New Students / Auditions

Undergraduate Students

Acceptance by the University is necessary before an audition is scheduled. All prospective new undergraduate students must:

• Complete Admissions process and be accepted by the University (click highlighted “Admissions” for further information).
• Financial Aid. University admissions process must be completed before February 15 (fall entry) and November 1 (spring entry) deadline for financial aid consideration.
• Complete an Audition and be accepted by the Music, Theatre, and Dance Department (click highlighted “Audition” for further information).
• Talent Scholarship. Department audition process must be completed before March 1 deadline for scholarship eligibility.
• Prospective music education majors: combined SAT Math and Reading score of 970 or above.

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Transfer Students

Acceptance by the University is necessary before an audition is scheduled. All prospective undergraduate transfer students must:

• Complete Admissions process and be accepted by the University (click highlighted “Admissions” for further information).
• Financial Aid. University admissions process must be completed before February 15 (fall entry) and November 1 (spring entry) deadline for financial aid consideration.
• Complete an Audition and be accepted by the Music, Theatre, and Dance Department (click highlighted “Audition” for further information).
• Talent Scholarship. Department audition process must be completed before March 1 deadline for scholarship eligibility.
• Prospective music education transfer students: minimum GPA of 3.0 (on 4.0 scale) in prior collegiate coursework.
• All transfer students must complete minimum of 30 credits in music coursework at Marywood University in order to graduate.

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Graduate Students

Acceptance by the University is necessary before an audition is scheduled. All prospective graduate students must:

• Complete Admissions process and be accepted by the University (click highlighted “Admissions” for further information).
• Financial Aid. University admissions process must be completed before February 14 deadline for financial aid consideration.
• Complete an Audition and be accepted by the Music, Theatre, and Dance Department (click highlighted “Audition” for further information).
• Talent Scholarship. Department audition process must be completed before March 1 deadline for scholarship eligibility.

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Auditions

Scheduled auditions dates for upcoming academic year 2009-2010:

• Sat. August 29, 2009
• Sat. November 7, 2009
• Sat. November 14, 2009
• Sat. December 12, 2009
• Sat. January 16, 2010
• Mon. January 18, 2010
• Sat. February 13, 2010
• Mon. February 15, 2010
• Mon. February 22, 2010 (snow date)*
• Sat. April 17, 2010

Music education, music therapy, and performance degree applicants are required to audition. Formal application to music degree programs include: (1) audition; (2) placement tests: sight-singing, piano skills, written theory, and, (3) department interview (scroll below for details).

Musical theatre degree applicants are required to audition in three distinct performance areas: (1) singing; (2) acting; and, (3) dancing.

Contact the MTD department office at (570) 348-6268 to schedule audition time.

Audition Day: Arrive at least 30 minutes before scheduled audition. Practice rooms are available for warm up. Appropriate professional attire is expected. Please bring three typewritten copies of the audition program (include name, date, music selections, and composers). For dance auditions, please bring appropriate clothing and shoes. NOTE: Bring original music copies for audition committee to read while you perform. Do not photocopy.

Guidelines for Audition: Selections should best represent one's musicianship and level of proficiency on the intended major instrument. Applicants requiring an accompanist may bring their own (or an accompanist can be provided if requested in advance). At least one audition selection must be memorized.

Voice—three songs from the following styles:

1. Early Italian art song (e.g., Caccini, Scarlatti, Pergolesi)
2. English or American art song, or folk song
3. An art song in language other than English/Italian
4. Broadway song*
5. Sacred song (e.g., Schubert's Ave Maria)
6. plus sight-reading test

*Musical Theatre applicants should sing three (3) stylistically different songs from Broadway musical genre.

Piano—three pieces from the following styles:

1. Baroque (2- or 3-part Bach invention; prelude/fugue)
2. Classical (allegro movement from Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven sonata)
3. Romantic or Contemporary classical work
4. plus Major/minor scales, arpeggios; sight-reading test

Woodwinds (Flute/Oboe/Clarinet/Bassoon/Saxophone)—three pieces from the following styles:

1. Baroque
2. Classical
3. Romantic
4. Contemporary (may include pop/jazz)
5. plus sight-reading test

Brass (Trumpet/French Horn/Trombone/Tuba)

1. Two movements of contrasting styles from a major sonata or concerto or
2. One movement from a major sonata or concerto and an etude from the standard repertoire of Etudes for Brass (e.g., Brandt, Wurm, Charlier, Arban, Rochut, Gallay, Kopprasch)
3. plus sight-reading test

Percussion (Snare Drum/Keyboard mallets/Timpani)

Applicants should bring their own sticks and mallets. Performance on drum set not required. Those wishing to show drum set proficiency prepare to play in swing, rock, & Latin styles. Instruments provided.

