Undergraduate Audition Information

Undergraduate Information

Audition:

• Follow the guidelines below for your given instrument.
• For piano or string auditionees, follow the guidelines for the music minor.

Portfolio:

• Scores for three to five compositions.
• Include accompanying recordings if available.

Skills Assessment:

• Piano skills and sight-singing evaluations.
• Piano and theory placement tests are administered to all applicants.

INSTRUMENTALISTS:

Bachelor of Arts with a Jazz Concentration:

• All 12 major scales played up to the 9th and down.
• Pick a piece to perform from the following:
  • Just Friends (G major)
  • Lady Bird 
  • Stella By Starlight
  • All The Things You Are
  • Green Dolphin Street (Eb major)
  • Blue Bossa 
  • Au Privave
  • There Will Never Be Another You
• Sight Reading
• If you have done a transcription, please bring in an example.

Jazz Minor:

• All 12 major scales played up to the 9th and down.
• Pick a blues piece to perform from this list:
  • Now’s The Time
  • Billie’s Bounce
  • Tenor Madness
  • Bessie’s Blues
  • Chi Chi
• Sight Reading

VOCALISTS:

• Be prepared to sing from the standard repertoire in swing, ballad and Latin styles. (Bring a CD of the accompaniment. Jamie Aebersold play-along CDs are recommended)
• The purpose of the audition is to show your skill level and preferences.  

Undergraduate Requirements

Concentration in: Performance 

• A Prelude and Fugue or Three-part Invention (Sinfonia) by Bach.
• A Sonata movement by Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven (excluding Beethoven, Op. 49).
• A composition characteristic of the Romantic or Contemporary Period.
• A composition of the candidate’s choice (optional). All of the above must be memorized.
• Demonstration of sight reading proficiency and familiarity with technical skills (scales, etc.)  

Concentration in: Music Education 

• A Two-Part or Three-Part Invention, or a Prelude and Fugue by Bach.
• A Sonata movement by Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven.
• A Romantic or Contemporary Composition.
• At least one of the above must be memorized.
• Demonstration of sight reading proficiency and familiarity with technical skills (scales, etc.).

Bachelor of Arts in Music or Music Minor

• Two pieces in contrasting styles from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, or Contemporary style periods.
• At least one of the above must be memorized.
• Demonstration of sight reading proficiency and familiarity with technical skills (scales, etc.)  

Undergraduate Requirements

Technical Skills

• Violin: All major and minor scales and arpeggios, three octaves minimum, memorized.
• Viola: All major and minor scales and arpeggios, three octaves minimum, memorized.
• Cello: All major and minor scales, three octaves minimum, memorized.
• Double Bass: All major scales, one-octave minimum, memorized.

Repertoire Requirements (accompaniment not required):

Concentration in: Performance

• Violin: one movement of a standard concerto and one movement of a Bach unaccompanied Sonata or Partita. Memorization is required.
• Viola: Two works contrasting in period and style. These works may be movements from a concerto/sonata or separate works. Memorization is required.
• Cello: Suggested repertoire - one movement of a standard concerto, and one movement of a Bach solo suite. Memorization is required.
• Double Bass: Marcello Sonata in E Minor (two contrasting movements) or work of comparable difficulty. Memorization is not required.

Concentration in Music Education, Bachelor of Arts in Music or Music Minor:

• Violin, Viola and Cello: Two-octave scales and two contrasting movements or pieces. Memorization optional.
• Double Bass: Marcello Sonata in E Minor (two contrasting movements) or work of comparable difficulty. Memorization is not required. Demonstration of sight reading proficiency.

Classical Guitar: Music Education, Bachelor of Arts in Music or Music Minor:

• Perform two or three contrasting pieces from memory.
• All applicants must audition on a classical (nylon string) guitar and may not play with a pick.
• Pieces performed must be of at least equivalent technical difficulty to the following:
  • Heitor Villa-Lobos, Cinq Preludes
  • Fernando Sor, Study in B minor
  • J.S. Bach, Prelude to Cello Suite No. 1
  • Leo Brouwer, El Decameron Negro
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Stark Campus Admissions Representative, Cindy Deng, at cdeng@kent.edu.

Undergraduate Requirements (B.A. and B.M.)

Voice Major:

Concentration in: Performance or Music Education

• One song with English text. Must be memorized.
• One non-English song. Must be memorized. Examples of possible composers are below. 
  • Italian: Scarlatti, Caldara, Donaudy, Giordani, Bononcini, Monteverdi, Carlissimi, Gluck, Handel, Marcello, Pergolesi, Lotti.
  • German: Brahms, Schubert, Schumann.
  • French: Debussy, Faure.
  • If the candidate does not have a foreign language song, they may perform a second song in English.
• Candidates are requested to provide their own accompanist. If this is not possible, an accompaniment track is acceptable.
• Demonstration of sight-reading proficiency and pitch-matching. 
  • For those submitting a video audition, a member of the voice faculty will reach out to you to complete this step.
• Suitable voice audition repertoire is listed on the Ohio Music Education Association's “Solo and Small Ensemble” repertoire list, available from your high school choral director.  

Music Minor

• Classical repertoire (works by composers such as Barber, Scarlatti, Monteverdi, Brahms, Schubert, Debussy, etc.) is required. 
  • Suitable voice audition repertory is listed on the Ohio Music Education Association's “Solo and Small Ensemble” repertoire list, available from your high school choral director.  
  • If you have questions about acceptable selections reach out to Timothy Culver, voice division coordinator, at tculver@kent. 
• Two contrasting memorized selections (preferably one in a non-English language).
• The audition needs to be accompanied by either a pianist or an accompaniment track.
• Auditionees will be asked to do some sight-reading and pitch-matching. 
  • For those submitting a video audition, a member of the voice faculty will reach out to you to complete this step.

Undergraduate Requirements

Brass:

Concentration in: Performance, Music Education, Bachelor of Arts in Music or General Music Minor

• Solo work and/or contrasting etudes (memorization and accompaniment not required).
• Major scales, 1 octave required (2 octaves optional).
• Chromatic scales, 1 octave required (2 octaves optional)
• Sight-reading

Woodwinds

Concentration in: Performance, Music Education, Bachelor of Arts in Music or General Music Minor

• Major and chromatic scales—memorized.
• Solo.
  • Memorization not required.
  • Suggested repertoire is contained in the OMEA contest list.
  • Compositions of equivalent difficulty may be substituted. 
  • Accompaniment is not required. 
• Demonstration of sight reading proficiency.

Percussion Instruments:

Concentration in: Performance, Music Education, Bachelor of Arts in Music or General Music Minor

• A solo on all of the following:
  • Snare drum.
  • Percussion keyboard (mallets).
  • Timpani (Proficiency in tuning).
  • Accompaniment is not required. 
•  Demonstration of sight reading proficiency on at least two of the above instruments. 
• Your percussion audition must be done in person or, if distance to the Kent Campus is an issue, via recorded video audition.