Audition Information

Apply to the University at Kutztown University's Admissions website, or the Common App website. Audition dates are selected in your application the the University. 

Choose an audition date on your Kutztown University application (apply here).

NOTE: Auditions are not required for those wishing to enter into the BA Music Business degree.

All audition dates are held in-person on the Kutztown University campus. If you have conflicts with the posted audition dates, please select "Date Conflict" in your Kutztown University application. Feel free to contact us via email for help with scheduling.

Contacts for each degree area are below: 

NOTE: Students who wish to be considered for music scholarship must complete their application and audition by February 15, 2025

Review audition information & requirements on this page and prepare for your audition. As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions! 

Apply for financial aid

Upon the review of your completed Kutztown application, you will receive an email confirmation of your audition time with audition day instructions. 

Please contact us with any questions or concerns.

The College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) Open House welcomes prospective students interested in the arts at KU. Prospective music students will have the opportunity to learn about all VPA arts programs of study, meet our current music students and faculty, tour the campus, and visit classes and rehearsals. Registration is required and information can be found here.

VPA Open House, Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Music auditions may be scheduled during this event. Please contact us via email for help with scheduling. Contacts for each degree area are below:

Auditions are required for entry into all music degree programs, except for BA Music Business.

Along with specific requirements relating your voice type/instrument (shown on this page below), your audition also includes an interview with the music faculty. Please be prepared to share your musical background, career goals, areas of interest, and why you want to study music at Kutztown University. 

• ALL applicants other than BA Music Business must complete Placement Surveys for piano and music theory
  • Upon KU admittance, a successful music audition, and deposit to KU, piano and theory placement surveys will be sent to students via email
  • You will receive the email either upon your deposit to KU or during the month of April, 2025
  • We ask that you submit the surveys by May 1, 2025 

NOTE: Piano & Theory surveys are simply used to place you in the proper courses during course registration and have no impact on your acceptance

In general, and regardless of style/genre, you should be prepared to perform something from the standard/mainstream repertoire that best displays tone, technique, and musicianship/expression. Scales & sight-reading may be required.

REQUIRED ETUDES

Please prepare one lyrical etude and one technical etude from ONE of the following books of etudes:

• 32 Etudes for Clarinet  (Cyrille Rose)
• Finger Fitness Etudes for Clarinet, Book 2 (Kristen Denny-Chambers)

SCALES, etc.

• Major Scales (two octaves)
• Chromatic Scale (starting on low E)
• Sight Reading 

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Deborah Andrus.

Feel free to audition with pieces that best highlight your strengths without concern for whether or not they are highly technical or fit into a certain stylistic category or genre. The Department of Music has an interest in a wide variety of musical styles. We appreciate excellence in established musical genres like classical and jazz but also in other new and emerging styles. As an auditionee, you should play or sing the pieces that best show who you are.

Prepared Piece
When choosing your pieces, it is a good idea to contact your would-be applied teacher at Kutztown to ask for guidance. You can find a list of our applied faculty here.

Among the types of pieces typically chosen by auditioning students include:

• A standard or jazz tune (which may include blues and rhythm changes) with your own improvisation
• A classical piece such as a sonata, etude, or art song
• A tune that you composed, especially if your focus is commercial music (songwriting) or composition
• A transcription of an innovative performer such as Charlie Parker or Esperanza Spaulding.
• A tune from a popular artist or band
• If you are a vocalist in the Commercial Music Studies degree program, you may audition with two contrasting Musical Theatre/Broadway selections, or a Musical Theatre selection and a popular music selection and/or a Jazz Standard. Both selections must be memorized and you must have a piano accompaniment for both pieces. We will provide an accompanist for your audition or you may bring your own.
• Don't be limited by this list, it is only a suggestion!

NOTES:

• If you'd like to have accompaniment, feel free to use a recording that does not duplicate the part you are performing (like a Karaoke version)
• Vocal auditions do require an accompaniment and accompanists are provided for them. You may also bring your own accompanist. If you need a different type of accompaniment, please contact us and we can make the appropriate arrangement.

Performance
You may be asked to demonstrate a technique particular to your performance area. For example, a drummer may be asked to demonstrate typical styles. For trumpet players, a demonstration of range and flexibility may be asked. For singers, the ability to project, etc.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Kevin Kjos or Dr. Todd Walker.

• Two pieces of music (or two movements from one piece) that contrast in style and display tone, technique and musicianship
  • Repertoire Examples
    • Telemann, Sonata in F Major
    • Handel, Sonata in F Major
    • Vivaldi, “Il Pastor Fido” Sonatas
    • Godard, Allegretto and/or Idyll (or other works from the French repertoire)
    • Mozart, Concerto in G or D
    • Mozart, Andante in C
    • C.P.E. Bach, “Hamburger” Sonata
    • Debussy, Syrinx

• Two Major Scales of your choice
• Sight Reading

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Carol Shansky.

• Two contrasting pieces from any area of the guitar repertoire
  
  • Classical, Jazz, Rock, Folk, Blues, and/or fingerpicking pieces would be appropriate

• Major Scales
• Sight Reading

If you have any questions, please contact Prof. Ben Sher.

• Two contrasting pieces or etudes lyrical and technical abilities
  • Repertoire Examples
    • Handel Sonatas (or similar Baroque works)
    • Schumann Romances
    • Mozart or Haydn Concerto 
    • Barrett or Ferling Exercises

• Major Scales (two octaves, where possible)
• Chromatic Scale (two octaves, C-C)
• Sight Reading

If you have any questions, please contact Prof. Kim Webster.

