Music Admissions & Scholarship Auditions

Welcome!

Music Admission Auditions are required to begin an undergraduate music major or minor and for those applying for new music scholarships. Interested students must complete an audition on their primary instrument or voice, regardless of their program of interest. 

We encourage students to review our available programs of study and introductory information about the Department of Music before moving forward. 

Graduate students should review the information on our Master of Music page for additional information about auditioning for the graduate program.

The Audition Request Form is closed for the academic year 2025-26.

The Audition Request Form for academic year 2026-27 will open on November 1, 2025. 

 

Audition Checklist

  1. Read General Audition Info
  2. Prepare Audition Requirements
  3. Review Frequently Asked Questions
  4. Submit Audition Form
  5. Apply to WWU, if not already completed

Current WWU student looking for Ensemble Auditions?

Visit the Ensemble Auditions page for more information.

A pianist playing with a violinist.

Audition General Information

You must submit the Audition Request Form at the bottom of this page to request a date and time. Submit multiple request forms if you wish to audition on more than one instrument/voice (one instrument/voice per form). Live auditions will take place on:

  • February 7 & 8, 2026 (Request deadline is 12:00 PM on February 6, 2026)
  • February 28 & March 1, 2026 (Request deadline is 12:00 PM on February 27, 2026)

Students must check-in for their audition in the Performing Arts Center Lobby. Check-in is available starting at 8:15 a.m. Students are encouraged to arrive a minimum of one hour before their audition time to check in and warm up.

Your audition room number will be provided to you at check-in.

Video submissions are accepted if you are unable to attend an in-person audition. We strongly encourage you to audition in-person if possible. Submit your videos as shared links to either YouTube or Vimeo through the Audition Request Form at the bottom of this page.  

  • Each selection/requirement may be recorded separately. You are able to include multiple links in the Audition Request Form.
  • Introductions to videos are not required.
  • Keep your instrument fully in the frame.
  • For piano auditions, keep your hands and upper body in the frame.
  • For piano auditions, piano music should be memorized.
  • Videos that are not public should be shared as unlisted links rather than private.
  • Links should remain active until audition results are received. 

Video Audition deadline is yet to be determined for 2026.

Audition Results

Audition results for the 2026-27 academic year will be sent to the email provided in the Audition Request Form by April 1, 2026.

Scholarship Offers

Scholarship award decisions for students who auditioned for the 2026-27 academic year will be sent to the email provided in the Audition Request Form by April 1, 2026.

Acceptance to the composition major has two parts: an audition on a primary instrument or voice and the submission of a composition portfolio. Prospective composition majors must submit a successful portfolio of original compositions to be accepted to the Bachelor of Music Composition major. See the Audition Requirements section for portfolio details and area audition requirements.
Singing actors during rehearsal against a dark background with accompanist in the foreground.

Audition Requirements

  • Prepare the audition requirements listed below for the instrument/voice area(s) you wish to audition for. 
  • You may choose to audition on more than one instrument/voice by submitting multiple Audition Request Forms, one instrument/voice per form.
  • Please contact the corresponding area coordinator with questions or concerns.
  • Prospective composition majors must complete an audition on their primary instrument/voice and submit a portfolio of work. 

Email Gustavo Camacho, Brass Area Coordinator, with any questions you may have.

InstrumentRequirementsInstructor
Horn
  1. Any solo or etude that demonstrates your current technical level on your instrument (What we are listening for: clean tonguing, fingerings, lip flexibility, range, rhythm accuracy, steady time)
  2. Any solo or etude featuring lyrical passages (What we are listening for: musical phrasing, constant air flow, tone quality, volume control)
  3. Major and minor scales and arpeggios through four sharps and four flats may be requested at the on-campus audition only (What we are listening for: basic knowledge of key signatures)
Gustavo Camacho
Trumpet
  1. Any solo or etude that demonstrates your current technical level on your instrument (What we are listening for: clean tonguing, fingerings, lip flexibility, range, rhythm accuracy, steady time)
  2. Any solo or etude featuring lyrical passages (What we are listening for: musical phrasing, constant air flow, tone quality, volume control)
  3. Major and minor scales and arpeggios through four sharps and four flats may be requested at the on-campus audition only (What we are listening for: basic knowledge of key signatures)
Vincent Green
Tuba
  1. Any solo or etude that demonstrates your current technical level on your instrument (What we are listening for: clean tonguing, slide positions, lip flexibility, range, rhythm accuracy, steady time)
  2. Any solo or etude featuring lyrical passages (What we are listening for: musical phrasing, constant air flow, tone quality, volume control)
  3. Major and minor scales and arpeggios through four sharps and four flats may be requested at the on-campus audition only (What we are listening for: basic knowledge of key signatures)
Peder McClellan
Trombone 

