Hayes School of Music Graduate Studies

Graduate Audition Requirements

  1. Home
  2. Programs
  3. Music Performance
  4. Graduate Audition Requirements

Graduate Audition Requirements

Orchestral Conducting

Orchestral Conducting

Preliminary Requirements:

By February 1, please send the following:

  • formal letter of interest
  • unofficial college transcripts
  • curriculum vitae
  • three current letters of recommendation directly from the authors
  • Video link(s) of both a rehearsal (at least 15 minutes in length) and a performance (at least 5 minutes in length). Please indicate the repertoire conducted.
  • programs conducted from the past three years, if available

For your on campus interview and audition, please be prepared to:

  • conduct the Appalachian Symphony Orchestra; repertoire: Hindemith - Symphonic Metamorphosis, IV. Marsch
  • take a private lesson on your major instrument
  • take a diagnostic test covering terminology, transposition, clefs, and music theory
  • have a meeting and conducting lesson with Dr. Dee 
  • interview with the faculty, administration and Graduate Coordinator of the Hayes School of Music

Scheduling Your Audition

  • Please contact Dr. Alexandra Dee at deeao@appstate.edu by February 1 to schedule your audition. Dr. Dee will be able to address your inquiries about the orchestral conducting program. Auditions must be completed by March 1 to receive priority consideration for an assistantship. 

Please fill out this audition form prior to your audition.

Choral Conducting

Choral Conducting

Preliminary Requirements:

By February 1, please send the following to Dr. Jordan Shomper (shomperjm@appstate.edu):

  • formal letter of interest
  • unofficial college transcripts
  • current curriculum vitae
  • three references
  • video link of a rehearsal, at least 15 minutes in length
  • if available - video link of a performance, 
  • if available - programs conducted from the past three years

For your on campus interview and audition, please be prepared to:

  • conduct and rehearse University Singers; repertoire: Unclouded Day, arr. Kirchner
  • take a private lesson on your major instrument
  • take a diagnostic test, covering terminology, transposition, clefs, and music theory
  • have a meeting and conducting lesson with Dr. Shomper
  • interview with the faculty, administration and Graduate Coordinator of the Hayes School of Music

Scheduling Your Audition

  • Please contact Dr. Jordan Shomper at shomperjm@appstate.edu by February 1 to schedule your audition. Dr. Shomper will be able to address your inquiries about the choral conducting program. Auditions must be completed by March 1 to receive priority consideration for an assistantship. 

  • Please fill out this audition form prior to your audition.

Wind Conducting

Preliminary Requirements:

By February 1, please send the following:

  • formal letter of interest
  • unofficial college transcripts
  • curriculum vitae
  • three current letters of recommendation directly from the authors
  • DVD or video link of a rehearsal and performance
  • DVD or video link of a marching band performance with drill originally written
  • programs conducted from the past three years, if available
  • festival/contest sheets from performances conducted, if available
  • an analysis of: HOLST – Suite in Eb – Movement I - Chaconne

For your on campus interview and audition, please be prepared to:

  • conduct the HOLST – Suite in Eb – Movement I (Chaconne) with the Appalachian Wind Ensemble
  • take a private lesson on your major instrument
  • take a conducting lesson with Dr. Ross
  • have a meeting with Dr. Ross and Dr. Gardner to discuss your philosophy of athletic bands
  • interview with the faculty, administration and Graduate Coordinator of the Hayes School of Music

Download the Wind Audition and Assistantship Information Packet.

Scheduling Your Audition

Bowed Strings and Harp

An applicant for the Master of Music degree in Bowed String Performance is expected to know all major and minor scales and arpeggios in three octaves (two octaves for bassists). The applicant will perform two contrasting movements of unaccompanied J. S. Bach, the first movement of a standard concerto (including a possible cadenza), and a third composition of the applicant's choice, e.g. a virtuoso piece or music that represents another stylistic period or culturally diverse community. At least one selection should be memorized. The audition performance should demonstrate contrasting musical styles, mastery of technical challenges, and musical communication.

