Giving Voice to Diversity

NBC’s hit show The Voice has an innovative format that includes four stages of competition: the blind auditions, the battle rounds, the playoffs, and finally, the live performance shows.

During the blind auditions, the musician coaches cannot see the contestants, and decisions are based solely on voice, and not on looks.

The "blind audition" has been used to increase diversity in other contexts, as well. In the 1970s and 1980s, in hopes of combating judging biases, symphony orchestras began using blind auditions. This method helped to increase the number of females in the top five U.S. orchestras from fewer than 5% in 1970 to 25% or more by the late 1990s.*