Music Industry Emphasis

1. SOLO PERFORMANCE ON YOUR MAIN INSTRUMENT/VOICE AREA

Presentation of selected works demonstrating your level of musical and technical mastery as an instrumentalist or vocalist.

Students auditioning should prepare two pieces that display their strengths as a musician. Pieces should be approximately 3-5 minutes in length, in any style, which demonstrates the student’s instrumental/vocal proficiency and their overall musicianship. Following these simple guidelines ensures your true potential and personality will shine through. Ultimately, the audition is a discovery process and we want to find out what you do well.

It is strongly recommended to seek the guidance of your private instructor and/or musical mentor when selecting your prepared pieces. Here are some examples and additional guidelines that may help when selecting your prepared piece:

• A song from a well-known artist or band (any style)
• A standard or jazz tune (which may include blues and rhythm changes) with your own improvisation
• A composition from the instrumental/voice repertoire or a movement, sonata, concerto, or etude
• A transcription of a well-known artist's solos

If you require accompaniment for your prepared piece you may bring an accompanist, play-a-long CD, or MP3 player. It is not recommended to use the original tracks of artists or bands as play-a-longs. If you are playing to a track, it is preferred that you use standard play-a-long/music-minus-one or karaoke tracks so that you are not playing your part along with the accompaniment. For example, we would prefer a guitar player use a play-a-long track that does not have the lead part on the track rather than playing along with an artist's original recording. 

Specific questions about your major performance audition should be directed to the individual vocal/instrumental instructors. Please also email us at music.admit@millersville.edu. The music admit team can also answer questions about performance areas as well.

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2. Aural ASSESSMENT

All applicants must demonstrate a minimum level of vocal-aural proficiency in the following manner:

• Demonstrate matching pitch, chord quality recognition, and vocally repeat short melodic sequences (2-7 pitches).
• Sing a well-known folk song of their choice (i.e. "Happy Birthday," "America," "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," etc.)

3. MUSIC THEORY Evaluation*

The Music Theory Evaluation is a Diagnostic Tool that the department uses in order to place incoming students into a theory class that matches their knowledge of music. Applicants may attempt to test out of the first semester of the theory sequence by scoring above a certain threshold on their Music Theory Placement Evaluation.

Applicants will demonstrate knowledge of musical notation in both treble and bass clefs with regard to the following:

• Key signatures and scale construction for major and relative minor keys.
• Intervals (minor second through octave).
• Chord construction (minor, major, diminished, augmented, and dominant 7th).
• Rhythmic notation for simple and compound meters.

• *Suggested preparatory material may be found in Scales, Intervals, Keys, Triads, Rhythm & Meter (3rd Edition), written by John Clough, Joyce Conley, & Claire Boge. (Parts 1-5 & 7) published by W.W. Norton Co. (1999) ISBN #0-393-97369-7

4. INTERVIEW

The interviews, conducted by faculty in their respective fields, aim to provide an understanding of students’ motivation for their career choices. Students should prepare to answer the following questions:

• Why would you like to enter this field?
• What communication and performance skills and abilities do you possess that will prove effective in your chosen field?
• Where do you see yourself professionally in five years and in 10 years after college graduation?
• What previous experiences will you draw upon to help you as a professional?

Students who are Applying to become a Music Major with an emphasis in the Music Industry may also present a portfolio if they choose. Items for the portfolio may include any material that showcases your experience in business, technology, and/or performance as it relates to music. Portfolios can contain such items as CD recordings, music scores of compositions, lead sheets for original songs you wrote, concert programs, promotional material for the band that you created, video of your band performing, your music biography, or anything else that showcases your creativity.