Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions
Undergraduate Auditions
  • Admissions

    • Auditions Undergraduate Repertoire

    Undergraduate Music Audition Repertoire by Program

    In some programs, auditions may include ear testing and sight reading. Students may be asked to bring a resume and repertoire lists.

    Applicants unable to attend a live audition should send VHS or DVD audition tapes to Attn: Dr. Paul Horan, NYU Steinhardt, Music and Performing Arts, 35 W. 4th Street Suite 777, New York, NY 10012 . Please clearly indicate your name, program applied to, contents of tape or CD and NYU ID, if applicable (Transfers and Graduate students have until April 15 to send in tapes).

    FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL THE DEPARTMENT AT 212 998 5424

    Click on a category to jump to that section
    Brass & Woodwinds | Composition | Jazz Composition | Jazz Performance | Music Business | Music Education | Music Technology | Piano Performance | Percussion Performance | String Performance | Vocal Performance

    Brass & Woodwinds:
    Classical performance majors must play two compositions from different style periods (includes all orchestral Brass and Woodwind instruments including classical saxophone). Please note: accompanists not required nor provided. Please bring a copy of your resume to the audition.

    Composition:
    A portfolio (CD and score) of three compositions. Perform two pieces in contrasting styles on an instrument of your choice. Please note: accompanists not required nor provided.

    Jazz Composition:
    Information here.

    Jazz Performance:
    Information here.

    Music Business:
    Read more here.

    Music Education: Bring a 300-500 word essay to the audition. The essay needs to address the following:
    Consider a significant issue in education and reflect on its importance to you as a teacher/learner. As you consider an issue develop an argument that addresses some of the following aspects of education:
    -curriculum development
    -teaching practices
    -assessment
    -race/class/gender
    -the role of education/music education in society

    • Orchestral Instruments: two pieces in contrasting styles, one of those styles could include a selection from the jazz repertoire

    • Piano: three pieces in contrasting styles, one of those styles could include a selection from the jazz repertoire

    • Voice: two pieces in contrasting styles; choose from two different periods or two different languages, one of the contrasting styles could include a music theater piece

    Music Technology:
    Information here.

    Piano Performance:
    One Bach piece including a fugue
    Two movements of a sonata by Mozart, Haydn, or Beethoven
    One Romantic composition
    One 20th-century or 21st-century composition

    Percussion Performance:

    • Snare Drum: Delecluse solo #1 or Cirone solo Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade or Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf

    • Marimba: 1 Two or Four Mallet solo of your choosing

    • Timpani: (1) Firth solo etude or "March" by Elliot Carter from "Eight Pieces for Solo Timpani” and (2) Tchaikovsky 4th, Mvt 1, start from letter T (to end of passage) or Beethoven Symphony #1 Scherzo Mov’t

    • Xylophone: Gershwin's Porgy and Bess or Kabalevsky Colas Breugnon

    • Multi Solo: optional Final solo in Stravinsky's L'Histoire du soldat

    • Chamber Music Select one of the following chamber pieces: Levitan Quartet (Marimba 2) (Difficulty: Hard), Metric Lips (Marimba 1) (Difficulty: Easy), Metric Lips (Vibes) (Difficulty: Medium)

    String Performance:

    • Double Bass: 1) A short (or portion of an) Etude displaying technical proficiency; 2) Two contrasting movements from a Vivaldi, Marcello Sonata or comparable work.

    • Viola: 1) A movement from an unaccompanied Bach Suite (originally for cello) or Sonata or Partita (originally for violin) memorized; 2) A concerto movement; 3) A movement of a standard work.

    • Violin: 1) One movement from the unaccompanied sonatas and Partitas by Bach memorized; 2) A first or last movement from a standard Romantic concerto and/or other virtuostic solo piece memorized; 3) A movement of a sonata from the standard repertoire.

    • Cello: 1) Two contrasting movements of Bach Suite memorized; 2) One movement of a standard concerto, either first or last movement memorized; 3) An additional work of your choice.

    • Harp: 1. One Pozzoli Etude ( #s 21 - 30), 2. One movement from the Handel Concerto in B Flat Major ( either Salzedo or Grandjany Transcriptions), 3. Tournier Au Matin or Debussy Premiere Arabesque. (Substitutions of equal level/ability may be made with a prior consultation with Prof. Rita Costanzi or Prof. Bridget Kibbey.)

    Vocal Performance:

    For further information regarding Auditions or to speak to a Program Director or Advisor please call Music and Performing Arts Professions at 212 998 5424

    Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions - 35 W. 4th Street, Suite 777 - New York, NY 10012 - 212 998 5424