Graduate Programs — How to Apply

Brass Performance (Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts) 
 

1. Upload with your application a repertoire list; if possible provide programs and reviews of concerts performed. Combine all into one PDF and "Add Attachment" under "Portfolio" in the Final Steps/Submit tab.
    
2. To schedule an audition, email the faculty member as soon as possible:
    
   • Trumpet — Timothy Leasure
   • Horn — Bruce Henniss
   • Trombone — Elisabeth Shafer
   • Tuba/euphonium — James Akins

In-person, live auditions at our Columbus campus are preferred. Accommodations can be made to administer your audition via a pre-recorded video if you are unable travel to our campus. Please contact the relevant faculty member for additional details.

Audition Materials by Instrument

Horn

MM Audition

• Two complete (all movements) contrasting time period solos/concerti (i.e. Classical/Romantic/Modern). No piano accompaniment required.
• Five orchestral excerpts of your choice 
• Two contrasting Etudes (one more lyrical and the other more technical)
• Possible sight-reading

DMA Audition

• Two complete (all movements) contrasting time period solos/concerti (i.e. Classical/Romantic/Modern). No piano accompaniment required.
• Ten orchestral excerpts of your choice
• Two contrasting Etudes (one more lyrical and the other more technical)
• Possible sight-reading

Trumpet Audition — all degrees

It is recommended that you email your list of audition repertoire to Professor Leasure at leasure.13@osu.edu well in advance of your audition for approval. 

• On Bb trumpet — etude of your choice (Charlier or Bitsch recommended)
• On C trumpet — solo of your choice
• A list of 10 orchestral excerpts, 5 of which will be chosen by the audition committee
• On Eb trumpet — solo of your choice
• On piccolo trumpet — solo of your choice or played as part of the excerpts above

Tenor and Bass Trombone

MM Audition

• Two contrasting solos; one work must be a full concerto or a full sonata (solos to be performed without piano)
• Five orchestral excerpts of your choice 
• An etude of your choice
• All major and minor scales
• Possible sight-reading

DMA Audition

• 25 minutes of contrasting solos; one work must be a full concerto or a full sonata (solos to be performed without piano)
• Ten orchestral excerpts of your choice 
• All major and minor scales
• Possible sight-reading

Tuba/Euphonium — all degrees

• A major concerto (Vaughan Williams tuba concerto or equivalent)
• 5 orchestral excerpts of your choice
• Lyric etude

Composition (Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts)

Portfolio

Please upload a PDF containing links to 3–5 work samples. These materials must be accessible via stable, non-password protected links (we suggest services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, SoundCloud, YouTube, Vimeo, or your own website). Submit the PDF to the “Portfolio” section of the application. For each work sample, provide:

1. A link to a score or any notational materials relevant to your creative practice;
    
2. A link to a recording (audio or video) and any other relevant documentation of the work:
    
   • For works involving acoustic instruments, live recordings are preferred when possible, but MIDI renderings are also accepted.
      
   • For intermedia and/or installation works, a video is preferred when possible, but audio alone is also accepted along with a description of how it functions in the work.
      
   • If you are submitting a score follower-style video as your recording, please be sure to also include a link to the PDF of the score.

Writing sample

Upload a PDF of one writing sample/essay on a musical topic (8–10 pages double-spaced).
 
A note about the use of generative AI: if you have used any generative AI models or tools (particularly those created using machine learning) in your application materials or work samples, please cite them and include a description of the ways in which you have engaged with them and the extent to which they were used in the creation of the work — whether writings, scores, recordings, or both. If the model or tool is yours, no formal citation is needed, but a brief description of how you created the model (including the sources of your training data) is necessary. For guidance on how to cite the use of generative AI, please refer to the MLA Style Center. 

Conducting (Master of Music)

We are not accepting wind or choral conducting applicants for the 2025–2026 academic year. 

Students may begin graduate conducting programs only during autumn semester.

Before applying, consult a faculty member in the relevant program:

• Choral emphasis — Robert J. Ward
• Orchestral emphasis — Miriam Burns
• Wind emphasis — Russel C. Mikkelson 
   

1. Upload with your application a résumé that lists your background, conducting experience, conducting teachers, a list of repertoire studied on your major instrument or voice, a list of conducting repertoire studied, and a list of pieces performed (conducted) in public. 
    
2. Prepare a pre-screen video audition:
    

• Your pre-screen video must include rehearsal and performance (camera facing the front of the conductor)
   
• Optionally, you may include an audio recording of your own performance on a major instrument or voice.
   
• The full links to the videos should be listed on a PDF to be uploaded as the “Portfolio” attachment on the Final Steps/Submit page of the application. 

Applicants chosen for a live audition will be contacted by the conducting faculty.

Conducting (Doctor of Musical Arts)

We are not accepting wind or choral conducting applicants for the 2025–2026 academic year. 

Applicants for the DMA in conducting should have at least three years of full-time professional conducting/teaching experience prior to application.

Students may begin graduate conducting programs only during autumn semester.