Snare Drum: A concert-style snare drum solo demonstrating concert rolls, flams and ruffs from the following (or equivalent): Whaley, Recital Solos for Snare Drum / Cirone, Portraits in Rhythm / Whaley, Intermediate Musical Studies for Snare Drum

• plus sight-reading test

Keyboard Percussion/Mallets: A two-mallet solo from the following (or equivalent): Goldenberg, Modern School for Xylophone, Marimba & Vibraphone (“39 Etudes” section) / McMillan, Masterpieces for Marimba / Whaley, Musical Studies for the Intermediate Mallet Player

• optional: four-mallet solo at the applicant’s level of accomplishment
• plus sight-reading test

Timpani: A timpani solo on at least two timpani including rolls from the following (or equivalent): Hochreiner, Etüden für Timpani, Vol. I / Whaley, Musical Studies for the Intermediate Timpanist

• plus Demonstrate ability to match pitches/tune timpani from a given reference pitch; sight-reading test

Acoustic Guitar

1. Two solos in contrasting styles (e.g., one movement from Bach lute suite and a rondo by Giuliani; or a lute piece by Dowland and a miniature by Tarrega)
2. One guitar etude (Sor, Carcassi, or Aguado)
3. plus Major/minor scales (melodic minor form), 2- or 3-octave with standard Segovia fingerings; sight-reading test (simple 1- or 2-part texture using standard notation, encompassing notes up to 12th fret)

Electric Bass Guitar

1. Two contrasting jazz pieces, melody, and improvised bass line/solo, or
2. An improvised bass line and bass solo
3. plus 2-octave major/minor scales, arpeggios; sight-reading test

Strings (Violin/Viola/Cello)

1. One movement from an unaccompanied Bach suite or its equivalent
2. Allegro movement from a concerto (any style period)
3. Etude (any style period)
4. plus sight-reading test

Strings (Double Bass)

1. Two contrasting movements from a Sonata (e.g., Eccles in g minor), or
2. Two contrasting etudes (Simandl's 30 Etudes or Lee's 12 Studies)
3. plus 2-octave major scales/arpeggios and 1-octave minor scales/arpeggios; sight-reading test

Organ—Two pieces from the following styles:

1. Pre-Baroque and Baroque (Bach, Handel, their contemporaries or predecessors), and
2. Romantic (Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt, etc.), or Contemporary style (popular, but not jazz idiom)
3. plus Two verses of a hymn played as it would be performed while leading a congregation
4. include appropriate introduction or intonation
5. first verse played as written; second verse may be a re-harmonization of first verse
6. plus Any technical exercises, especially pedal and manual scales from Gleason, Method of Organ Playing (or equivalent); sight-reading test

Harp

1. Three contrasting solo pieces from Dussek, Grandjany, Hasselmans, Godefroid, Naderman, Renie, Salzedo, or Tournier)
2. plus Bochsa etude or 4-octave scale; sight-reading test

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Skills Assessment

Sight-Singing test (during the audition):
Vocal sight-reading exercise (16-bar, folk song level) to evaluate current level of music reading and vocal ability.

Piano Sight-reading test (during the audition):
Piano sight-reading exercise to evaluate current level of piano skill for placement in class piano course.

Music theory placement test:
Written test determines placement in appropriate level of music theory (basic music terminology; ability to read treble and bass clef; major/minor key signatures and scales; recognition of meter and rhythmic notation; recognition of common intervals and major/minor triads).

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Interview

Following the audition, applicants will interview with the department administrator, if possible. Applicants for the Music therapy and Theatre degree programs should also meet with the respective program directors.

Marywood University scholarship funds are available to students majoring in music. Presidential and Endowed Scholarships from the University, as well as Music Talent Scholarships, are awarded to qualified applicants. Please note the scholarship eligibility cut-off dates when scheduling an audition.

For further information contact:

Patricia Purcell; Dept of Music, Theatre, and Dance
Marywood University
2300 Adams Avenue
Scranton, PA 18509-1598
(570) 348-6268
E-mail: ppurcell@maryu.marywood.edu
Fax : (570) 961-4721