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.

You are allowed to audition in multiple instrumental options. Additionally the Bachelor of Arts options and all Composition and Media Composition programs require an interview.

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.

Spring 2021 Entrance Auditions

Auditions only for continuing students (already enrolled at CSUN), graduate students, International Students & Non-Domestic students will be held on:

Arranged (Video Submission) Applications for SPRING 2021 (all areas*) – applications due Saturday, October 31, 2020.
*Except Music Breadth Studies, Music Therapy Studies, Jazz Studies and Band Conducting.
*NOTE: Applicants for the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music programs must first apply to the university for the Spring 2020 semester: https://www2.calstate.edu/apply

Fall 2020 Entrance Auditions
(UNDERGRADUATE MUSIC AUDITIONS CLOSED)
(GRADUATE AUDITIONS STILL OPEN)

ATTENTION: Results will be sent out by March 25, 2020.

Auditions for continuing students (already enrolled at CSUN) and incoming students for the Fall 2020 semester are to be held on:

Saturday, February 1, 2020 (all areas) – deadline is January 12th
Saturday, February 15, 2020 (all areas) - deadline is January 12th
Friday, February 28, 2020 (wind/brass & piano performance, Music Education - wind/brass & piano, and Music Industry Studies - wind/brass & piano ONLY)– deadline is January 12th

Please contact our office at 818-677-3181 for more information.

ATTENTION:

Applicants can audition a MAXIMUM of two times. If the applicant does not pass their audition and/or interview the second time, students cannot audition again for the CSUN Music Department.

BM Jazz Studies applicants will need to submit a pre-screen video audition in order to audition live in February. The audition link will have an area for you to upload your audition video (preferably YouTube). Video links should be submitted no later than December 31, 2019.

MM Conducting applicants & Collaborative Piano applicants - You will need to contact the appropriate faculty member for specific audition requirements and procedures once the department is accepting new applications; your audition date should be 'arranged' with:

Band/Wind Ensemble, Dr. Lawrence Stoffel
Choral, Dr. Katherine Baker
Orchestral, Dr. John Roscigno
Collaborative Piano, Tali Tadmor

*NOTE: Applicants for the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music programs must first apply to the university for the Fall 2020 semester October 1-November 30, 2019 through https://www2.calstate.edu/apply

After applying to the university, you can submit your audition application through the link below (Deadline January 12, 2020):

CSUN Music also allows the opportunity for arranged, online video and DVD auditions; please contact our office for more information at 818-677-3181.

Placement Examinations for Spring 2020

Undergraduate Placement Tests:
Intended for students who have passed their entrance audition/interview requirements and want to enroll in higher than beginning levels on any of the areas below. Students NOT accepted into a music option CANNOT enroll in any major courses until you are officially admitted into a music option, therefore DO NOT take placement exams until entrance audition/interview requirements have been met.

Please review "what can you expect" for the placement exams below. If you have any questions, please email the designated faculty member listed for each placement exam.

Keyboard
This will be done by questionaire this year. Students will be sent a link to a very short questionaire within a month of the student's acceptance to CSUN. This must be filled out by all incoming students including transfers. If you have not received the questionaire by July 1, please let us know!

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

Undergrad Music Theory AND Musicianship
This test will be administered online at some point between May 25 and June 25. Students will be contacted with additional information once we are ready to proceed with online testing.

Contact: Liviu Marinescu | liviu.marinescu@csun.edu

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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