makes the biggest difference. At Gissi, you can study music theory, harmony, solfège and dictation alongside your instrument, through online lessons or in-home lessons in Bogotá. We explain our approach in preparation for music entrance exams.

For a month-by-month timeline you can use for any university, see how to prepare for a music entrance exam.

The Preparatorio de Artes Musicales (PAM)

ASAB offers the Preparatorio de Artes Musicales (PAM), a non-degree extension program. Its four-semester curriculum includes music fundamentals, harmony, a vocal workshop, a workshop course, and instrumental study.

It's a good option if you want to study in an environment similar to that of the arts faculty. Be clear about its purpose: it provides training, not a route to admission. The admissions instructions mention it as an option for anyone who feels they lack the required knowledge, but undergraduate places are awarded through the admissions process. Many applicants combine a prep program with private instrument lessons; we compare the options in what pre-university music prep is.

Common applicant mistakes

• Checking Saber 11 too late: if you don't meet the university's requirement, the rest of your preparation won't count.
• Preparing only on your instrument and showing up without practicing ear training, dictation, and reading, which also count.
• Leaving harmony and counterpoint until the end, even though they require weeks of corrected exercises.
• Underestimating reading and writing because it is “not music,” even though it counts for more than Saber 11.
• Relying on what someone who applied years ago told you without reading the current instructions.
• Taking the test without ever having performed for people you do not know.

Frequently asked questions