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Jazz Ensemble Auditions

All jazz ensembles (large and small) and non-major jazz lesson auditions will be held the first two days of classes in the Fall semester (August 25-26, 2025).

Audition Information for Jazz Ensembles

Online audition sign-up is available for jazz guitar and bass. See below.

Physical sign-up sheets for saxophone, trumpet, trombone (also French horn and tuba), piano, drums, and jazz voice will be posted near the professors’ offices (located in Smith Memorial Hall) a week prior to the start of the fall semester. If you don’t find sign-up sheets, email Jazz Area Chair, Prof. Jim Pugh.

For questions regarding these auditions, please email the individual professor for more details.

(1) Jazz Saxophone Audition Information

Questions? Contact Chip McNeill

The audition will consist of sight-reading some jazz charts and improvising on a blues in the key of your choice and improvising on one of these jazz standards: All The Things You Are in A-flat, Just Friends in F or G, Stella By Starlight in B-flat.

NOTE: To select an audition time, a sign-up sheet will be posted next to Prof. McNeil’s office, located in the basement of Smith Memorial Hall, room 5E.

Please email Prof. McNeil if you have questions at chipmc@illinois.edu.

(2) Jazz Voice Audition Information

Questions? Contact Barrington Coleman

Auditions for the Jazz Vocal Ensemble and Combos, solo opportunities with other jazz ensembles, and non-major jazz voice lessons will take place on Monday, August 25 from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm, and on Tuesday, August 26 from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm. Auditions are held in Prof. Coleman’s studio: Smith Memorial Hall, Room 203.

The audition will consist of:

  1. Two jazz standards in contrasting styles:
    • One medium or fast tempo swing piece such as All of Me by Seymour Simons/Gerald Marks or All the Things You Are by Jerome Kern
    • One ballad such as Someone to Watch over Me by George Gershwin or When I Fall in Love by Victor Young
  2. Aural skills & sight-singing review. Brief excerpts of songs and melodies will be extracted to evaluate your aural recall and ability to sing by rote.
  3. Optional – free improvisation on a blues progression

Material may be drawn from the Great American Standard Songbook tradition and can also be found in hard copy or online form in the Real Book collection of lead sheets. Please bring charts of your song selections in your preferred keys. Jamey Aebersold Play-A-Long audition tracks may also be used for your audition.

NOTE: To select an audition time, a sign-up sheet will be posted next to Prof. Coleman’s office, located on the 2nd floor of Smith Memorial Hall, room 203.

(3) Jazz Trumpet Audition Information

Questions? Contact Jim Pugh

The audition will consist of:

For Big Band Placement

  1. Select major scales and possibly other modes (two octaves when possible), and a two-octave C chromatic scale
  2. A prepared piece of your choice (a jazz etude, solo transcription, bebop head(s), big band chart excerpt, or a classical piece/etude)
  3. Sight-reading
  4. Improvisation (updated 8/15)  (OPTIONAL for big band placement, so we know you can and want to solo; MANDATORY for combo placement).  Pick any tune; a blues, a standard, your choice.  For accompaniment tracks, just bring whatever device(s) you’ve been working with – we’re set up to easily play from phones or other devices.  If it’s a specific mp3 track, you could always email it to me before your audition time and we have an extensive library of Abersold backing tracks.

For Jazz Combo Placement, you must improvise over the following:

  1. Select major scales and possibly other modes (two octaves when possible), and a two octave C chromatic scale
  2. A 12-bar blues
  3. A medium-tempo standard tune (ex. There Will Never Be Another You, Stella  by Starlight, All The Things You Are, etc.)
  4. A rhythm changes composition (ex. Oleo, Lester Leaps In, Anthropology, etc.)

NOTE: Jazz Trombone, Trumpet, French Horn and Tuba placement auditions will take place on Monday, August 25 and Tuesday, August 26. To select an audition time, a sign-up sheet will be posted on the door of Prof. Pugh’s office, located in the basement of Smith Memorial Hall, room 5D. All auditions will take place in Smith 5D. Walk-ins are also welcome though there might be a wait.

