Certificate of Merit Music (Common App Guide)
If you earned a Certificate of Merit through the Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC), you can usually report it in the Common App Honors section. Enter the award’s documented name, level, year, and accurate recognition scope. It is a music achievement, not a degree, college credit, professional license, or guarantee of admission or scholarship.
Applying to college while keeping up with lessons, practice, and schoolwork can feel like managing several timelines at once. The Honors section may seem like a small detail, but accurate wording matters. A clear entry helps colleges understand what you earned without overstating its reach or meaning.
I have helped students sort music achievements from academic credentials and activities. A common source of confusion is whether a certificate should be presented as an award, a qualification, or evidence of college-level study. The answer depends on what the issuing organization actually awarded. For MTAC’s program, focus on the documented music achievement and give the college enough context to identify it.
What the Certificate of Merit represents
The Certificate of Merit is a music assessment and recognition program offered by the Music Teachers’ Association of California. It recognizes a student’s work within the program’s requirements. The certificate does not, by itself, show college credit, a degree, professional licensing, or a particular admissions qualification.
MTAC sets expectations by program level and instrument. Depending on the applicable syllabus and program year, requirements can include performance preparation and musicianship or theory components. Do not infer the exact requirements from the certificate title alone. Check the syllabus and local branch instructions for the year you completed the program.
The awarding body matters, too. Use “Certificate of Merit, Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC)” only if MTAC issued your certificate. Other organizations may offer awards with similar names; in those cases, identify the actual issuer instead.
A certificate is also not an accredited academic degree. Accreditation checks used for colleges and degree programs do not apply as a test of validity for this non-degree music award. The useful evidence is the certificate or official result, supported by the issuer’s current program materials.
Where to report it in the Common App
The Honors section is generally the right place to list a completed Certificate of Merit award for a first-year application. It lets you name the achievement and indicate the grade or grades in which you earned it. Check the current Common App interface, since field labels and limits may change between application cycles.
The Honors section has historically allowed up to five entries. Treat that as a planning reference, not a promise about the current form. Confirm the number of available entries and each field’s character limit in your live application before editing your final wording.
| Application detail | What to enter or check |
|---|---|
| Section | Usually Education → Honors |
| Award name | The title shown on the certificate or official result |
| Grade level | The high-school grade in which you earned it |
| Recognition level | The scope that accurately describes the award |
| Description | Only verifiable details that fit the current field limit |
Do not list the certificate as a college degree, academic credential, or professional certification. If you are applying as a transfer student, check the transfer application’s current layout rather than assuming that its fields match the first-year Common App.
How to build a correct Honors entry
A strong entry is brief, specific, and consistent with your records. Before you type, verify five details: issuer, exact award or level, instrument, completion year and grade, and recognition scope. If any detail is unclear, ask your teacher or local MTAC branch before submitting.
A practical entry might look like this:
- Title: Certificate of Merit, Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC), [documented level], [instrument]
- Grade(s): [grade in which earned]
- Recognition: Choose the option that best matches the award’s documented reach
Use the certificate or official result to fill in the brackets. Do not add a level, distinction, or result that is not shown in your documentation. If the application asks for the year, use the year you earned the award, not the year you first began studying music.
Choose the recognition level carefully
Recognition scope describes how broadly an award is given or recognized. Common App options may include school, state or regional, national, and international categories, but confirm the choices in the current application. Select the narrowest accurate option supported by the issuer’s description.
| Situation | Safer reporting approach |
|---|---|
| The certificate and MTAC records identify the program and level, but do not describe a national award | Name MTAC and the documented level; do not select “national” merely because the program has multiple levels |
| Your school or branch gives you an additional, separate distinction | List it only if it is a distinct award and you can verify its title and scope |
| A similarly named certificate came from another organization | Name that organization, not MTAC |
| You completed an assessment but did not receive the certificate or result you planned to report | Describe only the outcome shown in official records; do not convert participation into an award |
The certificate’s level is not automatically the same as its recognition scope. A higher level may describe progression within a program, but it does not prove a statewide or national rank. Likewise, do not claim a percentile, pass rate, or selectivity unless the issuer provides current evidence for that exact claim.
What to include in the description
The Honors entry should identify the achievement, not tell your entire music story. If space permits, name the issuer, documented level, instrument, and a verifiable feature of the program. Avoid unsupported terms such as “elite,” “top,” or “highly selective.”