Tenor/Bass Trombone

  1. Any solo or etude that demonstrates your current technical level on your instrument (What we are listening for: clean tonguing, fingerings, lip flexibility, range, rhythm accuracy, steady time)
  2. Any solo or etude featuring lyrical passages (What we are listening for: musical phrasing, constant air flow, tone quality, volume control)
Greg Cox
Euphonium
  1. Any solo or etude that demonstrates your current technical level on your instrument (What we are listening for: clean tonguing, fingerings, lip flexibility, range, rhythm accuracy, steady time)
  2. Any solo or etude featuring lyrical passages (What we are listening for: musical phrasing, constant air flow, tone quality, volume control)
Peder McClellan

Guitar Area Checklist

  1. Review audition requirements
  2. Review audition details
  3. Review audition resources

Email Eli Schille-Hudson with any questions or concerns. 

Audition Requirements

  1. Any Major scale and any natural-minor scale, each spanning two octaves, played apoyando.
  2. Any exercise from Mauro Giuliani’s Centoventi Arpeggi, 1-10.
  3. One of the following:
    • Any study by Fernando Sor OR
    • Any study from Leo Brouwer’s Estudios Sencillos 
  4. A selection the applicant chooses to reflect their strengths as a musician. Any style is welcome; improvisations and original compositions also welcome.

Audition Details

Audition Resources

  1. Scale notation, tablature, and fingering resources are available for free through our Google Drive folder.
  2. Giuliani resources are available for free through our Google Drive folder.
  3. Fernando Sor  (opp. 6, 29, 31, 35, 44, 60) are available for purchase via Telca Editions, and for available for free through our Google Drive folder. 
  4. Leo Brouwer's Estudio Sencillos is available via Sheet Music Plus.

For the 2025-26 Academic Year Music Department Entrance and Scholarship Audition, prospective percussion and drumset students should sign up for one of the Percussion Days for Prospective Students. There are no required solos, scales or etudes for the audition. Students will participate in world drumming ensembles percussion duets and large percussion ensemble rehearsals. For more information, email Dr. Patrick Roulet, Percussion Area Coordinator.

Email Milica Jelača Jovanović, Piano Area Coordinator, with any questions or concerns. Students auditioning for scholarships only are encouraged to prepare for the music major requirements.  

Important Details

  • Repertoire Restrictions: At this time, students cannot present pop, rock, new age, or personal compositions at auditions. See other specific repertoire requirements below according to major/minor status.
  • Repertoire Difficulty: The minimum level of difficulty should be like the following: Bach, “Short Preludes” & “Inventions;” Clementi;  Haydn; Mozart & Beethoven “Sonatinas;" Bartok “Mikrokosmos” Books 3 & 4.
  • Memorized Pieces: All pieces must be memorized. At this time, prospective music minors cannot present personal compositions, pop, rock, or new-age piano music at auditions.
  • Sight Reading Assessment: Sight reading will be evaluated for academic purposes at on-campus auditions but does not weigh into admission decisions.
InterestRequirements
Non-Major/Minor
  • One piece from the following style periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, 20th/21st Century Classical.
  • One other contrasting piece. This may be from the jazz genre. 
Music Minor
  • One piece from the following style periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, 20th/21st Century Classical.
  • One other contrasting piece. This may be from the jazz genre. 

If also auditioning for a music major, please prepare the major requirements only.

Music Major
  • One Baroque (~1600-1750) or Classical Period (~1750-1830) piece.
  • Two additional contrasting pieces from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, or 20th/21st Century Classical periods only. Jazz is not accepted for major auditions.

Email Grant Donnellan, Strings Area Coordinator, with any questions or concerns. Accompaniment is not required.

