Apply / Audition
Process
- Admission into all music degree programs as an undergraduate major or minor requires an audition for and acceptance into the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Admission into degree programs in Music Education or Music Therapy requires an interview with area faculty members as a part of the audition process. You may audition and interview prior to acceptance by the Office of Admissions. If an audition in person is not possible, a recorded performance may be allowed for admission.
- Admission into the music program as an undergraduate major or minor requires acceptance by the Office of Admissions at Colorado State University. We urge you to apply for admission to the university as soon as possible during your senior year.
- For your audition, please refer to individual instrument/voice web pages for audition requirements.
If you have questions about this process, please contact SMTD@colostate.edu.
To apply to CSU, go to admissions.colostate.edu
Degree Program Audition Information by Instrument
- Violin
- Viola
- Cello
- Double Bass
- Harp
- Guitar
- Flute
- Oboe
- Clarinet
- Bassoon
- Saxophone
- Trumpet
- Horn
- Trombone
- Tuba and Euphonium
- Percussion
- Voice
- Piano
- Organ and Liturgical Studies
Additional Audition Information by Area (for Performance, see instrument)
Audition for Fall 2020 Start
PLEASE NOTE: Formal audition days have concluded. We will consider students for Fall 2020 start date (majors and minors) via video audition on a space available basis through Sept. 5, 2020; please email SMTD@colostate.edu about availability before registering for an audition. Upon submission of your video audition registration, we will provide a timeline for the process. We look forward to connecting with you!
You must register for a video audition for CSU Music.
Audition for Fall 2021 Start
- Dec. 5, 2020 (afternoon)
- Jan. 23, 2021 (all day)
- Feb. 15, 2021 (President’s Day, afternoon)
- Feb. 20, 2021 (all day)
- If you can't make one of these dates, please audition via video
Registration for these audition dates will open early Fall 2020, pending COVID-19 pandemic guidelines.
Testimonials About Individual Visits
Everyone there was so happy and the girls giving me a tour seemed happy to be at CSU and were happy to be showing me around. It was a great experience and i cant wait to see more of what CSU has to offer. — High School Student, Sept. 2019
Got to have a more personal tour, met one on one with a lot of new friendly faces, which I liked! High School Student, Feb. 2020
Resume and Letters
- As part of the audition registration process, please upload an artistic/performance resume. An artistic resume is a list of the performances of which you have been a part, groups with which you have performed, a list of solos or instances that you been individually featured in a piece of music, competitions you have entered, awards you have won, Teachers with whom you have studied, and any other information that you feel tells us something about what you have done as an artist.
- You are also asked to provide the names and email addresses of two references.
Program Audition
- Audition performance length should be approximately ten minutes and selected pieces should be representative of your best ability. You will be asked to sight-read and to perform scales. Please refer to the audition requirements and suggested repertoire listed on the individual instrument pages.
- Our diagnostic testing and interviews with the faculty take approximately one additional hour total. All applicants will take a one-page music theory diagnostic. Results are used to assess your general level of music theory knowledge; additional preparation may be recommended.
Video Audition
You are strongly encouraged to audition in-person, however, if you cannot attend one of our four audition dates, you may upload a video audition through our online registration portal. You must complete the online audition registration form and follow the instructions provided for the video audition. You should audition in person for full scholarship consideration.
- Music Education and Music Therapy interviews with faculty will be conducted via Skype (scheduled at a later date).
Scholarships
Scholarships are awarded based on audition day results. There is no separate audition for scholarships and you must audition in-person for full scholarship consideration. Full list of undergraduate scholarships.
Notification
Acceptance letters and notifications of scholarships awarded will occur on an ongoing basis throughout the acceptance process.
Ensemble Auditions
Auditions for your placement in the ensembles are held each semester the weekend before classes begin. Ensemble audition information.