WVU School of Music SAXOPHONE applicants may find audition requirements below.
Undergraduate
Saxophone (BA, BS, BM Music Ed., BM Music Therapy, Music Comp., BM Music Performance)
Saxophone is well-suited to a variety of styles. Students may choose to audition with a classical emphasis, a jazz emphasis, or demonstrate proficiency in both areas.
Classical Emphasis
- All major scales over the full range of the saxophone.
- Chromatic scale over the full range of the saxophone.
- One movement from a work composed for saxophone in the 20th century. You may choose among the following pieces or choose your own:
- Bonneau – Caprice en forme de Valse
- Bozza – Improvisation et Caprice
- Creston – Sonata
- Debussy – Rapsodie
- Demersseman – Fantasie sur un theme original
- Dubois – Concerto
- Glazunov – Concerto
- Heiden – Sonata
- Ibert – Concertino da Camera
- Maurice – Tableaux de Provence
- Reed – Ballade
- Rueff – Chanson et Passepied
- Still – Romance
- Tomasi – Ballade
- Villa-Lobos – Fantasia
- Optional: One etude
- Optional: Jazz emphasis audition requirements
Jazz Emphasis
- All major scales over the full range of the saxophone
- Chromatic scale over the full range of the saxophone
- Two contrasting jazz standards. Play the melody and improvise. You may choose among the following tunes or choose your own:
- Autumn Leaves
- Oleo
- All of Me
- All the Things You Are
- So What/Impressions
- There Will Never Be Another You
- What is This Thing Called Love?
- Afternoon in Paris
- Straight No Chaser
- Summertime
- Lady Bird
- Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise
- How High the Moon
- Stolen Moments
- Mr. PC
- Optional: One transcription of an exemplary jazz saxophone solo.
- Optional: Classical emphasis audition requirements.
Graduate
Saxophone (MM)
Saxophone is well-suited to a variety of styles. Students may choose to audition with a classical emphasis, a jazz emphasis, or demonstrate proficiency in both areas.All major scales over the full range of the saxophone.
*Recommended range: Bb3 to D7
Chromatic scale over the full range of the saxophone.
*Recommended range: Bb3 to D7
Selected excerpts from compositions in the standard repertoire totaling 15 minutes of music. This could include entire movements or smaller selections. Applicants should limit the selected portion of any given piece to either one movement or 10 minutes, whichever is shorter, to allow for a variety of selections. You may choose among the following pieces or choose your own:
Albright – Sonata
Berio – Sequenza VIIb
Berio – Sequenza IXb
Bolcom – Concert Suite
Debussy – Rhapsodie
Decruck – Sonata
Denisov – Sonata
Desenclos – Prelude, Cadence et Finale
Glazunov – Concerto
Ibert – Concertino da Camera
Lennon – Distances Within Me
Mantovani – Incandescence de la bruine
Mead – Scena
Stockhausen – In Freundschaft
Tomasi – Concerto
Optional: One original commission dedicated to or composed by the applicant
Optional: Jazz emphasis audition requirements
- Two transcriptions of exemplary jazz saxophone solos.
Five contrasting jazz standards. Play the melody and improvise. You may choose among the following tunes or choose your own:
Blues for Alice
Ceora
Cherokee
Confirmation
Dolphin Dance
Donna Lee
Giant Steps
Good Bait
Joy Spring
Moment’s Notice
Scrapple from the Apple
Stella by Starlight
Triste
Tune Up
Whisper Not
Optional: One original tune composed by the applicant.
Optional: Classical emphasis audition requirements.
Saxophone (DMA)
All major scales over the full range of the saxophone.
*Recommended range: Bb3 to D7
Chromatic scale over the full range of the saxophone.
*Recommended range: Bb3 to D7
Selected excerpts from compositions in the standard repertoire totaling 20 minutes of music. This could include entire movements or smaller selections. Applicants should limit the selected portion of any given piece to either one movement or 10 minutes, whichever is shorter, to allow for a variety of selections. You may choose among the following pieces or choose your own:
Albright – Sonata
Berio – Sequenza VIIb
Berio – Sequenza IXb
Bolcom – Concert Suite
Debussy – Rhapsodie
Decruck – Sonata
Denisov – Sonata
Desenclos – Prelude, Cadence et Finale
Glazunov – Concerto
Ibert – Concertino da Camera
Lennon – Distances Within Me
Mantovani – Incandescence de la bruine
Mead – Scena
Stockhausen – In Freundschaft
Tomasi – Concerto
Optional: One original commission dedicated to or composed by the applicant.
Optional: Jazz emphasis audition requirements.
- Three transcriptions of exemplary jazz saxophone solos.
Eight contrasting jazz standards. Play the melody and improvise. You may choose among the following tunes or choose your own:
Blues for Alice
Ceora
Cherokee
Confirmation
Dolphin Dance
Donna Lee
Giant Steps
Good Bait
Joy Spring
Moment’s Notice
Scrapple from the Apple
Stella by Starlight
Triste
Tune Up
Whisper Not
Optional: One original tune composed by the applicant.
Optional: Classical emphasis audition requirements.