Winds and Brass
Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Arts
All of the materials listed below must be received by the December 1st deadline. Any application not complete by December 1 may be removed from consideration.
Required items:
- USC Undergraduate Application - the following documents will also be submitted online with the USC application:
- Résumé
- Repertoire List
- Statement of Objectives
- Materials to be delivered to USC Admission (click here for the "USC Contact Us" page, then select "USC Office of Admission" to obtain the correct mailing address)
- Official transcripts
- SAT or ACT test scores
- TOEFL score report (required from all applicants for whom English is a second language, regardless of educational background or immigration status)
- Audition (see below)
- Prescreen Recording (required for flute applicants ONLY) – to be mailed directly to the Thornton Admission Office (see address below)
USC Thornton Office of Admission
927 West 35th Street- PIC 212
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0021**Please do not send any additional materials to the USC Thornton Office of Admission.
Audition Information
FLUTE
Applicants for Fall admission to programs in flute must submit an audition recording (in DVD format) to be pre-screened by the faculty. The results of this pre-screen will determine whether or not an applicant will be invited to perform a live audition on the USC campus in Los Angeles. Specific repertoire requirements for both the pre-screen recording and the live audition are listed below.
Recordings must be received by the Thornton admission office by the December 1st deadline to be pre-screened by the faculty. Applicants who do not provide the required pre-screening materials by the stated deadline will not be considered for an invitation to audition in person. The recording must be labeled with the following information:
First and Last Name Date of Birth USC ID# Program to which you are applying (i.e. BM Music Industry: Oboe) Year you are applying for (i.e. Fall 2010) Anticipated Class standing (Freshman, Transfer, or Grad)
In the event that a student is not able to perform the live audition at USC, s/he may request that a pre-screen DVD recording be considered in lieu of the live audition. It is extremely important to note, however, that only a DVD recording which includes both the required pre-screen audition repertoire and the required live audition repertoire would be considered in lieu of a live audition. Recordings that do not include the required live audition repertoire will not be considered in lieu of a live audition.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Undergraduate applications are not accepted for Spring admission to this program unless the applicant is already enrolled at USC. Current USC students for spring admission are not required to submit a recording for pre-screening. Spring applicants must contact the Winds department directly at (213) 740-7416 to arrange for an audition.
Flute applicants must prepare the following on the pre-screen recording (see format specifications above):
- Mozart G-Major Concerto -- first and second movements, exposition sections only
- EITHER the Ibert Concerto (first movement) OR the Nielsen Concerto (first movement, first 5 pages of the flute score)
- Anderson: Opus 33, Number 1 (metronome: 120 beats per minute)
- The opening statement of Debussy Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
- A-flat major scale and C-sharp harmonic minor scale (both in two octaves, first slurred then double-tongued)
For the live audition, flute applicants will be required to prepare the following:
- Two contrasting movements from the sonata or concerto repertoire (e.g. the first movement of the Mozart G-Major Concerto and the third movement of the Ibert Concerto)
- Two orchestral excerpts (standard selections preferred)
- All major and minor scales (two-octave, slurred and double-tongued, ascending and descending)
All Other Instruments
Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Saxophone, French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone or Tuba
A performance audition is required of applicants to all programs in woodwind and brass instruments. Three selections representing various stylistic periods of music should be prepared for the audition. These selections should be full-length pieces from the standard solo literature, although excerpts from ensemble literature may also be included. If any of the selections are taken from a multi-movement sonata or concerto, applicants need only prepare one movement of the piece.
A recent recording may be submitted with the Thornton School of Music Supplementary Application in lieu of a live audition if necessary. Video recordings (DVDs) are generally preferred over audio recordings (CDs). Please visit our Audition page for more specific information regarding audition dates and locations.
Graduate Certificate, Master of Music
All of the materials listed below must be received by the December 1st deadline. Any application not complete by December 1 may be removed from consideration.
Required items:
- USC Graduate Application - the following documents will also be submitted online with the USC application:
- Résumé
- Repertoire List
- Statement of Objectives
- 1-3 Letters of Recommendation (see the USC online application for instructions on how to submit)
- Materials to be delivered to USC Admission (click here for the correct mailing address)
- Official transcripts
- TOEFL score report - required from all MM applicants for whom English is a second language, regardless of educational background or immigration status
- Audition (see below)
- Prescreen Recording (required for flute applicants ONLY) – to be mailed directly to the Thornton Admission Office (see address below)
USC Thornton Office of Admission
927 West 35th Street- PIC 212
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0021**Please do not send any additional materials to the USC Thornton Office of Admission.
Audition Information
FLUTE
Applicants for Fall admission to programs in flute must submit an audition recording (in DVD format) to be pre-screened by the faculty. The results of this pre-screen will determine whether or not an applicant will be invited to perform a live audition on the USC campus in Los Angeles. Specific repertoire requirements for both the pre-screen recording and the live audition are listed below.
