What to Expect at the Audition
On-campus auditions are highly recommended. Students and parents have the opportunity to tour our facilities and meet with Crane faculty, students, administrators and Admissions staff. View Audition Day Schedule (PDF). In addition, those who audition on campus can warm up in individual practice rooms, and do not have to pay a registration fee.
Who Administers On-Campus Auditions
All on-campus auditions are performed for the faculty overseeing each instrument or voice area.
Travel Information & Directions
For those that cannot travel to Potsdam, we have off-campus audition options in Western Long Island. At off-campus auditions, representatives from Crane are always available to answer questions. At our off-campus audition site, warm-up facilities are communal (meaning individual practice rooms aren’t available), and audition time-slots are sometimes limited as well. There is a $50 non-refundable fee for off-campus auditions, which helps offset the cost of these events. Piano, Harp and Percussion are not available at our off-campus locations.
Who Administers Off-Campus Auditions
Most off-campus auditions for instrumentalists are administered by a faculty member from that area (strings, brass, or woodwinds). These auditions are videotaped for the primary teacher’s review. Vocal auditions are always conducted by members of the voice faculty, regardless of location, and are all videotaped for review.
Directions our off campus site at Mineola High School (Garden City, NY) PDF
View listing of representative repertoire for auditions. Students should consult this list well in advance of their planned audition day. Students should be prepared for sight-reading to be part of the audition as well. We encourage students to contact the Crane School of Music faculty in their area if they have detailed questions about repertoire or the audition.
Pianists and vocalists are required to perform from memory. Performers on other instruments need not memorize their music.
Only vocal auditions will have piano accompaniment, and accompanists will be provided for both on- and off-campus auditions. A $30 non-refundable fee will be charged for this when the audition is scheduled. View recommendations for providing music for our accompanists (PDF).
Represent yourself professionally. Think business attire, not formal attire. Select clothing that will breathe while you are performing and that you will feel comfortable wearing during your audition. The weather could be cold, as our live auditions are in the winter months, so you may want to consider alternate shoes for outside, or wearing layers in case an audition room is warmer than expected.
Due to the large number of auditions for admission to Crane each year, prospective students are only allowed one audition per performance area, per admissions cycle (November to March).
Students who are ill for their scheduled audition date should email auditions@potsdam.edu prior to the audition and the appointment will be rescheduled. If you need to cancel or change your audition date for any other reason, please notify Crane as soon as possible. Late cancellations and no-shows affect other students, faculty and staff adversely.
No. Crane does not pre-screen students before their audition.
The Crane School of Music offers a variety of degree programs to meet the needs of students pursuing a career in the field of music. The degree sequence sheets below are Word Documents which contain a complete list of required courses as well as a model four-year plan for students and advisers. Double majors are possible with any music degree, and advisors and students have access to resources that assist with course planning for any double major. The documents below are available in Adobe PDF format.
Bachelor of Arts in Music degree sequence sheet (MSWord Doc)
Bachelor of Music: Emphasis in Music Business degree sequence sheet (MSWord Doc)
Bachelor of Science: Music Business degree sequence sheet (MSWord Doc)
Bachelor of Music: Musical Studies
- Composition Track degree sequence sheet (MSWord Doc)
- Music Theory Track degree sequence sheet (MSWord Doc)
- Music History Track degree sequence sheet (MSWord Doc)
Bachelor of Music: Music Education
- Band Track degree sequence sheet (MSWord Doc)
- Choral Track degree sequence sheet (MSWord Doc)
- Note: there are some small differences (from what is shown here) in degree requirements for non-vocalists who select this track
- Orchestra Track degree sequence sheet (MSWord Doc)
Bachelor of Music: Performance
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