Music

Audition

• Resumé, Headshot and Letters of Recommendation
  All students auditioning for the music concentration are required to bring a resumé listing any experiences and/or skills pertinent to their performing arts interest, at least two current letters of recommendation and a headshot to their audition. One of these letters should come from a current music teacher.
• Interview

  All students should be prepared to answer the following questions:

  • What attracted you to this degree program? 
  • What are your career aspirations? 
  • What are your experiences and background in the arts? 
  • What other (non-arts) activities were you involved with in your school and/or community during your high school career?

  Understanding that this degree requires collaborative teamwork with students of varying performing arts backgrounds: 
  

  • How do you see yourself fitting into this curriculum? 
  • What previous experiences have you had in collaboration?
• Voice Auditions

  Prospective voice students should prepare two vocal solos of contrasting styles. At least one of the selections MUST be a classical folk song, art song, or aria. Foreign language art songs are encouraged. The second can be from a musical. Make sure the selections adequately demonstrate musicality, tone quality, and technical abilities. Singers are encouraged to memorize their songs.

  For repertoire suggestions, please contact Dr. Lisa Sain Odom at odom@clemson.edu.

   

• Strings Auditions

  Prospective bass students may audition in either the classical style or the jazz style but are encouraged to do both if possible.

  Prospective violin, viola, cello, and classical bass students should prepare two selections of contrasting styles. Make sure your selections adequately demonstrate your musicality, tone quality and technical abilities. Suggested repertoire could include unaccompanied Bach. 

  Prospective jazz bass students should be prepared to demonstrate a walking bass line in the keys of F and Bb and a bass line of a jazz standard in either a swing, ballad or bossa style.

  In addition to your prepared pieces, you will be asked to play a selection of scales: 2 octaves for Bass, 3 octaves for violin, viola and cello in the following keys:  C, G, D, A, E; F, B-flat, E-flat, A-flat Major and relative minors for each.

  For repertoire suggestions, please contact Dr. Leslie Warlick at lwarlic@clemson.edu.

• Woodwinds & Brass Auditions

  Prospective students should prepare two solo pieces, etudes or excerpts of larger works of contrasting styles, which adequately demonstrate musicality, tone quality and technical abilities. Students should be prepared to play a total of 5-7 minutes of music.

  For repertoire suggestions, please contact Tim Hurlburt, assistant director of bands at thurlbu@clemson.edu.

• Percussion Auditions

  Prospective percussion students should prepare to demonstrate proficiency in two of the following areas:

  Snare Drum: A concert or rudimental snare drum solo. 

  Keyboard: A two or four mallet solo on marimba, vibraphone, or xylophone.

  Timpani: A four drum timpani solo and the ability to tune individual notes. 

  Drumset: Perform various musical styles including jazz, rock, funk, world, and ballads by playing time and improvising fills. A basic understanding of reading drumset charts is also highly regarded.

  For repertoire suggestions, please contact: Dr. Paul Buyer, director of percussion at pbuyer@clemson.edu

• Guitar Auditions

  Prospective Classical Guitar students should prepare two selections of contrasting styles demonstrating finger style technique and musicality.

  Prospective Jazz Guitar students should prepare two selections: a jazz standard and a blues chart to demonstrate both comping and improvising.

  While reading ability will be examined, fluency is not an absolute requirement.

  For repertoire suggestions, please contact Steve Newbrough at snewbro@clemson.edu for classical and finger style and Adam Knight at aknigh2@clemson.edu for jazz.

• Piano, Organ and Carillon Auditions

  Prospective piano students should prepare, on piano, two memorized solo works from the following:

  One piece from the Baroque Era by Domineco Scarlatti, Antonio Soler, or J.S. Bach. Works by J.S. Bach may include Inventions, Sinfonias, Preludes and Fugues, or movements from a suite.

  OR

  2. A Classical Era sonata 1st or last movement, which may include works by Mozart, Haydn or Beethoven.

  OR

  3. One Romantic Era piece or movement, which may include works by Chopin, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Brahms, Grieg, Liszt, Franck or Rachmaninov.

  OR

  4. One 20th or 21st Century-Era piece, which may include works by Debussy, Ravel, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Bartok, Copland, Barber, Kabalevsky, Khachaturian, Scriabin, Ginastera, Poulenc, Mucsynski, Florence Price.

  Students with questions regarding repertoire should contact Dr. Linda Li-Bleuel at libleu@clemson.edu.

  Prospective Jazz Piano Major students should prepare two contrasting solo pieces from the jazz standard repertoire, demonstrating the ability to read the melody,and improvise over the chord changes.

  Should have basic knowledge of music theory, including basic chords, all major and minor scales.

  Students with questions regarding repertoire selections should contact Hazen Bannister at hbannis@clemson.edu.

  Any student wishing to audition on Organ or Carillon instead of piano should contact Dr. Linda Dzuris at ldzuris@clemson.edu.