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CHORAL CONDUCTING

Application requirements for this concentration include:

  1. A videotape of a rehearsal and an audiotape of one or more recent performances by an ensemble which the candidate recently conducted.
  2. A personal interview and audition with the Georgia State University Director of Choral Activities and a university choral ensemble. The literature to be conducted will be assigned by the Director of Choral Activities.
  3. A current resume or curriculum vitae.
  4. Two letters of recommendation from a person familiar with the candidate's conducting.

ORCHESTRAL CONDUCTING

Application requirements for this concentration include:

  1. A videotape of a rehearsal or concert which the candidate recently conducted and a list of conducting repertoire. An interview/audition with the instrumental conducting faculty is recommended.
  2. A list of works performed on the candidate's major instrument at the undergraduate level.
  3. Three letters of recommendation.


WIND BAND CONDUCTING

Application requirements for this concentration include:

  1. A videotape of a rehearsal and an audiotape or videotape of one or more recent performances by an ensemble which the candidate recently conducted. An interview/audition with the instrumental conducting faculty is recommended.
  2. A list of conducting repertoire.
  3. A list of works performed on the candidate's major instrument at the undergraduate level.
  4. Two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the candidate's conducting work.

JAZZ STUDIES

Admission to the concentration in Jazz Studies is based on the examination of one or more of the following: original compositions, arrangements, scholarly papers, audition, and professional as well as the academic record of the applicant.

A tape or live audition is required. The applicant must demonstrate advanced proficiency in improvisation. The audition should include the following styles: bebop, swing, ballad, contemporary, and latin. The evaluation will take into consideration the applicant's background, interests and education. Should there be any deficiencies, the applicant will be required to take remedial courses which may not count towards the degree.

COMPOSITION

Applicants are expected to have a bachelor's degree in music, with evidence of strong training in composition. The applicant must submit to the School of Music at least five original compositions. These compositions should exemplify a variety of media and techniques. A cassette tape or CD recording should accompany the scores.

MUSIC EDUCATION

Applicants to the music education concentration are required to submit acceptable scores from either the general portion of the General Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Admission is based on general academic achievement, musical skills, and evidence of teaching competence. Concurrent or prior full time teaching experience in music is a prerequisite for admission. A Georgia teaching certificate or evidence of completion of an equivalent program for certification is necessary for full admission. Students lacking the Georgia teaching certificate should consult with the Coordinator of Music Education for evaluation of their undergraduate programs of study.

ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENT PERFORMANCE

Applicants should prepare an audition program of approximately 30 minutes comparable to a senior recital on the undergraduate level and submit a list of undergraduate repertory. A videotape may be submitted if a distance of over 300 miles is involved; however, it is to the applicant's advantage to appear in person. The audition should include works from at least three historical style periods (transcriptions are acceptable). The applicant will be expected to exhibit tonal and range potential demanded in the performance of standard instrumental repertory, accurate intonation and execution of rhythm, and knowledge of clefs and/or transpositions essential to the reading of instrumental literature.

ORGAN PERFORMANCE

Applicants should prepare an audition program of approximately 30 minutes comparable to a senior recital on the undergraduate level and submit a list of undergraduate repertory. The audition should include works from the following:

  1. A pre-Bach work such as a piece in free form or choral prelude by composers such as Buxtehude, Bruhns, Böhm, L übeck; or a work from the French Classic school.
  2. A major work of J.S. Bach such as a prelude (or Toccata or Fantasia) and Fugue, a Concerto, or a complete Trio Sonata.
  3. A major work by a Romantic composer such as an organ sonata by Mendelssohn or a chorale by Franck.
  4. A work in a 20 th century idiom.

PIANO PERFORMANCE

Applicants should perform an audition comparable to an undergraduate piano performance major senior recital. All music must be performed from memory. Audition repertoire requirements include:

  1. One significant work, or prelude and fugue of J.S. Bach.
  2. One work of a Classical composer (Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven).
  3. One significant work or group of works by a Romantic composer (Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Mendelssohn) of at least five minutes duration.
  4. A significant work or group of works by an Impressionist and/or 20 th Century composer (Debussy, Ravel, Bartok, Prokofiev, Copland, Ginastera, Scriabin) of at least five minutes duration.

Applicants will be given an excerpt to sight-read. Applicants are also expected to demonstrate proficiency in major and all forms of minor scales (4 octaves, hands together, 4 notes to a beat at metronome speed of 120 per beat) and major and minor arpeggios (4 octaves, hands together, 4 notes to a beat at metronome speed of 90 per beat). Applicants should submit a list of their undergraduate repertory at the time of the audition. When a distance of 300 miles or more is involved, a student may submit an audiotape or videotape of his or her performance. In such cases, the applicant must begin by announcing his or her name, the date and nature of the audition.

VOICE PERFORMANCE

An audition program of twenty minutes by memory is required. Repertoire should represent three or four historical periods and include art songs, opera and/or oratorio, and at least three of the following languages: Italian, German, French, English, Spanish, and Russian. An accompanist will be provided. No taped or CD accompaniments please. A repertoire list and recital program/s from student’s undergraduate institution should be submitted at the audition. Theory and history placement exams will be given once accepted into the School of Music. Diction exams will also be administered. These will include both written and oral exams.

PIANO PEDAGOGY

Applicants must play an audition as part of the admission process. All music must be performed from memory. Audition repertoire requirements include:

  1. One significant work, or prelude and fugue of J.S. Bach.
  2. One fast movement from a sonata by Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven.
  3. One significant work or group of works by a Romantic composer (Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Mendelssohn) of at least five minutes duration.
  4. One significant work or group of works by an Impressionist and/or 20 th Century composer (Debussy, Ravel, Bartok, Prokofiev, Copland, Ginastera, Scriabin) of at least five minutes duration.

Applicants will be given an excerpt to sight-read. Applicants are also expected to demonstrate proficiency in major and all forms of minor scales (4 octaves, hands together, 4 notes to a beat at metronome speed of 100 per beat) and major and minor arpeggios (4 octaves, hands together, 4 notes to a beat at metronome speed of 72 per beat). Applicants should submit a list of their undergraduate repertory at the time of the audition. When a distance of 300 miles or more is involved, a student may submit an audiotape or videotape of his or her performance. In such cases, the applicant must begin by announcing his or her name, the date and nature of the audition.