The deadline for auditions for priority consideration for a fall semester graduate assistantship is March 1. Auditions may be scheduled after this date, if spaces (and assistantship funds) are still available.

For harp audition requirements and to schedule an audition, please contact Dr. Eric Koontz at koontzee@appstate.edu, Coordinator of the String Area.  


Scheduling Your Audition

Brass

All graduate applicants should prepare the following:

  • All major and minor scales and arpeggios, covering two or more octaves as possible.
  • 10-15 minutes of contrasting selections from the candidate’s current repertoire* of solos, etudes and/or excerpts.** Demonstration from a variety of music periods is suggested (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Twentieth Century, etc.).
  • Candidates will be asked to demonstrate sight-reading abilities.

*Please bring a list of current and past repertoire and a resume/CV to the audition
**Suggested examples of audition repertoire are listed under each instrument. Unlisted literature is welcomed and considered. Please contact the studio professor with your audition repertoire before your audition.


Scheduling Your Audition

  • Please contact the brass faculty member for your instrument to schedule an audition.
  • Please fill out this audition form prior to your audition.


Trumpet

  • Concerti: Haydn, Hummel, Arutiunian, Tomasi, Chaynes
  • Sonati: Antheil, Hindemith, Stevens
  • Single movement works: Brandt, Enescu, Bozza
  • Unaccompanied works: Persichetti, Arnold, Larsen
  • Etudes: Bitsch, Charlier, Chaynes
  • Excerpts: Bach, Mahler, Mussorsky, Ravel, Respighi, Stravinsky
  • Jazz: standards, ballads, etc.  

Please contact Dr. James Stokes, Professor of Trumpet and Co-Director of the Performance Degree Program, with any your questions and audition repertoire before your audition: stokesjm@appstate.edu

Horn

  • Multi-Movement Works: Jacob, Gliere, W. Mozart (2/4),Ewazen, Hindemith, Raum, Turner
  • Single movement works: Bitsch, Bozza, Poulenc, Neuling
  • Unaccompanied works: Amram, Berge, Messiaen
  • Etudes: Gallay, Kopprasch, Reynolds
  • Excerpts: Beethoven, Brahms, Shostakovich, Strauss

Please contact Dr. Dakota Corbliss, Assistant Professor of Horn, with any questions and audition repertoire before your audition: corblissdc@appstate.edu

Tenor Trombone

  • Solo Repertoire: Grondahl/Concerto, David/Concertino, Barfield/Red Sky, Martin/Ballade, Casterede/Sonatine
  • Unaccompanied Works: Crespo/Improvisation No. 1, Arnold/Fantasy
  • Etudes: Bordogni/Rochut, Bitsch, Blazhevich, Tyrell
  • Excerpts: Mozart/Tuba Mirum, Wagner/Ride of the Valkyries, Ravel/Bolero, Berlioz/Hungarian March

Please contact Dr. Joseph Brown, Assistant Professor of Trombone, with any questions and audition repertoire before your audition: brownja9@appstate.edu

Bass Trombone

  • Solo Repertoire: Spillman/Concerto, Ewazen/Concerto, Vaughan Willams/Tuba Concerto, Bozza/New Orleans
  • Unaccompanied Works: J.S. Bach/Cello Suites
  • Etudes: Bordogni/Rochut, Blazhevich, Grigoriev, Tyrell
  • Excerpts: Haydn/Creation, Wagner/Das Rheingold, Schumann/Symphony #3, Berlioz/Hungarian March

Please contact Dr. Joseph Brown, Assistant Professor of Trombone, with any questions and audition repertoire before your audition: brownja9@appstate.edu

Euphonium

  • Solo Repertoire: Jacobs/Fantasia, Horovitz/Concerto, Gillingham/Blue Lake Fantasy, Sparke/Pantomime, Ewazen/Sonata
  • Etudes: Bordogni/Rochut, Arban, Voxman, Charlier
  • Excerpts: Standard orchestral and/or military band excerpts

