Home|College of Liberal Arts | Contact Us

Jazz Studies

Pre-audition are required of ALL applicants (both graduate and undergraduate) and are accepted throughout the year. However, the department STRONGLY encourages applicants to submit their materials well before the semester they wish to enter the program. Walk-ins are not appropriate.

For more information contact:

Ed Petersen
epeterse@uno.edu
504-280-7493

 

Preliminary Jazz Studies Audition Tape

Jazz Studies Pre-Audition Tape

Prospective jazz students are asked to submit preliminary videotapes to the department.  The purpose of the pre-audition videotape is to give the Jazz Studies faculty an opportunity to determine if you would have a good chance of being accepted into our program if you were to perform a "live" audition.  You can record this tape with a home video camera, as long as the audio is of respectable quality.  On the label of the tape please specify the program for which you are applying (undergraduate or graduate). 

Jazz Audition Tape Format 

1.   Please include two selections that demonstrate your best playing.  The following is a list of suggested tunes: 

Billie’s Bounce (Parker)                   Au Privave (Parker)
Blues for Alice (Parker)                   Oleo (Rollins)           
Rhythm-a-ning (Monk)                    Anthropology (Parker)
All the Things You Are (Kern)        Autumn Leaves (Kosma)
Body and Soul (Green)

You are not required to perform the tunes listed above, but please choose music that will demonstrate:

You may use a “play-along” recording if you do not have a backup ensemble.

2.   In addition to performing two tunes, please play at least twenty-four measures of a transcribed jazz solo along with the original recording. 

3.   All of your performances, including your performance of the transcription, should be done by memory.

4.   Place your best performance first on the tape. 

5.   Please indicate who you are if there is more than one person playing. 

6.   It would be a great help to us if you would include a résumé, but that is not required. 

7.   The following is a list of instrument-specific additional requirements for the pre-audition tape:

Guitar:       Play one short solo guitar arrangement.
Drums:      Demonstrate swing & Latin styles
Demonstrate brushwork, and
Play a short drum solo.
Voice:       Demonstrate ability to "scat" (improvise)
Play simple jazz chords at the piano or guitar.

If your performance on the tape is of very high quality, we may choose to accept you on the basis of your recorded performance.  If we are not able to accept you on the basis of the taped performance, we will either:

1) Invite you to perform a live audition or
2) Encourage you to keep practicing and submit another tape at a future date.

LIVE AUDITION

The prospective student will be expected to: