Audition Requirements

Bachelor of Music and Double Degree Audition Requirements

All of the audition requirements for each instrument can be found listed alphabetically below.

Bassoon

• Two contrasting selections from the étude or solo repertoire (individual movements allowed).
• One selection in any format that best represents your individual artistry and skills (ex: excerpt, original composition, improvisation, etc.)
• The following scales, ascending and descending:
  • Three-octave chromatic scale, slurred, ascending and descending
  • Two-octave A major, slurred 8th notes, quarter note = 120
  • Two-octave G harmonic minor, slurred 8th notes, quarter note = 120
• Sight-reading may be requested during live auditions

Cello

• One movement from the standard concerto repertoire, or any single-movement work for cello and orchestra
• One movement of unaccompanied Bach
• One contrasting movement or work. This might be a 21st-century composition, or even something entirely outside the classical style. Applicants are highly encouraged to select a work written by a composer from an underrepresented group
• Sight-reading may be requested during live auditions 

Clarinet

• The exposition of the first movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, measures 57-155.
• One stylistically contrasting movement selected from the standard sonata or concerto repertoire (not by Mozart)
• One complete work for unaccompanied clarinet. Examples below:
  • "Blush” by Jean Ahn
  • “Three Smiles for Tracey” by Adolphus Hailstork
  • “Hall of Ghosts” by Amanda Harberg
  • “Homage to Manuel Da Falla” by Bela Kovacs
  • “Winter Fantasy” by Eric Mandat
  • “Three Pieces” by Igor Stravinsky
• The following orchestral excerpt: Scherzo from Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Beginning to Letter B
• Optional: one additional solo work, etude, or band/orchestra excerpt on the Bass clarinet or Eb clarinet
• Scales or sight-reading may be requested.

For recorded auditions:
Please submit an additional video where you speak to the following four prompts:
1) Why are you interested in attending Lawrence?
2) Choose a piece of music that you love and share why you find it meaningful.
3) How would you assess your own strengths and weaknesses as a clarinetist?
4) What qualities do you bring to a musical community beyond your musicianship? What would it be like to have you as a colleague in the Lawrence clarinet studio?

Composition

• A complete classical audition on your primary instrument(s)
• A complete composition portfolio (materials can be uploaded through the portfolio section of your application status portal) :
  • Three musical scores (recordings of the submitted works are highly recommended, but not required)
  • A statement of your compositional interests and goals
  • A list of compositions that includes completion dates and a list of public performances or readings

For students interested in jazz composition, please contact Patty Darling.

What we're looking for in a future Lawrence composer's portfolio:

• Well developed and complex musical ideas within the contemporary classical style, effective use of instruments and voices, good notation and presentation, an interest in contemporary idioms, and imagination.
• We encourage the submission of solo and chamber works.
• If possible, we like to see composers who have had their music read and performed live by musicians.

Double Bass

• Two contrasting pieces or movements from the standard repertoire (Including a movement from a Baroque sonata or suite)
• Your choice of 2-4 standard orchestral excerpts
• Three-octave major scale, its relative melodic minor, and arpeggios
• Sight-reading may be requested during live auditions 

In addition, students may elect to perform a transcribed jazz solo or improvise with pre-recorded accompaniment.

Euphonium

• Two or three compositions, etudes, or band/orchestral excerpts that demonstrate contrasting styles and the ability to play melodic and technical material
• Two examples each of natural, harmonic, and melodic minor scales 
• Two-octave chromatic scale  
• Sight-reading may be requested during live auditions 

Flute

• Three pieces of contrasting styles, which may include movements from the concerto, sonata, and solo repertoire
• Chromatic scale: Low C to high C 
• Major scales: B and Db 
• Minor scales: G, F, and G# (harmonic or melodic) 
• Sight-reading may be requested during live auditions 

A note for those planning to audition for the flute studio:
Dr. Lesser is unavailable for the November 16 and February 8 on-campus audition days. To arrange an on-campus audition in the fall (Early Decision or Early Action 1) or a day besides February 22 in the winter (Regular Decision), please contact her directly: erin.lesser@lawrence.edu.

Guitar (classical)

• One piece from standard classical guitar literature (may be a movement from a larger work)
• One movement of Bach
• An etude by Sor, Carcassi, Brouwer or Villa-Lobos
• Three selections from the Giuliani 120 Studies for the Right Hand
• Three-octave major scale and its parallel minor
• Sight-reading may be requested during live auditions

Optional work: Feel free to include any work that does not fit the above requirements. Examples might include: your own composition; a song with guitar accompaniment; a work from another style of music (Blues, Flamenco, Jazz etc.); an ensemble recording; an improvisation; a multi-track recording; a piece using a plucked string instrument other than guitar (banjo, mandolin, lute, ukulele etc.). This portion of the audition is not required, but you are encouraged to display other interests and skills.

For students interested in jazz or pursuing the Jazz Emphasis, please refer to the Jazz Audition Guidelines.

Harp

• Two solos (applicant’s choice) in contrasting styles demonstrating technical and interpretive abilities. Harp applicants are encouraged to perform solos from memory.
• An orchestral excerpt or cadenza from the standard repertoire.

Horn

• Please prepare 8-10 minutes of music that represent your level of playing within different styles, technical complexity, high and low registers, and pieces that you like and reflect your musical interest.

You do not need accompaniment. If you are doing a pre-recorded audition, the pieces may be recorded separately.

A note for those planning to audition for the horn studio:
Ann Ellsworth is unavailable for the February 8 on-campus audition day. For Regular Decision, please either attend the February 22 on-campus audition day or register for a recorded audition.

Jazz (instrumental)

Students interested in the Jazz Emphasis in the Bachelor of Music degree must perform a complete classical audition on their primary instrument in addition to a separate jazz audition.

• See primary instrument audition requirements for the classical audition.
• On-campus auditions: Students are required to attend the “Jazz Jam" as part of their audition day, and should come prepared to perform the melody and improvise several solo choruses on the following works: Tenor Madness (Sonny Rollins), Mr. P.C. (John Coltrane), or Lester Leaps In (Lester Young). Students will be accompanied by a Lawrence student rhythm section and memorization is preferred. Students are also strongly encouraged to prepare a jazz etude, solo transcription, or improvisation on a prepared jazz piece selected by the student, as well as an improvisation to a pre-recorded accompaniment (such as the Jamey Aebersold Play-Along series).
• Self-recorded and live virtual auditions: Students should submit recordings of a jazz etude, solo transcription, or improvisation on a prepared jazz piece selected by the student, as well as an improvisation to a pre-recorded accompaniment (such as the Jamey Aebersold Play-Along series).

Music Education

• Those who are interested in majoring in Music Education must complete a regular audition on their primary instrument for admission into the Bachelor of Music degree program. Prospective Music Education majors will interview for admission to the major during the beginning of their sophomore year.

Oboe

• Two contrasting works (or portions of works). One work may be an etude such as Barret or Ferling. Audition repertoire should not exceed fifteen minutes in length. 
• Two major and two minor scales of your choice, two octaves preferred.
• Sight-reading may be requested for live auditions 

A note for those planning to audition for the oboe studio:
Nora Lewis is unavailable for the February 22 on-campus audition day. For Regular Decision, please either attend the February 8 on-campus audition day or register for a recorded audition.

Organ

• Two works from the standard organ repertoire and an accompaniment:
  • A work of J.S. Bach, either a prelude, toccata, or fantasy and fugue, a chorale prelude, or trio sonata movement 
  • A work from either the Romantic or Contemporary periods 
  • Accompaniment of a hymn (religious or secular) intended to be sung by a large assembly. Provide an introduction and two stanzas as if leading a large group.  
• Sight-reading may be requested for live auditions 

Repertoire should demonstrate the applicant's technical skills and musical abilities, and the accompaniment should demonstrate registrational, improvisational, and collaborative abilities.  

Percussion

Applicants wishing to enter into the Bachelor of Music degree in percussion must demonstrate proficiency in the three main areas of percussion: snare drum, keyboard percussion, and timpani. You are encouraged to program solos or etudes that best represent your skill set, as well as something unique about yourself as a musician. Students wishing pursue the Jazz Emphasis need to demonstrate some level of concert snare drum and mallet keyboard skills, but their audition emphasis will be on the instrument they wish to pursue for the jazz degree, such as drum set or vibraphone.

Applicants should prepare:

• A concert or rudimental Snare Drum Solo or Etude (concert style preferred)
• A Four-mallet solo, transcription, or etude
• A Two mallet solo, transcription, or etude
• Two-octave chromatic scale (starting on C4)
• A Timpani solo or etude
• Sight-reading may be requested during live auditions

Optional:

• Perform Drum set open solo and a variety of styles (rock, jazz, Brazilian, Cuban)
• Perform a solo on any non-western traditional percussion instruments such as congas, tabla, tambora, frame drum, steelpan, etc.
• Submit a week prior to your audition 1-3 additional videos or YouTube links of other performances you’ve done in the last 18 months. Recordings of past recitals or gigs, and/or samples of drum set, multiple percussion, non-western percussion, and improvisation are encouraged. Examples of teaching, coaching, and/or conducting work are welcome.

Applicants will also be asked to attend a group meeting with the faculty to discuss the school, the curriculum, performance opportunities, and more. During your audition there will be a discussion of your training, future and career goals, and a review of your previously-submitted recordings (if submitted).Please contact Dr. Ureña González (jeancarlo.urenagonzalez@lawrence.edu) with any questions and concerns regarding the audition process, or repertoire selection.