A concise description might say: “Completed MTAC Certificate of Merit at [documented level] in [instrument], [year].” Use this only if every detail matches your records. If the title field already contains the issuer and level, do not repeat them just to fill space.
Keep the full program context elsewhere when it adds useful information. The Activities section can describe years of study, practice, performances, ensembles, teaching, or other music work. An essay may discuss how music shaped your choices or growth, but it should add a personal perspective rather than repeat the Honors entry.
| Field or section | Best use |
|---|---|
| Honors | Name the certificate and documented result |
| Activities | Show sustained study, performances, or music-related work |
| Essay | Explain a meaningful personal experience, if relevant |
| Arts supplement | Follow a college’s separate audition, portfolio, or submission rules |
If you plan to study music, the certificate can sit alongside repertoire details, audition materials, and an accurate activity record. It does not replace a college’s audition or portfolio requirements. Check each music department’s instructions, since requirements vary by institution and program.
Verification and final application check
Verification means comparing what you plan to report with reliable records from the issuing organization. For this award, use the certificate or official result, the applicable MTAC program materials, and local branch documentation when needed. Resolve differences before you submit rather than guessing at a title or level.
Work through this check in order:
- Confirm the issuer. Check the certificate and official results. Use MTAC’s name only if MTAC issued the award.
- Match the achievement. Verify the exact level, instrument, and outcome. Do not turn participation into a distinction.
- Check the year and grade. Enter the completion year and the high-school grade asked for by the application.
- Select accurate scope. Use the recognition category that the documented award supports. Do not label a program award “national” without evidence.
- Review the current form. Check field names, character limits, and the number of Honors entries available this cycle.
- Compare documents. Make sure the Common App, résumé, transcript notes, portfolio, and any arts supplement do not contradict each other.
Keep a copy of your certificate and supporting records. Colleges may ask for more information, but you do not need to send extra materials unless an institution requests them or its instructions allow them.
How colleges may view the achievement
Colleges read an award in the context of the student’s full application. The certificate can document organized music study and achievement, but it does not establish a required GPA, test score, admissions eligibility, or a standard admissions benchmark. Colleges set their own review practices.
For an applicant whose main interest is another field, the award can show a sustained activity alongside academic and personal interests. For a student pursuing music, it may be one piece of a broader record that includes study, repertoire, performance, and any required audition. Neither use guarantees admission, financial aid, scholarship, college credit, or a career outcome.
In advising, I have seen students worry that a music award must sound impressive to be worth listing. It is more useful to report a meaningful achievement plainly than to inflate its scope. A specific, verifiable entry gives a reader a fair basis to understand it.
Common questions
These answers cover the most frequent questions about reporting the MTAC Certificate of Merit on a college application. Always confirm details in the current Common App, the student’s award records, and the issuing organization’s materials. That final check helps keep the entry accurate and consistent.
Should I put Certificate of Merit in the Common App Honors section?
Usually, yes, if you earned the award. For a first-year application, the Honors section is generally the appropriate place.
Who should I name as the issuer?
Name the organization that issued your certificate. Use the full MTAC name only when MTAC issued it.
Is the Certificate of Merit a college degree or credit?
No. It is a music achievement, not an academic degree or college-credit award.
What grade should I report?
Report the high-school grade in which you earned the award, as the current application asks. Do not use the grade when you began lessons.
Should I call it a national award?
Not unless the issuer’s documentation supports that scope. Multiple program levels do not, by themselves, make an award national.
Can I list my level and instrument?
Yes, if they appear in your official records. Use the exact documented level and instrument.
Can I include it in Activities too?
You may describe broader music study or participation there. Avoid presenting the same certificate as a separate achievement twice.
Will it help me get into a music program or earn a scholarship?
It may provide context about your music study, but it does not guarantee admission, a scholarship, or college credit. Follow each college’s audition and aid rules.
What if I took part but did not receive the certificate?
Report only the result documented by the program. Do not describe participation as earning an award.
What should I do if my records disagree?
Ask your teacher or local branch to confirm the official result before submitting. Then use the corrected information consistently across your application.
(This article was written by one of our staff writers, Christopher Langston. Visit our Meet the Team page.)
