School of Music Graduate Admissions

Materials may be mailed to Michael Preacely or included as links to online hosted materials in your audition application. ONLY the videos may be included as links in the applicable field in the online application, such as YouTube, Vimeo or a Google Drive.  Please make sure that your links are viewable to all.  We will NOT ask for you to resend them if we cannot access them. Submission Deadline: December 1.

If you choose to mail the pre-audition screening materials, they must be postmarked by December 1. Please write your name, phone number, voice type and the degree program you are applying to on the DVD.

If you choose to submit links to online hosted materials, a field to provide link(s) will appear on the Audition Request Form as you fill it out. Additional requirements must be sent separately.

The required pre-screening materials are as follows for all graduate voice programs:

1. A recording no older than one (1) year that contains at least three (3) contrasting pieces.
2. Recent Headshot (publicity photo) – Please send separately to Professor Lawrence
3. Statement of Purpose. Describe your career goals and why you think UK can help you achieve them. – Please send separately to Professor Lawrence
   1. Master's Program word length: 250 - 500 words
   2. DMA Program word length: 500 - 750 words

Those choosing to mail materials can send them to:

Michael Preacely
Coordinator of Voice Auditions
University of Kentucky
Schmidt Vocal Arts Building
412 Rose Street
Lexington, KY  40506-0022

If your pre-audition recording and other materials pass screening by our faculty, you will then be notified by email by December 30 that you are invited to a live audition at UK.

A set of pre-screening materials is required for both MM and DMA Choral Conducting applicants. Submission Deadline: December 1. Materials may be mailed to Ryan Beeken or included as links to online hosted materials in you audition application.

1. A short video of the candidate rehearsing (not conducting) a choir or choirs (10-15 min).
2. A resume or vita
3. For DMAs only: a brief writing sample of an academic nature, e.g. an excerpt from a master's level research paper.

After reviewing these materials, successful applicants will be invited to campus for a live audition.

All graduate student applicants for Percussion must submit a Pre-audition Screening Video Portfolio on DVD (NTSC format) or online (YouTube, Vimeo, or similar service accessible without restriction in the U.S.) directly to the Director of Percussion Studies. The Video Portfolio must be postmarked (DVD) or posted online no later than December 1 of the year prior to entrance. All applicants should include a copy of their audition repertoire and resume with the screening DVD recording, or via email to the Director of Percussion Studies if posted electronically. Mailed screening materials should be clearly labeled and will not be returned. Video Portfolios will be reviewed and a select number of applicants will be invited to campus for a live audition/interview. Links to online materials can be provided in the audition application. Applicants not invited to a campus for an audition/interview will be notified that they have not been admitted for graduate study.

The following list serves as a guide to choosing appropriate audition material for prospective graduate students. Please feel free to contact Matthew Geiger, Director of Percussion Studies, if you have questions about appropriate literature.

Pre-audition screening material to be submitted on DVD/e-portfolio must be unedited with complete selections/movements of works and include:

• Snare Drum - Any etude from Douze Etudes by Delécluse.
• Mallet Keyboard (4 Mallets) – A contemporary work or study to demonstrate multiple-mallet style such as works by, Abe, Aldridge, Burritt, Deane, Druckman, Lansky, Reynolds, Schwantner, Viñao, or the equivalent.
• Mallet Keyboard (2 Mallets) – J. S. Bach 2 mallet arrangement (Single movement from Violin Sonatas and Partitas or Suites for Solo Cello)
• Timpani - A solo or etude to demonstrate musicianship such as those by Carter, Hochrainer, or the equivalent.
• Multiple-percussion - A solo or etude to demonstrate musicianship such as music by Campbell, Hamilton, Hollinden, Ishii, Kopetzki, Kotche, Lang, Volans, Xenakis, Zivkovic, or the equivalent.

OPTIONAL Areas for Video Submission

• Drum Set/World Percussion – Demonstrate jazz, rock, Latin, Afro-Cuban, Asian, and/or other musical styles of drum set; hand percussion, steel pan, and/or frame drum performances.

