Jazz Auditions

All jazz majors and any other students interested in participating in a jazz ensemble must complete an audition. Your audition will determine your placement in combos and big bands (Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble).

Questions should be directed to Roosevelt Griffin at rgriffin2@niu.edu.

Assigned Audition Excerpts

Fall 2025 auditionees: Audition excerpts for the required etude portion of your audition will be posted in August. Further details about audition procedures will also become available closer to this time.

Audition Requirements

Horn players and pianists, guitarists, and bassists can find audition requirements below. Drummers should refer to the Drum Audition Requirements below. Auditions will take place within your applied studio and will be used in determining ensemble placement. Jazz majors must participate in these auditions.

Register for your audition

For your individual audition, you will be asked to demonstrate technique, improvisation and reading skills. Please prepare the excerpt for your instrument from Tom Garling’s “Heads Up!” provided below. Trumpet and trombone players should prepare one or both excerpts included (lead and second parts), depending on whether they would like to be considered for lead playing roles.

• Alto Saxophone (PDF)
• Tenor Saxophone (PDF)
• Baritone Saxophone (PDF)
• Trumpet (PDF)
• Tenor Trombone (PDF)
• Bass Trombone (PDF)
• Guitar and Piano (PDF)
• Bass (PDF)
• Drums (PDF)

Technique

Scales and technical exercises determined by the applied teacher and common triad and seventh chord arpeggios (major, minor, dominant, diminished).

Improvisation

You will prepare a blues melody of choice with two choruses of improvisation. In addition, please prepare a rhythm changes or standard melody of choice with one chorus of improvisation. Rhythm section players will also comp appropriate to style.

Reading

Assigned audition excerpts can be found above. Additionally, a lead sheet of a standard or common jazz tune will be provided for sight reading. Improvisation over the progression in the sight-reading examples may be expected as well.

Drum Audition Requirements

Your audition will consist of three components: technique, improvisation and reading.

Technique

Demonstration of Swing, Bossa Nova, Samba, Jazz Waltz, Jazz Ballad, Funk, ECM, Afro-Cuban and Mambo.

Improvisation

Perform and improvise to backing tracks over jazz standards in AABA form and 12-bar blues form.

Reading

Assigned audition excerpt (found above) and sight reading.

Ensemble Schedule