Music major applicants should submit the required repertoire shown below for the desired degree program. All music major applicants will be automatically considered for scholarships.
We would like to encourage you to consider a work by composers from historically underrepresented groups.
Trombone, Bass Trombone, Euphonium:
All candidates (Jazz/Commercial Trombone applicants, please see separate requirements below)
- Two or three contrasting selections from movements of sonatas, concertos, solo pieces, or études. Approximately 6-10 minutes total.
- One major scale of your choice — two octaves, ascending and descending (Please play with a slow or moderate tempo. Demonstration of beautiful sound and accurate pitch should be your goal.)
- Audition selections should demonstrate expressive phrasing, and varying articulation with an emphasis on sostenuto style while producing a resonant, beautiful timbre.
- Below are repertoire suggestions. However, feel free to choose any repertoire that you feel showcases your unique abilities and interests. If you have questions regarding repertoire, please contact Dr. Karl Wiederwohl at wieder1@stolaf.edu.
- Etudes
-
“Forty Progressive Etudes for Trombone” by Sigmund Hering
-
“Studies in Legato” by Reginald Fink
-
-
Solos
-
Sonata in F Minor by G. P. Telemann (especially 1st movement)
-
Sonata in F Major by B. Marcello (especially 1st movement)
-
Vocalises by G. M. Bordogni (sometimes called Rochut etudes)
-
Bass Trombone applicants may feel free to play Bordogni vocalises an octave lower than written.
-
Jazz/Commercial Trombone:
-
All jazz/commercial trombone applicants must perform the repertoire listed below, applicable to the B.A. in Music, Music Education, and the B.M. in Performance programs. Non-music major applicants should perform only (2) selections: The classical component and the bebop melody.
Prospective students must perform both classical and jazz pieces for their audition.
-
Classical Component:
-
Perform one (1) Bordogni (Rochut) Etude, unaccompanied, selected from numbers 1-60.
-
-
Jazz Component: Applicants must choose (2) contrasting tunes from the two separate categories:
-
Bebop Melody Category:
Perform a bebop melody at a comfortable tempo. Choose from: “Billie’s Bounce,” “Blues for Alice,” “Yardbird Suite,” or “Confirmation.” -
Swing Tune Category:
Perform a medium or medium-up swing tune from the American Songbook (The original version should include lyrics.) -
Jazz Ballad Category:
Perform a jazz ballad at a ballad tempo (Quarter note = 60 or slower). -
Straight Eighth-Note Feel Category:
Perform a tune with a straight eighth-note feel, such as Bossa Nova, Mambo, or Jazz-Latin.
-
- Each jazz selection should include the melody, 2 choruses of improvisation, and the melody out. The ballad should not exceed two choruses in total.
- Backing tracks will be provided for on-campus auditions. Your audition should showcase technical proficiency, musicality, and stylistic versatility.
-
- If you have any questions, please contact Director of Jazz Ensembles Dr. Joseph L. Jefferson at jeffer2@stolaf.edu.
Tuba:
All candidates
- Two or three contrasting selections from movements of sonatas, concertos, solo pieces, or études. Approximately 10 minutes total.
- Two major scales of your choice — two octaves, ascending and descending
Audition selections should demonstrate the applicant’s abilities in phrasing, sustained playing, articulation, range, and technical facility, including legato and staccato at varied speeds.