All students wishing to enter the School of Music must successfully complete an audition. The School of Music schedules several audition dates each year. Below you'll find information specific to each of the performance areas and/or degree progams.

Audition reservations open online in September and auditions are held on specific dates in January, February and March. You do not need to be accepted to Appalachian State University to audition, but if you are accepted to the Hayes School of Music you must also be accepted to Appalachian State University.

For Assistance:

Ms. Janet Seatz, Student Records and Recruitment
Hayes School of Music
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina 28608
828-262-3021
seatzja@appstate.edu

View information on the Hayes School of Music Young Artist Competition

You must request an audition - link to the form will be active on September 15, 2012

Instrument Areas:

• Brass
• Guitar
• Keyboard
• Organ
• Percussion
• Strings
• Vocal
• Woodwind

Degree Programs:

Brass Audition

All students wishing to enter the School of Music must successfully complete an audition on their principal instrument. The brass audition consists of three parts: (1) The applicant will be asked to perform a variety of major scales (up to 4 flats or 4 sharps) and a chromatic scale of, at least, 2 octaves. (2) A prepared piece of the applicant's choice, featuring differing styles and showcasing the best of their abilities. The applicant may perform 2 short pieces, in contrasting styles, if they choose. (3) The applicant will be asked to perform a short sight-reading passage. Applicants will have the opportunity to meet the entire brass faculty in order to learn more about the degree programs and brass department.

Guitar Audition

All students wishing to enter the School of Music must successfully complete an audition on their principal instrument. Entrance into Appalachian's music programs as a Guitar Major is competitive, and the available openings in the guitar class are usually filled after the March auditions. Additionally, a number of scholarships are available to guitarists, and students should plan to audition between December and March to be considered for these.

ALL GUITARISTS WHO ARE AUDITIONING TO BE MUSIC MAJORS MUST HAVE AND DEMONSTRATE MUSIC READING SKILLS!! Auditionees will be expected to sightread in 4/4, 3/4, and 6/8 time using simple and dotted note values.

Suggested audition music is as follows:

• Performance Major: Two pieces from the standard classic guitar repertoire, including works of Villa Lobos, Ponce, Giuliani, Bach, Sor, etc. Selections may also be taken from the Royal Conservatory series (published by Frederick Harris Music), level 3 or higher.
• Music Industry Major: Auditionees must perform two pieces of any style or origin, at least one of which must be learned from standard notation written music (NOT tablature). Classical guitar is an option, NOT a requirement for Music Industries. Students may complete all of their requirements for this degree in jazz guitar, and may audition with plectrum/steel string/electric styles. Some sight-reading of unprepared material will be required as well (see above). Written selections could be a standard jazz tune, a work from one of the Berklee Press publications (such as A Modern Method for Guitar and Melodic Rhythms for Guitar, both written by William Leavitt), etc. Classical pieces as described for Performance major auditions are also acceptable, Royal Conservatory series (published by Frederick Harris Music) level 1 or higher.
• Music Education Major: As described above in Performance Major, with selections from the Royal Conservatory series (published by Frederick Harris Music) level 2 also acceptable.
• Music Therapy Major: As described above in either the Industries or Education majors, but with a higher level of skill expected than in the Industries audition. Contact Dr. James before auditioning on plectrum/steel string guitar.
• All Majors: Please consult with Dr. James before the audition if in doubt of the suitability of any audition pieces.

Keyboard Audition

All students wishing to enter the School of Music must successfully complete an audition on their principal instrument. The School of Music schedules four audition dates each year. Individual appointments are also possible. Suggested compositions for admission and scholarship auditions in piano:

• A composition by J. S. Bach. This might include an Invention, Prelude and Fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier, or a composition from the Short Preludes and Fugues.
• A sonata or sonatina movement by Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven.
• A 19th or 20th century composition by such composers as Chopin, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Debussy, Bartok, Kabalevsky, Prokofiev, Ravel.
• Students will also be required to play scales and sightread a simple composition. Memorization is preferred, but not required.

Audition requirements for organ:

• One composition from before 1800.
• Two pieces in contrasting styles composed after 1800. At least one of these should be from the 20th century.
• Hymns, service music, or technical exercises will be acceptable if the student does not have sufficient repertoire to meet the above requirements.

Music Education Audition

All students wishing to enter the Music Education program must successfully complete an audition on their principal instrument or voice. Students are encouraged to attend the Music Education Information Session on their audition day.

