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I'm currently in the summer before my senior year of high school, and I've been researching colleges and their audition requirements. I’ve noticed that some schools require scales—do they typically need to be memorized? I've been preparing two pieces: Bach’s Air and Bourrée and Suite for Tuba, and I’m also slowly working through two method books: Bel Canto Studies and 40 Advanced Studies. All of the colleges I'm considering require either one piece with contrasting sections or two separate contrasting etudes, and a few also ask for major and minor scales.

The schools I’m most interested in are:

West Chester University – Tuba instructor: Dr. Jonathan Fowler

Temple University – Tuba instructor: Carol Jantsch

Kutztown University – Tuba instructor: Dr. Samantha Lake

Millersville University – Tuba instructor: Dr. Jennifer Jester

What else should I be doing to prepare? Should I be working on sight-reading, playing by ear, or memorizing more material? I want to make sure I’m fully prepared and presenting my best self when audition time comes. If anyone has studied under these instructors, I’d really appreciate any tips or insight on how best to prepare or what to expect from their studio auditions.

Yes, scales should be memorized.

Sam Lake is also teaching at UConn now as well. She may be splitting her time between schools, unsure exactly what the arrangement is there.

Scales should be known (deeper level than memorized...ie. "be able to play them all at 7 A.M. prior to the first cup of coffee")

Anything played in a face-to-face audition WITHOUT sheet music impresses more (and - most often - is played better).

"Music" is not about minimum requirements. It's about maximum music.

I'm not insulting you.
I'm trying to encourage you.

My son is at the same exact point as you. I lived on Philly for a long time, so even though we live in the Midwest there is some overlap between his list of schools and yours.

Jay Krush is the primary instructor at Temple... I didn't know how much time Carol Jantsch spends there. If you haven't yet you should send him an email . He is very nice and went out of his way to meet with us. Same with Jonathan Fowler...

Set up recruitment lessons... real feedback from instructors has been invaluable for my son. Working with professors had been eye opening.. there have been some programs he thought he would like a lot... but after visiting and meeting either students in the studio they have dropped quite a bit in his rankings .. other schools, like West Chester, he was expecting not to like but changed to a big positive after a visit.