Before applying, please consult a faculty member in the relevant program:

• Choral emphasis — Robert J. Ward
• Orchestral emphasis — Miriam Burns
• Wind emphasis — Russel C. Mikkelson
   

1. Upload with the application a résumé that lists your background, conducting experience, conducting teachers, a list of repertoire studied on your major instrument or voice, a list of conducting repertoire studies, and a list of pieces performed (conducted) in public.
    
2. Prepare a pre-screen video audition:, viewable to all who have access to the link (privacy setting "Unlisted"). The video should be of high visual and audio quality and document the your rehearsal and performance work as follows:
    
   • An unedited rehearsal video recording of approximately 30 minutes’ duration from a single rehearsal; this recording should show a frontal view of the conductor and verbal directions should be clearly audible.
      
   • A performance video recording (camera facing the front of the conductor), including several contrasting selections. Although the performance video may consist of a number of selections recorded at various times, individual performances should be intact and technologically unaltered.
      
   • At least one of these videos must have been made within six months prior to application.
      
   • The full links to the videos should be included on a PDF to be uploaded as the “Portfolio” attachment on the Final Steps/Submit page of the application. 

For selected applicants, the conducting faculty will schedule a personal interview, an on-campus conducting audition, and a keyboard proficiency test (not required for Wind Conducting).

Music Education (Master of Arts) 
 

1. Provide video demonstrating musicianship on your principal instrument or voice.
    
2. Upload your video(s) to YouTube and make them viewable to all who have access to the link (privacy setting "Unlisted").
    
3. Include the full link(s) to your performances on the first page of your CV/résumé document under the heading "Performance Video.”

No teaching video is required of MA applicants.

Questions? Email Daryl Kinney.

Music Education (Doctor of Philosophy)

Applicants whose master's degree was not in music education may apply. However, if admitted, the student's initial course work will likely involve master's level courses.

1. Upload your résumé or vita with your application. It should summarize educational and professional background and verify at least three years of teaching experience. Piano pedagogy students must have at least three years of experience with private instruction and/or class piano.
    
2. Upload a representative scholarly writing sample.
    
3. Submit a face-the-camera video of your teaching (not a performance video). Upload the video to YouTube or a comparable streaming service and make it viewable to all who have access to the link (privacy setting "Unlisted"). Include the full links to your teaching video on the first page of your CV/résumé document under the heading "Teaching Video.”
    
   • No performance video is required for PhD applicants.

Finalists will be invited for an interview with the faculty.

Questions? Email Daryl Kinney.

Ohio State Master of Arts graduates, and applicants changing degree programs, must complete the items listed above, in addition to the following:

1. Send a letter to Dr. Kinney asking for admission to the PhD program.
    
2. Have three letters of reference that address your potential for doctoral-level work in music education sent to Dr. Kinney.

Music Theory (Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy)
 

• Submit examples of theory or analysis papers. Combine them into one PDF and upload in the Program Documents section of the application.

Questions? Email Ryan Skinner.

Musicology (Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy)

Students with bachelor’s degrees who intend to complete the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) need not apply to the Master of Arts program. Select PhD if that is your intended degree.

• Submit research papers demonstrating skill in writing, knowledge about music, and ability to construct a convincing and original argument. Combine them into one PDF and upload with your application.

Those who wish to visit in order to meet with members of the faculty should contact Ryan Skinner.

Percussion — Performance (Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts) 
 

• Upload with your application a PDF containing a repertoire list, programs and reviews (if available) of concerts performed. Combine all into one PDF and upload it into the "Portfolio" box of the Final Steps/Submit tab.
   
• Contact Susan Powell to discuss the admissions process. Most applicants will come to campus for an in-person audition. If circumstances prevent an audition in person, a recently recorded audition will be considered.
   
• Applicants must demonstrate a level of performance ability in the following major areas of percussion performance — snare drum, mallet percussion, timpani. Include excerpts from the orchestral repertoire on xylophone, snare drum and timpani.
   
  • Students are encouraged to demonstrate competencies in other applicable areas (multiple percussion, chamber performance, drum set, world percussion etc.).

Piano — Performance (Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts)

Pre-Screen Audition Video — all applicants

All Applicants must submit a Pre-Screen Audition Video. Deadline: November 30, 2024. 

• It is recommended that applicants submit all application materials by the pre-screen submission deadline.
   
• If you wish to be considered for a Fellowship, the teaching demonstration referenced below is also due by Nov. 30.

Repertoire Requirements: Perform the first movement of a Classical Sonata (Schubert accepted) and one virtuosic etude.

Upload to YouTube an unedited video audition viewable to all who have access to the link (privacy setting “Unlisted”). The full links to the videos should be included on a PDF to be uploaded as the “Portfolio” attachment on the Final Steps/Submit page of the application.

Fellowships and Associateships

If you wish to be considered for a fellowship or graduate teaching associate (GTA), submit a teaching demonstration video. Deadlines:

• Fellowship — November 30, 2024
• Associateship — January 1, 2025

Teaching Demonstration Content: Your teaching demonstration should be a 15– to 20–minute segment of a private or group lesson with student(s) at any age and level. The teaching demonstration must be in English. 

Upload to YouTube or another streaming service an unedited digital video recording with clear audio quality. Put the full link on a PDF and label it “Teaching Demonstration.” Use the Admissions Uploader to submit the PDF.