InstrumentRequirementsInstructor
Violin
  1. One movement of a Solo Sonata or Partita by J.S. Bach. 
  2.  One movement of a Major Concerto OR a Virtuoso Work. 
    • Concerto Examples: Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Saint-Saens, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Bruch, Barber, Vieuxtemps, Wieniwski, et al, 
    • Virtuoso Examples: Saint-Saens Havanaise or Introduction and Rondo Capriciosso, Wieniawski Polonaise Brillante, Sarasate Zapateado, Ravel Tzigane, Kreisler Praeludium and Allegro, et al. 
  3. One Etude: any of the etudes/caprices of Kreutzer, Rode, Fiorillo, Dont (op. 35) Gavinies, Paganini, Wieniawski (opus 10) or Ernst. 
  4. One scale of your choice, three or four octaves at a moderate tempo, six to eight notes per bow. 
  5. One major and relative minor arpeggio of your choice, three or four octaves. 
Grant Donnellan, Laura Camacho
Viola
  1. 3-octave scale of your choice. 
  2. 1 movement of Bach Solo Suite. 
  3. 1 movement of a Sonata (by Brahms, Clarke, Schubert, etc.) or Concerto (by Walton, Bartok, Hindemith, Stamitz, etc.) demonstrating your current level of musicianship and technique.
Joseph Gottesman
Cello
  1. 3 or 4-octave scale of your choice. 
  2. Etude by Popper or similar. 
  3. Two contrasting works from different stylistic periods. 
    • Eg. Bach Solo Suite and Sonata (by Brahms/Grieg/Shostakovich etc.) or Concerto (by Saint-Saens, Lalo, Dvorak, Haydn, etc.) or shorter concert work is also acceptable.
Janet Steinberg
Double Bass
  1. 1 etude from Nanny’s “Complete Methods” book 1 OR solo of candidate’s choice. 
  2. Two contrasting orchestral excerpts (one by Mozart). 
  3. Scales through half, 1st & 2nd positions. 
Dylan Palmer
Harp
  1. Two pieces of different styles, memorized. 
    • Examples; Handel Concerto in B-flat, Haydn Theme & Variations, Pescetti C Major Sonata, Pierne Impromptu Caprice, Debussy First Arabesque, selections from Suite of Eight Dances by Salzedo. 
  2. Major and melodic minor scales. 
  3. Sight reading at on-campus auditions only.
Jill Whitman

Voice Area Checklist

  1. Review video or live audition details 
  2. Review audition requirements 
  3. Review audition resources

Email Dr. Richard Hodges, Director of Voice Studies, with any questions or concerns. 

Audition Modality

Accompaniment is not required for live auditions or video auditions. A pianist will be available for live auditions and will sight-read pieces during the audition slot. 

  • Video Auditions: Any student may submit a video audition, regardless of location. Video auditions are accepted as shared links only to YouTube or Vimeo. Please note, students may be contacted by the voice area to schedule a Zoom meeting for an interview, pitch matching, and sight reading. See the resources for pitch matching and sight reading below.
  • Live Auditions: Students should be prepared to sing their piece(s), along with pitch matching, sight reading, and engage in a short interview. Students are not required to have sight-reading experience; this is used as a tool to get a full picture of each auditioning student. Due to the 10-minute time slot, students may be stopped mid-way through their piece(s). If we stop your performance mid-way through any part of the audition, please know it does not reflect on the quality of what was offered. 

Audition Requirements 

Please prepare the following requirements based on your degree and/or scholarship interest. All students will be automatically considered for scholarships.

InterestAudition Requirement
Scholarship Only, Non-Music Major/MinorPrepare one piece of your choosing, any genre or style.
Music Minor

Prepare one piece of your choosing, any genre or style.

If auditioning for a music major and/or performance major, please prepare those requirements only.

Music Major: General Music Studies (BA), Composition (BMus), Musicology (BMus), Music Education P-12 (BMus)

Prepare one piece of your choosing, any genre or style.

If also auditioning for the performance major, please prepare only the performance major requirements.

Music Major: Performance (BMus)

Prepare two pieces of contrasting styles from the following options:

We encourage your pieces to be from two different language traditions, but this is not required.

Audition Resources

Audition Requirements
Sight Reading and Pitch Matching

It is okay for students to not have experience with sight reading. Sight-reading and pitch matching are used as a tool for assessment to get a full picture of each student. 

Email Mehrdad Gholami, Woodwind Area Coordinator, with any questions or concerns. Accompaniment is not required. Students may be contacted for a zoom interview.

InstrumentRequirementsInstructor
Flute
  1. Two contrasting etudes from "Melodious and Progressive Studies", Book one, revised by Robert Cavally or 25 Romantic Etudes, Opus 66 by Ernesto Kohler
  2. Flute solo of choice
Mehrdad Gholami
Clarinet
  1. Two contrasting etudes selected from: Cyrille Rose 32 Studies or 40 Studies, or Kristen Denny-Chambers Finger Fitness Etudes Book 2 or Book 3
  2. Five-minute selection from a clarinet solo of your choice (e.g., Weber Concertino, Saint-Saens Sonata, Schumann Fantasy Pieces, Alice Mary Smith Sonata, Osborne Rhapsody, Katherine Hoover Set for Clarinet, etc.) 
Rachel Yoder
Bassoon
  1. Two Weissenborn or Advanced Rubank études 
  2. Bassoon solo of choice
Pat Nelson
Saxophone
  1. Two studies from Ferling 48 Famous Studies, Rubank Selected Studies, Klose 25 Exercises or Niehaus Jazz Studies 
  2. Saxophone solo of choice
Fred Winkler
Oboe

Prepare and perform two pieces of your choice that demonstrate:​​​​​

  • your technical ability, your musical expressiveness, and contrasting in style, tempo, etc. 
  • music you love and connect with

Oboe Required Statement and Guidelines

Submit a statement about what it is you love about playing music, and the oboe in particular. We are interested in who you are, what music means to you, how long you’ve been playing, what kinds of musical experiences you’ve had, and how you envision music being part of your life at WWU and beyond.