All graduate student applicants for guitar must submit a pre-screening recording to the Director of Guitar Studies. An accessible link to this recording must be submitted no later than January 1 of the year prior to entrance. All applicants should include a copy of their audition repertoire with the recording submission.

The following lists serve as a guide to choosing appropriate audition material for prospective graduate students. Please feel free to contact Professor Hennings, guitarprogram@uky.edu if you have questions about appropriate literature.

Examples of repertoire for audition (pieces of similar difficulty should be performed in audition):

Bach, J. S. Lute Suites Berkeley, L Sonatina Britten, B. Nocturnal Dyens, R. Libra Sonatina, Tango en Skai; Suadade #3 Giuliani, M. Sonata Eroica, Op.150 Pereira, M. Pieces Bresiliennes Piazzolla, A. Tango transcriptions

Reference materials:

Tennant: Pumping Nylon Technique Handbook Romero: Guitar Style and Technique Duncan: Art of Classical Guitar Playing Shearer: Learning the Classic Guitar Berg: Mastering Guitar Technique Royal Conservatory of Music Guitar Series Klickstein: The Musician’s Way

Students should also demonstrate knowledge of the following guitar publications

Etude requirements (students should have played in their undergrad one of the following sets of studies): Brouwer: Simple Etudes, Volumes 1-4 Carcassi: Etudes, op. 60 Sor: 20 Etudes, Segovia edition and various op. Giuliani: Etudes, op. 48 Villa-lobos: 12 Etudes, 5 Preludes

• Ponce, M. Theme varie et Finale Pujol, M. D. Elegia por la muerte de un tanguero
• Rodrigo, J. En los trigales, Three Spanish Pieces
• Sor, Fernando Variations on the Magic Flute
• Walton, W. Five Bagatelles
• a movement from a Lute suite, or Sonatas & Partitas for Violin by J.S. Bach

Music Education does not require an exam, but does conduct interviews with applicants as part of the admissions selection process. Please contact the Music Education coordinator for more information.

In this exam, students are given a musical element and/or genre and asked to trace it through several epochs of the history of music. Students will also be asked to discuss one or more specialized topics in areas including music research and bibliography, music in vernacular and cultivated traditions, music and culture, and Western idioms and styles.

The music theory entrance exam, essay entrance exam, audition, and personal interview are specific to the music therapy program and are required for all applicants. In other words, these exams replace the requirements listed above. Applicants to the music therapy program should complete an audition request form to schedule an examination date. Visit the Music Therapy program page to learn more. Contact Dr. Alaine Reschke-Hernandez (Alaine.ReschkeHernandez@uky.edu) and/or Dr. Olivia (Liv) Yinger (Olivia.Yinger@uky.edu) with questions. Please discuss any accommodations for the exam with music therapy faculty at least two weeks prior to your exam date.

Music Theory and Aural Skills Exam

This exam consists of both aural and written theory elements and is specific to applicants for the graduate music therapy program. Questions include listening, multiple choice, short answer, and score analysis. These websites are useful study guides for the music theory entrance exam: MusicTheory.net (Ear Training section) and Teoria.com tutorials.

Concepts on the Music Theory and Aural Skills exam for music therapy applicants include:

• Aural recognition of intervals, chords and scale patterns.
• Aural recognition of various musical elements like meter, tonality, etc.
• Written fundamentals like part writing, modulation, modes, meter, cadences, common scales/chord progressions will be included.
• Basic knowledge of popular music form and structure.
• Analysis skills including score analysis, transposition, key recognition, etc. will be included.

Music Therapy Essay Exam

Applicants should bring a writing utensil and 6-8 sheets of lined notebook paper for the music therapy essay exam. This exam consists of 7 open-ended questions about music therapy practice. Applicants write an essay response 4 of the 7 questions of the applicant’s choice. To prepare for this exam, please study the American Music Therapy Association’s “About Music Therapy” webpage and Fact Sheets.