Recordings must be received by the Thornton admission office by the December 1st deadline to be pre-screened by the faculty. Applicants who do not provide the required pre-screening materials by the stated deadline will not be considered for an invitation to audition in person. The recording must be labeled with the following information:
First and Last Name Date of Birth USC ID# Program to which you are applying (i.e. BM Music Industry: Oboe) Year you are applying for (i.e. Fall 2010) Anticipated Class standing (Freshman, Transfer, or Grad)
In the event that a student is not able to perform the live audition at USC, s/he may request that a pre-screen DVD recording be considered in lieu of the live audition. It is extremely important to note, however, that only a DVD recording which includes both the required pre-screen audition repertoire and the required live audition repertoire would be considered in lieu of a live audition. Recordings that do not include the required live audition repertoire will not be considered in lieu of a live audition.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants for spring admission are not required to submit a recording for pre-screening. Spring applicants must contact the Winds department directly at (213) 740-7416 to arrange for an audition.
Flute applicants must prepare the following on the pre-screen recording (see format specifications above):
- Mozart G-Major Concerto -- first and second movements, exposition sections only
- EITHER the Ibert Concerto (first movement) OR the Nielsen Concerto (first movement, first 5 pages of the flute score)
- Anderson: Opus 33, Number 1 (metronome: 120 beats per minute)
- The opening statement of Debussy Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
- A-flat major scale and C-sharp harmonic minor scale (both in two octaves, first slurred then double-tongued)
For the live audition, flute applicants will be required to prepare the following:
- Two contrasting movements from the sonata or concerto repertoire (e.g. the first movement of the Mozart G-Major Concerto and the third movement of the Ibert Concerto)
- Two orchestral excerpts (standard selections preferred)
- All major and minor scales (two-octave, slurred and double-tongued, ascending and descending)
All Other Instruments
Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Saxophone, French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone or Tuba
A performance audition is required of applicants to all programs in woodwind and brass instruments. Three selections representing various stylistic periods of music should be prepared for the audition. These selections should be full-length pieces from the standard solo literature, although excerpts from ensemble literature may also be included. If any of the selections are taken from a multi-movement sonata or concerto, applicants need only prepare one movement of the piece.
A recent recording may be submitted with the Thornton School of Music Supplementary Application in lieu of a live audition if necessary. Video recordings (DVDs) are generally preferred over audio recordings (CDs). Please visit our Audition page for more specific information regarding audition dates and locations.
Doctor of Musical Arts
All of the materials listed below must be received by the December 1st deadline. Any application not complete by December 1 may be removed from consideration.
Required items:
- USC Graduate Application - the following documents will also be submitted online with the USC application:
- Résumé
- Repertoire List
- Statement of Objectives
- 1-3 Letters of Recommendation (see the USC online application for instructions on how to submit)
- Materials to be delivered to USC Admission (click here for the correct mailing address)
- Official transcripts
- GRE score report (general test only)
- TOEFL score report - required from all applicants for whom English is a second language, regardless of educational background or immigration status
- Audition (see below)
- Prescreen Recording (required for flute applicants ONLY) – to be mailed directly to the Thornton Admission Office (see address below)
USC Thornton Office of Admission
927 West 35th Street- PIC 212
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0021**Please do not send any additional materials to the USC Thornton Office of Admission.
Audition Information
FLUTE
Applicants for Fall admission to programs in flute must submit an audition recording (in DVD format) to be pre-screened by the faculty. The results of this pre-screen will determine whether or not an applicant will be invited to perform a live audition on the USC campus in Los Angeles. Specific repertoire requirements for both the pre-screen recording and the live audition are listed below.
Recordings must be received by the Thornton admission office by the December 1st deadline to be pre-screened by the faculty. Applicants who do not provide the required pre-screening materials by the stated deadline will not be considered for an invitation to audition in person. The recording must be labeled with the following information:
First and Last Name Date of Birth USC ID# Program to which you are applying (i.e. BM Music Industry: Oboe) Year you are applying for (i.e. Fall 2010) Anticipated Class standing (Freshman, Transfer, or Grad)
In the event that a student is not able to perform the live audition at USC, s/he may request that a pre-screen DVD recording be considered in lieu of the live audition. It is extremely important to note, however, that only a DVD recording which includes both the required pre-screen audition repertoire and the required live audition repertoire would be considered in lieu of a live audition. Recordings that do not include the required live audition repertoire will not be considered in lieu of a live audition.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants for spring admission are not required to submit a recording for pre-screening. Spring applicants must contact the Winds department directly at (213) 740-7416 to arrange for an audition.
Flute applicants must prepare the following on the pre-screen recording (see format specifications above):
- Mozart G-Major Concerto -- first and second movements, exposition sections only
- EITHER the Ibert Concerto (first movement) OR the Nielsen Concerto (first movement, first 5 pages of the flute score)
- Anderson: Opus 33, Number 1 (metronome: 120 beats per minute)
- The opening statement of Debussy Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
- A-flat major scale and C-sharp harmonic minor scale (both in two octaves, first slurred then double-tongued)
For the live audition, flute applicants will be required to prepare the following:
- Two contrasting movements from the sonata or concerto repertoire (e.g. the first movement of the Mozart G-Major Concerto and the third movement of the Ibert Concerto)
- Two orchestral excerpts (standard selections preferred)
- All major and minor scales (two-octave, slurred and double-tongued, ascending and descending)
All Other Instruments
Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Saxophone, French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone or Tuba
