All music students must meet general Castleton University admission requirements. Students seeking Bachelor of Arts in Music with General concentration have no further audition requirement for admission, unless they wish to be considered for scholarship.
Students are encouraged to audition at any time, preferably after submitting their admissions application form. Auditions are held Mondays at noon. Please register through admissions for a specific Monday; additional days/times are possible by special arrangement. Students who are unable to audition on campus are encouraged to audition via high quality audio or video recording, such as DVD or YouTube link. The Music Department audition requirements are as follows:
Your audition must include 6 to 8 minutes of music that displays your technical ability and musicianship. You must prepare at least two pieces that contrast in tempo and style. Etudes, solo repertoire, art songs and arias are appropriate for scholarship auditions. See below for specific repertoire requirements.
Instrumental - Two contrasting pieces of artistic merit. A sonata movement, etude, etc. along with a contrasting piece that displays technical and artistic skills are acceptable options.
Vocal - The contrasting pieces must be chosen from two of the following: 1) an art song or aria, 2) an adaptation of a folk song, or spiritual or 3) a song from musical theatre. The selections must be memorized and if possible should demonstrate two languages (including English).
All vocal auditions must be accompanied. If requested well in advance, an accompanist will be provided, or the auditioning student may elect to bring his or her own accompanist. The performer must provide original music to the accompanist (not copies).
Music Department Scholarships are available, and open to all entering students (first-year or transfer) majoring in music. No additional application materials are required but an audition is mandatory for all Scholarship applicants. Students who are unable to audition on campus are encouraged to audition via high quality audio or video recording, such as DVD or YouTube link. The recipient’s award of $2,500 is renewable provided that the student remains a music major, maintains a B+ (3.3 on a 4.0 scale) average in music courses, and contributes in a positive manner to the music program. The deadline for scholarship consideration for the 2016 - 2017 academic year is March 1, 2016.