Full Audition

Applicants will be notified by a member of the piano faculty if they are chosen to move on in the audition process and will be given the opportunity to audition in person or submit a video performance.

• Refer to the Repertoire Requirements for the full audition.
   
• For those submitting a video performance, upload the video to YouTube and make it viewable to all who have access to the link (privacy setting "Unlisted").
   
• Include the full links to your performances on a PDF and use the Admissions Uploader to submit.
   

Live Piano Audition Dates

• Fellowship auditions — January 5, 2025
• Other dates — January 11 and February 15, 2025 

Questions? Email Lynn Singleton, graduate piano audition coordinator.

String Performance (Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts) 

and

String Pedagogy (Master of Arts)

String auditions will take place in person on the following dates and times:

• Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024 — 12–5 p.m.
• Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025 — 12–5 p.m.
• Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025 — 12–5 p.m.

Applicants wishing to be considered for a Fellowship or Graduate Associateship must audition in person.

• To request your audition date, please complete the String Audition Request Form.

Audition Repertoire — Prepare a program of about 30 minutes of repertoire that represents at least three style periods and demonstrates the applicant's instrumental range and command.

Applicants who do not wish to be considered for funding may opt to submit a video audition as follows:

• Each work or movement should be recorded as a separate video.
   
• The full links to the videos should be included on a PDF to be uploaded as the “Portfolio” attachment on the Final Steps/Submit page of the application.

If you have questions or want more advice concerning audition repertoire, email the relevant instructor:

• Violin — Andrii Isakov
• Viola — Juliet White-Smith
• Cello — Julia Yang
• Bass — John Pellegrino
• Guitar — Karl Wohlwend

Voice — Performance (Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts)

Pre-Screen video — all applicants

Repertoire

• Master of Music applicants — Six pieces including French, German, Italian, and English in contrasting styles. One of the pieces must be an aria.
   
• DMA applicants — Full-length (45-60-minute) recital or equivalent amount of repertoire including French, German, Italian, and English in contrasting styles. Three of the pieces should be operatic or oratorio arias.  

How to submit

The full links to the videos should be included on a PDF to be uploaded as the “Portfolio” attachment on the Final Steps/Submit page of the application.  

• Any required document not submitted with the application should be submitted afterwards via the Admissions Uploader. 

Fellowships and Associateships — Teaching Demonstration Video

If you wish to be considered for a fellowship or teaching assistantship, submit a teaching demonstration video.

Deadlines:

• Fellowship — November 30, 2024
• Associateship — January 1, 2025

Teaching Demonstration Video — The teaching video should be of a 15–20-minute private lesson with a student. The teaching demonstrations must be in English. 

How to submit — The full links to the videos should be included on a PDF to be uploaded as the “Portfolio” attachment on the Final Steps/Submit page of the application. 

• Any required document not submitted with the application should be submitted afterwards via the Admissions Uploader. 
   

Live Auditions

Applicants chosen for a live audition will be contacted by the voice department within two weeks of the application submission deadline. 

Live auditions will consist of the same repertoire submitted for the pre-screens. Minimal substitutions can be made, with the bulk of the repertoire remaining the same.

Live auditions will be held on the Columbus campus:

• February 9, 2025
• February 22, 2025

  
Questions?  Email Laura Portune. 

Woodwinds — Performance (Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts)

Application Materials

• Upload with your application a repertoire list as part of your résumé.

Pre-Screen Audition Requirements — all applicants

Repertoire

• These could be whole works or singular movements and should contrast in style and time period. In addition, please include three orchestral excerpts. The total length of the video should be between 10–20 minutes.
  • No excerpts for saxophone.
     
• The video must include two pieces of repertoire: an accompanied work performed with the accompaniment, and a solo/unaccompanied work.

How to submit

• Include repertoire information and timestamps in the video's description.
   
• The full links to the videos should be included on a PDF to be uploaded as the “Portfolio” attachment on the Final Steps/Submit page of the application. 

Applicants chosen for a live audition will be contacted by the woodwind department. 
 

Live Auditions

Live auditions will be held on the Columbus campus on:

• Friday, December 6, 2024
• Friday, January 10, 2025 (No saxophone)
• Friday, February 14, 2025 (No oboe)

Repertoire (memorization is not required)

• Two (2) complete solo pieces (i.e. concerto, sonata, French conservatory piece) from contrasting style periods. Accompanist not required.
   
• Four (4) to six (6) orchestral excerpts demonstrating knowledge of standard literature.
  • No excerpts required for saxophone applicants.

Video Auditions

Repertoire (memorization is not required)

• Two (2) complete solo pieces (i.e. concerto, sonata, French conservatory piece) from contrasting style periods. Accompanist not required.
   
• At least six (6) orchestral excerpts demonstrating knowledge of standard literature.
  • No excerpts required for saxophone applicants.

How to submit

• Upload to YouTube an unedited video audition, viewable to all who have access to the link (privacy setting "Unlisted").
   
• Put the full link(s) on a PDF and label it “Video Audition.” Please use the Admissions Uploader to submit the PDF.