Audition & Placement

This information pertains to the Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, Music Therapy, Music Industry and Breadth Studies, and the Bachelor of Music in Performance, Composition and Media Composition. Your audition material should reflect your best musical and technical proficiency.

Students wishing to audition for entrance into the CSUN Music program must submit an audition application by the specified deadline. Students auditioning must be in the process of admission to the University for the semester they are auditioning for.

The CSUN Music Department does not offer a Minor in Music.

Those students who already hold a master's degree in music will not be able to receive a second masters from CSUN at this time.

For information pertaining to the Masters of Music degrees, please visit the page for our graduate degrees.

AUDITIONS FOR FALL 2022 ADMISSION

All incoming students will be sent an audition application from the Office of Admissions & Records once you apply to the university.

If you are a current CSUN student, please contact the Music Department Undergraduate Advisor, Nicole Hovland, for an audition application.

*FOR LIVE AUDITION DATES - AUDITION APPLICATION IS DUE JANUARY 16, 2022. Please refer to this chart when choosing a live audition date:

BA JAZZ (Music Industry, Composition, Commercial & Media Writing): February 12, February 26, March 5
GUITAR: February 5, February 12, February 26
PERCUSSION: February 5, February 12, February 26
PIANO: February 5, February 12, March 5
STRINGS: February 5, February 12, February 26
VOICE: February 12, February 26, March 5
WINDS/BRASS: February 5, February 12, February 26, March 5

*BM JAZZ STUDIES PRE-SCREEN AUDITION DUE JANUARY 16, 2022. Second round live auditions (BY INVITATION) are February 12, February 26, and March 5, 2022.

*ALL OTHER VIDEO AUDITIONS ARE DUE FEBRUARY 19, 2022

AUDITIONS FOR SPRING 2022 ADMISSION

VIDEO SUBMISSION ONLY

DEADLINE: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2021

Please note the following options are NOT open for the Spring 2022 audition application:

BA - Breadth Studies
BA - Music Education
BA - Music Industry Studies
BA - Music Therapy
BM - Jazz Studies

If you are a current music student who is seeking to change music options, please contact the Undergraduate Music Advisor, Nicole Hovland.

Placement Examinations for 2022

Undergraduate Placement Tests:

Musicianship & Theory

This test will be administered online in November (for SPRING 2022) and May (FALL 2022). Students will be contacted via email with the exams - these exams are NOT required if you wish to start at level one in musicianship and theory. For questions about test administration, please contact Nicole Hovland: nicole.hovland@csun.edu. For questions regarding exam material, please contact Dr. McCaffrey - arthur.mccaffrey@csun.edu.

Keyboard

Students will receive a keyboard questionnaire to fill out in November (SPRING 2022) and May (FALL 2022). This questionnaire will help us to place you. In addition, any junior college transcripts will also be used in the placement process.

Contact: Gayle Kowalchyk - gayle.kowalchyk@csun.edu

Fall Ensemble Information

Ensembles directors will be sending out e-mails or posting on their own sites information for fall ensemble auditions. Most of our major ensembles will run auditions during the week leading up to the start of classes. If you do not receive an e-mail or need additional information, please contact the ensemble or department chair in late July.

WHO NEEDS TO TAKE THE EXAMS?

Any student who wants to start at a higher level than beginning in any of the areas of Keyboard, Musicianship and Theory here at CSUN must take the placement exam(s) in those areas. Transfer students receive credit for courses taken based on the level of skill they demonstrate during these exams. You do NOT have to take the exam of any area you want to start in level one.

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?

1) Keyboard Placement Exams will be given on an ongoing basis and it will consist on 4 basic pieces that will test your sight-reading and piano playing skills. The test normally takes only a few minutes, so stop by anytime between the hours posted and you’ll be done in about 10 minutes. DO NOT take this exam if your main instrument (auditioned & accepted) is Piano.

2) The Musicianship Placement Exam will take approximately one hour. Students should bring a pencil to complete the exam. The exam will consist of a short section covering the identification of key signatures, scale degrees, and "movable Do" solfege syllables, followed by a series of melodic and harmonic dictations moving from diatonic to chromatic material. Please note that this exam is used only to determine which level of musicianship is most appropriate for you. For more information on this exam, please email Dr. A.J. McCaffrey (arthur.mccaffrey@csun.edu).

3) A Theory/Harmony Placement Exam is available for students wishing to place out of Harmony I (diatonic harmony only) and/or Harmony II (chromatic harmony and advanced chord progressions). This placement test is focused on evaluating knowledge of 4-part writing, figured bass, and the ability to construct proper chord progressions involving traditional voice leading techniques. Topics such as Roman numeral analysis, cadences, secondary dominants, modulation, non-chord tones, the Neapolitan sixth chord and augmented sixth chords will be covered. The standard textbook used in the Music Department is "Tonal Harmony" by Stefan Kostka and Dorothy Payne.

IMPORTANT: These exams are intended for placement only and CANNOT be taken more than once. You must begin the course sequence at the level indicated in your outcome and continue until ALL sequences required in your option have been met.

If you’re not accepted into a music option, you CANNOT enroll in any major courses until you are officially admitted into a music option, therefore DO NOT take placement exams until you are admitted into a music option.

The current course rotation for these courses is:

Levels I, III and V – offered Fall semester only
Levels II, IV and VI – offered Spring semester only

If you test into a higher level than what is required in your Music Option, you do not have to complete the course unless you change your option to a higher required level option. Refer to your major sheet to see which is the highest level required for your degree option in each specific area.

All levels of keyboard are required for all music options except for students whose main instrument is piano.

Updated 8/17/15

Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication

Department of Music

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