Auditions & Scholarships • Music & Music Education • Carthage College-伟德手机APP

Each year, Carthage offers more than $300,000 in renewable music scholarships to incoming freshmen and transfer students who demonstrate outstanding music potential. Individual scholarships may be offered to music majors, minors, and non-majors.

How to Apply

An audition is required for admittance into the music major or minor, and for scholarship consideration. In-person auditions are held on scheduled audition dates before a panel of two or more music faculty members. Students unable to attend the scheduled audition dates may email vpascholarships@svztur.com to discuss the possibility of an alternate audition date. Auditions take place every February.

Submit the music audition form

Audition Overview

Prospective music majors, minors, and non-majors must complete an audition in a primary performance area. In-person, on-campus auditions are encouraged for the best scholarship consideration. An accompanist will be provided for all vocal auditions and is available upon request for instrumental auditions.

Auditions for admittance into the major or minor, and for scholarship consideration, are competitive. Therefore, students should prepare music from the standard repertoire that clearly demonstrates their highest level of musical and technical ability, as well as the potential for excellence in music.

Our audition format has changed. Auditions for the 2024-2025 season will be a 4-hour block in either the morning or the afternoon. In addition to the audition, students will tour the facility, meet with faculty and current students, as well as observe faculty-led masterclasses.

If you cannot meet on the listed days or times, please explain your situation at the bottom of the application form in the “How Did You Find Out About Us” section. We will work on an alternate appointment over email. Students should add vpascholarships@svztur.com to their contacts to ensure they receive all of the information.

BRASS, STRINGS, AND WOODWINDS REQUIREMENTS FOR MAJORS, MINORS, AND NON-MAJORS

Two selections in a contrasting style from the standard solo repertoire. Two contrasting movements of a sonata or concerto or an advanced etude may be performed in place of one of the contrasting solos.
Major scales commensurate with the range of your instrument (four scales will be selected at the audition).
There will be a sight-reading exercise at the audition.

Please bring the following items to your audition:

A resume noting both your musical and academic accomplishments.
A copy of your music for yourself to perform.
A copy of your music for the panel.
Let us know on the application form if you’ll need an accompanist. We will have an accompanist on site. Bring a copy of your music on the day of your audition for the accompanist to use.
Two letters of recommendation. The letters may also be emailed directly to vpascholarships@svztur.com. We prefer to receive the letters before or at your audition, but will accept them until Feb. 23.

KEYBOARD REQUIREMENTS

All keyboard pieces are to be performed from memory. All applicants will be asked to sight-read a portion from the standard repertoire. The sight-reading excerpts will be selected according to the applicant’s skill level.

Please bring the following items to your audition:

A resume noting both your musical and academic accomplishments.
A copy of your music for the panel.
A list of piano repertoire you have played.
Two letters of recommendation. The letters may also be emailed directly to vpascholarships@svztur.com. We prefer to receive the letters before or at your audition, but will accept them until Feb. 23.

Keyboard students interested in majoring or minoring in music should prepare two memorized selections in a contrasting style from the standard classical solo repertoire. (For example, you could play a two-part invention by Bach and a movement from a piano sonata by Mozart. In another example, you could play a movement of a sonata by Beethoven and a work by Chopin.)

Non-majors should be prepared to play at least one work (three to five minutes) from the standard classical repertoire (Baroque, Classical, or Romantic eras). Applicants are welcome to play additional pieces from the standard classical repertoire, as well as scales and arpeggios as part of their audition if they so choose. Keyboard non-majors may play with a score for the audition, but playing from memory is preferred for the best scholarship consideration.

PERCUSSION REQUIREMENTS FOR MAJORS, MINORS, AND NON-MAJORS

Two selections in a contrasting style from the standard solo repertoire.
Choose TWO of the following areas for your audition: Snare Drum, Keyboard Percussion, or Timpani. (Students with experience in drum set may choose this as a third area in addition to the two required areas).
Marimba: Major scales in two octaves (four scales will be selected at the audition).
There will be a sight-reading exercise at the audition appropriate to your selected areas.

Please bring the following items to your audition:

A resume noting both your musical and academic accomplishments.
A copy of your music for yourself to perform.
A copy of your music for the panel.
Two letters of recommendation. The letters may also be emailed directly to vpascholarships@svztur.com. We prefer to receive the letters before or at your audition, but will accept them until Feb. 23.

VOICE REQUIREMENTS FOR MAJORS, MINORS, AND NON-MAJORS

All pieces are to be performed by memory.

Two memorized selections in a contrasting style from the standard solo repertoire are required.
A sight-reading exercise will be part of the audition.

