Audition

The College of Music requires a successful audition on major instrument or voice for all freshmen, transfer students, and graduate performance or conducting students. The audition determines acceptance as a music major. The audition will be performed for representative members of the music performance faculty.

• A live, on-campus audition is required for full acceptance and for scholarship consideration.
• Those who cannot visit the campus because they live a great distance from East Lansing, Michigan, may submit a recording but are not considered for scholarships, assistantships, or fellowships. Additionally, such students can only be accepted on provisional status until a live audition is successfully completed within the first semester of study. This live audition could take place immediately or at any time within that first semester, at the discretion of the area faculty.

All graduate applicants in classical voice must submit a pre screening recording.
This recording must be received no later than December 1st (fall applicants). Recordings will be reviewed by a committee from the vocal arts area beginning the week following the December 1st deadline. You will be notified via e-mail as to whether or not you have been invited for a live audition. The recording quality must be sufficient to make a reasonable judgment of ability. Recordings should include one German lied, one French mélodie, two arias (at least one must be an opera aria), and one English art song. Piano or orchestral accompaniment is required except in the rare instance where the selection is designed as an a capella piece. In this case, the other selections should be with either piano or orchestra. There should be no selection offered as a capella that has a designed accompaniment.

To help guide prospective undergraduate and graduate students as they prepare for auditions, we offer the following lists of suggested audition materials. Remember, these are suggested audition materials and represent the minimum level of proficiency required. It is most important that you prepare an audition that best demonstrates your musical and technical capabilities in your chosen performing medium.

• Suggested Audition Material for Prospective Undergraduate Students
• Suggested Audition Material for Prospective Graduate Students

DMA Admission and Audition Procedures

• Performance (PDF)*
• Conducting (PDF)*

Performance Diploma Program Audition Requirements

• Woodwinds (PDF)
• Voice (PDF)
• Strings (PDF)
• Piano (PDF)

2009–10 Audition Dates

• Friday, November 13, 2009
  Graduate, transfer, and music minors only. No flute auditions and no voice transfer auditions.
• Friday, January 29, 2010
  All undergraduate applicants. No harp or percussion auditions. Graduate applicants in jazz studies.
• Saturday, January 30, 2010
  All graduate applicants. No harp or percussion auditions.
• Friday, February 12, 2010
  All undergraduate applicants. Graduate applicants in brass, jazz studies, strings, and woodwinds. No trumpet and no viola auditions.
• Saturday, February 13, 2010
  Graduate applicants in piano and voice only.
• Friday, February 26, 2010
  All undergraduate applicants. Graduate applicants in jazz studies. No classical bass and no harp auditions.
• Saturday, February 27, 2010
  All graduate applicants. No trombone and no bass auditions.
• Friday, March 19, 2010
  All undergraduate applicants. Graduate applicants in brass, jazz studies, strings, and woodwinds.
• Saturday, March 20, 2010
  Graduate applicants in piano and voice only.

Please contact us with any questions you may have about this important step in the admissions process; we are here to help.

Office of Admissions
College of Music
Michigan State University
253 Music Building
East Lansing, MI 48824

Phone: (517) 355-2140
Fax: (517) 432-8209
E-mail: admissions@music.msu.edu

*Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to read PDF documents.