Admission audition repertoire: how to choose it

For your admissions audition, choose pieces you truly know well, rather than the hardest ones you can play: the panel listens for tone, intonation, rhythm, technical control, and musicality. If several pieces are required, choose contrasting characters or periods, always within the program’s official requirements.

Each university publishes its own repertoire requirements for each admissions cycle, so reading them is the first step. Then comes the work: learning the pieces well in advance, doing mock auditions, and recording yourself.

In short

Read the official list first: each university publishes its requirements for pieces, etudes, and scales for each admissions cycle.
Choose pieces you can play confidently with a good tone; a difficult piece played badly hurts more than it helps.
If several pieces are required, aim for contrast: fast and slow, different periods or styles.
If there is a required piece, keep your technique up to date so you can learn it quickly.
Do mock auditions and record yourself on video in the weeks before the exam.

What universities require at an audition

Examples from the most recent admissions round we reviewed (2026)
University	Instrument requirements at the time
Universidad Nacional	Repertoire and technical etudes published each admissions cycle in PDF documents; the instrument exam was an elimination stage
Distrital ASAB	Instrumental performance exam with an elimination cutoff of at least 60 out of 100
Pedagógica Nacional (2026-2)	A self-selected piece, a required piece published about a month beforehand, and sight-reading
Javeriana	Audition by concentration: in person for Performance, one self-selected piece in any genre for Music Education, and a portfolio of two original works plus an audition for Composition
Univalle	Instrumental audition of up to 10 minutes; applicants brought their own instrument, except for piano, double bass, and percussion
Los Andes	The audition for the performance track takes place after admission

There is no universal repertoire: the same piece may be accepted at one university and fail to meet the requirements at another. Check, for example, the program-specific tests at Universidad Nacional or the program-specific test at Univalle.

How to choose your self-selected piece

Your self-selected piece introduces you as a musician. Choose it with your teacher using these criteria:

You can play it reliably at the intended tempo. If a passage works “almost every time,” it will probably fail under audition nerves.
It shows off your tone. A lyrical piece or movement lets the panel hear intonation, tone quality, and phrasing, which reveal a lot about a musician.
It meets the requirements: period, style, duration, number of movements, and whether it must be memorized.
You like it. You’ll play it hundreds of times; enjoyment comes through.
It fits the time limit. If the audition is short, the panel may hear only an excerpt; if you can choose, start with the section that best represents you.

Aim for contrast

If several pieces are required, vary the character and period: one fast and one slow, one Baroque or Classical and one Romantic or contemporary, or one classical and one Latin American piece if the list allows it. Contrast reveals more aspects of your playing than two similar pieces.

What about Colombian or popular music?

If the admissions requirements allow a self-selected piece in any genre—as Javeriana’s Music Education concentration did in the cycle we reviewed—a well-played bambuco, pasillo, or popular piece can work very well. For programs with a specified classical repertoire, follow the list. If you’re unsure, ask the university before learning the piece.

Etudes, scales, and the required piece

Technical etudes

An etude demonstrates a specific technical skill: speed, arpeggios, position shifts, bow strokes, or articulation. Play it cleanly and as close as possible to the indicated tempo; if you’re not there yet, ask your teacher whether to prioritize accuracy at a slightly slower tempo.

Scales

Even if they are not explicitly required, major and minor scales and their arpeggios throughout your instrument’s range underpin everything else. If the instructions do require them, prepare every listed key and practice them in random order, since the panel may ask for them that way.

Required piece

This is a piece the university assigns to every applicant, sometimes at short notice: at Pedagógica, it was published about a month beforehand in the admissions cycle we reviewed. To avoid a last-minute rush:

Keep your technique and reading skills up to date beforehand: you can learn a piece in a month, but not build the technique it requires.
On the day it is published, read through the entire piece and mark the difficult passages.
Work on it in sections, starting with the hardest parts.
Listen to reference recordings, but make your own phrasing decisions.
Set aside the final week for uninterrupted run-throughs of the whole piece.

