Dates for In-Person Auditions:

February 23rd & 24th, 2024

• All applicants who audition prior to March 1st, 2024 will be considered for Music Merit Scholarships.
• If alternative dates are necessary or you would like to submit a pre-recorded audition, please contact Ariah Mann at 406-243-6881 or ariah.mann@umontana.edu
• Please access the School of Music step-by-step audition process.

Audition Requirements:

Brass

French Horn 

1. Major scales. 
2. Chromatic scale demonstrating the student's range on the horn. 
3. One lyrical solo/etude AND one technical solo/etude OR a piece representing both technical and lyrical playing. 

Solos and Etudes should be selected to demonstrate the student’s tone, range, rhythm, intonation, and technique. 

For more info:

Professor Madeleine Folkerts 
406-243-6881
madeleine.folkerts@umontana.edu 

Trumpet 

1. Major scales. 
2. Chromatic scale demonstrating the student's range on the trumpet. 
3. One lyrical solo/etude AND one technical solo/etude OR a piece representing both technical and lyrical playing. 

Solos and Etudes should be selected to demonstrate the student’s tone, range, rhythm, intonation, and technique.

For more info:

Dr. James Smart 
406-243-6881
james.smart@umontana.edu 

Trombone 

1. Major scales. 
2. Chromatic scale demonstrating the student's range on the trombone. 
3. One lyrical solo/etude AND one technical solo/etude OR a piece representing both technical and lyrical playing.

Solos and Etudes should be selected to demonstrate the student’s tone, range, rhythm, intonation, and technique.

For more info:

Professor Robert Tapper 
406-243-6881
robert.tapper@umontana.edu 

Tuba and Euphonium

1. Major scales. 
2. Chromatic scale demonstrating the student's range on the tuba or euphonium. 
3. One lyrical solo/etude AND one technical solo/etude OR a piece representing both technical and lyrical playing.

Solos and Etudes should be selected to demonstrate the student’s tone, range, rhythm, intonation and technique. 

For more info:

Dr. Benedict Kirby 
406-243-6881
benedict.kirby@umontana.edu 

Requirements for scholarship consideration are the same as the entrance requirements listed above. 

Graduate Brass Audition Requirements

1. ALL Major and minor scales. 
2. One lyrical piece from the standard solo literature. 
3. One technical piece from the standard solo literature.

Please contact your individual studio professor for suggestions and/or feedback on audition selections.

Jazz Studies (instrumental only) 

1. You must meet the classical studio requirements for your instrument (see your studio area).
2. In addition to the studio requirements, perform one jazz standard or blues (melody and improvisation). Bring a lead sheet of the tune (faculty will accompany you) or bring a play-along.
3. Optional: Perform a transcription along with the recording.

Drummers: See Drumset requirements under Percussion (see below).
Bassists: In addition to the requirements above, you will be asked to walk a bass line on your selected tune.
Piano/Guitar: In addition to the requirements above, you will be asked to comp on your selected tune.

Graduate Jazz Studies Audition Requirements

Please contact your individual studio professor for suggestions and/or feedback on audition selections.

Percussion

Student must perform on Snare Drum and at least one of the other areas listed below. Student must bring his/her own sticks and mallets. Instruments will be provided.

Snare Drum

Rudiments: Flam, Flam-tap, Paradiddle, 5 & 7 Stroke Roll, Single stroke roll [Play each open (slow) to closed (fast as possible) to open]

Buzz Roll: Play 16 count buzz roll starting pp, crescendo to ff and diminuendo to pp

Solo: Perform a prepared solo (rudimental or orchestral) of appropriate difficulty

Mallet Keyboard

Perform a prepared solo or etude of appropriate difficulty

Timpani

Perform a prepared solo or etude

Drumset

Styles: Demonstrate ability to play the following styles: medium swing, up tempo swing, bossa-nova, samba, 16-note based funk. Phrase every four bars with a light fill.

Soloing: Pick one or more of the above styles and trade fours with yourself (play 4 bars of time, 4 bars or solo and repeat). You may also play a prepared written solo.

