Music Major Information

LSU is the flagship university of Louisiana with degree programs in virtually every academic discipline. With an enrollment of over 475 students, the LSU School of Music has a distinguished national reputation and is also one of the twelve "Foundations of Excellence" on the LSU campus. The LSU Band program is over one hundred years "young," and is also nationally recognized for its concert ensembles and the award winning LSU Tiger Marching Band, The Golden Band from Tigerland. Students who major in music will have one of the country's finest artist-teachers as their major professor.

Music Major Audition Requirements
Students who wish to enroll in the LSU School of Music must be admitted to both the School of Music and the University. The general application to LSU, called the "Undergraduate Admission and Scholarships Application," serves as the application for all scholarships available at LSU for entering freshmen, including college and departmental awards. There is no separate School of Music application––acceptance to the School of Music is determined by audition with the major professor. Scholarships are prioritized and are awarded based on talent, academic merit, and financial need. Students should complete the Undergraduate Admission and Scholarships application ("Apply Online") by November 15th of their high school senior year for full scholarship consideration. Deadline for submission of the application is April 15* for the fall semester. Late applications incur a late fee of $15. (*Note: Music Majors are encouraged to audition prior to March 1st.)

Before a student can be admitted as a music major, music education major, or Bachelor of Arts in music major, she/he must audition for the appropriate applied music faculty. Taped auditions are acceptable in some areas, although a personal audition is preferred. On-campus auditions also give prospective students an opportunity to tour our facilities, meet with other students, and meet with applied faculty. Prospective students should check the on-campus School of Music audition schedule for the appropriate dates for their instrument or discipline. Audition requirements vary between areas; it is best to contact the applied music professor for specific requirements.

In order to receive maximum scholarship consideration, music majors should call and schedule an audition prior to March 1st of their senior year in high school. If you call the Band Department (225-578-2384), we will help coordinate your audition with the appropriate studio teacher. In addition to the School of Music's individual instrument audition requirements, we would like to hear your chromatic scale (full range of instrument) and sight-reading. We encourage all potential music majors to come to campus to audition. If you cannot travel to LSU, we will accept a compact disc of your playing. Assuming students meet the requirements for admission to LSU, and have a successful School of Music audition, we will recommend they be considered for maximum scholarship consideration. This could waive full tuition and, in some cases, pay additional cash awards. As a music major, an early application and successful audition should result in a response from LSU in early spring. Please understand that our scholarships are competitive and not every student receives the maximum award. The Associate Dean of the College of Music and Dramatic Arts makes all final decisions on scholarships awarded by the LSU School of Music.

Non-Music Majors
If you decide to major outside of music, there are a few scholarships available to non-music majors. Almost all of the Louisiana residents in our band program are under Louisiana's TOPS scholarship program, which waives in-state tuition. A few select non-music majors receive additional assistance from the Band Department. These awards are based on musical profile, talent, and Band Department need. All of the students in the Tiger Marching Band receive a $1000 award for the fall semester. (Over two-thirds of the Tiger Band are non-music majors.) Tiger Band Golden Oaks Scholarships are available to qualified out-of-state students. These scholarships include partial to full tuition, and are awarded on musical profile, a successful audition (see requirements below), and academic background -- students must have at least a 26 on the ACT or 1170 on the SAT (without the writing component) to qualify.

If you want to be a member of the highly acclaimed LSU Tiger Marching Band, The Golden Band from Tigerland, and do not want to major in music, you should set up a playing audition with the Band Department during the spring semester of your senior year in high school, beginning in March. You should have applied to LSU by then (and should have sent in the LSU Band Membership application). Simply call the Band Office (225-578-2384), and we will work with you to set up an audition time and date that is mutually convenient.

Tiger Band Audition Requirements
The Tiger Band audition [other than Drumline] consists of (1) the chromatic scale (full range of instrument), (2) a few major scales [up to four sharps and four flats], (3) a prepared piece (any etude, solo, honor band audition material, etc.), and (4) sight-reading. The entire audition takes about 20 minutes, and we will be able to answer any questions you or your parents may have about our program. If you cannot travel to LSU, we will accept a compact disc of your playing. If your audition is successful, you will be invited to the Tiger Band preseason band camp in August -- final selection of the Tiger Band is made at that time. Auditions for the LSU Golden Girls and Tiger Band Colorguard are held in April. Auditions for the LSU Drumline are held two days before our August band camp (see the Drumline link on the website). Note: Music Majors who are accepted into a studio will automatically be invited to the Tiger Band Preseason Band Camp in August. Students who are not accepted into a studio should set up another separate audition with the Band Department for Tiger Band, unless instructed otherwise.

Concert Ensemble Audition Requirements (for non-music majors)
We encourage all wind and percussion non majors to set up an audition for the Band Department prior to the beginning of classes in August. This allows us to advise students on their participation in the Band Department's three concert ensembles. (There is a final audition for the each of the three concert ensembles in August.) The concert ensemble audition consists of (1) the chromatic scale [full range of instrument], (2) a few major scales [up to four sharps and four flats], (3) a prepared piece [any etude, solo, honor band audition material, etc.], and (4) sight-reading. If you cannot travel to LSU, we will accept a compact disc of your playing. We will advise you on what to do with registering for a concert ensemble at the end of your audition.

LSU Band Faculty
Frank Wickes, Director of Bands
Dr. Linda Moorhouse, Associate Director of Bands
Roy King, Assistant Director of Bands

In the College of Music and Dramatic Arts, the LSU School of Music serves approximately 475 music majors with over 75 full and part time faculty and staff.

School of Music Wind and Percussion Applied Faculty
Dr. Katherine Kemler, Flute
James Ryon, Oboe
Gabriel Beavers, Bassoon
Tasha Warren, Clarinet
Dr. Griffin Campbell, Saxophone
James West, Trumpet
Dr. Brian Shaw, Trumpet
Seth Orgel, French Horn
Jeannie Little, Trombone
Dr. Joseph Skillen, Euphonium and Tuba
Dr. Brett Dietz, Percussion