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scholarships & Auditions

GENERAL INFORMATION

Scholarships, service awards, and a limited number of out of state tuition waivers are primarily awarded through participation in the department's major ensembles—band and choir. Students who audition for these ensembles as prospective music majors may have additional requirements as well (see below). Check with a faculty member in your area for details.

PREFERRED AUDITION DATE

Although alternate dates are available, the preferred scholarship audition date for music majors is the third Saturday in February. Other audition times and dates are available, but this is the preferred date. To schedule an audition, contact the Department of Music office at (662) 325-3070. It is necessary to schedule a specific time for your audition either on the preferred audition day or on an alternate day.

The following requirements are for ensemble scholarship auditions only.

BAND ENSEMBLES

http://www.msstate.edu/org/band

Brass and Woodwind Players

  • 5 major scales (Student's choice. 2 octaves where appropriate.)
  • A full range chromatic scale
  • A prepared piece that demonstrates your best qualities as a musician
  • Sight-reading

Percussionists

  • Snare Drum
  • 5 rudiments (Student's choice. Open-Closed-Open)
  • Long Roll
  • A 1-2 minute prepared piece (on concert snare) that demonstrates your best qualities as a musician
  • Sight-reading

Mallet Percussion

  • Same as Brass & Woodwind requirements

Timpani

  • Etude or solo

NOTE: To receive a band scholarship as a percussionist, students must also audition for and receive placement in the MSU Drumline. See the drumline website at http://www.msstate.edu/org/drumline for details on audition material as well as audition dates.

All band auditions include sight-reading.

CHORAL ENSEMBLES

http://www.music.msstate.edu/ensembles/choral/

Please bring a prepared piece to sing for your audition. The song can be an Italian or English Art song, or a choral piece that you are currently performing in an ensemble. You will also be asked to sing vocalises to assess your range and tonal quality, pitch memory exercises to assess your ear, and a basic sight-singing example to assess your ability to sight-sing. The auditions are used to determine where each singer may find the greatest success in the MSU Choirs.

The audition will measure your stance, posture, the presence or absence of tension or nervous mannerisms, the quality of your speaking voice and fluency of delivery, your command of language and freedom of expression, your apparent attitude, your mental alertness, and so forth. While you are singing, the choral director will be listening for and evaluating your intonation, pronunciation, phonation, pitches, breathing, and/or vocal problems. This is much like a coach evaluating players for a team or a physician gathering all information before a diagnosis.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS FOR MUSIC MAJORS

Students whose main performance area is piano, guitar or strings are encouraged to audition for scholarship consideration with either the band or the choir.

In addition to the above requirements, prospective music majors may be asked to perform additional material at the audition. Please contact a faculty member in your area for specific requirements. Examples of additional material may include the following:

Brass, Woodwind, Strings

  • Additional scales (major and/or minor) with arpeggios
  • Extended chromatic scale
  • Two solos/etudes of contrasting styles (lyrical and technical)
  • Additional sight-reading

Piano

  • Demonstrate major/minor scales and arpeggios (minimum of two octaves)
  • Two prepared pieces of contrasting styles (memorization preferred)
  • Sight-reading at an appropriate level
  • Additional material may be included if desired

Percussion

  • One solo on at least two of the following instruments: snare drum (rudimental or concert style), keyboard percussion, timpani.
  • Major scales and snare drum rudiments
  • Sightreading on an instrument of your choosing
  • Optional: demonstration of drum set styles

Voice

  • Sing a scale
  • Perform two selections of the student's choice in the language of choice
  • Sight-reading at an approved level
  • Additional material may be included if desired

Guitar

  • Contact Dr. Michael Patilla at 662-325-3070 for more information.

Note to all prospective music majors: A freshman student wishing to declare music or music or music education as a major may be assigned to serve a "probationary period" depending on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the following:

  • The individual student's musical background and preparedness for music study
  • The results of the audition process
  • The discretion of the Department of Music faculty

Upon satisfactory completion of the requirements prescribed by the faculty, the student may then be admitted as a music or music education major in full standing. A probationary period typically lasts 1-2 semesters.

ADDITIONAL SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC

Walt & Ellen Newsom Scholarship: This scholarship is donated by Dr. and Mrs. Walt Newsom of Starkville, MS. This scholarship is awarded to students who are Choral Music Education majors. For further information, contact Director of Choral Activities for more information.

Lois C. Kaufman Endowment for Music Education: This endowment was established in memory of Dr. Harold F. Kaufman. Applicants should be full time music education majors and rising seniors with demonstrated musical and academic achievement. This annual scholarship is based on the selection and completion of a research proposal related to the area of world music, as submitted by the student. For further information, contact the Department of Music.

Department of Music Faculty Scholarship: This annual scholarship is funded from donations and concerts performed by faculty members of the Department of Music. The scholarship(s) is given to music majors who have demonstrated exceptional achievement. For further information, contact the Department of Music.

Hal & Joyce Polk Music Scholarship: This scholarship is donated by Mr. and Mrs. Hal Polk of Starkville, MS. It is awarded annually to an instrumental music major. For further information, contact the Department of Music.

Royer Scarbrough Brass Scholarship: This annual scholarship is donated by Dr. and Mrs. Michael Brown of Starkville, MS. The scholarship is to be awarded to a brass major. For further information, contact Director of the Maroon Band Program for more information.

Cheryl Prewitt Christian Voice and Music Scholarship: This scholarship is donated by Mr. and Mrs. James W. Tennyson and Bill, and friends in honor of Mr. and Mrs. John Tennyson, grandparents of Cheryl Prewitt, Miss America 1980. Three scholarships are given annually: one to an entering freshman, a transfer student, and a resident student majoring in vocal music education. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of character references and vocal competition. For further information, contact the Department of Music.

Smith-Moore Scholarship: Donated by Ernest D. Moore of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, this scholarship honors MSU voice professor, Linda Karen Smith. It is awarded annually to, either a 1) freshman with an ACT score of 24 or above who demonstrates outstanding musical ability or 2) an upper-division student with a minimum 3.0 GPA (based on 4.0 system) who demonstrates outstanding musical ability and outstanding service to the Department of Music. The student must be a resident of Mississippi and a full-time music major student at Mississippi State University. For further information, contact the Department of Music.

Katherine Gardner Thomas Memorial Piano Scholarships: These scholarships are funded through an endowment created by Mr. Garnett J. Thomas in memory of his late wife. Scholarships are awarded annually to resident freshman, sophomore or junior piano majors; and to entering freshman or transfer students. All awards are based on competitive performance auditions. When an organ program becomes available at Mississippi State University, upper-class students enrolled in this program shall be eligible for scholarships. For further information, contact the Department of Music.

Please contact the Department of Music at 662-325-3070 for more information about these scholarships.