Prospective Majors
 

Auditions and Talent Awards

All prospective music majors must schedule an audition interview in order to be admitted to the music curriculum. The audition also determines your suitability for a departmental merit scholarship and is an opportunity for you to meet music faculty members. You may arrange for an audition on any of the dates given below any time after formal application has been made to the College, even if you have not yet been officially accepted. We urge students to audition early in order to receive maximum consideration for music talent awards, which normally range from $500 to $6,000.

Audition Dates for 2009

  • TBA

Note: if you are unable to make any of the published audition dates, please contact Dr. C. Michael Porter: 828-884-8139: email: portercm@brevard.edu, or Dr. Kathryn Gresham: 828-884-8110, email: greshakb@brevard.edu to schedule an alternate date.

Repertoire Requirements by Instrument

BRASS
Select one of the following compositions, or material of comparable or more advanced difficulty. Memorization is not required. Sight-reading and major and minor scales will also be included in the audition.

Trumpet
  1. A technical etude such as an Arban Characteristic Study, pp. 285-299.
  2. A lyrical etude such as one of the selections on pp. 191-192 in Arban.
  3. A solo that you would normally play for Solo/Ensemble contest. It should reflect your current ability level. e.g. - Haydn Concerto, Hummel Concerto, Concert Etude-Goedicke, Andante and Allegro - Ropartz, Aria con Variazioni - Handel/Fitzgerald, Petite Piece Concertante - Balay, Allegro - Vivaldi/Fitzgerald

Horn

  1. Two etudes in contrasting styles by Kopprasch, 60 Selected Studies Book 1 or 2; Concone/Shoemaker, Legato Etudes; or Maxime-Alphonse, Book II-IV
  2. R. Strauss, Concerto No. 1, first movement  OR Mozart, Concerto No. 3, K. 446, first movement
 Trombone/Euphonium
  1. Any etude from Melodious Etudes Book 1 by J. Rochut (Bordogni)
Recommended solos:
  • Andante and Allegro -- Barat
  • Andante and Allegro -- Ropartz
  • Morceau Symphonique -- Guillmant
  • Sonata -- by either Galliard or Marcello
  • Concerto -- Rimsky-Korsakov
  • Concertino - David
Tuba
Select etudes from
  1. 70 studies for BBb tuba, Book 1, by Vladislav Blazhevich 
  2. 40 Advanced studies for Bb Bass by Tyrell
Recommended solo literature includes :
  • Suite for Tuba and Piano by Don Haddad
  • Suite for Tuba and Piano by Vaclav Nelhybel
  • Sonata #3 in A Minor, by Vivaldi
  • Sonata #1 in F major by Marcello, arranged by Don Little

GUITAR
1.   Play choice of major & minor scale forms of at least two octaves in duples or triplets.
2.   Perform two prepared pieces of contrasting style drawn from works of any composers listed below. At least one should be performed from memory. Transfer students and/or those with performance background or advanced training should submit a complete list of their repertoire with application and perform selections meeting audition criteria from that list.
3.  Applicants auditioning for Jazz Studies should also prepare two representative pieces; a) a medium swing blues or jazz standard e.g. One O' Clock Jump, Sonnymoon For Two, All The Things You Are, Have You Met Miss Jones and b) an even-eighths tune (e.g. St. Thomas, Wave, Blue Bossa).  Demonstration of scales as stipulated above. Advanced players should be prepared to demonstrate Dorian, Mixolydian and Locrian modes, and diminished (half step first), whole tone, and major and minor Pentatonic scales. 
4.   In addition to these guidelines applicants are welcome and encouraged to perform other music which will more fully display their talents.

Students are strongly urged to audition live at the college on scheduled audition dates. If that is not possible, an audio or video recording may be submitted. Recordings should arrive no later than the final published date of on-campus auditions.

Recommended Repertoire

  • Fernando Sor: Estudios from Op. 6 or Op. 35
  • Francisco Tarrega: Preludes & brief character pieces
  • Matteo Carcassi: 25 Melodic and Progressive Studies, Op. 60
  • Leo Brouwer: Vol I & II of Estudios Sencillos or character pieces
  • J. S. Bach: Brief transcriptions or a movement from any of the cello suites
  • Francis Kleynjans: Nos. 10 through 18 from Le Coin de l'Enfance, Op. 97
  • Manuel Ponce: Any selection from the 24 Preludes (Alcazar/Tecla edition) or the 12 Preludes (Segovia/Schott edition).

ORGAN
Organ students must meet the same requirements as a beginning piano major. A piano audition, however, will not be necessary if the student has had one or more years of formal organ study. Students auditioning on organ are asked to play one Baroque work and one contrasting piece from either the Romantic or Contemporary period. Memorization is optional. Representative works are listed below.

