AUDITION DATES
Official Department of Music Audition Dates during the 2015-2016 School Year are listed below. Please check this space regularly for updates. To schedule an audition time, e-mail the appropriate person listed below.
Friday December 9, 2016
Friday January 27, 2017
Friday February 10, 2017
Friday March 10, 2017
For Band/Instrumental musicians, contact Dr. Ricky Brooks: rickyb@uca.edu.
For Vocal/String musicians, contact Carol Ebinger: cebinger@uca.edu.
For Pianists, contact Dr. Neil Rutman: neilr@uca.edu.
HELPFUL AUDITION INFORMATION
When choosing to study music, one makes a commitment to hard work, discipline, and most importantly – creativity. The typical music student spends hours each day in a practice room in addition to handling a full load of classes, ensembles, and rehearsals.
In order to help you prepare for your audition, we suggest the following:
1) Contact the professor who corresponds to your instrument and ask to set up a lesson. Most professors are more than happy to meet with you before your audition to work with you on audition materials. Remember, you will spend one-on-one time with this individual for four years–it’s important that you determine if you will work well with that professor.
2) Be proactive. Think through in advance such details as: Have you applied to UCA already? (We can’t give you any acceptance or scholarship decisions until you apply.) Do you know where Snow Fine Arts is? (There are helpful maps linked from our homepage and music department website.)
3) Dress accordingly. When you see professional musicians on stage, what do they look like? While we don’t suggest you wear a tuxedo to your audition, it’s important to dress for respect.
4) Most importantly: PRACTICE! The more prepared and confident you are in your audition, the better chance of acceptance and scholarship! Would you rather practice now to earn a scholarship for college or work two part-time jobs while you’re at college? (Don’t forget–if you work during college, that takes up an awful lot of your practice time!)
AUDITION EXPECTATIONS
Each instrument (or area of instruments) has specific expectations for your audition. Please look below to find out what your expectations are.
WOODWINDS (Flute, Clarinets, Sax, Oboe, Bassoon)
Undergraduate:
– Three scales: to be selected from ALL major and minor scales.
– Two contrasting movements from any solo work (concerto, sonata, etc.) or standard studies for the particular instrument (no piano accompaniment)
– Sight-reading
Graduate:
– Three standard orchestral/band excerpts
– A twenty-minute program that includes at least three works from various musical periods or demonstrates different musical styles
– Sight-reading
BRASS
Undergraduate:
– Three scales: to be selected from ALL major and minor scales.
– Two contrasting movements from any solo work (concerto, sonata, etc.) or standard studies for the particular instrument (no piano accompaniment). Region etudes are also acceptable audition material.
– Sight-reading
Graduate:
– Three standard orchestral/band excerpts
– A twenty-minute program that includes at least three works from various musical periods or demonstrates different musical styles
– Sight-reading
VOICE
Undergraduate
1 English Piece
1 Foreign Language Piece
BOTH must be memorized
Graduate
1 English Art Song
1 German Art Song
1 French Art Song
1 Italian Art Song
1 Oratorio Aria in Original Language
1 Opera Aria in Original Language
Songs should contrast in style and cover each main song era from Baroque through 20th Century. Languages such as Spanish or Russian could also be programmed. All pieces must be performed from memory.
STRINGS
Undergraduate
•A Scale of your choice in three octaves
•Two or three contrasting works or movements. (Piano accompaniment is not required)
•Sight Reading
Graduate
For a live audition towards graduate study, students should perform portions of two to three contrasting pieces, and they should expect to play scales and perform sight reading.
PIANO
Piano majors in the BM must perform THREE works from the list below and BME and Bachelor of Arts with Piano Emphasis must perform TWO works from the list below.
* An etude by either Chopin or Moszkowski
* A major work from the Baroque period
* A major work from the Classical period
* A major work from the Romantic period
* A major work from the French Impressionists or the later 20th century
All works must be performed by memory. Both Piano Majors and BME Piano will be asked to sight read and BME and BA will be asked to play major and minor scales and arpeggios at two or three octaves. To guarantee placement with private piano instructors, BME and BA candidates should ensure that the selections are not too simple. A major work for the BME and BA degree will not be as complex as for the BM performance degree, but BME and BA candidates should avoid the short two-page pieces from standard classical anthologies. Popular and religious arrangements are not acceptable for auditions.
Audition dates are posted on the Music Dept. webpage. To enquire about an audition, please either call the Music Department at 501-450-3163 or contact Dr. Neil Rutman at 501- 450-5767 or neilr@uca.edu.
PERCUSSION
Undergraduate
Pieces performed for All-Region and All-State auditions are acceptable for undergraduate auditions. The performance of other works is encouraged when possible. Some suggestions are given below. They are provided only as a guide. Other pieces may be used as audition material.
Snare Drum
Etudes from Portraits in Rhythm – Anthony Cirone
Etudes from Intermediate Snare Drum Studies – Mitchell Peters
Etudes from Advanced Snare Drum Studies – Mitchell Peters
A rudimental solo
Keyboard
Etudes from Modern Method for Xylophone – Morris Goldenberg
Violin Concrto in a minor – Bach
Etudes and Preludes – Clair Musser
Yellow After the Rain – Mitchell Peters
Timpani
Solos by John Beck or Vic Firth
Etudes from Modern Method for Timpani – Saul Goodman
Drumset (optional)
Demonstate various styles (swing, latin, rock, etc.)
Graduate
Percussionists auditioning for graduate degrees are expected to demonstrate strong abilities in all areas. Some suggestions for audition repertoire are given below. Other works of similar musical and technical value may be performed.
Snare Drum
Etudes from Portraits in Rhythm by Anthony Cirone
Etudes from Douze Etudes by Jacques Delecluse
Etudes from Advanced Etudes for Snare Drum by Keith Aleo
Orchestral Excerpts (Scheherazade, Lt. Kije, Shostakovich 10)
Keyboard
Mirage – Sueyoshi
Reflections on the Nature of Water – Druckman
Variations on Japanese Children’s Songs – Abe
Caritas – Burritt
See Ya Thursday – Mackey
Rumble Strips – Stout
Orchestral Excerpts (Porgy and Bess, Magic Flute, Pines of Rome)
Timpani
Eight Pieces – Carter
Sonata for Timpani – Beck
Three Pieces for Five Timpani – La Fave
Orchestral Excerpts (Beethoven 9, Romeo and Juliet, Finlandia)