Suggested Representative Solo Materials

Snare Drum

Wilcoxon, The All-American Drummer, 150 Solos Wilcoxon, Solos for the Advanced Swing Drumme, Pratt, 14 Contest Solos, Freytag, Rudimental Cookbook, Whaley, Recital Solos, Cirone, Portraits in Rhythm

Mallet Percussion

Goldenberg, Modern School for Xylophone, Vibraphone & Marimba (Play any of the etudes in the back), McMillan, Masterpieces for Marimba,  Pimental/Moore, The Solo Marimbist,  Whaley, Musical Studies for the Intermediate Mallet Player, Hatch, Challenge, Mitchell Peters (any of his solos), C.O.Musser (any of his solos)

Timpani

Firth, The Solo Timpanist, Schistine, The Developing Solo Timpanist, Whaley, Solos and Duets for Timpani

For more info contact:
Dr. Robert LedBetter
robert.ledbetter@umontana.edu

Graduate Percussion Audition Requirements

Please contact your individual studio professor for suggestions and/or feedback on audition selections.

Piano

Two contrasting pieces from the standard repertoire (no arrangements please), at least one of which is memorized. Example: Bach Invention or Prelude & Fugue, Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven Sonata movements; Debussy Preludes; Chopin Nocturnes, Preludes; Brahms Intermezzi; 20th century works – Bartok, Prokofiev, Ginastera, and Shostakovich. 

You are not limited to above-mentioned works or composers. In addition to your repertoire presentation, you will present scales and arpeggios, 4 octaves. You will also receive a sight-reading exam at the audition. 

Organ 

You are not limited to the above-mentioned works or composers. In addition to your repertoire presentation, you will play a hymn of your choice, and receive a sight reading exam. Requirements for scholarship consideration are the same as the entrance requirements lists above.

For more info: 

Dr. Christopher Hahn
406-243-6881
christopher.hahn@umontana.edu

Dr. Nancy Cooper (organ) 
406-243-6881
nancy.cooper@umontana.edu 

Graduate Keyboard Audition Requirements

Please contact your individual studio professor for suggestions and/or feedback on audition selections.

Composition

Undergraduate:

Undergraduate students should arrange to audition on their instrument.  Students enter the program by taking Composition I during their first year.

Graduate: 

A portfolio of original compositions, containing both scores and recordings (3-5 compositions demonstrating breadth of experience and variety of instrumentation)

For more info:

Dr. Bryan Kostors
406-243-6881
bryan.kostors@umontana.edu

Strings

1. 3 octave major or minor scale 
2. A movement of unaccompanied Bach or another unaccompanied piece
3. A movement of standard concerto or large-scale solo piece

Bachelor of Music Education, Bachelor of Arts in Music, and Music Minor:

1. 3 octave major or minor scale
2. 2 pieces/movements from the standard repertoire that demonstrate contrasting style, tempo, technique, and articulation

Non-Music Major:

1. 3 octave major or minor scale
2. 10 minutes of music from standard repertoire that demonstrate contrasting style, tempo, technique, and articulation. 

For All Auditions:

1. Accompaniment is neither expected nor provided by the University of Montana. Auditionees who would like to perform with a pianist should arrange their own accompanists. 
2. Auditionees should perform solo pieces from memory or from purchased original sheet music. While the performing of copyrighted works from photocopies is discouraged, memorization is not required. 
3. Auditioning for entrance into the School of Music automatically puts the student into consideration for music scholarships. The audition requirements for entrance and scholarship are considered identical. 

Suggested audition repertoire: This list represents samples of the level of repertoire expected for collegiate auditions and is not meant as an exclusive listing of works. Consult with your teacher and the University of Montana faculty member for your instrument to finalize audition selections. Performance of works from the standard repertory should demonstrate contrasting style, tempo, technique, and articulation.  

Violin 

Concertos by Bruch, Mendelssohn, J.S. Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Vivaldi; Unaccompanied Bach Sonatas or Partitas; Telemann Fantasias, Mozart or Beethoven Sonatas, Schubert or Dvorak Sonatas. Pieces by Sarasate, Kreisler.

Viola 

Concertos by Stamitz, Hoffmeister; Zelter, Telemann, J.C. Bach; Bruch Romance, Mozart SonatinainC; Bloch Suites for Viola. Marais, Marcello sonatas. 