Music Therapy Audition

All applicants must complete a music therapy-specific audition with the music therapy faculty. Prepare to sing 2 songs: 1) sing while accompanying yourself on guitar; and 2) sing while accompanying yourself on keyboard. The songs you select may be from any musical genre (e.g., pop, country, rock, R&B, original, gospel, etc.). These songs should: a) be selections that you might use in a music therapy session (consider age, population, setting); b) enable us to engage with you and sing along if we want to (i.e., not a performance); and c) showcase your strongest musicianship with your voice and on these instruments. Applicants to the equivalency program who have not yet learned to play guitar must only prepare one selection with piano accompaniment. In addition, all applicants should be prepared to sing a simple song a cappella (e.g., Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star).

Music Therapy Interview

All applicants must complete a music therapy-specific interview with the music therapy faculty, which is completed during the audition. The personal statement, which is part of the application submitted to UK’s Graduate School, is helpful preparation for this interview. All applicants should read the American Music Therapy Association’s Code of Ethics in preparation for the interview, with particular attention to the Preamble and Principle 1. Applicants are also encouraged to ask music therapy faculty during the interview.

This is a one-hour exam covering composers and works in the history of art song, pedagogy, diction, performers, and poets.

This exam covers composers, literary figures, and performers in the history of opera and art song. Students will be asked to discuss aspects of vocal pedagogy, and to transcribe texts into the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Students wishing to gain admittance into the Master of Music program with a concentration in Trumpet should be prepared to present the following material in an audition:

• A 15-20 minute audition consisting of repertoire that demonstrates your ability technically and musically.
• At least two contrasting solo works. (Single movements from larger works are acceptable.)
• At least three standard orchestral excerpts. (Students interested in a jazz emphasis may substitute a transcription and demonstration of jazz improvisation in lieu of orchestral excerpts.)

It is recommended (not required) that you select from the following orchestral excerpts: 

• Beethoven – Leonore Overture (2 and 3)
• Mussorgsky – Pictures at an Exhibition (Promenade)
• Respighi – Pines of Rome (off-stage solo)
• Stravinsky - Petrushka (Ballerina’s Dance)
• Mahler – Symphony No. 5

You may also feel free to play any additional material that exemplifies your musicianship and versatility. (i.e. jazz improvisation, lead trumpet, baroque trumpet, etc.)
Piano accompaniment is not required.
There may be sight reading.

Students wishing to gain admittance into doctoral level programs with a concentration in Trumpet should be prepared to present the following material in an audition:

• A 20-30 minute audition consisting of repertoire that demonstrates your ability technically and musically.
• At least three contrasting solo works. (Single movements from larger works are acceptable.)
• At least three standard orchestral excerpts. It is recommended (not required) that you select from the following orchestral excerpts:
  • Beethoven – Leonore Overture (2 and 3)
  • Mussorgsky – Pictures at an Exhibition (Promenade)
  • Respighi – Pines of Rome (off-stage solo)
  • Stravinsky - Petrushka (Ballerina’s Dance)
  • Mahler – Symphony No. 5 (opening solo)

You may also feel free to play any additional material that exemplifies your musicianship and versatility. (i.e. jazz improvisation, lead trumpet, baroque trumpet, etc.)
Piano accompaniment is not required. There may be sight reading.

MM and DMA

• Two Contrasting Solo Selections
• Four Standard Orchestral Excerpts

For Graduate students auditioning to join the program, please prepare a graduate level solo work and 3-5 standard band or orchestral excerpts. 

Recommended Excerpts - Tuba

• Stars & Stripes-Sousa
• Toccata Marziale-Vaughan Williams
• The Planets-Holst
• Ein Heldenleben-Strauss
• Ride of the Valkyries-Wagner
• Die Meistersinger Overture-Wagner
• Ein Faust Overture-Wagner
• Symphony No. 5-Prokofiev
• Hungarian March-Berlioz
• Symphony No. 1-Mahler
• Symphony No. 5-Mahler
• Pertroushka-Stravinsky
• Fountains of Rome-Resphigi
• Symphonic Metamorphosis-Hindemith
• Symphony Fantastique-Berlioz

