Auditions are required for Music majors and the Music minor for admission into the NKU Music Program and for scholarship consideration. Audition requirements vary based on area and are listed below. If auditioning for both scholarships and admission into the Music Program, applicants will complete all requirements in one audition.
Audition sign-up is available up to 72 hours before each audition date. Applicants are encouraged to schedule their audition early in order to have the greatest pick of audition times.
Please note applicants must also submit the required admissions application to the university.
For Music Scholarship consideration, applicants should submit an audition by March 17, 2025; must have a 20+ ACT or a 2.8 GPA; AND be admitted to NKU no later than Feb. 15.
Prospective students, please note the following:
If you are unable to make any of these audition dates, please contact Joan Brummer brummerj1@nku.edu for an alternative live audition date or consider submitting a video audition instead.
Joan Brummer
brummerj1@nku.edu
Free parking is available in the Faculty/Staff parking lot "D" (no permit is necessary on audition days). Parking lot "D" is located across from the Welcome Center and is also in front of the Fine Arts Center and Steely Library.
All auditions take place in the Fine Arts Center. Students should check in at the first floor Greaves Concert Hall lobby. Audition room locations will be posted there. Student ambassadors will also be available to direct students to appropriate locations. While a bank of practice rooms are available on the second floor if needed, applicants are strongly encouraged to warm up off-campus before arriving to their audition.
If at all possible, please do try to keep your audition date/time, especially if you wish to be considered for scholarship. If you encounter an unavoidable conflict, you may reschedule/cancel your audition time yourself. If possible, please try to reschedule for another time. If no time is available, please contact the area coordinator for your instrument/voice to see if an individual audition may be possible (please know scholarship consideration is not always possible for late auditions).
If NKU closes for inclement weather, auditions will be canceled and rescheduled. The NKU Music Program will send any necessary information/communications via email.
As part of the NKU audition, your background in music theory and musicianship will be assessed. This assessment is not factored into your music admission decision, but it does help determine what courses to place you into, should you decide to attend NKU in the fall. All students wishing to major or minor in music are required to take this placement exam. Students who are auditioning for ensemble scholarships only do not need to take this exam. Please check your email periodically, as we will be sending a unique link to the theory placement test there.
If you have at least 6 months of piano experience, piano is NOT your primary instrument, and you are interested in placing out of some/all of the piano course requirements, please sign up to take an optional piano placement exam on the day of your audition. If you do not have piano experience (or have limited experience), you should not take the piano placement exam. Students whose primary instrument is piano, do not need to take the piano placement exam and will automatically be placed into Class Piano IV. If you are submitting a video audition, please email Keyboard Area Coordinator Dr. Richard Van Dyke (vandyker1@nku.edu) to take the exam.
Click/tap each header to expand requirements.
Joy Burdette
wallacejo@nku.edu
Richard Van Dyke
vandyker1@nku.edu
Scales (performed from memory)
Music
OR
Suggested etudes (can be combined with All-State List, or select two etudes from the following)
Recommended Etudes:
Recommended Solos:
Technical:
Lyrical:
Solo:
Technical Etude from the following:
Lyrical Etude from the following:
Lou Setzer
setzerl1@nku.edu
Krista Weiss
weissk2@nku.edu
Michael Culligan
culliganm1@nku.edu
Please submit a video audition with the following elements:
If submitting your audition via video, please introduce yourself, tell us a bit about yourself, and tell us why you would like to go into music.
Requirements for admission:
Requirements for scholarship consideration (in addition to admission requirements):
If submitting your audition via video, please introduce yourself, tell us a bit about yourself, and tell us why you would like to go into music.
Requirements for admission:
Requirements for scholarship consideration (in addition to admission requirements):
Amy Culligan
gillinghaa1@nku.edu
Requirements for admission:
Requirements for scholarship consideration (in addition to admission requirements):
Requirements for admission:
Requirements for scholarship consideration (in addition to admission requirements):
William Hogg
hoggw1@nku.edu
Requirements for admission:
Requirements for scholarship consideration (in addition to admission requirements):
Kurt Sander
sanderk@nku.edu