AUDITIONS

Grades 6-8
1. Scale of the student's choice
2. Solo piece of the student's choice
3. Sight-reading exercise (will be provided at the audition)

Grades 9-12
1. One of the following randomly selected scales
- Violin:  A, C, Eb (3 octaves preferred, no slower than quarter = 90)
- Viola/Cello:  D, F, A (3 octaves preferred, no slower than quarter = 90)
- Bass:  F, C, D (2 octaves preferred, no slower than quarter = 90)
2. Orchestra excerpts provided by AYSP (not required of students auditioning only for Youth Concert Orchestra; both excerpts required)
* download exerpts below
3. Solo piece of the student's choice (no longer than 3 minutes; don't take repeats)

Grades 6-8
1. Scale of the student's choice, in as many octaves as the student chooses
2. Short solo piece, solo excerpt, or etude of the student's choice (not the AYSP Audition Etude)
3. AYSP-provided Audition Etude (start at the beginning and play to the end of the variation with which you are most comfortable)
*download etudes below

Grades 9-12
1. One of the following randomly selected scales
- Woodwinds and brass: G, D, A (2 octaves when ability in upper and lower ranges allow), written pitch (non-concert pitch), slurred up, tongued down, quarter = 90-100
2. Orchestra excerpts provided by AYSP (not required of students auditioning only for Youth Concert Orchestra; both excerpts required)
*download excerpts below
3. Solo piece of the student's choice (no longer than 3 minutes; don't take repeats)

Grades 6-8
1. Short solo piece, solo excerpt, or etude of the student's choice (not an AYSP Audition Etude) on one or all of the following instruments:
- Snare drum
- Glockenspiel
- Timpani
2. AYSP-provided Audition Etudes, one on snare drum, one on mallets (start at the beginning and play to the end of the variation with which you are most comfortable)
*download etudes below

Grades 9-12
1. Orchestra excerpts and/or rudiments provided by AYSP (not required of students auditioning only for Youth Concert Orchestra; all excerpts required)
*download excerpts below
2. Solo piece(s) of the student's choice on one of the following instruments (choose one solo/etude total if doing excerpts):
- Keyboard (marimba, xylophone or glockenspiel)
- Snare drum
- Timpani

Percussionists: please bring your own mallets for your audition

Grades 6-8
1. Scale and Arpeggios provided by AYSP
*download scale and arpeggios below
2. Solo piece of the student's choice
3. Sight-reading exercise (will be provided at the audition)

Grades 9-12
1. Scale and Arpeggios provided by AYSP
*download scale and arpeggios below
2. Orchestral excerpt provided by AYSP (not required of students auditioning only for Youth Concert Orchestra)
*download excerpt below
3. Solo piece(s) of the student's choice (no longer than 3 minutes; don't take repeats)

The Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program holds auditions every spring for the upcoming school year's performance season for students in grades 6-12.

High school students are placed in one of AYSP's three high school full-orchestras (which includes strings, winds, and percussion): the Youth Symphony (YS), the Youth Orchestra (YO), or the Youth Concert Orchestra (YCO).

Middle school students are placed in one of two middle school full-orchestras (which includes strings, winds, and percussion) - the Junior Symphony (JS) or the Junior Orchestra (JO), or in the middle school string orchestra (which includes violin, viola, cello, and bass) - the Junior String Orchestra (JSO).

All returning students re-audition each year.

We do not hold auditions for our elementary school ensembles (for students who will be in grade 4 or 5 next school year), but there are certain eligibility requirements for participation in those ensembles.

Click here to learn more about all of AYSP's high school, middle school, and elementary ensembles.

All auditions are held on various dates beginning the end of April through the middle of May. Audition dates and audition excerpts/etudes are announced before the APS Spring Break each year. Students may sign up for an audition through our website starting in March. Your audition date and time slot will be emailed to you the week after audition sign-up closes.

Preferred audition dates are assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis and are not guaranteed. Your audition may be scheduled for a catch-all day or time not shown on the audition schedule based on schedule availability, so be sure to sign up early.

Unless otherwise specified, auditions are held at:

Dale E. Kempter Center for Music Education (the AYSP Facility)
4407 Menaul Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110

There is a $15.00 non-refundable audition fee. Students who apply and qualify for financial assistance will have the $15.00 audition fee credited toward their tuition upon being accepted into AYSP and registering for the upcoming season.

Yes. There are large communal warm-up rooms available for students.

Percussion students will receive a 7-minute, scheduled warm-up time where they will have access to percussion equipment. Additional warm-up time will be in the communal warm-up rooms, and it is recommended to bring a practice pad or other similar warm-up equipment for this time.

Plan to arrive 30-45 minutes before your scheduled audition time. It is very important to make sure you allow yourself extra travel time and look out for any possible traffic or weather delays.

You will not be able to warm up at the AYSP building earlier than 30 minutes before your scheduled audition time, so please plan accordingly.

Middle School: You will be playing in front of 2-5 judges. Judges are able to assist with tuning and answer questions. An audition lasts 5 minutes (7 minutes for percussion). During your audition, you may be stopped by the panel and asked to go on to another section of music. You may also be given instruction regarding what you just played and asked to play a section again. These situations are common and not a reflection of your playing or the result of your audition.

High School: Auditions are blind. 2-5 judges will sit behind a screen, and you are not permitted to speak once you enter the audition room. An audition lasts 5 minutes (7 minutes for percussion). Due to time constraints, you may be stopped by the panel during your audition and asked to go on to another section of music. Students will have a proctor in the room to assist them. Judges do not know the name or grade of the student who is auditioning. Placement is based entirely on the student's audition score. Please play your audition in the order listed in the Audition Requirements.

For all grade levels:  Students perform their audition solo, with no accompaniment. Parents and teachers are not allowed in audition room, but are welcome to wait in the lobby. Memorization of your music is not required. If you would like to memorize your solo, you are welcome to do so; however, it does not affect your audition score.

Middle school students should wear neat dress clothes that are comfortable to perform in. Remember that this is the first impression you will make on those who will evaluate you. It is also a good idea to practice in the clothes you are planning to wear at least once before your audition.

High school students should wear comfortable clothing to perform in. Since high school auditions are "blind" and the judges will not see you, you do not need to dress up.

All audition results will be announced July 8th, after all AYSP summer programs have concluded. Results will be emailed to the email addresses provided at audition sign-up. Be sure to enter your email address correctly during the online Audition Sign-Up process and make sure that your email account will accept mail from AYSP (not blocked by your spam folder). Email is AYSP's primary mode of communication with students and parents.

Typically, rehearsals begin in early August. High school ensembles often start the weekend before area public schools (APS, RRPS) begin. The full rehearsal schedule will be emailed on July 8, 2026. 

To be a member of an AYSP ensemble, a student who plays a string instrument with AYSP agrees to play in his or her school orchestra and a student who plays a wind, brass or percussion instrument with AYSP agrees to play in his or her school band. If no school music ensemble is offered, this rule does not apply. A musician whose school does not have a music program for their instrument, or who is home schooled, however, is strongly encouraged to participate in additional musical ensembles.

Yes! The Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program is committed to supporting any student in need of financial assistance for tuition. Each application is assessed using a sliding scale of 25-90% of tuition cost, based on HUD Low to Moderate Income (LMI) Guidelines. Financial aid is awarded for the season, and families must reapply annually. The Financial Aid application form can be found at https://www.aysmusic.org/tuition-and-fees/.