Entrance Audition Requirements

Entrance Audition Requirements
Private instruction is essential, and it is expected that students will spend extensive time in preparation for the audition. Original compositions are not appropriate for an entrance audition. Applicants for all music degree programs must successfully audition on their instrument to be accepted into the Department of Music. On audition day, applicants should bring a copy of the audition pieces to be performed.

• Brass
  
• Keyboard
  
• Voice
  
• Percussion
  
• Strings
  
• Woodwinds
  
  

BRASS
In addition to major scales, all applicants for admission to the undergraduate brass program should prepare one solo work and one etude. The following lists of repertoire should be used as a guideline for the entrance audition and to indicate the standards expected of an undergraduate student. However, applicants are not limited to these suggestions when selecting their audition repertoire. Selection of literature for the entrance audition should be discussed with the applicants’ private instructor and/or band/orchestra director.

Specific questions may be addressed by calling the Department of Music at 978-934-3850 or by e-mailing Norma_Lajoie@uml.edu, using the subject line “entrance audition,” or Ms. Michaud-Martins, Head of Brass:  Ellen_MichaudMartins@uml.edu.

TRUMPET
Studies     36 Studies                      Saint Jacome/Bousquet
               34 Studies                      Brandt-Nagel
Solos        Legende Heroique            J. Mouquet
               Concert Etude                 Goedicke (Glover)
               Debutante                      H.L. Clarke
               Concerto in B flat            Arutunian

HORN
Studies    60 Etudes                     Kopprasch
Solos       Four (4) Concertos         Mozart
              Concerto #1                  Richard Strauss
              Chant Lointain               E. Bozza

TROMBONE/EUPHONIUM
Studies    Melodious Etudes 1               Bordogni-Rouchut
              60 Selected Studies               Kopprasch
Solos       Andante and Allegro              Barat
               Morceau Symphonique           Guilmant
               Piece Concertante                 Rousseau
               Concerto in A minor              Vivaldi

TUBA
Studies        43 Bel Canto Studies         Bordogni-Roberts
                  60 Studies                       Kopprasch
Solos           Air and Bourree                Bach-Bell
                  Suite for Tuba                  Haddad    

KEYBOARD
The following lists of repertoire should be used as a guideline for the entrance audition and to indicate the standards expected of an undergraduate student. However, applicants are not limited to these suggestions when selecting their audition repertoire. Selection of literature for the entrance audition should be discussed with the applicants’ private instructor.

PIANO
In addition to all major scales & arpeggios, applicants to the keyboard program must be prepared to perform two pieces of contrasting style and character.

The following examples represent the minimum degree of difficulty required:

    Two-part Inventions--Bach
    Sonatinas, op. 36--Clementi
    Scenes from Childhood, op. 15--Schumann
    Mikrokosmos, Vol. IV--Bartok

The applicant may perform one or more pieces in jazz and/or other styles but must include at least one piece from the above repertoire or a selection of equal difficulty as those listed. Applicants wishing to perform on an electronic keyboard must supply their own instrument. In addition, applicant must be prepared to play at least one piece on the acoustic piano.

Specific questions may be addressed by calling the Department of Music at 978-934-3850 or by e-mailing: Norma_Lajoie@uml.edu, using the subject line “entrance audition,” or the Head of Keyboard: Bonnie_Anderson@uml.edu.

ORGAN
In addition to all major and minor scales and arpeggios on the pedals, applicants to the organ program should be prepared to perform a work by J.S. Bach, Buxtehude, Couperin, or other baroque composer; a romantic work, such as a movement from a sonata by Mendelssohn or chorale-prelude by Brahms, and a 20th century composition.

