Music Admissions

All candidates: please choose your audition repertoire carefully, following the guidelines listed below.  Each audition will take 12-15 minutes. Faculty may request scales and/or sight-reading as part of the audition.

• Woodwind and Brass players should prepare movements of sonatas, concertos, or other solo concert pieces, and may include an etude as part of their audition program. 
  
• Pianists should prepare at least two works chosen from each of the following options below:
  1. Baroque OR Classical
  2. Romantic OR later
  If more than two works are offered, they may be chosen from the remaining two options. 
  
• Vocalists are required to prepare three pieces. One selection should be an arrangement of a folk song or hymn; the remaining two selections will be from the classical art-song and aria repertory. At least one of these pieces shall be in Italian, French, or German. If so desired, students may prepare a fourth selection from the standard Broadway musical theater canon which the faculty may or may not decide to hear. Students will also be asked to sight-read a brief 8 bar phrase in their preferred vocal range. 
  PLEASE NOTE: Students are encouraged to bring their own accompanists if possible, but the Music Program will be able to arrange for an accompanist at no charge for singers only if the candidate notifies us and sends his/her music to us at least ten (10) days ahead of the desired audition date. 
  
• Percussionists should include musical selections from each of the three primary percussion instruments: snare drum (rudiments, a concert etude, and a rudimental etude), mallet instruments (scales, arpeggios, a 2-mallet etude or solo, and a 4-mallet solo), and timpani. Though not required, the applicant may also choose to audition additionally on the drum set. Please see the Recommended Percussion Repertoire for repertoire suggestions in each of these areas. 

• String instrumentalists should prepare two standard works contrasting in tempo and style such as a movement of solo Bach and a movement of a standard concerto. Bassists can substitute another Baroque work for Bach. In addition, an etude may be added if the applicant feels it will help their audition.

For questions please contact Music Auditions.

All prospective first-year and transfer music major students must complete the following steps:

• ​Submit an application to Virginia Tech by:  
  • Early Action-November 15
    
  • Regular Decision-January 15
  • ​Transfers-March 1
• Complete and submit the Music Audition Request (sent automatically after application is received).
• Composition Majors: If you are choosing composition as your option, please send a portfolio of your most recent compositions to Music Auditions.
   

Students will be notified of the result of their audition after receiving their admissions decision from Virginia Tech. If you are accepted to the Music major at Virginia Tech by  University Admissions, but fail to pass or complete your audition with music faculty, then you will be prohibited from taking music degree coursework and pursuing the music degree until you successfully pass an audition.

Students will be advised about course selection during summer orientation. For students who failed to pass or complete an audition by this point, they will be directed to university transitional advising for course selection and assistance with changing majors or to Music faculty to request another audition.

We recommend that you also search the Virginia Tech Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid for additional scholarship and financial aid information.

• Music Composition and CTLA Composition degree applicants must submit a portfolio of their work in order to complete an application. Once you apply to Virginia Tech using the Common App, you will receive a form to share a link to your portfolio. We recommend storing it in a file repository such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, WeTransfer, etc. Please ensure the folder is set to “Anyone with the link can view”
  • CTLA Composition applicants should submit three original compositions or arrangements that demonstrate their use of creative technologies.
  • Music Composition applicants should submit three original compositions or arrangements.
  • If the compositions are for live performance, students should submit PDF scores along with MP3 audio recordings, either of the live performances, MIDI realizations, or MP4 video recordings. If the compositions are for fixed media composed with software, students do not submit PDF scores but submit MP3 audio recordings of all of the fixed media pieces and a screen capture video recording of the software used to compose one of the fixed media pieces. 
  • If you have any questions about the portfolio material, please email Charles Nichols at csnii@vt.edu.

All music major applicants must pass an audition to be considered for admission into the music major degree programs. Please see audition requirements for each degree option above. Students interested in the music performance minor must pass an audition.

Auditioning for the music minor requires a successful audition. Repertoire requirements are generally identical to the requirements for music majors. Students who wish to apply for a music minor should contact the director for undergraduate recruitment, Katy Miles.

Current students who wish to apply for a music major or minor should contact music advisor, Dee Hopkins.

Auditioning for the music performance minor also requires a successful audition. All other music minor options can be easily added to your schedule.

Everyone who auditions as a music major is automatically considered for scholarships, and no additional application is necessary.

Students are encouraged to audition on campus, however, all studios will accept a recorded video audition in lieu of an in-person audition. Students who wish to audition on campus but have scheduling conflicts may request an alternate on-campus audition date. Contact music admissions to request an alternate date.

Please note the following recorded audition guidelines:

• Recordings should be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo as either Public or Unlisted, not Private. Recordings must include video (no audio-only recordings, please) and should be unedited. 
• Students may record individual recordings of each selection. See repertoire requirements for your instrument.
• Begin each recording facing the camera and introduce yourself and the piece(s) you are about to present.
• Please ensure that recordings are of the highest quality possible and that all audition requirements are uploaded. We do understand that most applicants will not have access to professional recording equipment – faculty will take this into account in their evaluation. 
• Watch/listen to your recordings before you submit them!

Yes! Please email a music faculty member regarding specific audition related questions on your instrument. Our faculty are often able to accommodate a lesson prior to the audition date, either over Zoom or in-person.

Accompanists are not provided unless scheduled ten business days in advance of the audition. Note: only voice majors can request an accompanist.