Disciplines

1. Complete an online application and schedule your audition no later than noon the weekday before your desired audition date. See dates in right side bar or view full audition schedule here. Audition spaces fill quickly, so schedule as soon as possible.

2. Bring a government-issued I.D. or birth certificate to your audition for age verification purposes.

3. Read guidelines below to prepare your audition. Please note: You MUST audition for the part you wish to sing at Quartz Mountain, though the conductor reserves the right to change part assignments during OSAI.

4. Arrive at your audition at least 15 minutes early to check in and warm up.

The audition consists of 3 components. PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS BELOW CAREFULLY. Failure to adhere to these requirements could keep an otherwise outstanding voice from being accepted to OSAI!

1. Sing your choice of ONE of the songs listed below. You must sing your selected song AS WRITTEN on the sheet music provided here (click links below to download music). The music and words do NOT have to be memorized. If you would like to bring a copy of your music to the audition, you must print it beforehand. While you are encouraged to practice your piece with a metronome in advance, electronic devices (including cell phones and metronomes) are NOT permitted during the audition. The beginning pitch will be provided for you at the audition, and you will sing unaccompanied (a cappella). Vocal embellishments, inaccurate tempos, or otherwise not singing the music as written will result in significantly lower scores.

OPTION A: America the Beautiful
TEMPO: Quarter note = 75 - 90 b.p.m. (Set your metronome at a tempo between 75 and 90; each click represents one quarter note.)
> Download America the Beautiful – SOPRANO
> Download America the Beautiful – ALTO
> Download America the Beautiful – TENOR
> Download America the Beautiful – BASS

OPTION B: Greensleeves
TEMPO: Dotted quarter note = 40 - 60 b.p.m. (Set your metronome at a tempo between 40 and 60; each click represents one dotted quarter note.)
> Download Greensleeves – SOPRANO
> Download Greensleeves – ALTO
> Download Greensleeves – TENOR
> Download Greensleeves – BASS

OPTION C: O Danny Boy
TEMPO: Quarter note = 50 - 65 b.p.m. (Set your metronome at a tempo between 50 and 65; each click represents one quarter note.)
> Download O Danny Boy – SOPRANO
> Download O Danny Boy – ALTO
> Download O Danny Boy – TENOR
> Download O Danny Boy – BASS

Again, you only have to sing ONE of the songs listed above. If you have any questions, please call 405.605.7500 or email oai@oaiquartz.org

2. Sing four short musical exercises to determine tonal memory. In each exercise, applicants will be required to listen to 4-7 pitches, then sing the sequence of pitches back by memory. Tonal memory can be sung using any syllable (e.g. “do do do,” “la la la”). Listen to tonal retention examples of comparable difficulty below.

> Tonal retention example – SOPRANO
> Tonal retention example – ALTO
> Tonal retention example – TENOR
> Tonal retentional example – BASS

3. Perform a short sight reading exercise. Each applicant will have 90 seconds to review the sight reading before beginning. Sight reading will be in major mode and may include limited accidentals and/or intervals up to an octave. The vocal range will be limited to an octave and a third. View a sight-reading example of comparable difficulty.

Watch our video to learn what to expect at your OSAI Chorus audition.

Feel free to wear casual/comfortable attire. Since auditions are blind and will be audio recorded for adjudication at a later date, you will not be interacting with judges at your audition.

Visit the sight-reading practice and preparation resources below. Remember, the best way to become a better sight reader is to PRACTICE sight reading!

• 10 Tips and Tricks for Sight Reading Music
• 4 Sight-Reading Tips Liszt Wants You to Know
• 5 Steps to Mastering Sight Reading

Check out our guide to practicing Tonal Memory. As with any other part of the audition, practicing this skill is vital to a successful audition! Below are some resources and tips you can use to practice tonal memory.

• Ask your choral director or other music instructors to play short melodies (4-7 pitches) for you to sing back. They can help you learn what to listen for and to make sure that you’re singing back melodies correctly.
• Try singing back melodies you hear on the radio, television, or even melodies you hear in the practice rooms or at your school. Start with small fragments and try to gradually sing back longer and longer sections of melody.
• Learn to identify and sing common musical elements like scales, chords, and sequences. Recognizing these patterns in the tonal memory exercises can help you remember longer fragments of melody.
• Practice melodic dictation exercises from online music theory websites. Two good websites are SonicFit.com and Teoria.com.
  • If you’re new to tonal memory, try starting with SonicFit’s Melodic Fragment exercises.
  • If you’d like a bit more challenge and longer phrases, use SonicFit’s Sing Back exercises.
  • Finally, use the Melodic Dictation exercises on either SonicFit or Teoria to practice retention of both melody and rhythm.