Ear Training at auditions

aLfR3dd · 01-25-2008, 11:23 AM

Hi,
i m a bit scared about the Ear-training test. Can someone please tell me what they usually ask?? (i'm auditioning at Hartt, Peabody, NCSA, Purchase)!
Thanks!!!!

mezzomom · 01-25-2008, 01:50 PM

My daughter didn't audition at any of the schools you mentioned, but her experience, in general, was that the "ear training" portion of auditions was very basic...match this pitch (pitches) and sing them back. I don't remember any details beyond that, but I do recall that the ear training exercises were not anything that caused her undue angst

!

violadad · 01-25-2008, 02:14 PM

mezzomom has it correct. The aural skills test are a placement test (just like the music theory and in some cases music history tests.

They are used in almost all cases to assess initial course placement for the sequential levels in theory, ear training, etc.

The aural skills test are largely comprised of identifying pitches, and do include singing them back.

They are normally NOT a factor in determining admissions. Each school (and program) has its own methodology for structuring their theory/aural skills courses, and want to place you in the proper course to begin with.

At the grad and undergrad level, a deficiency indicated in the tests just means that you may have to take a remedial or lower level intitial course.

Don't worry about it.

alfR3dd, if you haven't yet heard from some of your schools regarding prescreen results, I'd suggest you call or email the music admissions department.

Good luck.

aLfR3dd · 01-25-2008, 02:18 PM

violadad ...thanks again, it's great to have you here in this forum

yes, i've recieved invitations from Hartt, Peabody, NCSA and Purchase. Boston Conservatory rejected me. Anyway not so bad.....hope that 1 of these 4 schools will get me !!!! Good luck to everybody

Ciao!

thumper1 · 01-25-2008, 02:33 PM

Pitch matching IS important, I'm told. But most students who are auditioning in music can match pitch when asked to do so. Only one undergrad school DS auditioned at had the theory and aural components as MUST PASSES on the audition, and that was Duquesne. Students needed to meet a certain criteria for each element of the audition..except the piano placement which was just that...a placement test.

BassDad · 01-25-2008, 02:39 PM

Daughter auditioned at Peabody and said they did include an ear training/sight singing kind of test. The sight singing was fairly easy - on the level of a 4-part Bach chorale setting. The ear training consisted of singing back a sequence of notes that they played twice on the piano, starting with 3 notes and increasing to 7 or 8 if you could get that far. Then they played some 3-note chords and specified whether they wanted her to sing back the top, middle or bottom note.

operasinger2000 · 01-25-2008, 06:34 PM

At every school I've auditioned at the amount they care about ear training is boring. The only way to feel prepared enough that you can worry about your singing instead of ear-training is to practice.
Here's what I did to prepare. Buy yourself a Sight Singing Book. The one I used was 31 Bach Chorales for Sight-Singing and Performance and various books from the public library. The next thing I did was I bought an interval trainer CD. They usually come with some sight-singing books. If you spend 15 minutes a day working on intervals and sight-singing, you will become very comfortable with ear training and you won't have to worry about it.
Don't be scared. Even if you only have a little bit of time, every bit of practice will help. And although it's not a bad thing if you can't sight read, every little bit helps.
Good luck

aLfR3dd · 01-26-2008, 11:46 AM

thanks to all.......yes i already sing with my teacher every week (we use Kodàly method) ....anyway i will focus a lot on sight singing, pitch matching and the rest...anyway BassDad when did your Daughter audition at Peabody?? THanks!

thzxcyl · 01-26-2008, 12:18 PM

At Peabody, they also ask you to sing "happy birthday"

in ear-training placement test (to make sure that you are not "pitch-blind"). Nothing to be stressful about.

BassDad · 01-26-2008, 12:30 PM

She auditioned there three years ago on double bass.

aLfR3dd · 01-27-2008, 05:01 AM

This placement exam assesses aural skills (dictation). Typically, a melody or interval is played and students are asked to write down, to the best of their ability, what is heard. Peabody's ear training and sight singing program is designed to develop those skills.

The test is designed to assist instructors in knowing where to begin with each student. At the conclusion of this first part of the test, students who wish to advance place in the program will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to write chords in addition to melodic voices. A third part will involve more complex harmonic structures. (Most students take only the first part of the examination.)

this is what Peabody website says about the EarTraining test.....i will practice this too!

thzxcyl · 01-27-2008, 08:48 AM

Actually (as far as I know) those dictation stuff won't happen at audition time - there will be a separate ear-trainng placement test at orientation when you decide to enroll at Peabody. The placement test at audition only takes about less than 5 minutes for everybody, so there is no way they can test so much (including dictation blah blah blah). Make sure you are looking at the right page!