Required for all new incoming graduate students in composition, and optional for undergraduates (to be determined during advising). 

The exam is offered by appointment only and held in person.

 Sign up for an appointment here. 

The exam will consist of the following components:

• Two-octave scales: Major and harmonic and melodic minor, all keys
• Three-octave arpeggios: Major and minor, all keys
• Sight reading: Comparable to the level of Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook or Bartok’s "For Children" Book 1
• Bach invention or dance movement
• Classical sonatina (first movement): Comparable to Clementi Op. 36 No. 2 or Op. 36 No. 4, Kuhlau Op. 20 No. 1 or Op. 55 No. 3
• Romantic or contemporary character piece: Comparable to Schumann's Album for the Young, Grieg's Lyric Pieces, Bartok's Mikrokosmos Volume 5, or Tcherepnin's Bagatelles Op. 5

If the exam is not passed, students must enroll in three consecutive terms of MUP 163: Functional Piano for Composers.