Guidelines for Audition

String, Woodwind, Base or Percussion

All prospective majors and minors who select a string, woodwind, brass or percussion instrument as their principal area of applied music study must audition for the music faculty. Each applicant should:

1. Perform one or more prepared solos (under seven minutes playing time). Piano accompaniments are preferred.
2. Perform two or three minutes of technical exercises and tonal development studies. Be prepared to play any major scale.
3. Sight Read selected examples of music of moderate difficulty.

Percussionists should be prepared to play their audition in any TWO of the following categories:

1. Snare Drum
2. Timpani
3. Mallets (marimba, xylophone, bells and chimes)
4. Multiple Percussion
5. Jazz Set (snare, bass, tom-toms, high hats, pedals and cymbals)

Keyboard

All prospective majors and minors who select a keyboard instrument as their principal area of applied music study must audition for the music faculty. Each applicant should:

1. Perform prepared solo literature.
   • Piano:
     1. A movement of a classical sonata or sonatina by a composer such as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, etc.
     2. A baroque composition by a composer such as Handel, Scarlatti or Bach.
     3. A composition representative of the romantic, impressionist or contemporary periods.
   • Organ/Harpsichord:
     • Three selections on your chosen instrument(s).
     • At least one piece should be from the baroque era.
     • Applicants may perform on piano if there has been no formal training in organ or harpsichord.
2. Perform major and harmonic minor scales, hands together, four octaves (pianists) or two octaves (organists and harpsichordists).
3. Sight Read selected examples of music of moderate difficulty.

Voice

All prospective majors and minors who select voice as their principal area of applied study must audition for the music faculty. Each applicant should:

1. Sing two art songs or an art song and an aria (preferably one in Italian and one in English or another language).
2. Be prepared to sing at sight several melodies (from the standard vocal repertoire).
3. Be prepared to sing several short melodies (fi ve or six notes) after one hearing.

• You may audition in more than one performance area.
• Where travel distance is a problem, applicant may submit a VHS tape (or DVD) recording in lieu of a personal appearance.