Music

Violin Audition Requirements

For New Violin Students

To complete your acceptance into the CWU Department of Music program violin at CWU, you must audition for the music faculty. For more details about the admissions process please visit our Music Program Auditions & Admissions page.

Requirements For Violin Students Pursuing a Performance Degree:
  • One major and one minor three-octave scale, legato and sautille
  • Standard etude (e.g. Kreutzer, Paganini)
  • One movement of solo Bach
  • Movement of a non-student concerto such as the following, or an equivalent work:
    • Barber, Mendelssohn, Bruch, Lalo, Wieniawski, Saint-Saens
    • If you have any questions about audition repertoire, please e-mail Carrie Rehkopf or phone 509-963-1216.

Requirements For Violin Students Pursuing a Music Education, Composition or Bachelor of Arts Degree:

  • One 3-octave scale.
  • Any solo piece that demonstrates your musical or technical proficiency

Admissions Audition Registration

Before you can audition you must register for an audition time. Please visit our Music Program Auditions & Admissions page for further information.

Ensemble Audition Requirements

For New and Returning Violin Students wishing to play in a large ensemble. Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and Symphonic Band auditions generally take place during the first week of each new quarter. Fall auditions have specific materials for all who intend to play in a large ensemble. For the schedule, and further details, please visit our Ensemble Auditions page. Auditions for Winter and/or Spring will be announced as needed. Check our Audition Excerpts page for specific violin excerpts.

Entrance Standards - Violin

To begin your studies at the 364 level in the Violin Studio at CWU you must demonstrate proficiency on your instrument in an audition or placement lesson based upon the guidelines below. Students not meeting these standard may be placed in the 164 or 264 level based upon the discretion of the auditioning faculty.

"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right" - Henry Ford

Junior level

To pass into the 364 level, the student should demonstrate Minimum competencies:

  • consistent solid (non-adjusting) intonation
  • a fluid bow technique, with active fingers and relaxed shoulder
  • free and varied tone production
  • rhythmic stability and accuracy
  • collaborative skills

Specific Violin Standards for Performance and Non-Performance Degrees

Scales

  • Non-performance
    • all three-octave arpeggios (Flesch) Scales in thirds/fourths,
    • octaves in at least these keys: G & A
  • Performance
    • all 3 octave scales and arpeggios; scales in thirds/ fourths, octaves in at least these keys: G, Ab, A, Bb, C; tenths in D and A

Etudes

  • Non-performance
    • Kreutzer up to 34
  • Performance
    • completed Kreutzer

Bach

  • Non-performance
    • two contrasting movements of solo Bach
  • Performance
    • at least one complete Bach Sonata or Partita, memorized

Sonatas (complete sonata, with pianist)

  • Non-performance
    • Beethoven 1, 2, 5 or 8, Ives 4
  • Performance
    • Brahms A, Franck, Beethoven 7 or 9

Concerti

  • Non-performance
    • one of the outer movements
  • Performance
    • two or three contrasting movements of the following concerti:
      • Bruch
      • Mendelssohn
      • Barber
      • Saint-Saens 3
      • Wieniawski 2
      • Lalo

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