Music Auditions

<p>I have my Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Long Beach audition coming up soon this month and I am looking for a little more information on how the audition will go. I am applying for violin performance. Will they supply an accompanist? I am planning on bringing my own as of right now. What will happen if I bring one and then they try to supply one? Do they ask for scales? How much of your piece will they have you play? What is the environment like? </p>

<p>Any information will help! Thanks!</p>

<p>The audition requirements on the respective schools’ websites will tell you if you need an accompanist and/or scales. I don’t know what will happen if you bring one and they want you to use theirs or vice-versa since I play piano and never need one. I’ve done two auditions already (at neither of those schools though) and both environments have been very friendly, so you shouldn’t have to worry about that! You should Google the schools’ audition requirements to double-check and worst case scenario, call them and ask. Those are both things you really want to be sure of come audition day. I know I’d hate to have to play scales if I didn’t know I was going to have to. Good luck!</p>

<p>Well I know what the school’s audition requirements are, and they do involve all scales, major and minor, 3 octaves. I just want to know if they actually ask for them or not. I know a lot of the higher up music schools and conservatories do not. They assume that if you can play your piece well, you can play a scale as well. I hope these environments will be as friendly as yours have been!</p>

<p>Sassy, if they tell you that scales are required, then you better learn the scales. They may never have asked for them before, until they get to you. I know this has happened at least a few times to others or their children in this forum.
Agree you should call and ask about the accompanist, thugh I seriously doubt it will be an issue at either of those 2 schools.</p>

<p>I will have the scales prepared, just in case! Thanks</p>

<p>sassy, if you have any doubt, call the school and ask. When my son was preparing for his auditions, if I had any question, I called and they were more than happy to answer.</p>

<p>Sassy, my S auditioned yesterday at Cal State Long Beach. The audition confirmation letter stated that they would provide an accompanist, and they did. Check your confirmation letter, because he is a brass player and yours may be different. Several groups of students had the same ‘audition time’, after which we had a brief (but very informative) orientation, then they went to a waiting room, and they were called out to go warm up and then go audition. It was different from any other school he has auditioned at (without a ‘set’ audition time) but it was very well organized. They have a beautiful facility, and I waited for him out in the warm sun - you can’t beat the Southern California winters. He played portions of his prepared pieces, and they had him sight read. They did not ask him to pay scales.</p>

<p>It is hard to predict what you will be asked for. My son’s Juilliard audition required a post 1945(or 1939?) piece and we had been told that they never ever asked for it (and everyone else that we heard from who audioned on violin that year was not asked for it). He was asked to play it and his performance of it was not stellar (2 memory lapses, amongst other issues)–he was still accepted with a large merit scholarship. So, be prepared, play your best, and don’t worry if anything unexpected occurs.</p>