Students are encouraged to review the following links for standard training methods and repertoire examples.

Jennifer Weeks

Acceptance to the composition major has two parts: an audition on a primary instrument or voice and the submission of a composition portfolio. If you have not reviewed your primary instrument/voice audition requirements, please do so now. 

Prospective composition majors must submit a successful portfolio of original compositions to be accepted to and begin the Bachelor of Music Composition major. Students who are not ready to submit a portfolio may audition for another other major or minor through Entrance & Scholarship Auditions. Please review the portfolio requirements and/or "Not Ready to Submit a Portfolio" sections below. 

Portfolio Requirements 

Prepare the following materials for your composition portfolio. Submit your portfolio items as shared links (or a single link to a shared folder with all files) in the Audition Request Form. Ensure the sharing settings are set to "anyone with the link can view," and that all links remain active/available until notified of the acceptance decision. 

  • 2-3 original compositions. There is no requirement in terms of musical style, but the compositions should be the best representation of the applicant's current interests and abilities. 
  • At least one composition should be notated (PDF format preferred). Audio recordings are required if a composition is not notated. Audio recordings for notated works are not required but are helpful.  

Not Ready to Submit a Portfolio

Students who are not prepared to submit a portfolio may audition for another music major or minor. Students are encouraged to audition for at least the Bachelor of Arts major to get started in core major coursework if accepted to a studio on their primary instrument or voice. 

Students can submit a portfolio to apply to the composition major after beginning at WWU. However, please be advised that space in the composition program is limited in such cases and students are therefore not guaranteed acceptance. Please contact Dr. Charles Halka with any questions or concerns. 
A view of the concert hall from the audience during a performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Students must apply to WWU through the Admissions Office. Students can audition for our program at any time before or after submitting an admissions application. Students do not need to wait for WWU acceptance to audition. Please note, acceptance to the music major or minor does not guarantee admission to the general university. Students must eventually be accepted through the WWU Admissions Office to enroll as a music major or minor and it is possible for a student to be accepted to our major or minor and not be admitted through the WWU Admissions Office.

No accompaniment is required to audition for our program. Instrumentalists will play without accompaniment. We will provide an accompanist for voice auditions, but this is optional. Students auditioning for the voice area may sing acapella, with the provided accompanist, or with a backing track/pre-recorded accompaniment. 

Yes! Students can audition on more than one instrument for scholarships and major/minor consideration. 

An entrance audition is required to start the music major and minor core classes. These classes include music theory, aural skills, and keyboarding skills, music education courses, composition courses, and music history courses. 

Students who choose not to audition for our program have many opportunities to participate in our department. We offer ensembles, Music GURs, MUS 101, and applied/composition lessons. Our ensembles/choirs are open to all WWU students, however, some of them require an Ensemble Audition for acceptance. Some studios may require a studio audition or instructor permission to join an applied area or to enroll in composition lessons.

No, you do not need to submit recommendation letters to audition.

The Audition Request Form acts as an application for the music program. 

This audition process does not place students into ensembles. Please visit the Ensemble and Ensemble Auditions page for more details.

Competency on the piano is not required for major or minor admission to the brass, percussion, string & guitar, voice, or woodwind area. Students in these programs build basic and intermediate skills on the piano through keyboarding skills courses.

Piano majors and those with extensive piano lesson experience will take an advanced and accelerated set of keyboarding skills courses.

Audition Request Form

The Audition Request Form is closed for the academic year 2025-26.

The Audition Request Form for academic year 2026-27 will open on November 1, 2025. 

Before you go on...

Please make sure you have reviewed the audition information and prepared your audition requirements.

Request Deadlines

  • The Deadline for in-person audition requests for February 7 & 8, 2026, is 12:00 PM on February 6, 2026.
  • The deadline for in-person audition requests for February 28 & March 1, 2026, is 12:00 PM on February 27, 2026.
  • The deadline for video audition submissions is yet to be determined for 2026 auditions.

Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).

Music Department entrance audition form available November 1.

Looking for more information?

If you have any questions, we're happy to find you an answer. Call the Music Department Office 360-650-3130, or view the directory of faculty and staff.