Tips by instrument family

What to check and bring for your instrument
Family	What the panel usually listens for	What to prepare or bring
Piano	Clarity of voices, pedal control, independence of the hands	Practice on pianos other than your own, because you will play the university’s piano
Violin and viola	Intonation, bowing quality, vibrato, position shifts	Rosin, spare strings, and the violin tuner within reach
Cello and double bass	Intonation in the upper register, tone in the lower register, bow control	Ask whether the university provides the instrument; Univalle did not require applicants to bring a double bass
Guitar	Clear polyphony, even tone across the fingers, intonation	Well-maintained nails if you play with them; replace strings several days beforehand, never on the day
Woodwinds	Tone, intonation, articulation, breathing	Spare reeds you have already tested (clarinet, saxophone, oboe) and a clean, checked instrument
Brass	Centered tone, flexibility, articulation	Valve or slide lubricant, and time to warm up your lips
Singing	Intonation, technique, diction, interpretation of the text	Ask whether you need to bring an accompanying pianist or backing track; sheet music in your key
Percussion	Steady beat, dynamic control, stick technique	Your own sticks and mallets; check which instruments the university provides

If the exam is in Bogotá, allow for cold mornings and dry air: they affect your hands, strings, and reeds. Arrive with time to warm up and adjust your tuning on site.

How to prepare for the audition

Suggested timeline
When	What to do
6 months or more beforehand	Choose repertoire with your teacher from the official list and learn it in sections
3 months ahead	All pieces read through in full; work on difficult passages and make a first recording
2 months beforehand	Pieces at tempo; first mock auditions in front of other people
1 month ahead	Run through the entire program several times a week; fine-tune details rather than making major changes
Final week	Maintain your preparation, rest well, and introduce nothing new: no new pieces, strings, or untested reeds

Mock auditions

Play for your teacher, family, musician friends, or at a student recital.
Rehearse everything: entering, greeting the panel, announcing your piece, tuning, and starting.
Occasionally play without warming up first, because you may have little warm-up time on exam day.
Record yourself on video and watch with the sheet music: check tempo, posture, and signs of tension.
Choose restart points: places in the piece where you can pick up again if you get lost.

Even very experienced musicians get nervous. You’ll find practical strategies in how to overcome stage fright.

On audition day

Arrive with time to warm up and tune on site.
Bring your sheet music, plus copies if the instructions require giving them to the panel.
Choose a tempo you can maintain, rather than the one on your favorite soloist’s recording.
If the panel interrupts you or asks you to move to another section, don’t take it as a bad sign: sometimes they have already heard what they needed.
If you make a mistake, keep going. The panel evaluates the whole performance, not a single measure.
If the instrument exam also includes sight-reading, use your usual preview routine; we explain it in rhythmic and melodic reading for the admissions exam.

The audition is one part of the exam; theory and ear training count too. To organize everything, see how to prepare for the music admissions exam. If you’d like support preparing your repertoire, Gissi offers piano and other instrument lessons, as well as theory, online or in-home in Bogotá, as part of your admissions preparation.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to play from memory at the audition?

It depends on the university and the instrument. If the instructions don’t make it clear, ask beforehand. If you decide to play from memory, start memorizing months ahead and try performing for other people without the sheet music.

How many pieces should I prepare?

As many as your program’s admissions requirements specify. Some ask for just one self-selected piece; others add pieces in different styles, etudes, scales, or a required piece. Prepare exactly what they ask for, and prepare it well.

Can I change my piece shortly before the exam?

It’s not advisable in the final month. A piece needs time to settle and hold up under nerves. If one isn’t working, make the decision with your teacher two or three months ahead.

Does the quality of my instrument matter a lot?

More than an expensive instrument, you need one in good condition and properly adjusted. Have it checked well in advance: settled strings, bridge, pads, or valves. If the university provides the instrument, as is often the case with piano, practice on instruments other than your own.

Sources

We checked the facts in this article against these sources on October 22, 2026.

Repertoire for your admission audition: how to choose it