Prospective Students

To become a member of an OU Bands ensemble, you should first apply to the University of Oklahoma. If you are majoring in Music, after your apply to the university, you must also apply to the School of Music.

Please go to our auditions page to find more detailed information about audition requirements for each ensemble. Non-majors can participate in ensembles as well. But if you are majoring in music, you should first audition for a degree program (see the link above) and then you will audition separately for ensembles.

See the Graduate Degrees page for more information about degree programs and application procedure.

The University of Oklahoma School of Music, Department of Bands offers .50 Graduate Teaching Assistantships beginning the fall of each year for students pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts or Master of Music degree in conducting. Graduate students are integrated into all aspects of the University Band program to create opportunities for professional and personal development. Conducting students work in a team environment with the band faculty, staff, student workers and other graduate students.

Graduate conducting students have opportunities to:

• Guest conduct the Wind Symphony, Symphony Band, and Concert Band.
• Assist with Marching Band rehearsals and section rehearsals.
• Create and teach drill for the Pride of Oklahoma.
• Rehearse and conduct various Pep Bands (football, basketball, special events).
• Perform administrative duties with band program, camps, festivals and clinics.
• Team teach in a nationally innovative music education curriculum by coaching undergraduate music education majors in teaching and conducting classroom activities.
• Graduate Teaching Assistants receive a 9-month stipend plus a basic health insurance plan. Qualifying (.50) Graduate Assistants receive partial but substantial tuition assistance. Additional compensation in the summer may be available in a summer work program that includes assistance with camps and clinics. Positions are contingent on budget funding.

The University of Oklahoma School of Music is a fully accredited institutional member of NASM with over 60 faculty members, approximately 300 undergraduate students, and 150 graduate students. The School of Music provides a wide range of opportunities for musical and intellectual growth with degrees offered at the Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral levels. The School of Music is a part of the College of Fine Arts, one of 19 colleges within the University. The University of Oklahoma is a major national research university with a commitment to high-quality undergraduate and graduate education. The Norman campus has 25,000 students and over 1,200 full-time faculty members. Norman, a community of 110,000, is located twenty minutes south of Oklahoma City, a metropolitan area with a population exceeding 1,000,000.