VOICE
All applicants for admission to the undergraduate voice program must be prepared to perform, from memory, selections from the following:

Solos--A selection from the Classical Italian Anthology
       --Two art songs (one must be in English)

An art song is a classical song written from the 17th century to the present (not pop, musical theatre, jazz and not an aria from an opera or an oratorio). An art song can also include classical arrangements of folk songs. In brief, it’s a short-form classical vocal piece with a poetic text. Examples of art song composers in English (American and British) are Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Roger Quilter, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benjamin Britten, John Dowland, Gerald Finzi, Ned Rorem, Leonard Bernstein, John Duke, Charles Ives, Henry Purcell, Michael Head. Selection of literature for the entrance audition should be discussed with the applicants’ private instructor and/or choral director. Be sure pieces are of contrasting styles, as well as being demonstrative of the student's technical facility and musical expressiveness. 

Applicants must provide their own accompanist, CD or tape. Please bring your own CD/tape player for rehearsing prior to your audition.
Specific questions may be addressed by calling the Department of Music at 978-934-3850 or by e-mailing: Norma_Lajoie@uml.edu, using the subject line “entrance audition,” or Ms. J. Giampa, Head of Voice: Janice_Giampa@uml.edu.

PERCUSSION
The purpose of the percussion audition is to evaluate applicants’ musicality, technique, rhythm, sense of pitch, and ability to read musical notation. Selection of literature for the entrance audition should be discussed with their percussion instructor or band director.

All candidates must successfully demonstrate ability to execute on
Snare Drum--a roll (open & closed) at various dynamic levels.

RUDIMENTS:
Sight-reading.
A snare drum solo of at least intermediate difficulty, for example, Intermediate Snare Drum by M. Peters or Portraits in Rhythm by A. Cirone.

In addition, candidates must also audition in one of the following three areas:

DRUMSET
Demonstrate ability to play various "grooves" (ex. bossa nova, samba, jazz, funk, jazz waltz, etc.).
Demonstrate ability to "trade two's".
Demonstrate ability to musically improvise solo.

MALLETS   
Demonstrate ability to play all major scales (two octaves).
Play a prepared, written solo on xylophone, marimba or vibes.

TIMPANI      
Demonstrate ability to tune timpani.
Demonstrate knowledge of fundamental technique.
Play a prepared, written solo of intermediate difficulty.

The University of Massachusetts Lowell will supply all percussion instruments for your audition. Please bring your own sticks and mallets. Specific questions may be addressed by calling the Department of Music at 978-934-3850 or by e-mailing: Norma_Lajoie@uml.edu, using the subject line “entrance audition.”

STRINGS

CLASSICAL

Audition requirements for applicants to the strings program:

Two contrasting solos demonstrating technical facility and musical expressiveness.
Two etudes/technical studies from recognized string literature.
Scales/arpeggios in 2 octaves (classical bass-1 octave) all major/minor Keys.

The following lists of repertoire should be used as a guideline for the entrance audition and to indicate the standards expected of an undergraduate student. However, applicants are not limited to these suggestions when selecting their audition repertoire. Selection of literature for the entrance audition should be discussed with the applicants’ private instructor or band/orchestra director.

Specific questions may be addressed by calling the Department of Music at 978-934-3850 or by e-mailing: Norma_Lajoie@uml.edu, using the subject line “entrance audition,” or to Dr. Kay Roberts, Head of Orchestral Strings:   Kay_Roberts@uml.edu.

VIOLIN
Etudes/technical studies        Kayser, Mazas, Schradieck, Sevcik
Sonatas                              Bach, Handel, Corelli
Concerti                              Bach, Mozart

VIOLA
Etudes/technical studies       Kayser, Mazas, Schradlieck, Sevcik
Sonatas                             Telemann, Handel
Concerti                            Telemann, CPE Bach

CELLO
Scales/arpeggios                    Grutzmacher
Etudes/studies                       Dotzauer, Krane
Sonatas                                Eccles, Vivaldi, Boccherini
Concerti                                Breval, Haydn

CLASSICAL BASS (UPRIGHT, ACOUSTIC)
Etudes/technical studies        Nanny, Simandl, Zimmerman
Sonatas                              Eccles, Vivaldi, Marcello
Concerti                             Dragonetti, Koussevitzky, Capuzzi

