Two piano faculty provide tutelage in a supportive atmosphere where students collaborate in a positive atmosphere.
Students enrolled in applied piano take weekly private applied one-hour lessons with our piano faculty.
Studio class meets weekly for an hour. The piano area regularly hosts nationally and internationally known guest artists.
An annual collaboration among piano students and faculty who put together an evening concert of piano music centered around a particular theme.
Students receive regular coachings with piano faculty each semester to assist with on-campus accompanying preparation. Since ISU has no staff accompanist, ambitious students earn considerable money through additional accompanying work.
In conjunction with piano pedagogy class, the project pairs pedagogy students with young beginning pianists for supervised piano lessons, guided by the ISU faculty.
For Music Education and Piano Performance applicants, all works must be performed from memory. For other applicants, at least one work must be performed from memory.
If you are uncertain about how to choose pieces for your audition, we can suggest the four-volume "Audition Repertoire for the Advancing Pianist: Two Stylistically Balanced and Technically Diverse Programs," edited by Jane Magrath, published by Alfred. Volumes 3-4 are suitable for Undergraduate Music Education and Piano Performance auditions; Volumes 2-4 are suitable for other Undergraduate Music Major auditions; Volumes 1-4 are suitable for Undergraduate Music Minor auditions. It is important to choose all pieces from the same program within one of these books, as the pieces are designed to complement one another.
Note: All students auditioning for acceptance into the B.M. in Jazz Studies sequence must complete two separate auditions: one classical audition on your instrument (see each studio’s requirements) and also a jazz audition (requirements listed below.)
Note: For numbers 2 - 4, students may use a play-along device of their choosing if desired such as “I-Real Pro” or they may choose to play un-accompanied.
Present three works that present a balanced program of different stylistic periods showcasing your technical and musical development. These must be performed from memory. If you live outside of Illinois, you may audition live on campus or via video/audio recording.
If you are auditioning live at ISU, you may either use ISU collaborating students, or bring your own collaborators. If you use ISU collaborators, you will need to work with a list of approved repertoire; a new repertoire list is created each school year – contact Professor Tuyen Tonnu for details. If you are bringing your own partners or submitting a video/audio recording, you may choose your own repertoire from the standard repertory within the above guidelines. Auditioning students may be asked to sight read.
Note: For numbers 2 - 4, students may use a play-along device of their choosing, such as “I-Real Pro.” If a play-along option is available at the audition, then it will likely be used. If not, a student may need to play unaccompanied.
Opportunities to teach are available through:
Tuyen Tonnu
Associate Professor
Geoffrey Duce
Associate Professor
Instructional Assistant Professor