Please contact Dr. Samuel Ambrose, Assistant Professor of Tuba & Euphonium, with any questions and audition repertoire before your audition: ambrosesr@appstate.edu

Tuba

  • Solo Repertoire: Vaughan Williams/Concerto, Penderecki/Capriccio, Hindemith/Sonata, Schumann/Adagio & Allegro, Plau/Concerto
  • Etudes: Bordogni/Rochut, Gallay, Arban, Snedecor
  • Excerpts: Standard orchestral and/or military band excerpts

Please contact Dr. Samuel Ambrose, Assistant Professor of Tuba & Euphonium, with any questions and audition repertoire before your audition: ambrosesr@appstate.edu

Collaborative Piano

All students entering into the collaborative program will be required to meet the following audition criteria:

  • Accompany two contrasting Art Songs from the French, German, Italian and English/American standard repertoire
  • Accompany one operatic aria in any language
  • Two movements (Fast & Slow) of any sonata for one instrument and piano
  • One short work for solo piano that exhibits skill level
  • Sight read a vocal piece


Scheduling Your Audition

Guitar

Auditionees should play three solo guitar works of contrasting styles, preferably from memory, and from different historical style periods. These pieces collectively should demonstrate the applicant’s highest levels of technical and musical achievement. Additionally, some sight reading may be required. Contact Dr. Adam Kossler with any questions concerning the appropriateness of music for the audition*.

 

*Please bring a list of current and past repertoire and a resume/CV to your audition


Scheduling Your Audition

 

Music Composition

All application materials must be submitted by February 1, 2025 in order to receive priority consideration for assistantships. 

How to apply:

1.) Submit an application to the University through the Graduate School. 

2.) Submit the supplemental MM Music Composition application and audition form.

3.) Submit the following documents to Dr. Nicholas Cline (clineng1@appstate.edu):

  • curriculum vitae, including education, works list, and selected performances

  • three to four completed works that best represent your compositional voice, abilities, and interests. Scores should be submitted in PDF format and recordings, if available, should be in MP3 format for audio works and MP4 format for audiovisual works (recordings of MIDI instruments are acceptable).

How to submit these documents:

1) Please submit your documents via file-sharing service such as Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.

2) If you do not have these accounts, please contact clineng1@appstate.edu to arrange an alternative method.

After submitting the above applications and documents, we will contact you regarding an interview with the composition faculty.

An undergraduate degree in theory/composition is not required. Many of our incoming graduate students have either earned a BA or BM in theory/composition or studied composition at the undergraduate level for several semesters.

Organ

Organists auditioning for the Master of Music degree in Performance may select and perform any three compositions of contrasting styles. Alternatively, you may provide more than three contrasting pieces for the faculty to select from at the audition. In addition, we would like to hear you play any two hymns of your choice, as if for a service.

 

Scheduling Your Audition

Percussion

The Master of Music in percussion performance is designed to give students the opportunity to further their study of the area(s) of percussion that they are most passionate about. It prepares the student for a career as a performing percussionist in their area(s) of expertise, to teach at a more advanced level, or to go on to a Doctor in Musical Arts program.  The percussion curriculum is shaped to the students’ needs based on what they are interested in and the expertise of the percussion faculty.  Over the years, Master of Music students in percussion have focused on orchestral performance, contemporary classical chamber and solo music, world music (including steel drum and tabla performance), and jazz performance (drum set and vibraphone).  If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Brady Spitz with any inquiries.

