2022 Articles

A Guide to Choosing Repertoire for Auditions

Yuen, Maureen

This article details important factors that string teachers should take into consideration when assigning repertoire to students preparing auditions for university music programs. Teachers should assign technical work that supports the challenges of the repertoire and pieces should contrast in style. To continually challenge both the students’ technical and musical skills, repertoire and technique should be assigned sequentially with scaffolding considerations and within the student’s Zone of Proximal Development. A rubric has been developed that string teachers can use to determine if the repertoire chosen is suitable for their students. The rubric also provides insight into professors’ expectations of audition performances. There are eleven categories in the rubric: note accuracy, tone, intonation, rhythmic accuracy, tempo markings, bowings and articulations, dynamics, style, phrasing, expression, and ensemble. Students should aspire to performance standards exemplified by professional violinists.