Music Program Auditions

CSUB Music Audition Day: February 21, 2026

The CSUB Music Audition Day provides prospective students with an opportunity to:

  • Audition for entry into the music major
  • Become eligible for music scholarships
  • Meet faculty and current majors
  • Attend an information session about our curriculum
  • Complete the Music Theory diagnostic

High school and transfer students who have applied for admission to CSUB for the 2025-2026 academic year are eligible to audition.

The deadline to register for auditions is February 19, 2026.

Schedule of Audition Day:

  • 10:00 AM: Meet the faculty/information session
  • 11:00 AM: Auditions

Application and Audition Process

  1. All incoming students must first apply to the university through CSU Apply. General admissions information can be found on the University Admissions website at csub.edu/admissions.
  2. Register for auditions.
  3. Attend CSUB Music Audition Day!
  4. Apply for scholarships.

Audition Requirements

Audition requirements for each instrument and voice classification are listed below:

Please prepare:

1. Art song or aria* in Italian or English.

2. Second art song or aria in English, Italian, German, French or Spanish.

* Opera arias from the 19th century (Puccini, Verdi, etc.) are discouraged for Freshman singers. Opera or oratorio arias from the 17th and 18th century are appropriate (Handel, Caldara, Scarlatti, Bach, etc.)

Jazz Performance (optional):

All instruments: Perform a jazz standard, including improvising on the form of the piece.

In addition:
Rhythm Section Players:
Guitarists and pianists: comp changes on a 12-bar blues.
Bassists: perform walking bass on a 12-bar blues.
Drummers: perform swing feels at slow, medium, and fast tempos and straight 8th grooves including Bossa Nova, Samba and Rock/Funk feels.

Please prepare to play:

 

Scales:

  • 2 major scales of your choice, 2 octaves
  • The chromatic scale, at least 2 octaves, starting on any note

 

Repertoire:

  • A technical etude or fast movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).
  • A lyrical etude or movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).

 

Note: an accompanist will not be provided for instrumentalists.

 

Repertoire examples:

 

Etudes & Studies

 

Solo Repertoire

Please prepare to play:

 

Scales:

  • 2 major scales of your choice, 1 or 2 octaves
  • The chromatic scale, 2 octaves, starting on any note

 

Repertoire:

  • A technical etude or fast movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).
  • A lyrical etude or movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).

 

Note: an accompanist will not be provided for instrumentalists.

 

Repertoire Examples:

 

Etudes and Studies

 

Solo Repertoire

Please prepare to play:

 

Scales:

  • 2 major scales of your choice, 2 or 3 octaves
  • The chromatic scale, 2 or 3 octaves, starting on any note

 

Repertoire:

  • A technical etude or fast movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).
  • A lyrical etude or movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).

 

Note: an accompanist will not be provided for instrumentalists.

 

Repertoire Examples:

 

Etudes and Studies

 

Solo Repertoire

Please prepare to play:

 

Scales:

  • 2 major scales of your choice, 2 octaves if possible
  • The chromatic scale, 2 octaves, starting on any note

 

Repertoire:

  • A technical etude or fast movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).
  • A lyrical etude or movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).

 

Note: an accompanist will not be provided for instrumentalists.

 

Repertoire Examples:

Please prepare to play:

 

Scales:

  • 2 major scales of your choice, 2 or 3 octaves
  • The chromatic scale, 2 or 3 octaves, starting on any note

 

Repertoire:

  • A technical etude or fast movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).
  • A lyrical etude or lyrical movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).

Note: an accompanist will not be provided for instrumentalists.

Repertoire examples:

 

Etudes & Studies

 

Solo Repertoire

Please prepare to play:

 

Scales:

  • 2 major scales of your choice, 2 octaves if possible
  • The chromatic scale, 2 octaves, starting on any note

 

Repertoire:

  • A technical etude or fast movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).
  • A lyrical etude or movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).

 

Note: an accompanist will not be provided for instrumentalists.

 

Repertoire Examples:

 

Etudes and Studies

 

Solo Repertoire

Please prepare to play:

 

Scales:

  • 2 major scales of your choice, 2 octaves if possible
  • The chromatic scale, 2 octaves, starting on any note

 

Repertoire:

  • A technical etude or fast movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).
  • A lyrical etude or movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).

 

Note: an accompanist will not be provided for instrumentalists.

