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ProgramOfficial Program Page

Program snapshot

Admissions

Prescreen May Be RequiredAudition RequiredInterview RequiredUniversity App Required

Audition format

In-Person or Virtual

Program

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ProgramOfficial Program Page

Program snapshot

Admissions

Prescreen May Be RequiredAudition RequiredInterview RequiredUniversity App Required

Audition format

In-Person or Virtual

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BMus Music Therapy

ProgramOfficial Program Page

Program snapshot

Admissions

Prescreen May Be RequiredAudition RequiredInterview RequiredUniversity App Required

Audition format

In-Person or Virtual

Program Recognition

Professional four-year BMus in Music Therapy; the curriculum is approved by the American Music Therapy Association, and completion makes graduates eligible to sit for the board certification exam for the MT-BC (Music Therapist-Board Certified) credential

Faculty includes Professors Michael Silverman, PhD, MT-BC; Todd Schwartzberg, PhD, MT-BC; and Kayla Shafer, MA, MT-BC

Training

The Judith A. Jellison On-Campus Music Therapy Clinic and Classroom (OCMTC), housed in Ferguson Hall, gives students hands-on clinical learning alongside community service users

Off-campus placements span hospitals, schools, nursing homes, private practice, and other clinical sites

The program reports a 100% job placement rate for graduates

School info

Snapshot

Avg GPA (W)

3.90

Admit rate

80%

school-wide

Grad rate

85%

Enrollment

31.9K

Earnings

$69K

10yr after

Costs & aid

In-state tuition

$19,174

Before aid

Out-of-state tuition

$43,332

Before aid

Cost of attendance

$37,926

Before aid

Average net price

$16,778

After aid

Cost Attendance · admissions.tc.umn.edu College Scorecard

Program info updated Oct 18, 7:53 PM

Program Highlights

Program Recognition

Faculty includes Professors Michael Silverman, PhD, MT-BC; Todd Schwartzberg, PhD, MT-BC; and Kayla Shafer, MA, MT-BC

Training

The Judith A. Jellison On-Campus Music Therapy Clinic and Classroom (OCMTC), housed in Ferguson Hall, gives students hands-on clinical learning alongside community service users

Off-campus placements span hospitals, schools, nursing homes, private practice, and other clinical sites

The program reports a 100% job placement rate for graduates

Program Highlights

Program Recognition

Faculty includes Professors Michael Silverman, PhD, MT-BC; Todd Schwartzberg, PhD, MT-BC; and Kayla Shafer, MA, MT-BC

Training

The Judith A. Jellison On-Campus Music Therapy Clinic and Classroom (OCMTC), housed in Ferguson Hall, gives students hands-on clinical learning alongside community service users

Off-campus placements span hospitals, schools, nursing homes, private practice, and other clinical sites

The program reports a 100% job placement rate for graduates

Key Info

Enrollment Term

University AppApplication

Apply

Common App School Website

Deadline

Early Action INov 1, 2026

Early Action IIDec 1, 2026

RegularJan 1, 2027

Freshman Application Deadlines · admissions.tc.umn.edu

Program AppApplication

Apply

Acceptd

Fee

School of Music application Fee

$75

Deadline

School of Music application deadlineDec 1, 2026

Auditions

In-person audition and interview

Jan 30, 2027Feb 13, 2027

Application portal · Acceptd Auditions · cla.umn.edu

Conditional Prescreen Requirements

Violin, viola, and piano applicants must submit a pre-screening video; other instruments and voice do not (a pre-screening video is highly recommended, but not required, for bass).

Repertoire List (Required)

Violin: first movement of a major concerto

Violin: a movement of unaccompanied Bach

Violin: a short piece in a contrasting style

Viola: prepare two works (memorization of standard repertoire is strongly encouraged), which must include a movement of a major concerto (or suite for viola and orchestra); 20th-century options include Bartok, Bloch, Hindemith and Walton; first movements of concertos by Hoffmeister, Rolla, Stamitz, Vanhal, and Zelter are acceptable but should include a cadenza; pairs of movements (slow-fast) from concertos by Telemann, J.C. Bach/Casadesus, Handel/Casadesus, and the Vaughan Williams Suite are also acceptable

