Auditions / Scholarships

Please contact Dr. Shellie Beeman (sbeeman@jsu.edu) or Dr. Jeff Kensmoe (jkensmoe@jsu.edu) for questions about Voice or Opera.

Vocal, Choral, and Opera Areas - Music Education Major / Performance Major / Music Minor / General Music

1. Sing two contrasting selections. Both selections must be sung from memory. One song must be from the standard classical song or aria repertoire. The second song may also be selected from the classical song and aria repertoire or from the legit musical theater repertoire typically associated with the “Golden Age” of Broadway. Transfer students should sing one song in a foreign language and one song in English.
2. Please choose music that shows your voice at its best, something you like to sing and feel comfortable performing. We are listening for vocal quality, expressiveness, musical competence, and, above all, potential. You must sing with piano accompaniment.  An accompanist will be provided.
3. During your scheduled audition, you will be asked to sing a short sight-reading/ear-training exercise.

*Those auditioning for admission as a Music Performance Major should perform more advanced music selections.

Song Resources/Suggestions

• IMSLP—public domain music website
• Art Song Central—public domain music website
• 24/26/28 Italian Songs and Arias
  • Caro mio ben
  • Vittoria, mio core
  • Per la gloria
  • Amarilli, mia bella
  • Se tu, m’ami

And many others in these books:

• Folk Songs for the Solo Singers Anthologies
• First/Second Book of Soprano/Mezzo, Tenor/Baritone/Bass Solos
• Standard Vocal Literature for Soprano/Mezzo, Tenor/Baritone/Bass Solos
• Some Composers: Purcell, Handel, Mozart, Schubert, Faure, Quilter, Vaughan-Williams, Donaudy, Barber, Copland, Dowland and others
• Legit Musicals/Golden Age—Examples include
  • My Fair Lady
  • Sound of Music
  • Oklahoma
  • Carousel
  • Cinderella
  • Scarlet Pimpernel
  • Into the Woods
  • Some Disney: Aladdin/Little Mermaid/etc.
• If in doubt, please contact a voice faculty member directly!

Music Education Major / Music Minor / General Music

1. Play two contrasting etudes (lyrical and technical) for no more than one minute each.
2. Prepare all major scaled with arpeggios. (You will be asked to play two random major scales - must be memorized).
3. Chromatic Scale
4. Sight-reading

Brass Performance Majors

Trumpet

1. Major Works-To be performed on Bb or C trumpet: (Choose 1).
   • Haydn-1st mvt.
   • Hummel-1st mvt.
   • Neruda- 1st mvt.
   • Kennan-1st mvt.
   • Arutunian Beginning to Letter F.
2. Etudes: (Play both)
   • Charlier 2- beginning to fermata in measure 24.
   • Brandt, 34 Etudes. Etude 2.
3. Scales: Your all-state scale and arpeggio requirements from your home state at the suggested
   tempo.
4. Excerpts: (Choose 3)
   • Beethoven- Leonore 3 offstage
   • Respighi- Pines of Rome mvt. 2. 8 measures after 10 to 9 before 11.
   • Mussgorsky- Pictures At An Exhibition. Promenade. Beginning to Rehearsal 2.
   • Stravinsky- Petrouchka- Ballerina’s Dance.
   • Mahler- Symphony 5. Mvt. 1- opening to 6 after rehearsal 1.
   • Ives- Variations on “America” both parts.
5. Sightreading

Horn

1. Etude #34 from 40 Characteristic Etudes for Horn by Henri A.L. Kling
2. Choose ONE from the following:
   • • Mozart Horn Concerto #2, K417; measures 25 - 172
   • • Mozart Horn Concerto #4, K495; measures 36 – 132
3. All of the following orchestral excerpts:
   • • Brahms Symphony #1; 2nd movement; measures 90 - 105
   • • R. Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel – Horn 1; Beginning to rehearsal 1
   • • Mendelssohn Symphony #3 – Horn 3; Mvt 2 Measures 48 – 67
   • • Shostakovich Symphony #5 – Horn 1; 2 after rehearsal 17 to 1 after rehearsal 21
4. Scales:
   • • All Major and Minor scales as required by your home state’s High School All-State Band Audition AND one 3 octave scale of your choice. To be played in 8th notes at quarter = mm120. A scale rhythm of mostly 8th notes is acceptable.
   • • Chromatic Scale 2 octaves. To be played in 8th notes at quarter = mm120 or in 8th note triplets at mm100.
5. Sightreading

Recorded Auditions must be submitted as one continuous and unedited video.

Trombone, Bass Trombone, Euphonium

1. All Major Scales as per your residing state’s all state requirements.
2. Pick one of the following solos:
   • Barat - Introduction and Dance
   • Haddad - Suite for Baritone (Mv.t 1 & 2)
   • Clinard - Sonata (Mvt. 1 & 2)
   • De La Nux - Concert Piece
   • Curnow - Rhapsody for Euphonium
   • Marcello - Sonata in a minor (Mvt. 1 Adagio & 2 Allegro)
   • Mozart - Bassoon Concerto K 191 (Mvt. 1 & 2)
   • Barat - Andante et Allegro
   • Capuzzi - Andante and Rondo
   • Guilmant - Morceau Symphonique
     (Note: Other works of comparable difficulty may be accepted upon approval from Mr. Casanova)
3. Pick one lyrical etude from Bordogni/Rochut - Melodious Etudes for Trombone (Carl Fischer):
   • No. 4 - Andante Cantabile
   • No. 6 - Andante Cantabile
   • No. 9 - Andante con moto
   • No. 13 Andante Cantabile
   • No. 16 - Allegro
   • No. 17 - Allegro
     (Note: Tempi written on the etudes are suggestions. You may take an etude faster/slower if you feel it is more fitting for the music.)
4. Pick one technical etude from Voxman - Selected Studies for Baritone:
   • Pg. 3, Bb Major - Böhme (Alla breve)
   • Pg. 5, g minor - Blazhevich (Moderato)
   • Pg. 11, F Major - Müller (Allegro Moderato)
   • Pg. 14 (through top of pg 15), Ab Major - Gatti (Allegro marziale)
   • Pg. 21, a minor - Gatti (Allegretto grazioso)
   • Pg. 23, Db Major - Blazhevich (Con moto)
5. All 3 of the following wind band excerpts from Euphonium Excerpts - Barbara Payne (Cimarron Music):
   • Pg. 35 - Grainger - Irish Tune from County Derry (Start at beginning, stop before circle 49) Pg. 62
   • Holst - Second Suite in F (March, Solo only)
   • Pg. 65 - Bennet - Suite of Old American Dances (Cakewalk only, top divisi on 2nd to last measure)