Baroque

  • Bach: Chorale Preludes from the Orgelbuechlein; Eight "Little" Preludes and Fugues
  • Couperin: Pieces d'Orgue

Romantic

  • Mendelssohn: selected movements from the sonatas
  • Vierne: 24 Pieces en Style Libre 
  • Brahms: Chorale Preludes, Opus 122

Contemporary

  • Langlais: Organ Book
  • Dupre: Fifteen Antiphons for Organ
  • Schroeder: Praeludien und Intermezzi

PERCUSSION
Percussion majors will be expected to audition in at least two of the following areas: snare drum or multiple percussion, timpani, and keyboard (mallet) percussion. The literature given below represents the expected level of difficulty.

Snare

  • Cirone: Portraits in Rhythm
  • Goodman: Modern Method for Timpani
  • Whaley: Musical Studies for the Intermediate Timpanist

Keyboard

  • McMillan: Masterpieces for Marimba
  • Goldenberg: Modern School for Xylophone

PIANO
At least three works from three of the style periods outlined below. All works must be memorized. A single movement from a larger work (i.e. sonatas or suites) may be considered as one composition. Works listed below are intended only as suggestions of the types of compositions to prepare. Pieces of similar or greater difficulty are acceptable.

Baroque

  • Scarlatti: Sonatas
  • J.S. Bach: Two- or Three-part Inventions; Preludes and Fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier

Classical

  • Haydn Sonatas
  • Mozart: Sonatas
  • Beethoven: Sonatas, Bagatelles, or Variations

Romantic

  • Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words
  • Schumann: Scenes from Childhood
  • Chopin: Nocturnes, Waltzes, Mazurkas, Preludes 
  • Liszt: Consolations

Impressionistic and Twentieth-Century

  • Debussy: Children's Corner Suite
  • Bartok: Sonatine, Mikrokosmos
  • Kabalevsky: Preludes
  • Gershwin: Preludes
  • Prokofiev: Visions fugitives

STRINGS
The student should be prepared to perform the following:

  • Scales: major and minor, two or three octaves
  • Detache and, if possible, other bowing styles and articulations
  • An etude of the student's choice
  • A repertoire piece of the student's choice
  • Sight reading

VOICE
Prospective students should prepare two solo selections in contrasting styles. It is preferred that one of the selections be an art song or aria sung in the original language of Italian, German, or French. Students who do not have such literature in their repertoire may choose two songs in English from the categories of musical theater, folk songs, and pop or jazz standards. Both selections should be memorized. All voice auditions will also involve some sight-reading and aural recall.

An accompanist will be provided for students auditioning in voice on the published audition dates. To ensure that your audition goes smoothly, please mail copies of your music (in the correct key) to

Kathryn Gresham
Department of Music
Brevard College
One Brevard College Drive
Brevard, NC, 28712

or email the title, composer and key of both of your selections to greshakb@brevard.edu. We would prefer to receive your music at least a week in advance of your audition.

WOODWINDS
Select one of the following compositions, or material of comparable or more advanced difficulty. Memorization is not required. Sight-reading and major and minor scales will also be included in the audition.

Bassoon

  • Galliard: Sonata No. 1 (any movement)
  • Carl Maria von Weber: Concerto in F (any movement)
  • Mozart: Concerto in B-flat, K. 191 (any movement)

Clarinet

  • Etudes:

David Hite: Melodious and Progressive Studies, vols. 1 & 2
Rose: Forty Etudes
Rose: Thirty-Two Etudes

  •  Concert Works:

Stamitz: Concerto in B-flat
Mozart: Concerto
Weber: Concertino or Concerto No. 1

Flute

  • Kuhlau: Six Divertissements (any one)
  • Telemann: Four Sonatas (a single movement)
  • Quantz: Concerto in D Major (any movement)
  • Bach: any sonata
  • Mozart: Concerto in G, D, or C (first movement)

Oboe

  • Handel: Sonata No. 1 (any movement)
  • Marcello: Concerto in C Minor
  • Telemann: Sonata in F Minor
  • H. Hanson: Pastoral

Saxophone

  • Etudes:

Voxman: Selected Studies for Saxophone

  • Solos:

Bozza: Aria pour saxophone alto et piano
Creston: Sonata, Opus 19
Glazounov: Concerto
Tomasi: Chant Corse pour saxophone tenor et piano
Voxman: Concert & Contest Collection for the Alto (or Tenor) Saxophone
Teal: Solos for the Alto (or Tenor) Saxophone Player; Program Solos for Alto Saxophone and Piano

For additional information, we invite you to contact individual faculty members in your area of interest or musicinfo@brevard.edu.

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