Music Industry Studies Audition

The program in Music Industry Studies requires students to develop musical skills as well as business knowledge and technical skills. All students wishing to enter the program in Music Industry Studies therefore must successfully complete an audition on their principal instrument or voice. The Hayes School of Music schedules four audition dates each year. In addition, individual appointments are possible. Please contact Ms.Janet Seatz at seatzja@appstate.edu or by calling our main office at 828-262-3021 for more information concerning auditions for admission and scholarship.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRANCE INTO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY STUDIES PROGRAM AT
APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY (ALL MATERIALS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED IN A FOLDER AND TURNED IN ON THE AUDITION DAY)

Resume

Please provide us with a one page resume that outlines what you have done up to this point in your career. You may include any information that shows us you are ready to pursue a demanding, competitive career field. You may use any format you would like, but be sure to show us your creativity through this exercise.

Biography

We would like you to tell us a little about yourself in this essay, using the following format. In the first paragraph, please tell us about where you are from, what instrument you play and how long you have played, and anything else you would like us to know about you. In the second paragraph, please tell us about your interactions with the music industry up to this point – and what you have seen that you think you would like to be part of. In the last paragraph, please tell us where you see yourself ten years from now. We realize that is likely to change as time goes on, but many studies have shown that people with thoughtful, written out goals are much more likely to succeed in their chosen careers. Please construct your paper in Microsoft Word, using 11point Courier font. Plan to bring a physical (paper) copy of this essay to your audition here at the school.

Music Therapy Audition

All students wishing to enter the undergraduate Music Therapy program must successfully complete an audition on their principal instrument or voice. An Interview with members of the music therapy faculty also is required. The interview typically takes place on the day of the audition. The School of Music schedules five audition dates each year. In addition, individual appointments are possible.

Percussion Audition

All students wishing to enter the School of Music must successfully complete an audition on their principal instrument. The School of Music schedules several audition dates each year. Individual appointments may also be scheduled. Each prospective student must prepare one piece on snare drum, timpani, and a mallet keyboard instrument with drum set as an option. Audition material can be found for snare drum in Method for Snare Drum by Jacques DelÃcluse or Portraits in Rhythm by Anthony Cirone, for mallet keyboard in Modern School for Xylophone, Marimba, Vibraphone by Morris Goldenberg, and for timpani in The Solo Timpanist by Vic Firth or Timpani Technique for the Virtuoso Timpanist by Fred Hinger. Pieces from the solo literature are welcomed. The audition will also include scales and arpeggios on mallet keyboard, rudiments on snare drum, tuning on timpani and sightreading on all mediums. The student must demonstrate musical skills on all three areas of percussion and is encouraged to perform on other percussion instruments as a supplement to their primary instruments during the audition.

Sacred Music Audition

All students wishing to enter the Sacred Music program must complete a successful audition on their principal instrument or voice.

Strings Audition

All students wishing to enter the School of Music must successfully complete an audition on their principal instrument. The audition consists of a solo (or solos) of the student's choice that contains contrasting musical styles and tempi. Literature should be chosen that allows the student to demonstrate his/her present level of performance. The student may be asked to perform scales/arpeggios and to sight read appropriate literature.

Theory/Composition Audition

All students wishing to enter the School of Music as Theory/Composition majors must successfully complete an audition on their principal instrument or voice and submit examples of their compositions. An Interview with Dr. Meister is also required. The School of Music schedules four audition dates each year. In addition, individual appointments are possible. Contact Dr. Meister at meistersr@appstate.edu for scheduling an interview.

Vocal Audition

All students wishing to enter the Hayes School of Music for voice study in the 2012-2013 academic year must follow the instructions found by clicking on the following link:

Voice Audition and Scholarship Information

Prospective students must possess exceptional musical skills and a voice of sufficient quality and expressiveness in order to be admitted to his/her chosen degree program. Private piano study is highly recommended before entering Appalachian. Previous private voice study is not required, but encouraged.

Woodwind Audition

All students wishing to enter the School of Music must successfully complete an audition on their principal instrument. The audition consists of a solo (or solos) of the student's choice that contains contrasting musical styles and tempi. Literature should be chosen that allows the student to demonstrate his/her present level of performance. The student may be asked to perform scales/arpeggios and to sight read appropriate literature. The School of Music schedules three audition dates each year. In addition, individual appointments for audition are possible throughout the year.