1. 1. Prepare two contrasting etudes (Lyrical and Technical):
   1. Bordogni – Complete Vocalises for Tuba (Wesley Jacobs)
   2. Blazhevich – 70 Studies for BBb Tuba (Volume 1)
2. Prepare a solo of your choice (Suggested solos but not limited to):
   • (Easier):
   • Barat – Introduction and Dance
   • Haddad – Suite for Tuba
   • Marcello – Sonata in F for Tuba
   • Capuzzi – Andante & Rondo
   • Hartley – Suite for Unaccompanied Tuba
   • D. Gabrieli – Ricercar No. 7
   • Lebedev – Concerto in One Movement
   • (Harder):
   • Edward Gregson – Tuba Concerto
   • Ralph Vaughan Williams – Tuba Concerto
   • Paul Hindemith – Tuba Sonata
   • Bruce Broughton – Sonata
   • J.S. Bach (Sauer) – Cello Suite No. 3 – Bourree I & II
   • J.S. Bach (Sauer) – Cello Suite No. 4 – Gigue
   • J.S. Bach (Cooley) – Sonata No. 2 in Eb – 1st Movement
3. Orchestral Excerpts (Choose 3):
   • • Wagner – Ride of the Valkyries
   • • Wagner – Die Meistersinger – Beginning to A & J to L
   • • Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 4 – D to downbeat of 7 before E & 11 after G to end.
   • • Mahler – Symphony No 1 – Movement 3 – 7 bars after 2 to 4 bars before 5.
   • • Brahms – Symphony No. 2 – Final Movement – O to 19 after P
4. Scales: All Major and Minor scales as required by your home state’s High School All-State Band Audition AND one 3 octave scale of your choice.
5. Sight-reading

If you have questions, please feel free to contact Chris Hosmer (chosmer@jsu.edu)

For more information please contact the faculty member for your instrument:

Brass:

• Trumpet: Dr. Chris Probst (cprobst@jsu.edu)
• Horn: Jeff Solomon (jsolomon@jsu.edu)
• Trombone/Bass Trombone: Dr. Casey Thomas (cwthomas@jsu.edu)
• Euphonium: Jason Casanova (jcasanova@jsu.edu)
• Tuba: Chris Hosmer (chosmer@jsu.edu)

Instrumental (Woodwinds):

Music Education Major / Music Minor / General Music

1. Play two contrasting etudes (lyrical and technical) for no more than one minute each.
2. Prepare all major scaled with arpeggios. (You will be asked to play two random major scales - must be memorized).
3. Chromatic Scale
4. Sight-reading

Woodwind - Music Performance Major:

1. Two major solos from the standard instrument repertoire. Approved solo list 
2. All major scales
   • Follow high school all-state guidelines
3. Full-range chromatic scale
4. Extended sight reading

Percussion - Music Education Major / Performance Major / Music Minor / General Music

1. Perform a solo on the snare drum, timpani, and a mallet instrument.
2. Be prepared to play all major scales (two octaves) with arpeggios.
3. Be prepared to play any of the 40 PAS rudiments on the snare drum.
4. Sight Reading on the snare, timpani, and a mallet instrument.
5. OPTIONAL-Demonstrate a variety of styles on the drumset (rock, funk, jazz, Latin, etc.).

Strings - Music Education Major / Performance Major / Music Minor / General Music

1. Two major scales and two minor scales (3 octaves) of your choice.
2. One concerto or sonata (fast movement).
3. One etude of your choice.

For more information please contact the faculty member for your instrument:

Woodwinds:

• Flute: Dr. Jeremy Benson (jlbenson@jsu.edu)
• Clarinet: Mark Brandon (mbrandon@jsu.edu)
• Saxophone: Dr. Sarah Dunbar (sdunbar2@jsu.edu)
• Double Reeds: Eryn Oft (coft@jsu.edu)

Percussion:

• Clint Gillespie (cgillesp@jsu.edu)
• Lauren Teel (lteel@jsu.edu)

Strings:

• Dr. Jeremy Benson (jlbenson@jsu.edu)

Piano - Music Education Major / Performance Major / Music Minor / General Music

1. Perform two contrasting piano pieces from the standard repertoire.  Pieces must be played by memory. 
2. Demonstrate your current knowledge of chords and scales.
3. Sight-read a short piece of music.

For more information, contact Dr. Wendy Freeland or Dr. Rachel Park.

• • Now's The Time
  • Blue Monk
  • Billie's Bounce
  • Straight No Chaser

• Rhythm Changes:

• • Oleo
  • Anthropology
  • Flintstones

• Standards:                                    

• • There Will Never Be Another You
  • Green Dolphin Street
  • There Is No Greater Love
  • All of Me
  • Autumn Leaves
  • Just Friends
  • Yardbird Suite
  • My One and Only Love
  • Maiden Voyage
  • Impressions