Music Major Undergraduate Audition Information

2023 - 2024 Music Major Audition Days

Thank you for being interested in majoring in music at Wichita State University! We hold three Audition Days throughout the year for those students wanting to pursue a degree in music. The Audition Day dates for entry into the School of Music for fall 2024:

November 18, 2023
February 3, 2024
March 9, 2024

These days serve a dual purpose. First, they function as your audition for entry into the School of Music. Second, they serve as your audition for School of Music scholarships. We typically begin sending scholarship notifications after the Audition Day in February.

Our Audition Days are held on Saturday mornings in the Duerksen Fine Arts Center. Throughout the morning, students and their adults will have several opportunities to visit with School of Music faculty and staff and meet current students.

Signing up to attend an Audition Day is the first step in becoming a music major at Wichita State. Finishing the form takes around 5 minutes, and it gets you into our system, which allows us to schedule you a time on your chosen Audition Day. It also helps our faculty members reach out to you to make your audition experience even more personal to you.

Feel free to contact Dr. Evan Ricker, Recruiting and Communications Specialist, with any questions.

Email Dr. Ricker

We’re the music makers, the dreamers of dreams. Dare to dream with us.

Audition Requirements by Area

Woodwinds

Flute

All major scales, up through four flats and four sharps (memorization encouraged but not required).
Two contrasting pieces from the standard repertoire, pieces may be selected from movements of a larger work.
If you have questions about flute repertoire or flute audition procedures, please contact Dr. Hilary Jones, Assistant Professor of Flute.

Oboe

All major scales, up through four flats and four sharps (memorization encouraged but not required).
Chromatic scale, full instrument range (B-flat to high D at least).
One (1) Barret Progressive Etude or Rubank/Geckeler Advanced Etude
- Ferling Etude may be substituted if player is more advanced
Solo portion or movement of solo from one of the following:
- Marcello, Concerto in C Minor
- Any Handel sonata
- Mozart, Concerto in C Major
- Mozart, Quartet in F Major
- Haydn, Concerto in C Major
- Other work with permission of Dr. Weber
If you have questions about oboe repertoire or oboe audition procedures, please contact Dr. Kristin Weber, Instructor of Oboe.

Clarinet

One to two pieces or movements (or selected excerpts from clarinet solos/etudes) that demonstrate both technical and lyrical playing. Examples include:

District/All-State music/sections/excerpts
Cavallini: Adagio and Tarantella
Mozart: Concerto, K. 622
Rabaud: Solo de Concours
Rose: 32 Etudes
Rubank Selected Studies
Weber: Concertiono, Op. 26

If you have questions about clarinet repertoire or clarinet audition procedures, please contact Rachelle Goter, Assistant Educator of Clarinet.

Bassoon

All major scales, up through four flats and four sharps (memorization encouraged but not required).
Two contrasting pieces from the standard repertoire, pieces may be selected from movements of a larger work.
If you have questions about bassoon repertoire or bassoon audition procedures, please contact Zachary Hauge, Instructor of Bassoon

Saxophone

Any two contrasting pieces, one slow and lyrical; the other fast and technical. Etudes are acceptable, such as 48 Etudes by Ferling and Selected Studies. Some pieces below are listed as samples to provide guidance in repertoire to select:

Sonata by Herni Eccles
Concerto by Alexander Glazunov (excerpts are okay)
Sonata by Paul Creston
Arai by Eugene Bozza
Chanson et Passepied by Rueff

Two movements from sonatas or concertos are acceptable
If you have questions about saxophone repertoire or saxophone audition procedures, please contact James Pisano, Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies, or Dr. Courtney Long, Instructor of Saxophone
In addition, if you are interested in jazz, you are welcome to perform repertoire from that genre as well. Samples can be found at this link.

Brass

Horn & Trumpet

Two contrasting works, one lyrical and one technical.
If you have questions about horn repertoire or horn audition procedures, please contact Dr. Jeb Wallace, Associate Professor of Horn.
If you have questions about trumpet repertoire or trumpet audition procedures, please contact Dr. David Hunsicker, Associate Professor of Trumpet.

Trombone

Two contrasting works, one lyrical and one technical.
One 2 octave scale of choice, demonstrating range.
If you have questions about trombone repertoire or trombone audition procedures, please contact Matt Blauer, Instructor of Trombone.

Euphonium & Tuba

One 2 octave scale of choice.
Chromatic scale demonstrating range.
A solo and/or etudes of contrasting style.
If you have questions about low brass repertoire or low brass audition procedures, please contact Phillip Black, Assistant Professor of Tuba.

