Florida State University

Auditions - FSU College of Music - Florida State University

Composition Audition Information

 

Path to Admission

Step 1: Complete the Florida State University Application and pay the $30 application fee.

Step 2: Complete the College of Music supplemental application.

The College of Music application will require you to submit the following items:

        Audition

        You will be asked to register for an audition date. Please be prepared to do so.

        Transfer Release Form (not required for freshman applicants)

  If you are a transfer student and you wish to be considered for a music scholarship, you must submit this release form. Completion of this form DOES NOT terminate any scholarship you may be receiving at your current institution. It simply allows us to offer you a scholarship if warranted by your audition.

        Comprehensive List of Repertoire

        You may use our form as an example.

This list is NOT what you intend to perform at your audition. We will ask that of you the day of your audition. Instead, this is a list of all significant works you have studied to date

        Letter of Recommendation (1 required)

        It is strongly preferred that Letters of Recommendation be submitted electronically via the secure form available through the College of Music application. Alternatively, we will accept letters submitted via email (musicadmissions@fsu.edu), regular mail, or fax.

 

Step 3: Submit Official Transcripts from all previously attended institutions.

Please send transcripts directly to:

     Florida State University Office of Admissions

     282 Champions Way, Tallahassee, FL 32306-2400

Transcripts are considered official when they are sent from a college or university directly to FSU and contain an official seal and signature.

Transcripts bearing the statement "issued to student" or transcripts submitted by the applicant are not considered official.

International applicants must send a certified English translation with the original transcript.

Step 4: Complete your College of Music audition.

        Be sure to review the Audition Requirements for your instrument.

 

Composition portfolio and Prerequisites

Please read all of the information below carefully. If you have questions, contact Dr. Evan Jones at eajones@fsu.edu.

The B.M. Composition Degree is for students interested in composition of contemporary “classical” concert music that explores extended tonal and atonal harmonic languages in traditional and novel forms. Students interested in traditional tonal or modal styles of composing should consider the B.A in Commercial Music or Jazz. Prospective students should look at both of these curriculums closely as they consider their options and interests. Students in the B.A. Program may be able to study composition privately if studio space is available.

Students must have completed or exempted MUT 1111 (Theory I) before taking private composition lessons during the freshman and sophomore year (first semester) are normally with doctoral students and begin in the second semester of freshmen year. Exceptional students with prior training in composition may, pending approval, obtain lessons with faculty members immediately.

Any prospective composition student must be admitted to the College of Music and have successfully auditioned on a principal instrument. Students should submit 2-3 compositions for consideration of admittance to the composition program. These scores normally will be reviewed the week prior to classes in the fall and Spring Semester, and may be submitted in 213B Longmire the Monday morning of that week. Students will be notified about lessons that week. A list of composition studio assignments will be distributed before classes begin. Students who are denied may seek private instruction on their own and resubmit the following semester.

NOTE: Students may submit their compositions at the time they audition for the College of Music in the spring when they are applying to the College of Music at FSU. Faculty will review these applications in the Spring Term. You may mail your portfolio to Dr. Evan Jones, College of Music, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1180.

Students are initially admitted as prospective composition majors. Their progress and work in private lessons is evaluated at the end of each term. Students who do not progress well or demonstrate inconsistent effort will not be permitted to continue in the program. Students normally will be placed with a faculty member during the second semester sophomore year if their progress has been viewed favorably. At the end of the sophomore year, the student will meet with faculty to discuss their compositions to date, which are submitted to the faculty for admission to the upper division composition sequence. This is equivalent to the sophomore ‘applied’ jury. Students not admitted to the upper-division level should keep in mind that a BA in music is a viable and flexible alternative.

 

Updated on 08/30/2018