The MM candidate in percussion is required to audition in the following areas:

  • Snare Drum:
    • A concert solo or etude - Delecluse, Aleo, Macarez, or equivalent
    • A rudimental solo or etude (optional) - Tompkins, Pratt, etc
    • Two orchestral excerpts
  • Keyboard
    • One significant work for four-mallets - solo marimba or vibraphone are acceptable (Bach, Mackey, Druckman, Vinao, Manoury, etc)
    • Two orchestral excerpts for xylophone/glockenspiel
  • Timpani
    • One solo or etude - Carter, Hochrainer, Delecluse, or equivalent
    • Must demonstrate ability to tune multiple drums from a single reference pitch
  • Accessory percussion:
    • 2-3 orchestral excerpts demonstrating a variety of styles and techniques for crash cymbals, tambourine, triangle, bass drum, or castanets.
  • Optional areas:
    • Solo Percussion: a significant piece of repertoire (Xenakis, Cage, Rzewski, Lang, etc)
      • Can be performed live or sent as a recording ahead of time
    • Drum Set: demonstrate ability to improvise in a variety of styles and tempos, including (but not limited to) swing, bossa nova, Afro-Cuban styles, rock/funk, etc.
      • Prepared solos and performances with play-along tracks are also welcome
    • World Percussion: a prepared solo or improvisation in a non-Western style (steel drums, Afro-Cuban, frame drums, tabla, gyil, etc)
    • Jazz on vibraphone: a prepared solo demonstrating ability to improvise in a variety of musical contexts.

Important Notes

  • It is important to choose repertoire that best highlights your strengths and interests
  • Sight reading may be asked on any concert percussion instrument
  • Repertoire that requires a solo percussion setup, world percussion, or electronics should be communicated to Dr. Spitz ahead of time. This will ensure that instruments and technology are available to help support your audition.
  • Candidates are welcome and encouraged to bring their own small percussion instruments to the audition (snare drum, tambourine, etc). For a complete list of equipment available at the audition, please contact Dr. Brady Spitz ahead of time.

Scheduling Your Audition

  • To schedule an audition, please contact Dr. Brady Spitz at spitzbj@appstate.edu
  • Please fill out this audition form prior to your audition.
  • Auditions and applications completed by March 1 will be given priority consideration for an assistantship. Therefore, submitting audition videos or having an in-person audition well before March 1 is encouraged. Contact Dr. Brady Spitz at spitzbj@appstate.edu with any inquiries.

 

 

Piano

  • The applicant will perform three pieces from contrasting style periods (e. g., Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Twentieth-Century). The selections must be memorized. If you have any questions regarding the appropriateness of your audition selections, please contact Dr. Reynerson.
  • There will be sight-reading at the audition as well.
  • Please bring your repertoire list to the audition, including solo and collaborative works. Indicate on the list which of these works you have publicly performed.
  • To schedule an audition please contact Dr. Reynerson. (The audition does not necessarily need to be on the dates advertised for the undergraduate auditions.)


Scheduling Your Audition

Voice

Your application must be in progress with the Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies before an audition is scheduled. Auditions will be held during the regularly scheduled in-person auditions for the Hayes School of Music. (January 22, January 29, February 12, 2022). Please check with Dr. Julia Pedigo at pedigoja@appstate.edu to schedule your audition. If any audition process adjustments is needed due to the pandemic, please contact Dr. Pedigo.


The audition shall include five to six selections, including 4 languages, consisting of the following:

  • Eighteenth, Nineteenth, 20th Century, and 21st century art songs performed in the original languages,
  • a 20th/21st Century work for voice and piano,
  • an operatic aria in the original key and language, and
  • an oratorio aria in the original key and language.

The following materials need to be submitted to the voice faculty during the audition:

  • Audition form
  • Resumé
  • List of vocal repertoire studied, organized by language and genre

In the audition, the student shall demonstrate vocal technique, musicianship, and artistry with the potential for a performing career. Proficiency in the diction of French, German, Italian, and English shall be demonstrated in the literature performed during the audition. Sight reading will also be included in the audition (melodic, rhythmic, and diction in the following languages: Italian, German, French, and English).


If there are any questions about the audition or the audition process, please contact Dr. Julia Pedigo at pedigoja@appstate.edu.