(4) Jazz Trombone Audition Information

Questions? Contact Jim Pugh

The audition will consist of:

  1. A prepared piece of your choice (any style – play something that you’re comfortable with)
  2. Sight reading (selected from traditional big band arrangements)
  3. A few scales (Major, 2 octaves when feasible; possibly church mode scales as well – dorian, phrygian, etc.)
  4. Improvisation – OPTIONAL –  if you have some improvisation experience and you’d like to have soloing opportunities.  For accompaniment tracks, just bring whatever device(s) you’ve been working with – we’re set up to easily play from phones or other devices.  If it’s a specific mp3 track, you could always email it to me before your audition time.
  5. Email Prof. Pugh (jimpugh@illinois.edu) if you need play-along tracks.

NOTE: Jazz Trombone, Trumpet, French Horn and Tuba placement auditions will take place on Monday, August 25 and Tuesday, August 26. To select an audition time, a sign-up sheet will be posted on the door of Prof. Pugh’s office, located in the basement of Smith Memorial Hall, room 5D. All auditions will take place in Smith 5D. Walk-ins are also welcome though there might be a wait.

(5) Jazz Piano / Vibraphone Audition Information

Questions? Contact Joan Hickey (hickey@illinois.edu)

The audition will consist of:

  1. Sight-reading some jazz charts and improvising on one of these jazz standards: All The Things You Are in A-flat, Autumn Leaves in Gm and Stella By Starlight in B-flat.
  2. Blues in the key of F – melody plus improvising and comping.
  3. A solo composition of your choice: jazz standard, ballad, original etc.

NOTE: To select an audition time, a sign-up sheet will be posted next to Prof. Hickey’s office, located on first floor of Smith Memorial Hall, room 108. Auditions will be held on Monday and Tuesday, August 25-26.

(6) Jazz Guitar Audition Information – Updated 07/24/2025

Questions? Email Prof. Gray at lwgray@illinois.edu.

Jazz guitar auditions will take place Monday August 25, 2025 from 9:00 AM-12:00 Noon or 1:00-6:00 PM in Prof. Gray’s office, Smith Memorial Hall Room 101. Amp and cable are provided. Important: link to all lead sheets provided-click on the title.

Sign-up for an audition time here.

The audition will consist of:

  1. Play your interpretation of the melody, an improvised solo and comping on the following tunes:
  2. For advanced consideration, also prepare Tune Up and Anthropology, head and solo. Choose a tempo for each that is comfortable. It may range from 200-280 quarter note.
  3. Sight reading will also be given.

(7) Jazz Bass Audition Information – Updated 07/24/2025

Questions? Email Prof. Gray at lwgray@illinois.edu.

Jazz bass auditions will take place Monday, August 25 from 9:00 AM-Noon and 1:00-6:00 PM in Prof. Gray’s office, Smith Memorial Hall Room 101. For electric bassists, amp and cable are provided. Important: link to all lead sheets provided-click on the title.

Sign-up for an audition time here.

The audition will consist of:

  1. Play your interpretation of the melody, walk and solo on the following tunes.(Tempo- I Love You quarter note 180-200; Out of Nowhere 120-140)
  2. For advanced consideration, also prepare “Minority” (head and solo 160-180 quarter note and also walking at a faster tempo, 220-260) and “The Duke”  (120 bpm app.)
  3. Sight reading will also be given

(8) Jazz Drumset Audition Information

Questions? Contact Joel Spencer

The audition will require a demonstration of the following musical styles:

  1. Jazz (quarter-note = 185-200 bpm)
  2. Funk (quarter-note = 100-150 bpm)
  3. Samba (half-note = 100-125 bpm)
  4. Bossa Nova (quarter-note = 150 bpm)
  5. Afro-Cuban 6/8 (dotted-quarter-note = 135-145 bpm)

Note: A demonstration of trading 4-bar, 8-bar, and 12-bar improvised solo phrases will be required as well.

Additional skills

  1. Brush technique (Jazz and Samba)
  2. Waltz and odd meter performance (3/4, 5/4, 7/4)
  3. Repertoire knowledge
  4. Sight reading

NOTE: To select an audition time, a sign-up sheet will be posted next to Prof. Spencer’s office, located in the basement of Smith Memorial Hall, room 7.

 

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