Bachelor of Music: Instrumental Music Education
Audition Requirements 2024-2025
Audition
Group Interview
All music education applicants will meet with the music education faculty for a group interview. The interview will be scheduled during the day of your audition and will last approximately 45 minutes. The purpose of the interview is two-fold. First, it allows the music education faculty to assess your oral communication and interpersonal skills, both of which are important for a career in teaching. Second, it allows you to ask questions about the music education program at Wayne State University. Interview questions will focus on your musical background, academic experiences, and extra-curricular activities. You should be prepared to talk about your reasons for choosing music education as a career and what you believe you have to offer as a future music teacher.
Written Essay
Music teachers need to be able to communicate successfully in writing; furthermore, effective writing skills are a necessity for successful completion of the academic requirements at Wayne State University. To assess your skill in this area, please write a short essay answering each of the three questions below. The essay also provides us with the opportunity to get to know you better, so provide as much information about yourself and your experiences as possible. The essay should be between 2-3 pages, typed and double spaced, 12 point font. Print out your essays and bring them to the interview. Your essay will be collected during the interview.
1. Describe your teaching and/or leadership experiences. These experiences may include both musical and non-musical responsibilities or relevant experiences. Music related leadership experiences might include: section leader, drum major, choir president, music librarian; while non-music related leadership experiences might include: youth group leader, stage manager for the drama club, soccer coach for the local rec center, day care worker.
2. What are the most important personal attributes you bring to music teaching? What qualities, traits, or work habits do you possess that you believe will contribute to your success as a music teacher?
3. Why have you chosen Music Education as a career? What is it about music, education, or music education that you find compelling? What do you want to do with your degree once you graduate?
- Live Auditions: When participating in a live audition, you will complete your audition, theory placement test, and participate in interviews on your audition day. We highly encourage this option.
- Recorded Auditions: Students who choose to submit a recorded audition must complete a Zoom Sightreading test, Zoom theory placement test, and Zoom interviews. The department will contact you to schedule these sessions after your application is approved. Students will not be considered for admission until these steps are completed.
Brass and Woodwinds
1. Scales: Applicants will select one 3-octave major of their choice, one 3-octave minor of their choice, and the chromatic scale demonstrating the full instrumental range.
2. Music Selections: Two prepared selections in contrasting tempo and historical styles: Selections can be chosen from: etudes, solo works, single movements of concertos, sonatas, suites, etc.
Classical Percussion
Percussion
Demonstrate percussion skills on snare drum, marimba or xylophone, and timpani, as follows:
Snare Drum:
- Double Stroke Roll, open-closed-open (slow-fast-slow)
- Multiple Bounce Roll (buzz) pp-ff-pp
- Single and double paradiddles, flams accent, flam taps, single ratamacue
- Applicant selected solo snare drum piece
- Solo suggestions
- Portraits in Rhythm by Cirone (any etude)
- Douze Etudes pour Caisse-Claire by Jacques Delécluse (any etude)
- Fourteen Contest Solos by Pratt (any of these)
- or any solo of comparable difficulty *(if auditioning for performance the student is strongly encouraged to perform a non-rudimental solo):
- Solo suggestions
- Sight reading
Marimba or xylophone:
"¢ Major scales, two octaves, keys of C,G,D,A,E,F,Bb,Eb,Ab
"¢ Applicant selected two or four-mallet solo *(4 mallet solo is required if auditioning for performance)
- Solo suggestions:
- Furioso and Valse by Hatch
- Violin Sonata No.3 in F by G.F. Handel (2nd movement)
- Tambourin Chinois by Kreisler
- Yellow After the Rain by Peters (4 mallet)
- Rain Dance by Rife/Gomez (4 mallet)
- (or anything comparable)
- Sight Reading
Timpani
- Solo for 2, 3 or 4 drums
- Solo suggestions:
- Introduction and Allegro by Goodman
- The Solo Timpanist by Firth (any etude from this)
- Three Designs for Three Timpani by Muczynski
- Sonata for Timpani by Beck
- Students may be asked to tune intervals (live audition only)
(Students are responsible for all music)
Strings
Violin, Viola and Cello:
1. Scales: One 3-octave major of applicant's choice and one 3-octave melodic minor scale of applicant's choice, with arpeggios.
2. Music Selections:
- One movement from solo Bach sonatas and partitas or one etude of applicant's choice
- One concerto movement or single-movement solo piece
Double Bass:
1. Scales: One 2-octave major and one 2-octave melodic minor scale, with arpeggios
2. Music Selections: One movement of solo Bach or an etude of applicant's choice; one concerto movement or single-movement solo piece
Harp
1. Scales: One major and one minor scale with arpeggios (or representative etudes)
2. Music Selections: Two prepared solos in contrasting musical styles
Classical Guitar
Note-if auditioning for Instrumental Music Education you are required to perform, at a proficient level, on a secondary instrument in order to participate in a major ensemble. Please see the above Instrumental Music Education requirements for winds, brass, percussion, and string instruments.
1. Scales: Major and minor scales in several positions
2. Music Selections: Perform two contrasting selections from memory.
Applicants should demonstrate technical ability consistent with the satisfactory completion of method books such as Frederick Noad: Book 1 - Solo Guitar Playing, Julio Sagreras Book 1, or similar methods. Make sure to demonstrate knowledge of chord types in several positions. Some examples of repertoire could include etudes/studies from Aguado, Brouwer, Carcassi, Giuliani, Sor, and Tarrega.
Piano
Note-if auditioning for Instrumental Music Education you are required to perform, at a proficient level, on a secondary instrument in order to participate in a major ensemble. Please see the above Instrumental Music Education requirements for winds, brass, percussion, and string instruments.
1. Scales: Select one major scale with arpeggio, four octaves; one minor scale with arpeggio, four octaves; chromatic scale, four octaves.
2. Music Selections: Two prepared pieces in contrasting styles. The minimum acceptable level is early intermediate, standard compositions such as Bach, Little Preludes; Clementi, Sonatinas; Kuhlau, Sonatinas; short character pieces of the 19th and 20th centuries. "Self-composed" works are not acceptable for audition repertoire.
Organ
Note-if auditioning for Instrumental Music Education you are required to perform, at a proficient level, on a secondary instrument in order to participate in a major ensemble. Please see the above Instrumental Music Education requirements for winds, brass, percussion, and string instruments.
1. Scales: Chromatic, major and minor scales and arpeggios, two octaves (piano only)
2. Music Selections: Two prepared pieces in contrasting musical style, performed on either organ or piano "¢ For organ, selections should be at the level of J.S. Bach's simpler Preludes or standard hymns "¢ For piano, selections should be at the level of Bach's two-part Inventions or a simpler sonata by Mozart
For guideline and requirement questions please contact: 313-577-1783 or musicadmissions@wayne.edu.
Updated September 2024