CLASSICAL GUITAR

The following lists of repertoire should be used as a guideline for the entrance audition and to indicate the standards expected of an undergraduate student. Selection of literature for the entrance audition should be discussed with the applicants’ private instructor. In addition to major and minor scales, applicants who wish to study classical guitar should prepare(preferably from memory) one etude, study, or concert piece from two of the following categories (other composers of the same period may be used):

        Renaissance   or    Baroque
        Milan                   Sans
        Narvaez               Weiss
        Dowland               Bach
       
        Classical   or    Romantic
        Carcassi           Tarrega
        Sor                  Coste
        Giuliani            Mertz
       
        Twentieth Century
        Brouwer
        Villa-Lobos
        Smith-Brindle

Specific questions may be addressed by calling the Department of Music at 978-934-3850 or by e-mailing: Norma_Lajoie@uml.edu using the subject line “entrance audition”.

GUITAR--STEEL STRING, ELECTRIC, ACOUSTIC
Audition requirements of applicants planning to study guitar:

All applicants must perform the two downloadable solos below:
M. Carcassi Audition (PDF)            Green Bossa Audition (PDF)
Major scale, two octaves, ascending and descending; two types of minor scales.
Sightread a melody in moderate tempo, with half, quarter and eighth notes.
Sightread chord accompaniment, moderate tempo including the following types of chords:  dominant seventh, major seventh, minor seventh, diminished seventh, minor seventh/flat five.

Specific questions may be addressed by calling the Department of Music at 978-934-3850 or by e-mailing: Norma_Lajoie@uml.edu, using the subject line “entrance audition”.

JAZZ BASS, ELECTRIC, ACOUSTIC
Applicants who wish to study jazz bass (electric or acoustic) will be expected to have prepared a minimum of the following materials:
 
 1. All applicants must perform these two downloadable bass pieces.
  Be sure to perform the pieces in the appropriate tempos and rhythmic styles.  
                            Bass Piece 1(pdf)               Bass Piece 2 (pdf)

 2. Read a simple bass line including eighth note syncopations.

 3. Improvise a simple quarter-note bass line reading chord changes.

 4. Major, natural minor, melodic minor and harmonic scales, one octave.

 5. Major seventh, minor seventh, dominant seventh and half-diminished chord arpeggios, one octave.

Specific questions may be addressed by calling the Department of Music at 978-934-3850 or by e-mailing: Norma_Lajoie@uml.edu, using the subject line “entrance audition,” or to  Charles Gabriel, Bass Faculty: Charles_Gabriel@uml.edu.

Woodwinds
In addition to major scales, all applicants for admission to the undergraduate woodwind program should prepare one solo work and one etude. The following lists of repertoire should be used as a guideline for your audition and to indicate the standards expected of an undergraduate student. However, applicants are not limited to these suggestions when selecting their audition repertoire. Selection of literature for the entrance audition should be discussed with the applicants’ private instructor or band director.

Specific questions may be addressed by calling the Department of Music at 978-934-3850 or by e-mailing: Norma_Lajoie@uml.edu, using the subject line “entrance audition,” or to Prof. David Martins, Head of Woodwinds: David_Martins@uml.edu.

FLUTE
            25 Etudes, op.15                         Andersen
            Sonatas                                        Bach
            Concerti                                       Mozart
            French Solo Pieces                      Boza, Debussy, Ibert

OBOE
            48 Famous Studies for Oboe        W. Ferling
             Sonatas                                         Handel
             Romances                                    Schumann

CLARINET
        Excerpts from 25 Etudes                    Jeanjean
        Excerpts from 32 Etudes                    Rose
        Concerto                                            Weber
        Concerto                                            Mozart

BASSOON
        Excerpts from Studies, Volume II     Weissenborn
        Concerto                                            Mozart

SAXOPHONE: One prepared piece from list below or other appropriate performance literature for your instrument (grade 4+), one etude and be prepared to play any of the 12 major scales.