Piano

• A Bach Prelude and Fugue or other Bach composition containing a fugue (such as a Toccata or Partita)
• A Sonata-Allegro movement of a sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven or Schubert (usually the first movement)
• Two additional pieces showing virtuosity, stylistic diversity, and evidence of considerable experience at the instrument.

We welcome and encourage the inclusion in your audition program of a work written by a composer from an underrepresented group, and/or written in the last fifty years.

Saxophone

• Three works that highlight your musicianship, technical skill, and artistic interests (about 15 minutes of repertoire total): 
  • a piece that demonstrates lyricism, phrasing, and beauty of sound
  • a piece that demonstrates technical skill
  • a piece of music that you love to play
• Types of works may include (but not limited to):
  • Solo works with or without accompaniment
  • Substantial excerpts from wind band or orchestral repertoire
  • Original compositions
  • Improvisations
  • Transcriptions
  • Multi-track recordings
• The following scales, ascending and descending through the full range of the instrument: 
  • D major and Ab major
  • F# minor and A minor (harmonic or melodic)
  • Chromatic (low Bb-F#3)
• Sight-reading may be requested during live auditions 

Please contact Joseph Connor for questions regarding audition repertoire.

Trombone (Tenor and Bass)

• 3-5 works that highlight your individual creativity, artistic expression and technical skill (10-15 minutes of repertoire total). Types of works may include (but are not limited to):
  • Solos with or without accompaniment
  • Etudes
  • Orchestral excerpts
  • Original compositions
  • Improvisations
  • Transcriptions
  • Multi-track recordings (recorded auditions only)
  • Ensemble works featuring you (recorded auditions only)
• Scales: One chromatic, one major, and one harmonic minor, all in two octaves
• Sight-reading may be requested during live auditions

For students interested in the Jazz Emphasis, please refer to the Jazz Audition Guidelines.

Trumpet

• A variety of solos or etudes displaying both technical and melodic ability (10-15 minutes of repertoire total). Works by composers from historically underrepresented groups are encouraged.

For students interested in the Jazz Emphasis, please refer to the Jazz Audition Guidelines.

Tuba

• Two or three compositions, etudes, or band/orchestral excerpts that demonstrate contrasting styles and the ability to play melodic and technical material
• Two examples each of natural, harmonic, and melodic minor scales 
• Two-octave chromatic scale  
• Sight-reading may be requested during live auditions 

Viola

• One movement of a standard concerto or other work for solo viola and orchestra, preferably from memory
• A movement of a solo work by J.S. Bach from works originally for cello or violin, preferably from memory
• A standard etude or caprice (see below)
• One three-octave major scale and its parallel minor scale and arpeggios. One of the scales should be performed with spiccato bow-strokes at a medium speed, with three or four strokes per pitch
• An optional work, contrasting in style from other works presented (see below)

Advice/philosophy
In choosing your audition repertoire for Lawrence Conservatory, consider how your repertoire as a whole will demonstrate an engagement with a variety of technical and musical challenges and a variety of musical styles and expression. Performing by memory demonstrates fluency and depth of engagement, and if secure, is preferable for the solo works in your audition program. Any sonata work or etude/caprice need not be memorized. For the etude/caprice, something on the technical level of Kreutzer etudes at least is preferred, and works by Campagnoli, Dont, Lillian Fuchs, Michael Kimber, Mazas and Palaschko might also serve you well. For your optional work, it is possible to select a contrasting movement from that same Bach suite, sonata, or partita, but also consider a work from a different composer altogether. Members of the Lawrence viola studio are committed to exploring repertoire by historically under-represented composers including women or people of color, and there are many excellent works for viola in this realm. If you have questions regarding your choices for audition repertoire please feel free to contact the Lawrence faculty violist for ideas.

Violin

• Either the first or third movement of a standard concerto performed from memory  

• One movement of unaccompanied Bach  

• An etude or caprice  

• One contrasting work of the applicant's choice 

Voice

• Please sing, from memory, two solos of contrasting styles, at least one of which should demonstrate classical vocal production. One song must be sung in English; the other can be sung in a foreign language or English.
• For recorded auditions: In a separate video of yourself speaking, please briefly tell us what you love about singing, and where you hope the study of music will take you over the next ten years or so.

Bachelor of Arts in Music

• An audition is not required for admission to the Bachelor of Arts in Music program. If you choose to audition or submit a portfolio, this information will not affect your admission decision. It will, however, allow us to connect you with the appropriate faculty members while at Lawrence.

Questions?

Email us at musicadmissions@lawrence.edu

Lawrence University does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, parental or marital status, age, or disability. Inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policy may be directed to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty at 920-832-6528. Lawrence adheres to the Statement of Principles of Good Practice of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC).