This page has information on admission at the bachelor's and master's level. For information on doctoral-level admission, please see our page on the local concentration in Jazz Studies within the DMA in Performance.

Undergraduate (Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance/Bass Concentration)
Live auditions are listed on the following website: https://music.unt.edu/admissions/audition-schedule.

You are encouraged to participate in one of the official live (in-person) audition days for UNT. Include your preferred of the of the scheduled Saturday audition dates on your College of Music Acceptd application. We do not admit jazz bass students by video alone. If you are an international student and cannot attend on the official audition days, or if it is a hardship to participate on the official live audition days, email Professor Seaton and arrange a virtual audition day. Email: lynn.seaton@unt.edu

Undergraduate Audition for Admission and Scholarships
Please note a screening (preliminary audition video) is required for all applicants. The screening will be submitted directly through the Acceptd application.
We require that you do your audition in two parts: a screening video that shows what you can do with advance preparation and a live audition which covers sight-reading, scales, etc., as explained below. We do not admit by video alone.

1. The deadline for application to the College of Music and submitting a screening video is the first Monday in December. Confirmation of a live audition and interview date will be sent by email approximately one month prior to the audition.
Upload screening video. Follow the directions on the College of Music Acceptd application to submit a high quality recorded video audition. Your recording should be no longer than 15 or 20 minutes. Your screening video should include the following: 1) medium tempo standard, 2) jazz blues, 3) jazz ballad, 4) fusion, Latin or funk, and 5) up-tempo standard or rhythm changes. The medium tempo standard and jazz blues should include both a walking bass line and a solo. The others may also contain a solo. All selections should show your ability to function in a rhythm section. (For example, while making an audio demo at home, school, a concert, in a studio, etc.) You can record something with a rhythm section (preferred), or record yourself playing with a Jamey Aebersold play-along recording or the equivalent. It is not necessary to record in a professional studio, however, please ensure you can be seen and heard fully in your screening video.

OPTIONAL: In addition to the video, you may also submit a supplemental publicly released audio CD or DVD recording in which you play. If you have a recording on Spotify, please email Prof. Seaton a link AND put the link in your resume in the Acceptd application. You may send a professional hard copy in the mail. Label your supplemental disk with your name, "jazz bass audition." Send your disk to:

Prof. Lynn Seaton
Division of Jazz Studies
College of Music
1155 Union Circle #311367
Denton, TX 76203-5017

2. The live audition for acceptance to the Jazz Bass program will contain some of the following:
One octave major, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales at least two fingerings for each scale
Ability to read basic bass line charts with written lines in several different rhythmic styles (swing, bossa nova, rock, funk, etc.)
Ability to improvise a walking bass line on a chart of a basic jazz chord progression
Ability to improvise a walking bass line on a jazz version of 12-bar blues progressions in at least the keys of G, C, F, Bb, Eb, and Ab
Ability to sight read walking bass lines, notes (some melodies), and improvise bass lines and some soloing on big band and lead sheet charts.
Ability to play all pieces in audition with a good, even time feel (unaccompanied) and a minimum of hesitations when sight-reading (ability to keep going).

If you are an international student and cannot attend or if it is a hardship for you to participate in one of the in-person audition days, email Professor Seaton and arrange a virtual audition day. Email: lynn.seaton@unt.edu

New bass students at UNT desiring to become jazz majors may take many of the freshman jazz courses (including Bass Fundamentals and Bass Styles), with certain prerequisites, before full acceptance into the jazz degree program. Full acceptance as a jazz studies major will occur after successful completion of MUJS 1131 Jazz Performance Fundamentals I for Bass, MUJS 1132 Jazz Performance Fundamentals II for Bass, and acceptance into a jazz lab band by live audition. Jazz lab auditions take place each semester the week prior to the start of classes. They consist of sight reading typical big band charts (reading notes, walking bass lines, etc.)

UNT is an upright oriented program with required classical and jazz bass lessons. Ability to play both acoustic and electric basses is not required for entrance into the bachelor's in jazz performance program but is part of the requisites for completing the degree. The typical applicant does most of the video and live audition on upright and one tune on electric. Placement into most lab bands requires the ability to play upright and electric well. The greater the student's experience on both instruments upon entering the program, the easier the process will be.
Whether you do a live in-person or virtual audition for admission, a prescreening video must be submitted.

Graduate (Master of Music in Jazz Performance/Bass Concentration)

Graduate Audition Video for Admission and Scholarships
Please note a screening (preliminary audition video) is required for all applicants. The screening will be submitted directly through the Acceptd application.
Live auditions will be on the dates listed at the following website: https://music.unt.edu/admissions/audition-schedule.

1. Apply to the University of North Texas Toulouse Graduate School at gradschool.unt.edu. For the Jazz Studies M.M., the graduate testing requirement is the Analytical Writing Portion of the GRE OR the jazz studies in-house writing exam. If you choose to take the GRE Analytical writing exam, the results must be submitted to the Toulouse Graduate School before your first semester of enrollment. If you choose the jazz studies in-house writing exam, you must take it during new graduate student orientation, before the start of classes in August. More information on this requirement.
2. Apply to the Jazz Studies graduate program in the College of Music; see music.unt.edu/admissions (information and application forms).

Your audition will be in two parts: a screening video that shows what you can do with advance preparation and a live audition which covers sight-reading, scales, etc., as explained below.

1. The deadline for application to the College of Music and submitting a screening video is the first Monday in December. Confirmation of a live audition and interview date will be sent by email approximately one month prior to the audition.
Upload screening video. Follow the directions on the College of Music Acceptd application to submit a high quality recorded video audition by using youtube.com, vimeo.com, or similar web service. Your recording (or set of recordings) should be no longer than 15 or 20 minutes. After you submit the online UNT College of Music application, you will be prompted to go to your student dashboard. Select the Screening/Audition tab and follow instructions to submit links to your videos. It will be necessary to combine two of the pieces into one video so the four (4) available links will contain all five of the required styles.: 1) medium tempo standard, 2) jazz blues, 3) jazz ballad, 4) fusion, Latin or funk, and 5) Play the melody, improvise a walking bass line, and solo on an up-tempo version of "Confirmation" from memory. The medium tempo standard and jazz blues should include both a walking bass line and a solo. The others may also contain a solo. Use the bow on one or more of the upright tunes. All selections should show your ability to function in a rhythm section. (For example, you could record yourself while making an audio demo at home, school, a concert, in a studio, etc.) You can record something with a rhythm section (preferred), or record yourself playing with a Jamey Aebersold play-along recording or the equivalent. It is not necessary to record in a professional studio, however, please ensure you can be seen and heard fully in your screening video.

OPTIONAL: In addition to the video, you may also submit a supplemental publicly released audio CD or DVD recording in which you play. If you have a recording on Spotify, please email Prof. Seaton a link AND include the link in your resume in the Acceptd application. You may send a professional hard copy in the mail. Label your supplemental disk with your name, "jazz bass audition." Send your disk to:
Prof. Lynn Seaton
Division of Jazz Studies
College of Music
1155 Union Circle #305040
Denton, TX 76203-5017

2. If, on the basis of the materials submitted, you are invited for an on-campus audition, choose one of the scheduled Saturday audition dates at the College of Music or contact Lynn Seaton to schedule an appointment. If you are an international student and cannot attend or if it is a hardship for you to participate in one of the in-person audition days, email Professor Seaton and arrange a virtual audition day. lynn.seaton@unt.edu
Play a live in-person or virtual audition for admission into the College of Music that will contain some of the following:
All of the required skills at the undergraduate level
Ability to play the melody, improvise a walking bass line, and solo on "Confirmation" from memory
Ability to improvise a walking or appropriate style bass line on a chart of complex jazz harmony (e.g. Wayne Shorter or Thelonious Monk tunes, etc.)
Ability to improvise a walking bass line on common jazz variations on a 12 bar blues progressions in all 12 keys
Ability to improvise a walking bass line on the progression to "I Got Rhythm" (Rhythm Changes) in at least three keys including Bb
Ability to sight read walking bass lines, notes (some melodies), and improvise bass lines and solos on big band and lead sheet charts.
Some jazz soloing ability at least appropriate for second year improvisation classes at UNT (basic jazz standards and blues in several keys)
Ability to play: the melody, an improvised bass line, and solo on at least ten jazz standards from memory. Have a list with you.
Ability to play at least two contrasting pieces in the classical style is recommended. At least two years of college-level classical double bass lessons experience is highly recommended.
Attention will be paid to time feel, stylistic authenticity, technical proficiency, tone, musical background, overall musicianship, and potential for development.

You are encouraged to participate in one of the official live (in-person) days for UNT. If you are an international student and cannot attend or if it is a hardship for you to participate in one of the in-person audition days, email Professor Seaton and arrange a virtual audition day. Email: lynn.seaton@unt.edu

UNT is an upright bass oriented program. Ability to play both acoustic and electric basses is not required for entrance into the master's jazz performance program but is part of placement auditions into lab bands. The typical applicant does most of the video and live audition on upright and one tune on electric. Placement into most lab bands requires the ability to play upright and electric well. The greater the student's experience on both instruments upon entering the program, the easier the process will be.

Most prospects do most of the audition on upright bass and part of it on electric. If your training on the acoustic bass is limited, you may be required to pass the classical upper division exam. This may occur after some classical study at UNT. It will be considered a deficiency requirement until completed. The exam consists of playing a classical concerto on the level of the Dragonnetti for the classical faculty.

Doctoral - DMA in Performance with Local Concentration in Jazz Studies
For information on doctoral-level admission, please see our page on the local concentration in Jazz Studies within the DMA in Performance.