Music

Admissions Auditions

All prospective students will be evaluated on their skills of tone production, musicality, lyrical phrasing, rhythmic accuracy, technical proficiency, and overall musical experience.

In order to study Saxophone at CWU, you must first audition for the music faculty. This step is required to complete your acceptance into the CWU Department of Music program. This audition gives us an opportunity to hear the level you have achieved in your musical skills, and it gives you the opportunity to discuss your development with collegiate instructors. Performance entrance standards for transfer students may be found at the bottom of the page. For more details about the admissions process please visit our Music Program Auditions & Admissions page.

• Select music which best displays your performance level.
• We strongly recommend you prepare your audition material under the supervision of your private teacher and/or music director.

Undergraduate Requirements:

• Prepare major scales, full range. Please contact Dr. Burr if you would like a copy of the Full Range Scale Sheet.
• Prepare 1 selection from Category A and 1 selection from Category B listed below. Please note the specific movements that are required for the selections listed in Category B. Additional repertoire may be considered. Reach out to Dr. Burr if you have prepared music not on the following lists to see if it meets the audition standard.
  • Category A
    • Aria by Eugene Bozza
    • Aria by Jacques Ibert
    • Romance by William Grant Still
    • A lyrical etude from Ferling 48 Famous Studies
  • Category B
    • Improvisation et Caprice by Eugene Bozza
    • Sonata, Op. 19 for Eb Alto Saxophone, Mvt. I, by Paul Creston
    • Sonata for Eb Alto Saxophone, Mvt. I, Bernard Heiden
    • Tableaux de Provence, Mvt. I or V, by Paule Maurice
    • Scaramouche, Mvt. I or III, by Darius Milhaud
    • Sonatine Sportive for Alto Saxophone by Alexandre Tcherepnine
    • Sonata for Tenor Saxophone and Piano, Mvt. I or II by Garland Anderson
    • Fantaisie for Soprano or Tenor Saxophone and Piano by Denis Bédard
    • Sonata for Soprano Saxophone, Mvt. IV, by Ronald Caravan
    • Sonata for Tenor Saxophone and Piano, Mvt. I or III by James DiPasquale
    • Sonata for Tenor Saxophone and Piano, Mvt. I by Arthur Frackenpohl
    • Sonata for Soprano Saxophone and Piano ("Alpine"), Mvt. I or II, by Lawson Lunde

Graduate Requirements

• All major, harmonic, and melodic minor scales full range. Preferably extended into the altissimo register.
• Prepare 3 contrasting selections consisting of 20 minutes of total music. 
• Give a short presentation on each piece, discussing the composer, year written, who it was written for, why it was written, etc. The presentation portion is to not exceed 10 minutes in total. 
• You might consider preparing a transcription, sonata/concerto, and a modern work. Please reach out to Dr. Burr with your repertoire to ensure it meets the audition standards. Some examples include, but are not limited to: 
  • Bach Cello Suites, No. 3 or No. 6, choose one or two movements. edited by Andrew Dahlke
  • Albright, Sonata, Mvt. I and II
  • Dahl, Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Orchestra, Mvts. I and II
  • Dubois, Concerto, for Alto Saxophone, Mvt. I,
  • Gotkovsky, Variations et Pathetiques, Mvts. I & VI
  • Gotkovsky, Brilliance
  • Husa, Elegie et Rondeau
  • Ibert, Concertino da camera, Mvt. I and II
  • Martin, Ballade
  • Maslanka, Sonata, Mvt. I
  • Robert, Cadenza
  • Sancan, Lamento and Rondo
  • Scott, Three Letter Word
  • Villa Lobos, Fantasia, Mvts. I, II, and III
  • Waignen, Rhapsody, Mvt. I and II
  • Classical Concerto for Tenor Saxophone by Eric Ewazen
  • Hard for Solo Tenor Saxophone by Christian Lauba
  • The Upward Stream for Tenor Saxophone and Orchestra, Mvt. III by Russel Peck
  • Westland for Solo Tenor Saxophone by Andy Scott

Transfer Students

Transfer students who wish to be admitted at the 364 level, or higher, must demonstrate competencies equivalent to those listed on the appropriate Performance Standards section below.

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.

If you have any questions regarding saxophone audition requirements, please contact Dr. Aaron Burr.

Ensemble Auditions

Concert Band

For new and returning saxophone students wishing to play in a large ensemble, Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Winds, and Symphonic Band auditions will take place during the first week of 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 saxophone excerpts.

Contact the Music Department for more information.

Jazz Band

Jazz Band auditions will take place during the first week of each new quarter. Visit the Jazz Auditions page for more information, charts, and scheduled times.

Contact Dr. Keith Karns if you have any further jazz audition questions.

Contact: Dr. Aaron Burr
Assistant Professor of Saxophone
509-963-1216
Aaron.Burr@cwu.edu

Entrance Standards, Saxophone

Transfer students with saxophone as their major instrument will be placed at an applied level based on their skill achievement. To begin your studies at the 364 level in the Saxophone 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:

• All major, melodic minor, chromatic and whole tone scales from The Foundation Studies for Saxophone by David Hite
  (quarter note = 100 for music ed majors, 112 for performance majors)
• Two selections
  • One lyrical
  • One highly technical
    (approx. 10 minutes of music) selected from the following list:
    • Saxophone Repertoire
      • Syrinx, Debussy
      • Sonata, Wilder
      • Sonata, Dubois
      • Sonate, Eychenne
      • Gavambodi 2, Charpentier
      • Three Romances, Schumann
      • Dittico, Stevens
      • Sarabande and Gigue, Fisher Tull
      • Rapsodie, Vellones
      • Aria, Ibert
      • Duo, Hartley
      • Pieces Carateristiques, Dubois
      • Ballade, Tomasi, Leduc
      • Cinq Danses Exotiques, Francaix
      • Sonatine Sportive, Tcherepnine, Leduc
      • Piazolla, Tango Etudes
      • Concerto, Galzounov
      • Concerto, Hartley
      • Sonata, Bourrel
      • Sonata, Heiden
      • Concertino, Donizetti
      • Sonata, Muczynski
      • Tableaux, Maurice
      • Sonata, Creston
      • Valse Vanite, Weidoft
      • Prelude and Salterelle, Planel
      • Scaramouche, Milhaud