Percussion

Snare Drum

Roll various dynamics
Concert etude/ contest solo

Suggested composers:

Délécluse
Cirone
Aleo
Peters

Optional addition:

Rudimental solo.

Suggested composers:

Pratt
Tompkins
Wilcoxon

Mallets

Xylophone, marimba, vibraphone - your choice

Two-mallet solo: contest solo or suggested composers

Bach (preferably from Sonatas and Partitas for Unaccompanied Violin or Suites for Unaccompanied Cello)
Fritz Kreisler
G. H. Green
Musser

Optional but recommended:

Four-mallet solo

Note: For two-mallet and/or four-mallet solos, creative adaptations of any other composer's works are welcome. In general, pieces with tempo fluctuations and a variety of rhythms and characters are preferred over perpetual motion pieces.

Timpani

Contest solo or suggested composers

Woud
Hochrainer
Firth
Délécluse
Lepak
Carter

Note: Etudes that demonstrate standard orchestral timpani musicianship (e.g., Woud or Hochrainer etudes) are preferred over Carter solos.

Drumset (optional)Contest solo or a variety of styles

Medium Swing
Swing in ¾
Bossa Nova
Rock
Funk

If you have questions about percussion repertoire or percussion audition procedures, please contact Gerald Scholl, Professor of Percussion.

Piano

Perform at least two solo compositions in contrasting styles. Students may choose from Baroque, Classic, Romantic, and Modern repertoire. It is recommended that at least one of the pieces be memorized.
Students may be asked to sight read a short selection chosen from intermediate repertoire.
If you have questions about piano repertoire or piano audition procedures, please contact Dr. Meg Gray, Associate Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Area Coordinator, Keyboard.

Organ

If you have questions about organ repertoire or organ audition procedures, please contact Lynne Davis, Professor of Organ.

Voice

Students need to prepare two art songs (no musical theatre), one in English and preferably another in a foreign language. An accompanist will be provided.

If you have questions, please contact Alan Held, Professor of Voice / Director of Opera Studies / Area Coordinator, Voice

Strings

Violin

One three octave major and one three octave minor scale demonstrating legato slurs and spiccato.
One movement of a standard concerto or concert piece.
One movement of an unaccompanied Bach Sonata or Partita or a movement of a Baroque Sonata.
If you have questions about violin repertoire or violin audition procedures, please contact Dr. Timothy Jones, Assistant Professor of Violin.

Viola

One three octave major and one three octave minor scale demonstrating legato slurs and spiccato.
A prelude and one dance movement from JS Bach Suites.
One movement from a standard concerto such as Telemann, Handel, JC Bach, Stamitz or Hoffmeister.
If you have questions about viola repertoire or viola audition procedures, please contact Catherine Cosiglio, Professor of Viola.

Cello

A scale (3 or 4 octaves).
Any prelude or first movement of a Bach suite.
Either a dance movement (such as allemande, courante, or sarabande, etc.), any cello concert piece, or any one movement from a sonata or concerto.
If you have questions about cello audition procedures, please contact Dr. Leonid Shukaev, Associate Professor of Cello.

Bass

One major and one minor two octave scale.
Two contrasting movements from the basic double bass sonata, concerto and concert piece repertoire such as works by Vivaldi, Capuzzi, Dragonetti, Corelli, Eccles, Bottesini, etc.
If you have questions about Bass audition procedures, please contact Dr. Mark Foley, Professor of Double Bass, Electric Bass.

Jazz Studies

Students should be prepared to perform with a backing track 3 tunes of varying styles (swing, Latin, ballad, waltz, etc.). Students will be asked to play the melody and improvise over the chord changes. Memorization of materials is encouraged but not required. Tunes should be selected from the standard jazz repertoire, the likes of which can be found in leadsheet form in resources such as The Real Book (6^th edition, Hal Leonard, multiple volumes) and the Jamey Aebersold Play-A-Long series. The following list offers a handful of suggested tunes:

Autumn Leaves
Blue Bossa
Blue Monk
Take the A Train
Doxy
In a Sentimental Mood
Impressions
Mr. P.C.

Rhythm instruments should also be prepared to demonstrate comping skills (piano, guitar), or walking (bass). Those auditioning on drumset will be asked to demonstrate a variety of styles, including but not limited to swing, up-tempo, Latin styles, rock/funk, brushes, waltz, and trading fours.

If you have questions about jazz repertoire or jazz audition procedures, please contact William Flynn, Professor of Double Bass, Associate Professor of Guitar and Area Coordinator, Jazz Studies.

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Music Major Audition Information

2023 - 2024 Music Major Audition Days

Audition Requirements by Area

Snare Drum

Mallets

Timpani

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