What is the Emerging Musicians Program?

Open to high school students in grades 9–12, the Emerging Musicians Program
provides a unique opportunity for students to compete for a chance to work with a master artist
teacher at the Mary Pappert School of Music free of charge. Winners enjoy 10 weeks of 1-on-1 private
instruction and build toward a final capstone recital in the spring. A short application is required
along with the submission of a video audition. Winners will be selected by faculty panel.

Deadline for submission is 11 p.m. on December 8, 2024.

Program Details

Questions about the program?

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Applicants submit a video recording for consideration. Selected students will be paired with a master artist teacher for private instruction on their instrument or voice and will receive a full scholarship to participate in the program free of charge. Each winner will receive a total of ten (10) in-person lessons (up to 60 minutes each) that will take place at the Mary Pappert School of Music. A final capstone recital will be presented by participating students and faculty mentors to showcase the improvements and outcomes of the program.
Applicants have until 11:00pm on December 8, 2024 to submit their video recording. Winners are selected and notified by January 10, 2025. Lessons will take place during the months of January-May, 2025 at the Mary Pappert School of Music. Participating students present a collective recital on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 4 p.m. in PNC Recital Hall, Mary Pappert School of Music.
Selected winners will receive a private lesson scholarship valued at $750. This award will cover the full cost of the program. The scholarship is only valid for the spring 2025 semester (January–May 2025). Students will arrange a lesson schedule with their private teacher.
High school instrumentalists and singers enrolled in grades 9–12 during the 2024-25 academic year are eligible. The application requires submission of a video audition which includes hyperlinks to the applicant's audition media. Four (4) winners will be selected from each of the two divisions below for a total of eight (8) participants:
  • Junior Division (grades 9-10)
  • Senior Division (grades 11-12)

How Do I Apply?

Take a moment to review the performance suggestions for your instrument.

Winds

  • Flute: Suggested solos include two contrasting movements of a baroque sonata of choice (e.g. Telemann, Vivaldi, Handel, Bach).
  • Clarinet: Suggested solos include Mozart Concerto; Debussy Rhapsodie, Weber Concerto 1 and 2; Copland Concerto.
  • Oboe: Suggested solos include the G Minor Concerto or a sonata by Handel; F Minor Concerto or A Minor Sonata by Telemann.
  • Bassoon: Suggested solos include any concerto by Vivaldi; Sonata by Galliard or Hindemith; Etude by Orefici.
  • Saxophone: Suggested solos include transcriptions of Sonatas by Eccles, Handel, and Bach, or "Sonata for Saxophone" by L. Lunde or B. Heiden.

Brass

  • Trumpet: Suggested solos include Franz Joseph Haydn, Concerto in Eb, Mvt. 1 (exposition).
  • French Horn: Suggested solos include Horn Concerto No. 1 or No. 3 by Mozart; Horn Concerto No. 2 by Haydn; Sonata by Beethoven.
  • Trombone: Suggested solos should be similar to or exceed in difficulty the Guilmant Morceau Symphonique or Barat Andante and Allegro
  • Tuba/Euphonium: Suggested solos include Bach/Bell Air and Bouree, Persichetti Serenade #12, and Hartley Unaccompanied Suite.

Guitars

  • Classical Guitar: Solo suggestions include compositions from Renaissance, Baroque, Classical or Romantic period.
  • Jazz Guitar/Electric Bass: Solo suggestions include pieces from the jazz standard repertoire (your choice) e.g. (Blues, ballad, up-tempo) 

Keyboards

  • Piano: Suggested solos include a Bach 2 or 3-part invention, a Sonata by Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven or a Chopin Nocturn.
  • Organ: Suggested solos include a Bach fugue, a piece from the romantic period or a hymn of your choosing.

Percussion

  • Concert Perc: Suggested solos include a 2 or 4 mallet piece or Timpani etude such as Firth, Carroll, Goodman or Delecuse.
  • Drum Kit: Suggested solos/styles include a 32-bar blues, swing, rock, fusion and latin.

Strings

  • Violin: Suggested solos include a piece of the level of Vivaldi A Minor/Bach A Minor/Mozart G Major or harder (Bruch, Mendelssohn, Lalo).
  • Viola: Suggested solos include the first movement from Hoffmeister or Stamitz viola Concerto, Telemann Concerto or a prelude from one of the 6 suites by JS Bach
  • Cello: Suggested solos include a movement from any of the Bach cello suites or the first movement from a standard cello concerto/sonata.
  • Bass: Suggested solos include one movement from a sonata by Marcello, Vivaldi or Eccles, or a concerto by Capuzzi, Dragonetti, Dittersdorf or similar.
  • Harp: Suggested solos include an orchestral excerpt (such as the Waltz of the Flowers harp cadenza from the Nutcracker Suite).

Voice

  • Classical Voices: Suggested solos include art songs and arias in French, German and Italian of the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods. 
  • Jazz Voices: Suggested solos include transcriptions of any legendary jazz vocalist (e.g. Billy Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker) or a jazz standard.

 

Follow these guidelines when recording your audition pieces.

For all recordings:

  • No edits, effects, auto-tuning or overdubbing are permitted.
  • Your selection should be at least three minutes in length, but no more than 8 minutes.
  • We recommend recording video using a smart device, tablet or laptop with an external USB microphone for best results.

Include your recorded media when you submit your application.

When you apply for the Emerging Musicians Program, you will have the ability to include your recorded media. All recordings must be submitted with the online application as hyperlinked media. You may use any cloud storage platform you prefer, but make sure the link is publicly viewable.

Examples:

https://google.drive/YOUR_FILE_NAME

https://youtu.be/YOUR_FILE_NAME

https://dropbox/YOUR_FILE_NAME

 

Email cmcFREEDUQUESNE if you need assistance.