Recomended Excerpts - Euphonium

• Stars & Stripes-Sousa
• Colonial Song-Grainger
• Molly on the Shore-Grainger
• When Jesus Wept-Shuman
• Festive Overture-Shostakovich/Hunsberger
• Toccata Marziale-Vaughan Williams
• Second Suite in F-Holst
• The Planets-Holst
• Bydlo-Mussorgsky/Ravel
• Theme and Variations-Shoenberg
• Roman Carnival Overture-Berlioz/Godfrey III
• Pinapple Poll-Sullivan/Mackerras
• Ein Heldenleben-Strauss
• Don Quixote--Strauss

Recommended Graduate Repertoire - Tuba

• Concerto-Darrol Barry
• Reflections on the Mississippi-Daugherty
• Sonata-DiLorenzo
• Concerto-Ewazen
• Concerto-Vaughan Williams
• Concerto-John Williams
• Alarum-Gregson
• Flute Partita in A minor-JS Bach/Tinkham
• Concerto-Alexandre Arutiunian
• Concertino-Bozza
• Three Furies-James Grant
• Encounters II-Kraft
• Capriccio-Penderecki
• Sonatine-Casterede
• Concertino-Jan Koetsier

Recommended Graduate Repertoire - Euphonium

• Cello Suites-JS Bach
• Fantasia di Concerto-Boccalari
• Partita-Butterworth
• Fantasie Originale-Picchi
• Harlequin-Spark
• Pantomime-Sparke
• Soliloquies-John Stevens
• Concerto-John Stevens
• Concerto-Philip Wilby
• Concerto-Jan Bach
• Euphoria-Derek Bourgeois
• Concerto-Cosma
• Symphonic Variants-Curnow
• Blue Lake Fantasies-Gillingham
• Pearls II-Szentpali

Preliminary audition by tape/CD/DVD with a recent recording of a recital is suggested but not required. Repertoire for the live audition should be representative of Baroque, Classical, Romantic and 20th/21st Century music consisting of solo, chamber, and concerto works which have been performed prior to admittance into the DMA program. A complete sonata must be included as well as a virtuoso piece. In some cases (upon approval by the piano faculty) applicants out of country may audition by DVD/video tape. Three letters of recommendation should be submitted attesting to proven and potential success in the field of piano performance.

Those applicants invited to a live campus audition must be prepared to present the following material*:

Snare Drum

• Any concert solo or etude by Delécluse, Masson, Aleo, Tompkins, Zivkovic, The Noble Snare collection, Nexus collection, or the equivalent.
• Two (2) standard orchestral excerpts of your choice.
• Sight Reading.

Mallet Keyboard

• A contemporary work or study to demonstrate multiple-mallet style such as works by, Abe, Aldridge, Burritt, Deane, Druckman, Lansky, Reynolds, Schwantner, Viñao, or the equivalent.
• Demonstration of two-mallet playing with a movement from Sonatas & Partitas for Violin or Six Suites for Cello by J.S. Bach.
• Two (2) standard orchestral excerpts of your choice for xylophone.
• Two (2) standard orchestral excerpts of your choice for glockenspiel.
• Sight Reading (two mallets).

Timpani

• An advanced work or study to demonstrate musicianship such as Eight Pieces for Four Timpani, Elliott Carter, Variations for Solo Kettledrums, Jan Williams, or Rhythm Gradation, Toshi Ichyanagi, an etude by Richard Hochrainer, or the equivalent.
• Three (3) standard orchestral excerpts of your choice.
• Sight Reading and demonstrated ability to tune multiple drums from a single given pitch.

* Repertoire from your live audition can be the same as your pre-audition screening repertoire.

Graduate guitar performance applicants who have been invited to campus for an audition/interview are required to take entrance exams in the areas of music theory and music history. Please consult the Graduate Entrance Exams section.

There are a limited number of graduate Teaching Assistantship opportunities. Although they are not available every year, these positions are highly competitive and will only be awarded to select candidates who have successfully completed the audition process, required entrance exams, and have been accepted by the Graduate School and the School of Music Graduate Committee.