Please bring the following items to your audition:

A resume noting both your musical and academic accomplishments.
A copy of your music for the accompanist
A copy of your music for the panel.
Two letters of recommendation. The letters may also be emailed directly to vpascholarships@svztur.com. We prefer to receive the letters before or at your audition, but will accept them until Feb. 23.

REQUIREMENTS FOR MAJORS INTERESTED IN THE MUSIC COMPOSITION EMPHASIS

All students interested in adding a composition emphasis must audition on their primary instrument/voice for entry into the music major. The audition requirements can be found in the “In-Person Audition Requirements by Performance Area” section.

After you have scheduled your primary instrument/voice audition, please follow these steps in order to be considered for the composition emphasis:

Submit a recording (performed live or MIDI) and .pdf files of two notated original compositions at least two weeks before your scheduled audition. Recordings are welcome in an mp3 format. Please email your materials to vpascholarships@svztur.com and Dr. Mark Petering (mpetering@svztur.com).
Contact Dr. Petering to schedule a meeting (preferably on the same day as your audition). This meeting is required in addition to your primary audition for acceptance into the emphasis.
Successfully perform your primary instrumental/voice audition.
Note: if you do not currently have a portfolio but are interested in the composition emphasis, you can still audition for the emphasis. Please contact Dr. Petering to set up a time to meet on the day of your audition.

MUSICal THEATRE REQUIREMENTS

There is a separate application form and list of audition requirements on the musical theatre website.

Students may audition in a secondary performance area if desired. If auditioning in two areas, please prepare one selection for your secondary instrument/voice in addition to the two selections for your primary instrument/voice. A limited number of scholarships are available to students who excel in more than one area.

All students will be placed in Keyboard I, Music Theory I, and Aural Skills I unless a placement test is requested.

To request a placement test, email the Music Department chair, Prof. Matthew Hougland at music-chair@svztur.com.

Auditions are held in the H. F. Johnson Fine Arts Center (JAC). This building is located south of A. F. Siebert Chapel. The South Upper parking lot is directly south of the JAC. There are two sets of doors on the south side of the building that face the parking lot. Please enter through the southwest set of doors and head straight down the hallway to our check-in desk. Our staff will check you in and direct you to a practice room. View a campus map

If you need to cancel or change your music audition, please email vpascholarships@svztur.com as soon as possible. This is especially important for cancellations as there may be students on the waiting list who could benefit.

In-person auditions are recommended for best scholarship consideration. The virtual audition option requires the submission of a performance video and a Zoom meeting with the faculty. The performance video must be submitted prior to the Zoom meeting. Virtual auditions are scheduled on a case by case basis and will have individual deadlines. All virtual auditions must be completed before February 22, 2025.

Virtual requirements for Brass, Strings, and Woodwinds

Submit a video performance of two song selections in a contrasting style from the standard solo repertoire. Two contrasting movements of a sonata or concerto or an advanced etude may be performed in place of one of the contrasting solos.

Complete a Zoom interview with a faculty member.

Instructions for the video submission and interview will be in the confirmation email.

Virtual requirements for Keyboard

Submit a video performance, playing the pieces from memory. Please see the Keyboard Requirements under the In-Person Audition Requirements by Performance Area section for the particular pieces required for your degree selection.

Complete a Zoom interview with a faculty member.

Instructions for the video submission and interview will be in the confirmation email.

Virtual requirements for Percussion

Submit a video performance of two song selections in a contrasting style from the standard solo repertoire. Choose two of the following areas for your audition: Snare Drum, Keyboard Percussion, or Timpani. (Students with experience in drum set may choose this as the third area in addition to the two required areas).

Complete a Zoom interview with a faculty member.

Instructions for the video submission and interview will be in the confirmation email.

Virtual requirements for Voice

Submit a video performance of two memorized song selections in a contrasting style from the standard solo repertoire.

Complete a Zoom interview with a faculty member (including a sight-reading exercise).

Instructions for the video submission and interview will be in the confirmation email.

Resumes, music copies, and letters of recommendation are required for all virtual auditions.

Please email your resume and a .pdf copy of your music to vpascholarships@svztur.com at least one week before your scheduled Zoom interview date.
Music copies should open to a full, 8.5x11 size and should not be shadowed, gray, or out of focus.
Letters of recommendation should be emailed to vpascholarships@svztur.com. The letters may be emailed from the student or directly from the person providing the recommendation. We prefer to receive the letters before Feb. 15 but will accept them through Feb. 23.

*If producing a video recording is not possible, you will be invited to perform your repertoire live during the Zoom interview.

*If your vocal selections require accompaniment, please use an accompaniment track.

*For best results, the audio source for your accompaniment track should be a separate device, such as a Bluetooth speaker.

Questions?

Contact Fine Arts at Carthage by emailing vpascholarships@svztur.com or call 262-551-5859.

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