Skip to main content

Brass Bachelor of Music Curriculum

Life isn't an audition.

Any music school can make you a better player. Our interconnected courses are built to transform you intellectually, artistically, professionally, and individually. You'll understand the roots of your music, freeing you to take it somewhere new. You'll see how your training broadens your options, rather than narrowing them. You'll find your voice. And you'll enter the world with the same confidence you bring to the stage.

Required Courses

Curriculum: Bachelor of Music in Orchestral Instruments (Brass)
Credit Total: 127–135

Requirement Cr.
Private Instruction 32
Performance Classes 4
Keyboard Skills 2
Humanities & Sciences 30
Musicianship & Music Theory 20
Music History & Literature 12
Professional Development 4
Ensemble 26
Electives 1
Winter Term 3 Years
Digital Portfolio 4 Years
Juries & Recitals N/A

Repertoire Requirements for Brass Majors

At the end of a semester in which the student is not doing a jury (usually the fall semester), brass students perform an evaluation for the brass faculty. Seniors are not required to do a fall jury. Freshmen and sophomores play for five minutes; all others play for ten minutes. The results are factored into the semester's grade, and students receive written comments from each member of the brass faculty. This mid-year evaluation may be waived if the student is performing a recital in that semester.

Horn

Freshman Jury
Mozart Concerto No. 1 on natural horn, from memory
Selections from Kopprasch, Book 1; Maxime-Alphonse, Book 1
Selected orchestral excerpts

Sophomore Jury
Mozart Concerto No. 3 or comparable work, from memory
Selections from Kopprasch, Book 2; Maxime-Alphonse, Book 2
Selected orchestral excerpts

Junior Jury
Mozart Concerto No. 2 or No. 4 or comparable work, from memory
Selections from Maxime-Alphonse and Galley
Selected orchestral excerpts

Senior Jury and Senior Recital
Strauss Concerto No. 1 or comparable work, from memory
A twentieth-century work for solo horn
Selected orchestral excerpts

Repertoire for this jury represents a standard orchestra audition.

Horn majors must perform a senior recital to determine fulfillment of performance requirements.

Trumpet

Freshman Jury
Emphasis on fundamentals
Selected studies from Arban, Clarke, Saint-Jacome, Schlossberg
Studies by Concone, Davidson, Getchell, Hering, Leonard, Sachse, Voxman; MagerNine Grand Solos; Haydn and Hummel
Orchestral excerpts

Sophomore Jury
Selected studies from Bordogni, Brahms, Brandt, Clarke, Gates, Hickman, Voisin, Webster, Williams
Solos of Arban, Arutunian, Giannini, Goedicke, Hindemith, Riisager; piccolo trumpet (Purcell, Telemann Heroic Music, Torelli or equivalent)
Orchestral excerpts

Junior Jury
Selected studies from Andre, Broiles, Charlier, Nagel, Reynolds, Smith
Solos of Clarke, Enesco, Honegger, Kennan, Neruda, Stevens; piccolo trumpet (Albinoni, Fasch, Handel, Hertel, L. Mozart, Tartini, Telemann, Viviani)
Orchestral excerpts

Senior Jury and Senior Recital
Continuation of above, with additional emphasis on French and contemporary études
Review of major solo repertoire and further study of French (Chaynes, Jolivet, Tomasi), contemporary (Davies or equivalent), solo trumpet (Arnold, Friedman, Henze, Ketting, Persichetti, Weiner, Whittenberg, Wolpe), piccolo trumpet (Bach, M. Haydn, Querfurth) and jazz repertoire
Intensive review of chamber music and orchestral repertoire, including mock auditions
Full program

Trumpet majors must perform a senior recital to determine fulfillment of performance requirements.

Trombone

Freshman Jury
Works selected from the following: a solo agreed upon by the professor and student; études
Legato studies by Rochut

Sophomore Jury
A solo work agreed upon by professor and student
Orchestral excerpts
Études

Junior Jury
A solo work agreed upon by professor and student
Orchestral excerpts

Senior Jury
A solo work agreed upon by professor and student
Orchestral excerpts

Senior Recital
Balanced program from solo and ensemble repertoire for trombone.

Trombone majors must perform a senior recital to determine fulfillment of performance requirements.

Tuba

Freshman Jury
Legato studies by Rochut
Technical studies by Kopprasch
Mastering the Tuba by Bobo
Solo literature

Sophomore Jury
Legato studies by Bordogni
Technical studies by Kopprasch and Blazhevich I
Solo literature
Orchestral excerpts

Junior Jury
Solo literature
Orchestral excerpts

Senior Jury and Senior Recital
CC and F tubas
Complete orchestral repertoire
Solo literature

Tuba majors must perform a senior recital to determine fulfillment of performance requirements.