 

Repertoire Examples:

 

Etudes and Studies

 

Solo Repertoire

Please prepare to play:

 

Scales:

  • 2 major scales of your choice, 2 octaves if possible
  • The chromatic scale, 2 octaves, starting on any note

 

Repertoire:

  • A technical etude or fast movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).
  • A lyrical etude or movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).

 

Note: an accompanist will not be provided for instrumentalists.

 

Repertoire Examples:

 

Etudes and Studies

 

Solo Repertoire:

Please prepare to play:

 

Scales:

  • 2 major scales of your choice, 2 octaves if possible
  • The chromatic scale, 2 octaves, starting on any note

 

Repertoire:

  • A technical etude or fast movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).
  • A lyrical etude or movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).

 

Note: an accompanist will not be provided for instrumentalists.

 

Repertoire Examples:

 

Etudes and Studies

 

Solo Repertoire

 

Please prepare to play:

 

Scales:

  • 2 major scales of your choice, 2 octaves if possible
  • The chromatic scale, 2 octaves, starting on any note

 

Repertoire:

  • A technical etude or fast movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).
  • A lyrical etude or movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).

 

Note: an accompanist will not be provided for instrumentalists.

 

Repertoire Examples:

 

Etudes and Studies

 

Solo Repertoire

Please prepare to play:

 

Scales:

  • 2 major scales of your choice, 2 octaves if possible
  • The chromatic scale, 2 octaves, starting on any note

 

Repertoire:

  • A technical etude or fast movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).
  • A lyrical etude or movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).

 

Note: an accompanist will not be provided for instrumentalists.

 

Repertoire Examples:

 

Etudes and Studies

 

Solo Repertoire

Percussion auditions consist of three components: Snare drum, mallets, and timpani.

 

Snare Drum

Prepare one etude of your choice:

 

Mallets

Scales:

  • 2 major scales of your choice, 2 or 3 octaves
  • The chromatic scale, 2 or 3 octaves

 

Prepare one etude or solo work of your choice:

Repertoire examples:

 

Timpani

Prepare one etude of your choice:

Repertoire examples:

Please prepare to play:

 

Scales:

  • 2 major scales of your choice, 3 octaves if possible
    • Whole bow for one scale, slurs for another, arpeggios for one of the two keys

 

Repertoire:

  • A technical etude or fast movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).
  • A lyrical etude or movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).

 

Note: an accompanist will not be provided for instrumentalists.

Please prepare to play:

 

Scales:

  • 2 major scales of your choice, 3 octaves if possible
    • Whole bow for one scale, slurs for another, arpeggios for one of the two keys

 

Repertoire:

  • A technical etude or fast movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).
  • A lyrical etude or movement from a sonata or concerto (excerpts are acceptable).

 

Note: an accompanist will not be provided for instrumentalists.

Please prepare to play:

 

Any two or three-octave major scale/arpeggios and one minor scale/arpeggios

 

An etude by Deak, Dotzauer, Popper, or comparable material

 

A movement from a standard sonata by Bach, Handel, Marcello, or comparable material

Please prepare to play:

 

Any two-octave major scale/arpeggios and one minor scale/arpeggios

An etude from Simandl, Rabath, or comparable material

Any movement(s) from a standard sonata by Eccles, Marcello, or comparable material

Please prepare to play any two selections from the following:

 

Renaissance

Narvaez | Guardame las Vacas; Pavane, Cancion del Emperador

Milan | Fantasias I-V,Pavanes

Baroque

De Visee | Suites I-XII (without full ornamentation) 

Corbetta | Suite in A  minor

De Murcia | Prelude and Allegro

Classical

Carcassi | Etudes Op. 60 

Carulli | Etudes

Sor | Etudes Op. 6,29,31,35,44,45,60

Guiliani | Etudes Op. 48

Romantic

Villa-Lobos | Preludes

Mertz | Liedeslied,Lied ohno Worte Op. 13 

Ponce | Preludes

Contemporary

Brouwer | Simple Studies

Pianists should perform two memorized works chosen from:

  1. One Baroque work
  2. One fast movement from a Classical sonata
  3. One Romantic piece
  4. One piece from the Impressionistic, 20th-, or 21st-century repertoire
    • Only solo repertoire will be accepted, no accompaniments.
    • No simplified arrangements.