Cello 

Concertos by  Goltermann,  Boccherini, Haydn, Saint  Saens; Elgar, Dvorak, or Shostakovich; Sonatas by Beethoven, Brahms, Vivaldi, Eccles, or Sammartini; Stand-alone solo works such as Elegie by Faure or Kol Nidrei by Bruch; Unnaccompanied Suites by J.S. Bach; Contemporary solo cello works by Ligeti, Hindemith, Walton, or Corigliano.  

String Bass 

Concertos by Capuzzi,  Dragonetti, Dittersdorf; Sonatas by Marcello, Vivaldi, Handel,  Galliard, Eccles, Romberg, Telemann; Progressive  Repertoire by George Vance, Books 46 

Guitar 

Concertos by Vivaldi,  Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Rodrigo, Giuliani. Solo works and/or Etudes by  Dowland, Milan, Sanz, Visee, Weiss, Bach, Scarlatti, Sor, Giuliani, Llobet, Tarrega, Albeniz, Torroba, Ponce, Villa-Lobos, Brouwer. 

Graduate String Audition:

1. A movement of Unaccompanied Bach or other unaccompanied work.
2. A movement from a standard concerto or sonata from the Classical era, Romantic era, or 20th Century.
3. 3 octave scales. One major and one minor.

For more info: 

Dr. Margaret Baldridge 
406-243-6881
margaret.baldridge@umontana.edu 

Voice 

1. All new/transfer students desiring to become music majors with voice as their instrument may audition for admittance into a voice studio and for scholarships. Voice talent scholarships are available only to music majors. Those students who wish to have voice lessons without being a music major must also audition.
2. To schedule an audition please contact the School of Music Office (406.243.6880), or sign up for an audition time on the Voice Area bulletin board (across the hall from the main Music Office.)
3. Please Arrive 10 minutes early to fill out an audition form. 
4. Undergraduates: Be prepared to sing 2 songs or arias by memory. One of the selections must be in a foreign language, if you are auditioning to be a Music Major or Music Minor. (For non-degree lessons you may sing two selections in English.) BFA-Musical Theater majors should prepare two memorized contrasting musical theater songs (32-bar cuts).
5. An accompanist will be provided. You must bring a copy of your music for the accompanist (no a cappella songs). The music must be printed in the same key that you sing. Do not ask the accompanist to transpose. 
6. Those students who sing a scholarship audition in the spring will be notified of their acceptance status into the School of Music and applied studies.
7. All new/transfer students who wish to become voice majors or musical theater majors must audition to be accepted into applied study (voice lessons). 
8. All music majors admitted to a voice studio must also register for and participate in a Vocal Ensemble.

Requirements for scholarship consideration are the same as entrance requirements listed above.

For more info:

Dr. David Cody
406-243-6881
david.cody@umontana.edu 

Graduate Voice Audition Requirements

Contact the School of Music to set up an audition. (406) 243-6880.  If you wish to apply for a Music scholarship or an assistantship, materials must be submitted and audition must be completed by March 1st.

Please prepare 5 memorized selections from art song, oratorio, masses, or opera, including:

• At least one aria from opera or oratorio.
• At least one piece written after 1985.
• A variety of languages, periods and styles. At least 3 of the following languages should be included: French, Italian, German and English.

Woodwind

Requirements for all new and transfer students wishing to enter into woodwind studios as music majors or minors are as follows: 

1. Chromatic scale ascending and descending full range of instrument in slurred 16th note patterns at quarter note=60. 
2. All major scales, ascending and descending two complete octaves* slurred 16th notes at quarter note=60. 
   *Clarinets: E,F,G scales should be performed 3 octaves. 
   *Saxophones and Oboes: F♯, G, Ab and A should be performed one octave. 
   *Bassoons: B♭, B and C should be performed 3 octaves. 
3. Two contrasting solos or etudes demonstrating lyrical and technical command of the instrument. 
4. All students are expected to sight-read during the audition. 
5. Oboists and bassoonist are expected to have minimal basic skills in the art of reed making. 

Requirements for scholarship consideration are the same as the entrance requirements listed above.

For more info:

Dr. Christopher Kirkpatrick
406-243-6881
chris.kirkpatrick@mso.umt.edu

Graduate Woodwind Audition Requirements

Please contact your individual studio professor for suggestions and/or feedback on audition selections.