UT Permian Basin Music Audition Requirements

Music Degree Audition Policy Students interested in a major in music must go through a two-part admissions process. All students must be admitted to the University through the regular freshman and transfer admissions processes. In addition, all freshmen and transfer students must audition in order to be accepted into the Music Department. The audition will differ slightly based on the track (choral, wind/percussion, strings, or piano). Auditions may be arranged on an individual basis prior to the semester for which the student is seeking admission.

Choral students

Music Majors: Please prepare two solo selections in a classical style. At least one of these selections should be in Italian, French, or German. Your audition will also include sight-singing and, if needed, a voice type assessment.

Non-Music Majors: Please prepare one solo selection in either a classical or musical theatre style. Any language for your selection is acceptable. Your audition will include sight-reading and, if needed, a voice type assessment.

For all auditions: A pianist will be provided for your convenience. Please remember to bring printed music for the accompanist, organized in a three-ring binder.

Winds and Percussion

Suggested Repertoire: While it is encouraged of all auditionees to select repertoire that pushes them technically and musically, we strongly suggest that they pick repertoire that will set them up for success. The repertoire should appropriately showcase the auditionees technical and musical abilities.

Woodwinds and Brass

Music Majors: *All auditionees may utilize All-State/All-Region etudes to fulfill each instrument’s requirement* 

• 1 technical etude or movement of a solo from standard repertoire
• 1 lyrical etude or movement of a solo from standard repertoire
• Major Scales – You may use any scale pattern that you are familiar with or that is
  used in your home band program. Suggested Scale Patterns
• Sightreading – this will be provided by the professor who is running the audition.

• 1 etude or movement of a solo from standard repertoire
• Major Scales – You may use any scale pattern that you are familiar with or that is
  used in your home band program. Suggested Scale Patterns
• Sightreading – this will be provided by the professor who is running the audition.

Percussion

Music Majors: All auditionees may utilize All-State/All-Region etudes to fulfill each instrument’s requirement

• 1 concert-style snare drum solo or etude
• 1 rudimental-style snare drum solo or etude
• 1 two-mallet solo/etude OR four-mallet solo/etude
• 1 timpani solo or etude

Optional Supplemental Materials:

• 1 multi-percussion solo/etude/excerpt
• Knowledge and demonstration of various drum set styles and grooves

*if access to a mallet instrument is prohibiting a successful audition, demonstration of at least 3 major scales and 1 minor scale may be substituted for the mallet requirement, though we highly advise all auditionees to do their best in securing instrument access for proper preparation.

Snare Drum

Concert Style - a single solo or etude from the following OR similar

• Anthony Cirone – Portraits in Rhythm
• Mitchell Peters – Intermediate Snare Drum Studies
• Jacques Delecluse – Douze Études
• Any class I or II work as categorized by the PML

Rudimental Style - a single solo or etude from the following OR similar

• John S. Pratt – 14 Modern Contest Solos for Snare Drum
• Charlie Wilcoxon – All-American Drummer
• Edward Freytag – Rudimental Cookbook
• Joseph Tompkins – 9 French-American Rudimental Solos (vol. 1 or 2)
• Any class I or II work as categorized by the PML

Timpani

A single solo or etude from the following OR similar

• Muczynski - Three Designs for Three Timpani
• John Beck – Sonata for Timpani (mvt. III)
• Saul Goodman - Modern Method for Timpani, Exercises 35 and beyond
• Eckehardt Keune - Schlaginstrumente-Pauken, Exercises 33 and beyond
• Mitchell Peters – Fundamental Method for Timpani, Pg. 174 and beyond
• Jacques Delecluse – 20 Studies for Timpani
• Jacques Delecluse – 30 Studies for Timpani (vol 1, 2, or 3)
• Any class I or II work as categorized by the PML

Mallets

*One two-mallet solo OR four-mallet solo from the following or similar. This can be performed on xylophone, marimba, and/or vibraphone as appropriate by literature choice.

A single solo or etude from the following OR similar

• 2-mallet
  • Garwood Whaley - Musical Studies for The Intermediate Mallet Player
  • Thomas McMillan – Masterpieces for Marimba
  • Bach – a single movement from Bach’s Sonatas & Partitas for Violin
  • Any class I or II work as categorized by the PML
• 4-mallet
  • Alice Gomez - Rain Dance
  • Mitchell Peters – Yellow After the Rain
  • Mark Ford – Marimba: Technique Through Music
  • Bach – a single movement from Bach’s Sonatas & Partitas for Violin
  • Any class I or II work as categorized by the PML

Suggested Repertoire - Optional Supplemental materials

Multi-Percussion - A single solo or etude from the following OR similar

• Campbell/Hill – Music for Multi-Percussion: A World View (Solos ONLY)
• Ratliff/Campbell/Parks/UK Alumni – The Blue Book Volume 2 (multipercussion
  solos ONLY)

Drum Set - Drum Set is highly encouraged for all applicants, but is optional. Please demonstrate the ability to perform the following styles (tempos approximated):

• Swing (120 – 150 bpm)
• Funk (90 – 110 bpm)
• Samba/Latin (100 – 200 bpm)
• Up-Tempo Swing (160 bpm+)

Other Majors: Non-Majors would be as follows

• SNARE DRUM (45 seconds minimum) One short snare drum solo or etude that incorporates basic skill sets including buzz rolls, such as an etude from All-Region band auditions.
• MALLETS (45 seconds minimum) One standard two-mallet OR four-mallet solo or etude that demonstrate musicality and basic knowledge of the instrument.
  Must be able to perform all 12 major scales.

Piano students

Piano students need to present two compositions of contrasting style periods from either the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic or contemporary styles.  The student will also be asked to sight read piano music at an early intermediate level. 

Suggestions for repertoire: Baroque period: Preludes and fugues from Well-Tempered Clavier, a suite, or a partita by Bach, Sonatas by Scarlatti, etc. Classical Period: One movement of Sonata or Sonatas by Clementi, Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven. Romantic period: Brahms, Chopin, Schuman, Mendelssohn, Liszt, etc. Impressionistic or contemporary: Bartok, Debussy, Ravel, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, etc.