Entrance Auditions
Prospective Music Majors and Minors
All prospective music majors and minors, including transfer students, are required to complete an entrance audition for admission to the Department of Music.
Auditioning for the Department of Music
Application and Audition Procedure
In-person auditions:
For students auditioning to start the Spring 2025 semester they may audition on January 8.
Students auditioning for the 2025-2026 Academic School Year may audition on January 25 or March 1.
Meet our renowned faculty and tour the beautiful Luella Bennack Music Center!
The Audition Process
Once you are ready to sign up for an audition slot, please fill out the form at the link below.
After submitting the form, please watch for an email from music@uiwtx.edu contacting you with available audition slots.
The Department of Music Secretary will send a confirmation email with the selected date and time with additional information such as audition location, scholarship requirements and miscellaneous instructions (depending on your instrument/degree).
On the day of your audition, please arrive 15 minutes early to allow ample time to warm up. There will be practice rooms available for use before your audition.
Friends or family members cannot accompany you during the audition, but there will be seating available in the lobby for them to wait.
You will perform your two pieces and then wait outside while the faculty deliberates. Once they are finished, you will be brought back to go over any questions they have, and then they will make a decision.
After the performance part of your audition, we will also administer a music theory assessment.
The entire audition process takes about 30-45 minutes. After the assessment, you can leave or stay for a tour of the music building.
The Next Steps
Your faculty advisor will assist in placing you in the correct courses for your major and will send this information to our academic advisor to register you for your classes. Depending on when you audition, this will either be done retroactively or at orientation.
Audition and Scholarship Deadlines
Scholarships are available for all music programs. Please visit the link below for details about scholarship types and criteria.
Can't audition in person?
Please use our online audition portal, Accepted. Visit the audition application page or click on the logo below to start.
If uploading your video audition to Accepted, please follow the following procedure:
Camera Position
Position the camera so that the faculty can see the most significant amount of detail. Portrait (tall) or landscape (wide) camera positions will work. The camera should be close enough to capture facial expressions and show the body from the knees up.
Equipment
- Smartphone on a tripod / set up in a fixed position. Videos can be uploaded directly from the student’s phone.
- Video camera with an internal or external microphone. Videos can be transferred to a computer for the student to upload.
- No audio processing should be applied (for example, reverb) to recordings.
If you audition via Accepted, you can still schedule a visit to our campus to meet our renowned faculty and tour our beautiful facilities. To schedule an appointment, please email music@uiwtx.edu.
Audition Requirements by Degree
The following information contains the specific entrance audition requirements for each degree.
Prepare two pieces in contrasting styles on your principal instrument. You may perform pieces from two different style periods (Baroque and Romantic, for example), or you may perform one classical selection and one popular or jazz selection. For popular songs, you may accompany yourself or use a recording for the accompaniment.
Prepare two pieces in contrasting styles on your principal instrument. You may perform pieces from two different style periods (Baroque and Romantic, for example), or you may perform one classical selection and one popular or jazz selection. For popular songs, you may accompany yourself or use a recording for the accompaniment.
Brass, Strings, Winds, Percussion
Prepare two selections from the standard repertoire in contrasting styles (i.e., etude selections, movements of a solo sonata or concerto). Solos from the Texas UIL Grade 1 list or the current year’s All-State etudes are recommended. A third selection in jazz style may be played.
Voice
Prepare two selections from the standard repertoire in contrasting styles (for example, early Italian arias such as Sebben crudele, Schubert’s Heidenröslein, Copland’s Simple Gifts, or similar). Pieces must be performed from memory.
Piano
Prepare at least two pieces from different style periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, or 20th/21st-century. Playing time should be between 15 and 20 minutes. Individual movements from multi-movement works are acceptable. Pieces must be played from memory.
Prepare two musical selections in contrasting styles on your principal instrument. You may perform pieces from two different style periods (Baroque and Romantic, for example), or you may perform one classical selection and one popular or jazz selection. In addition, prepare a brief explanation of why you want to be a composition major. During your audition, you share brief audio examples (1 to 2 minutes) of up to two songs or pieces that you have composed.
Brass, Strings, Winds, Percussion
Prepare two selections from the standard repertoire in contrasting styles (i.e., etude selections, movements of a solo sonata or concerto). Solos from the Texas UIL Grade 1 and Grade 2 list, the current year’s All-State etudes, or equivalent pieces are acceptable. Grade 1 solos are recommended. A third selection in jazz style may be performed. Pieces do not need to be memorized.
Voice
Prepare two selections from the standard repertoire in contrasting styles (for example, early Italian arias such as Sebben crudele, Schubert’s Heidenröslein, Copland’s Simple Gifts, or similar). Pieces must be performed from memory.
Piano
Prepare two pieces from different style periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, or 20th/21st-century. Memorization of all pieces is highly recommended.
Prepare two pieces in contrasting styles. Because music therapists are expected to develop proficiency on various instruments and in voice, you may audition on two different instruments (including voice). For popular songs, you may accompany yourself or use a recording for the accompaniment.
Ensemble Auditions
Please visit UIW Music Ensembles to review the audition criteria for each group. This is a separate audition from entrance auditions. Please get in touch with individual ensemble directors for more information.