Viola: a contrasting selection from any solo unaccompanied work; examples include a movement from a Telemann Fantasia, Bach solo suite (transcribed from cello) or sonata/partita (transcribed from violin), Reger suite, or Hindemith solo sonata; a substantial etude may be substituted

Piano: perform, from memory, three works that demonstrate your technical and musical command of the piano repertoire

Piano: all auditions must include a J.S. Bach sinfonia (three-part invention), prelude and fugue, or three or more movements from a suite or partita, one of which must be the courante or gigue

Piano: all auditions must include the first or last movement plus the slow movement from a sonata by Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven

Piano: all auditions must include one work from the nineteenth, twentieth, or twenty-first century that is at least three minutes long

Piano: you may include an additional selection that showcases your personal affinities and artistic vision regardless of genre, style, or cultural origin

Auditions · cla.umn.edu

Verified for Fall 2027 entry

Audition Requirements

Additional Materials

Repertoire List (Required)

Violin: first movement of a major concerto

Violin: a movement of unaccompanied Bach

Violin: a short piece in a contrasting style

Cello: two contrasting pieces of your choice

Bass: 2-3 contrasting pieces of your choice

Bass: pieces can be jazz tunes and other styles of music; in that case, preferably perform at least one chorus (or repetition of form) each of bass lines, solos, and melody, as appropriate

Bass: basic scales may be asked

Flute: two contrasting pieces of your choice (10 minutes of music in total)

Flute: all major scales and minor scales in all forms (natural, melodic and harmonic)

Oboe: prepare two selections or movements that contrast in tempo and style, one of which may be a representative etude

Oboe: all major and minor scales

Clarinet: one etude selected from Rose 32 Etudes for Clarinet

Clarinet: one contrasting work for clarinet chosen from the standard solo literature; if the selection is taken from a multi-movement sonata or concerto, prepare only one movement of the piece; works written for A clarinet should be performed on A clarinet

Bassoon: prepare two selections or movements that contrast in tempo and style, one of which may be a representative etude

Bassoon: all major and minor scales

Bassoon: option to play selections from the BM Performance list, if desired

Saxophone: two contrasting etudes (one slow, one fast)

Saxophone: one complete solo work from the standard repertoire (such as a work by Creston, Milhaud, Heiden, Desenclos, Eccles, Glazunov, Ibert, Maurice, Bozza, Tomasi, etc.)

Horn: prepare two contrasting selections from the standard repertoire; this may include solos, etudes, and/or orchestral excerpts, and the audition may also include major scales and sight-reading; audition material should represent the candidate's best playing

Horn: etudes: Kopprasch, Kling, Gallay, Maxime-Alphonse

Horn: solo repertoire: Mozart: Concertos No. 1-4; Franz Strauss: Nocturno; Concerto No. 1; Richard Strauss: Concerto No.1; Saint-Saens: Morceau de Concert; Gliere: Intermezzo; Nocturne, Romance; Glazunov: Reverie

Horn: optional orchestral excerpts such as: Beethoven Symphony No. 3 Scherzo Trio (Horn 2); Brahms Symphony No. 3, mvt. 3 (Horn 1); Shostakovich Symphony 5, 1stmvt low tutti section (Horn 1); Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5, mvt 2, Andante Cantabile (Horn 1solo)

Trumpet: 2 contrasting etudes from Charlier, Brandt, Arban Characteristic, or equivalent

Trumpet: 2 contrasting solos or movements from a standard concerto or sonata (e.g. Haydn, Hummel, Kennan, Balay, Ropartz, Hindemith, or equivalent)

Trumpet: play 3 contrasting standard orchestral excerpts (examples below, but not limited to this list): Respighi: Pines of Rome (off stage); Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (opening Promenade); Beethoven: Leonore No. 3 (off stage call); Bizet: Carmen (Prelude); Copland: Outdoor Overture (mm 16-34); most excerpts can be found on orchestraexcerpts.com

Trumpet: 2 major scales, 2 octaves with arpeggio, applicant's choice

Trombone: two contrasting solo works

Euphonium: movements or sections from two significant solo works

Tuba: movements or sections from two significant solo works

Percussion: perform repertoire on snare drum (both rudimental and concert styles), mallet instruments (xylophone, marimba, or vibraphone) and timpani when available