The following lists serve as a guide to choosing appropriate audition material for prospective graduate students. Please feel free to contact Professor Hennings, guitarprogram@uky.edu if you have questions about appropriate literature.

Examples of repertoire for audition (pieces of similar difficulty should be performed in audition):

Bach, J. S. Lute Suites Berkeley, L Sonatina Britten, B. Nocturnal Dyens, R. Libra Sonatina, Tango en Skai; Suadade #3 Giuliani, M. Sonata Eroica, Op.150 Pereira, M. Pieces Bresiliennes Piazzolla, A. Tango transcriptions

Reference materials:

Tennant: Pumping Nylon Technique Handbook Romero: Guitar Style and Technique Duncan: Art of Classical Guitar Playing Shearer: Learning the Classic Guitar Berg: Mastering Guitar Technique Royal Conservatory of Music Guitar Series Klickstein: The Musician’s Way

Students should also demonstrate knowledge of the following guitar publications

Etude requirements (students should have played in their undergrad one of the following sets of studies): Brouwer: Simple Etudes, Volumes 1-4 Carcassi: Etudes, op. 60 Sor: 20 Etudes, Segovia edition and various op. Giuliani: Etudes, op. 48 Villa-lobos: 12 Etudes, 5 Preludes

• Ponce, M. Theme varie et Finale Pujol, M. D. Elegia por la muerte de un tanguero
• Rodrigo, J. En los trigales, Three Spanish Pieces
• Sor, Fernando Variations on the Magic Flute
• Walton, W. Five Bagatelles
• a movement from a Lute suite, or Sonatas & Partitas for Violin by J.S. Bach

If you pass the Vocal Performance pre-screening and are granted an on-site audition this is the repertoire you should prepare for your audition:

1. One (1) aria from an oratorio or opera
2. Three (3) Foreign Language art songs
3. One (1) piece in English (may be an aria)
4. Any additional pieces required to present thirty (30) minutes of repertoire are left to the auditioner's discretion, but should be largely pieces from classical repertoire.

When you come to audition at UK:

• Arrive at least 15 minutes early.
• Once you have passed your audition, you will be required to take entrance exams in Music History, Theory, and Vocal Studies

Choral Conducting
An on-campus audition with one of the Choral Department's major ensembles is required.  The audition consists of a demonstration of choral rehearsal techniques, approximately 25 minutes in duration, using 2 pieces of contrasting styles selected by the applicant in consultation with the Director of Choral Activities.

Not all instruments within the woodwinds division have specified graduate audition requirements. For instruments without specific repertoire listed here, please contact the relevant Woodwinds faculty for more information.

• Three contrasting works of your choice (etudes or solos) representing three different historical time periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary); ideally, repertoire should be from NFA Graded Repertoire Level “J” or higher; see nfaonline.org for more repertoire suggestions
• Four orchestral excerpts of your choice
• Sightreading

• Scales as requested
• Two or three complete major works
• Representative orchestra excerpts

For music education majors at UK, even though preparation for teaching is a primary goal, it is equally important that all students are expected to be well-trained musicians. In most cases, there is minimal difference between the performance and academic expectations for music education majors and those who are classified as performance majors.

Please prepare for your audition according to the repertoire listed for your instrument/voice of choice.

We will ask you to:

1. Sing while accompanying yourself on guitar.
2. Sing while accompanying yourself on keyboard.
3. Sing a simple song a cappella.
4. Respond to questions about music therapy, your interest in our program and preparation for graduate school, and the American Music Therapy Association’s Code of Ethics.

Graduate students require applications to the UK Graduate School, the School of Music Audition/Exam Request, as well as the submission of other materials depending upon the chosen Area of Study.

Most “E” lots are unregulated on Saturdays, but you should read the restrictions posted at the entrance to any parking lot. Be prepared to park a block or more from your audition venue. The Singletary Center has a drop-off entrance on Rose Street. For the Fine Arts building, use the lower level entrance on Patterson Drive. Parking structure #5 is close to our facilities. Although you will have to pay to park here it may be easier than trying to find an available spot. Allow plenty of time to find parking. Visitor parking information and maps are available from UK Transportation Services.