Music Education & Music Performance Majors (Non-Commercial)

• Must audition on snare drum, timpani, and keyboard percussion (2 or 4 mallets)
• Must demonstrate sight-reading ability and knowledge of scales
• An audition on drumset is encouraged but not required

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Frank Kumor.

Commercial Music Studies Majors (Non-Classical)

• May audition on either drumset or orchestral percussion
• Drumset auditions should demonstrate a variety of styles on drumset; Latin, rock, swing, bebop, funk, etc.
• Knowledge of standard orchestral percussion is a plus, but not a requirement
• If vibes are principal instrument, play a jazz standard melody with chords

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Kevin Kjos or Dr. Todd Walker 

Choose three pieces from the following style categories:

NOTE: All works must be performed from memory

• Baroque - i.e. Scarlatti, Bach (any Two or Three-Part Invention, Prelude, and Fugue, or any two movements of a Suite)
• Classical - i.e. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Hummel, Weber, Clementi (any movement of a Sonata)
• Romantic/Post-Romantic - i.e. Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, etc.
• Impressionistic/Contemporary - i.e. Debussy, Ravel, Bartok, Prokofieff, Copland, Gershwin, etc.
• Major & Minor Scales
• Sight Reading

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Maria Asteriadou or Dr. Daniel Immel.

Thank you for your interest in the KU Department of Music Trombone Studio. The trombone studio at KU focuses on providing music students with the opportunities and experiences required for future professional musicians/educators to reach their fullest musical potential.

Students are asked to play music that demonstrates the student’s strengths as a musician. You are not limited as to what you can play, but you are asked to prepare music that represents contrasting styles. Below are examples of representative music but are by no means the only options, choose music you perform best. Additionally, all auditionees are strongly encouraged to contact Dr. Neuenschwander to arrange for a complimentary lesson before their audition if possible. This is so you can get a better sense of what it is like to study in the studio at KU. 

SCALES 

• 2 Major Scales (from 4 flats through 4 sharps)
• A Chromatic Scale of Your Choice (ascending & descending - 2 octaves, if possible)

NOTE: Preference for scales is 8^th notes at quarter note = 100 bpm

EXAMPLES OF AUDITION MUSIC

TENOR TROMBONE: 2 contrasting styles (1 slow & lyrical, 1 faster and more technical in nature)

• Bordogni/Rochut Etudes, Volume 1 (lyrical)
• Tyrell 40 Progressive Etudes (technical)
• Barat Andante & Allegro (slow beginning section & faster 2^nd half)
• David Trombone Concerto (Mvt 2 and EITHER Mvt 1 OR 3)
• Guilmant Morceau Symphonique (2 contrasting sections)

BASS TROMBONE: 2 contrasting styles (1 slow & lyrical, 1 faster and more technical in nature)

• Aharoni New Method for Bass Trombone (choose one etude)
• Bordogni/Rochut Etudes, Volume 1 (down the octave #2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 11 would work well)
• Hering 32 Etudes (choose one)
• Wilborn 30 Progressive Studies for Bass Trombone (choose one)
• Lieb Concertino for Bass Trombone (contrasting sections)
• Rock by Alan Raph for Unaccompanied Bass Trombone
• Sachse Concerto for Bass Trombone (contrasting sections)

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Daniel Neuenschwander.

TUBA

• Two contrasting pieces or etudes demonstrating lyrical and technical abilities
  • Repertoire Examples
    • Haddad, Suite for Tuba
    • Bordogni, 43 Bel Canto Studies
    • Blazhevich, 70 Studies
• Major Scales (two octaves, up to 4 sharps or flats)
• Chromatic Scale (two octaves, starting from any note)

EUPHONIUM

• Two contrasting pieces or etudes demonstrating lyrical and technical abilities
  • Repertoire Examples
    • Guilmant, Morceau Symphonique
    • Rochut-Bordogni, Melodious Etudes
    • Voxman, Selected Studies for Baritone

• Major Scales (two octaves, up to 4 sharps or flats)
• Chromatic Scale (two octaves, starting from any note)

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Samantha Lake.

REPERTOIRE SELECTION
You are required to prepare two contrasting pieces from the Classical, Jazz, or Broadway repertoire. The pieces should showcase your vocal range, technique, and musicality. Here are some examples to guide your selection:

Classical (Art Song/Aria)

• “Caro mio ben” by Giuseppe Giordani (Classical Art Song)
• “O del mio dolce ardor” from Paride ed Elena by Christoph Willibald Gluck (Classical Opera Aria)
• Refer to the 24 Italian Aria Songbook for other options

Jazz

• “Misty” by Erroll Garner (Jazz Standard)
• “My Funny Valentine” by Richard Rodgers (Jazz Ballad)

Broadway

• “On My Own” from Les Misérables by Claude-Michel Schönberg
• “If I Loved You” from Carousel by Rodgers and Hammerstein
• Refer to the Musical Theatre Songbook Collection for other options

NOTE: The pieces should differ in style, mood, or tempo to demonstrate versatility.

Accompaniment Requirements
An accompanist is required for your audition. You may either use the KU staff accompanist or bring your own accompanist. No recorded accompaniment will be permitted.

Sheet Music Submission
Please ensure that your sheet music is emailed to music@kutztown.edu no later than two weeks before your audition date. Failure to submit your sheet music on time may result in disqualification or the need to reschedule your audition.

Music Reading Proficiency
All auditioning singers are expected to be able to read music. During the audition process, your ability to follow and interpret music notation will be evaluated.

Memorization Requirement
Both audition songs must be fully memorized for your audition. You will be expected to perform them without reference to the sheet music.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Derrick Thompson.