Audition Day Examinations

First Year Music Student Applicants

  • Music Fundamentals – You will take a test to evaluate your knowledge of the fundamentals of music to place you in the appropriate first-semester music theory class. See a sample test here.
  • One-on-one Musicianship – You will have a brief one-on-one session with a professor to check your ability to match pitch, repeat a melody and rhythm, sight-sing a simple melody and, if you’re familiar with solfège, demonstrate basic solfège skills.

Theory Fundamentals Preparation

In addition to the sample test above, use resources such as these below and music theory apps to prepare for the musicianship screening and music fundamentals exam.

Transfer Applicants

  • Music Theory Placement Test – See test samples below.
  • One-on-one Musicianship – A brief session to check your ability to match pitch, repeat a sung melody, repeat a sung rhythm, sight-sing a simple melody and use solfège (if possible).

In order to place out of a class completed at another institution applicants may take placement tests to demonstrate skills and understanding of materials at a level required of ECU School of Music students. Contact the Chair of the Theory/Composition/Musicology Department to arrange to take a placement test.

Sample transfer student placement test material:

  • Music Theory I
    Voice leading and realization of figured bass plus questions about concepts such as harmonic analysis and species counterpoint.
  • Music Theory II
    Score transposition, part writing, and questions about concepts listed above for the Music Theory I placement test.
  • Music Theory III
    Sonata form analysis plus questions about concepts such as those listed above for the Music Theory I and II placement tests.
  • Music Theory IV
    Serial analysis, pitch class sets, fugue, and questions about concepts such as those listed above for the Music Theory I, II, and III placement tests.

We recommend the following to prepare for transfer placement exams: Paul Cooper, Perspectives in Music Theory, Peter Spencer. The Practice of Harmony, or Robert Gauldin, Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music.

Transfer Placement Exam audio excerpts

Graduate Applicants

During the audition process, applicants to ECU School of Music graduate programs will take assessment tests to gauge their preparedness for graduate level study. Results of this examination may indicate the need for remedial work, which is usually most effectively achieved through taking undergraduate courses. Such remedial courses do not yield credit toward the Master’s degree, but are required for unprepared students before taking graduate classes that require a certain level of preparedness.

Below are examples of materials similar to what applicants will be asked to sight-sing, and similar to harmonic progressions applicants will be asked to identify:

Sample music theory test material:

We recommend the following to prepare for the graduate music theory audition exam and ECU School of Music graduate-level courses: Paul Cooper, Perspectives in Music Theory, Peter Spencer. The Practice of Harmony, or Robert Gauldin, Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music.

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SAMPLE MUSICOLOGY DIAGNOSTIC EXAM for applicants to MUSICOLOGY program

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Graduate Diagnostic Exam audio excerpts