Grow as a Musician
As an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), the NDSU Challey School of Music serves the pursuit of high-quality teaching, artistic performance, dedicated service, and professional and scholarly excellence through experiences of lasting value.
Undergraduate Students
Admission Checklist
Students must complete an audition for acceptance into the Challey School of Music before their first semester of enrollment as a music major.
Step 1: Apply for admission to NDSU.
Step 2: Schedule a campus visit to meet with the Challey School of Music faculty.
Step 3: Audition for admission into the Challey School of Music
You must audition for admission into the Challey School of Music prior to the start of your first semester of music-major classes. Please review the Entrance Audition requirements for your musical discipline in the next section.
Your entrance audition also makes you eligible for music scholarships. We are hosting our annual Music Scholarship Audition Days on Friday, January 23 and Monday, February 2, 2026. If you cannot attend either date, we will coordinate an alternate date and time that works for your schedule. Please visit our Scholarship page for details.
Entrance Auditions
Admission into any music degree is not automatic. Students who major in music have generally had considerable performance experience with instrumental and/or vocal ensembles and/or as soloists. Entering students must be able to understand music notation, and in most cases must read music with some fluency. Admission is based on demonstrated accomplishment in basic musicianship, notation familiarity, work ethic, performance ability, and performance potential. Students may have to complete prerequisite work or courses either prior to or after admission to a degree program.
Instrumental Entrance Auditions
- Please refer to specific guidelines listed by each instrument.
- The audition panel may only hear 2-5 minutes of your selected repertoire, but please prepare individual selections in their entirety (i.e. complete study/movement) unless specifically requested by the instructor of your discipline.
- Piano accompaniment is optional. You are responsible for finding a pianist if you choose to play with accompaniment.
- Please provide your own sheet music.
- Your entrance audition may also qualify you for music scholarships, which are subject to availability of funding. It is recommended that you audition before March 1 for scholarship consideration.
Piano Entrance Auditions
Entrance auditions for pianists seeking admission to the NDSU undergraduate piano programs music include at least two contrasting works. We recommend that one work be a movement from a Classical sonata (Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, or Schubert), although this is not required.
If you have audition repertoire questions you may contact Dr. Tyler Wottrich.
Voice Entrance Auditions
- Two pieces, both memorized, are required for the voice audition. One piece in a foreign language is encouraged but not required. When selecting your audition songs, try to include contrasting material that will demonstrate your range, your musicality, and your abilities. A pianist will be provided at your audition.
If you have audition repertoire questions, please contact Dr. Kelly Burns.
Composition Entrance Auditions
- Students must perform an Instrumental, Vocal, or Piano audition as listed on this page.
- Students must submit a portfolio of original composition work for evaluation by the composition faculty.
The Composition Portfolio
The portfolio should consist of:
- Demonstration of the student’s ability to write music. Music should be properly notated in a standard notation program (e.g., Sibelius, Finale, Dorico, Musescore, Noteflight, Notion, etc) or neatly hand-copied.
- For incoming freshmen: ideally one or two works or works-in-progress.
Incoming students who do not have a portfolio available can enter the Challey School of Music as a general Music major and take composition lessons as they are developing their portfolio. - For upper-division transfer students: two or three completed works.
- For incoming freshmen: ideally one or two works or works-in-progress.
- a brief document describing the student’s past work with composing, a list of past performances of compositions, and career goals while studying composition at NDSU.
The portfolio may be submitted in hard copy by mail to Kyle Vanderburg, PO Box 6050, Dept. 2540, Fargo, ND 58108, or by PDF to kyle.vanderburg@ndsu.edu.
Graduate Students
Graduate Application
After reviewing these web pages and communicating with the faculty members associated with your graduate degree program, we encourage you to complete the following:
- Notify the Director of Graduate Study, Dr. Charlette Moe, of your intention to apply.
- Secure three recommendations from those familiar with your experiences as a musician.
- Secure official copies of all transcripts.
- Find a sample of your academic writing style, either from a paper or project.
- Complete your online application at the NDSU Graduate School.
For applicants in performance and conducting, an on-campus visit and audition are required. Following acceptance into the program, applicants will complete a diagnostic exam, which will be used by advisors to plan appropriate coursework.