Please see the UK Visitors Center for information.

Information sessions and campus tours should be arranged through the UK Visitors Center, and College of Fine Arts tours can be arranged through our Visit Us form.

You will hear from us about your acceptance into the School of Music before you hear about scholarships. Scholarships are competitive, so we need to have heard all prospective students before making final decisions. For new students, scholarship decisions will be made by no later than April 15.

• For information about specific music programs at UK: Contact the faculty in charge of your area of interest
• To confirm or change an audition time or date: Contact the person who sent your assignment. Do NOT submit a second audition request through our form.

Most ensembles are open to all UK students regardless of Major or Minor, and we encourage you to join! Ensemble audition signup sheets are posted beginning the week before classes each semester in the Fine Arts Building. Please check the bulletin boards or contact the faculty in charge of each ensemble for more details.

• Choral
• Contemporary
• Jazz
• Opera Theatre
• Strings and Orchestra
• UK Bands
• Winds, Brass, and Percussion
• World Music
• Faculty Chamber

This exam consists of approximately 25-30 questions presented in fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice format, and contains listening examples on the following:

• interval identification
• scale identification
• sonority identification
• melodic identification
• harmonic identification
• contextual listening

This exam consists of two parts:

• Theory and Fundamentals of Harmony (25-30 question)
  • voice-leading
  • intervals and chords
  • scales and collections
  • rhythm and meter
  • non-harmonic tones
• Form and Analysis (15-20 questions)
  • key areas
  • cadences
  • harmonic analysis
  • atonal analysis / set theory
  • form and score analysis

The History Exam is in four parts: 

1. Listening: ten excerpts are played and you should identify the time period, a likely composer, and two style traits that helped you make your choice. You'll no doubt hear some of the greats in Western Music History, i.e., Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Palestrina, as well as some newer and older music (medieval polyphony and 20th-century composers, including perhaps a Jazz excerpt). You do not need to get the right composer, but someone from the same period. 
2. Eight terms from music history: this tests more general knowledge and is hard to study for, since there are so many terms in the sweep of Western music history!  Some will be forms or genres (i.e., binary or ternary form; concerto grosso, etc.) or -isms (Impressionism, Minimalism, etc.). 
3. A list of 10 composers to put in their period or time frame, plus an example of an important work. (Ex, Vivaldi, Baroque (or early 18th century), 4 Seasons or simply concertos). 
4. A short essay on a relatively famous composer (you can choose one of 3; one is a Renaissance composer, another a famous Classical composer, and the third a famous 19th-century opera composer). This question brings the most points, so I would spend more time contemplating some of the most famous composers of these times. 

Music History Common Exam
Offered in person in the Johnson Classroom of the Little Fine Arts and Design Library
Thursday, Sept 17, 2026

Students may optionally take exams on a laptop computer with the following conditions: 

1. The use of the Internet is forbidden, and
2. the hard drive shall contain NO material related to the examination.The exams will be written and copied onto a “clean” external jump drive, which each student will provide. The exam may not be copied to or remain on the computer after the exam. The completed exams will be printed from the jump drive by the DGS and photocopies of the exam will be supplied to the two DMA Qualifying Examination committee members for grading.
3. A description of the DMA and PhD exams, as well as the specific topics to study:
   1. Common Music History Exam Topics

Suggested sources for review:

• Grout and Palisca; A History of Western Music (W.W. Norton)
• Stolba; The Development of Western Music: A History (W.C. Brown)
• Pen; Introduction to Music (McGraw-Hill)

Music Theory Common Exam
Offered in person in the Johnson Classroom of the Little Fine Arts and Design Library 
Friday, Sept 18, 2026

No computers are allowed for the theory portion of the common exam. A score packet and student answer packet, which provides pages for all needed responses, will be provided. All that is needed for the theory exam are pencils. Please note that phones are not allowed in the examination room.

Doctoral Theory Common Exam Preparedness

• Content and Tips
• Terms to Know
• Score Analysis Packet
• Practice Answer Packet