Your Instrument or Pathway
Keyboard
- Prepare pedaling, voicing, balance, memory entry points and adaptation to an unfamiliar instrument. Confirm whether scales or sight-reading are requested.
Strings
- Plan intonation, shifts, bow distribution and physical endurance. Confirm whether orchestral excerpts or accompaniment are required.
Winds and brass
- Manage breath, articulation, endurance and instrument maintenance. Verify excerpt lists and any transposition requirements.
Voice
- Check language, diction, range, accompaniment and stylistic appropriateness. Avoid over-singing during the final preparation period.
Percussion
- Confirm which instruments are provided, required mallets or sticks, instrument changes and any setup limitations.
Jazz and contemporary
- Prepare time feel, harmony, improvisation, chart reading and collaborative listening according to the program’s specific expectations.
Composition and technology
- Confirm portfolio format, scores, audio, process documentation, software compatibility and evidence of authorship.
Dance and theater
- Follow the discipline's own instructions for movement, monologues, songs, callbacks and attire. The instrumental advice in this handbook does not replace them.
Other chapters: Read the Actual Requirements · Choose and Document Repertoire · Build a Realistic Calendar · Practice for Accuracy · Develop Your Interpretation · Train Sight-Reading · Strengthen Ear and Theory · Improvise and Collaborate · Make a Prescreen Recording · Prepare for the Interview · Run a Mock Audition · Plan the Audition Day · Use Feedback Well · Worksheets and Rubrics
These exercises are independent practice, not official audition materials, and they do not guarantee admission. Always follow the institution's current published requirements. Requirements differ between schools and change each year. Check the school's current published list.
Open the Audition Preparation Handbook →