Percussion: repertoire on any other instrument, such as drum set, hand drums, or ethnic percussion, is encouraged but not required

Percussion: if timpani are not available to perform your repertoire of choice, perform one of the two drum etudes (posted on the School of Music audition page) on any drums at your disposal (i.e 2 snare drums with snares off, 2 tom-toms, etc), or even two practice pads, to show your technical understanding of playing timpani

Percussion: submit a copy of the original score with your application

Percussion: if no timpani are available, also enclose a recorded version of your singing of the intervals (posted on the School of Music audition page), starting from a pitch of A=440 given by a tuning fork or keyboard instrument; no other pitches allowed, and only one A at the start of the sequence of intervals

Percussion: the repertoire guidelines (linked from the School of Music audition page) list suggested audition materials

Guitar: two contrasting pieces or movements chosen from the following material or similar works of comparable level: Renaissance piece by J.Dowland, L.Milan, G.Sanz, Luis de Navaraez, etc.; J.S. Bach: Prelude BWV 999, Bourree from Lute Suite BWV 996, or similar; Fernando Sor: Twenty Studies (ed. Segovia) Nos. 1-9; Fancisco Tarrega: Lagrima; Estudio En Forme De Minuetto, Adelita, Maria Gavotta; Leo Brouwer: etudes Simples Mos. 1-20; Heitor Villa-Lobos: Preludes 1-5

Guitar: one diatonic major or minor scale

Guitar: sight-read a short example (first position only)

Harp: two contrasting pieces at least the level of: Handel - Concerto in Bb, 1st Movement; Debussy - First Arabesque

Harp: or one piece of comparable level plus an orchestral excerpt or cadenza

Harp: or one piece of comparable level plus an etude such as Bochsa, Pozzoli, or Lariviere

Harp: at least one piece should be memorized

Piano: perform, from memory, three works that demonstrate your technical and musical command of the piano repertoire

Piano: all auditions must include a J.S. Bach sinfonia (three-part invention), prelude and fugue, or three or more movements from a suite or partita, one of which must be the courante or gigue

Piano: all auditions must include the first or last movement plus the slow movement from a sonata by Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven

Piano: all auditions must include one work from the nineteenth, twentieth, or twenty-first century that is at least three minutes long

Piano: you may include an additional selection that showcases your personal affinities and artistic vision regardless of genre, style, or cultural origin

Voice: be prepared to sing two contrasting vocal selections, both from memory

Voice: at least one selection must be from the classical repertoire; the other may be from the classical, folk, or musical theater repertoire

Voice: you may include a third selection from any genre that represents your own interests and musical personality

Voice: selections in Italian, French, or German are encouraged but not required

Sheet Music (Required for Voice Applicants)

Voice: a pianist will be provided for all live auditions, but you must bring a piano accompaniment (in the correct key)

Letters of Recommendation (Optional)

Two letters of recommendation are suggested but not required; the application collects the email addresses of the references you list and requests the letters on your behalf

Auditions · cla.umn.edu

Good to Know

Application Logistics

Apply to the University of Minnesota and, separately, to the School of Music; you do not need to wait for the University decision to apply to the School of Music

Admission to the University of Minnesota does not guarantee admission to the School of Music, and admission to the School of Music does not guarantee admission to the University

The School of Music aims to send decisions by mid-December for Spring admission and mid-March for Fall admission when the application is complete and any audition or interview is done on the set dates

Eligibility

Transfer students must also complete the School of Music application and pass a School of Music audition

Music credits earned at other institutions do not automatically transfer; admitted transfer students take placement examinations in music theory, sight singing and ear training, and piano

What's The Process

Audition Process

The School of Music's audition process for Fall 2027 is in person

If you are unable to visit in person, most studios accept pre-recorded video auditions; the instrument notes below say which

The December 5, 2026 audition day is for Spring 2027 admission; January 30 and February 13, 2027 are for Fall 2027 admission only

Applicants invited to audition are expected to attend on their scheduled date and time and to have the entire audition repertoire prepared; faculty may not hear entire works but may ask you to perform any part of a required work

