<p>I play piano and I want to major in piano performance in college. Are these good ideas for audition pieces?</p>
<ul>
<li>J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue No. 6 in D Minor from Book 2 of the Well-Tempered Clavier</li>
<li>Beethoven: Waldstein Sonata Op.53</li>
<li>Chopin: Waltz in Eb (Grande Valse Brillante) Op.18</li>
<li>Bartok: Suite Op.14 movement 1</li>
<li>Ravel: Sonatine</li>
<li>an etude: I want to do Chopin's Revolutionary Etude Op.10 No.12 because I love it, but I already have a piece by Chopin, so I might change what etude I'm doing. Only one school I'm looking at needs the etude.</li>
</ul>
<p>I haven't prepared these pieces completely yet. I'll be a high school junior this fall. Does anyone know anything about auditions at these schools? What is it like? What pieces do they want to hear? What pieces do they absolutely not want to hear?</p>
<p>-Lawrence University
-Northwestern University
-Oberlin College
-Illinois Wesleyan University
-Baldwin-Wallace College
-Butler University
-DePauw University
-Saint Olaf College
-Concordia College at Moorhead
-University of Saint Thomas</p>
<p>If you're wondering why I'm not looking at some really great schools in other areas, it's because I'm only allowed to go to college in the midwest. Any other suggestions?</p>
<p>Oberlin is your most difficult admit on the list, and the only one (I think) that requires five pieces, including a full sonata. Most of your other schools will require only three pieces, and usually only the first or last movement of the sonata. Even Northwestern, which would be the next most difficult school on your list, requires only a movement (although requires four pieces). </p>
<p>Your pieces look completely appropriate, but since you are only going to be a junior, you may be able to advance to even more difficult repertoire in another year (or by spring of this year, when you really need to begin working on repertoire).</p>
<p>In terms of another school in the midwest, how about UMichigan, which has a very fine piano dept.</p>
<p>I was not going to comment on your chosen repertoire because I think that is something you and your piano teacher should decide, but I have one comment in response to this part of Allmusic’s post: “Your pieces look completely appropriate, but since you are only going to be a junior, you may be able to advance to even more difficult repertoire in another year (or by spring of this year, when you really need to begin working on repertoire).”</p>
<p>In general, I agree with that, but just wanted to mention one thing. The Waldstein sonata is considered by many to be among the very most difficult of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. If you are able to play the Waldstein well during junior year in high school, that would be very impressive.</p>
<p>Since it is at least 16-18 months until you would be auditioning at most of these schools, it is a good idea to always be working on other music anyway, because otherwise you may get very tired of your audition pieces by the time you have to play them! Another good thing about doing that is that you are also possibly learning other, possibly more challenging pieces that may also be used in your auditions. </p>
<p>Another great school to consider for piano is Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.</p>
<p>I agree about getting bored of audition pieces. My son had this issue, and ended up adding a brand new piece before his last audition, just to shake things up a little. Eighteen months is a very long time to work on the same pieces of repertoire!</p>
<p>I agree about the Waldstein too.</p>
<p>Thanks. I did look at U of Michigan a little. I just decided that I want to go to a smaller school- not soooo many students.</p>
<p>I looked at Indiana like you said to… same reason as U of Michigan.</p>
<p>Have you considered CIM?</p>
<p>Yeah I have considered CIM, but isn’t is just a music school? My parents are making me double major (most people say “double major”…it’s actually going to be “double degree” for a performance major!) so I’ll have a back-up plan incase a music job doesn’t work out well.</p>