Violin, viola, and piano applicants: a pre-screening video is required; if you intend to attend a live audition (if invited), present your repertoire in the pre-screening video

Applicants who know in advance that they cannot attend an invited live audition should submit their repertoire in full for the pre-screening, which will then be used in lieu of a live audition

Audition Expectations

Music Therapy applicants complete a 15-minute interview with the faculty on one of the interview dates; choose an in-person or Zoom interview when you apply

Schedule both the audition on your instrument or voice and the interview on the same audition day, with enough time between them to find your new room and prepare

Violin: in-person auditions offered, video auditions accepted

Viola: in-person auditions offered, video auditions accepted; an accompanist is neither required nor provided

Cello: in-person auditions offered, video auditions accepted

Bass: in-person auditions offered, video auditions accepted; if submitting a video, pick a major scale and perform with full bow, 1 to 3 octaves, as level of comfort permits; submitting prescreening videos is highly recommended but not required

Flute: in-person auditions offered, video auditions are accepted

Oboe: in-person auditions offered, video auditions are accepted

Clarinet: in-person auditions offered, video auditions are accepted

Saxophone: in-person auditions offered, video auditions are accepted but in-person auditions strongly encouraged

Horn: in-person auditions only

Trumpet: in-person auditions offered, video submissions not offered; an accompanist is neither required nor provided

Trumpet: email Professor Benedict (marissab@umn.edu) if you have an issue with attending a live audition date

Trombone: in-person auditions offered, video auditions accepted but in-person auditions are strongly encouraged; questions? contact Christian Howard (howar918@umn.edu)

Trombone (BM Music Education and Music Therapy, BA Applied and Music Minor): piano accompaniment is not required on the audition; memorization is not required

Euphonium: in-person auditions offered, video auditions accepted but in-person auditions are strongly encouraged; accompaniment is neither provided nor required, and memorization is not required

Euphonium: all prospective low brass students are encouraged to contact the appropriate faculty member to arrange a lesson in the months prior to the audition (there is no charge for the lesson), and all audition repertoire must be confirmed via email by the appropriate low brass faculty member at least one month before the application deadline; questions? contact Christian Howard (howar918@umn.edu)

Tuba: in-person auditions offered, video auditions accepted but in-person auditions are strongly encouraged; accompaniment is neither provided nor required, and memorization is not required

Tuba: all prospective low brass students are encouraged to contact the appropriate faculty member to arrange a lesson in the months prior to the audition (there is no charge for the lesson), and all audition repertoire must be confirmed via email by the appropriate low brass faculty member at least one month before the application deadline; questions? contact Steven Campbell

Percussion: in-person auditions offered, video auditions accepted but in-person auditions preferred

Guitar: in-person auditions offered, video auditions accepted

Harp: in-person auditions offered, video auditions accepted

Piano: if the pre-screening video is accepted, it will stand as a final video audition if you choose to audition by video

Piano: questions? email Professor Paul Shaw (shawx004@umn.edu)

Voice: pre-recorded accompaniments may not be used in auditions; they may be used for virtual auditions

Contact

musicadmissions@umn.edu

Scholarship Info

Merit Scholarships

Eligible music applicants are automatically considered through the School of Music application and audition

School info

Snapshot

Avg GPA (W)

3.90

Admit rate

80%

school-wide

Grad rate

85%

Enrollment

31.9K

Earnings

$69K

10yr after

Costs & aid

In-state tuition

$19,174

Before aid

Out-of-state tuition

$43,332

Before aid

Cost of attendance

$37,926

Before aid

Average net price

$16,778

After aid

Cost Attendance · admissions.tc.umn.edu College Scorecard

Program Recognition

Faculty includes Professors Michael Silverman, PhD, MT-BC; Todd Schwartzberg, PhD, MT-BC; and Kayla Shafer, MA, MT-BC

Training

The Judith A. Jellison On-Campus Music Therapy Clinic and Classroom (OCMTC), housed in Ferguson Hall, gives students hands-on clinical learning alongside community service users

Off-campus placements span hospitals, schools, nursing homes, private practice, and other clinical sites

The program reports a 100% job placement rate for graduates

Updated Oct 18, 7:53 PM