Music Schools Worldwide
Compare0

Woodwinds · 166 verified programs with a clarinet pathway

Clarinet: degrees, diplomas and programs

Clarinet study covers a wide dynamic and expressive range, with routes through orchestral, chamber, wind band, jazz and klezmer-influenced playing.

Also called: Klarinette, Clarinette, Clarinetto, Clarinete, Bass clarinet (related).

What the listings below mean

A program is listed for clarinet only where its official page names the instrument in the title, as a major, or as a formal principal-study pathway. These are formal degree, diploma or certificate pathways; the page says which. An instrument taught in private lessons, or a teacher on the faculty, does not create a listing.

88 Bachelor’s · 62 Master’s · 8 Diploma · 5 Practice doctorate · 3 Certificate · 137 named major, 5 formal principal-study pathway, 24 named in the program title

166 programs

How results are ordered: alphabetically by institution, or by most recently checked when you choose that sort. There is no price ranking, because tuition in different currencies, fee categories and bases (per year, per credit, whole program) is not comparable. A program appears under a subject only through a verified link (dedicated degree, major, concentration or documented pathway). A value we could not verify is shown as “not published”, never as “no”. Items marked Sponsored are paid placements; they never change verification or order. Online programs are not counted as physically located in a state or city, and an institution’s location does not tell you whether it enrols students from your country.

Published clarinet audition repertoire

Copied from each program’s own admissions page. Requirements are specific to the program and intake: follow the link and check the current year.

  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Master of Music
    • Prospective M.M. and D.M.A. students should prepare thirty minutes of music, including repertory that demonstrates diversity of styles, time periods, and forms (sonatas, concerti, orchestral excerpts, and studies). | It is highly recommended that all graduate candidates attend an on-campus audition. If an applicant is unable to travel to campus for a live audition, the faculty will accept a recorded audition, and a virtual interview may occur. Graduate applicants who would like to submit a recorded audition should upload the audition directly to their Graduate College application. | Cookie Settings
  • University of Iowa: Bachelor of Music (BM)
    • Prescreening | No prescreening required. | Preparation requirements | 2 contrasting etudes (fast-slow), of your choosing. | 2 movements from the standard solo clarinet repertoire, of your choosing. | Time requirement | Audition materials should be thoroughly prepared and no longer than the 30 minute audition time. | Accompaniment | No accompaniment is required. | Technical requirements | 4 major scales, of your choosing. | 2 natural minors, 2 harmonic minors, and 2 melodic minors of your choosing. | Repertoire | No required repertoire, please reach out to Professor Montilla for repertoire suggestions.
  • Lawrence University: Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.)
    • The exposition of the first movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, measures 57-155 | One stylistically contrasting movement selected from the standard sonata or concerto repertoire ( not by Mozart ) | One complete work for unaccompanied clarinet. Examples below: | “Blush” by Jean Ahn | “Three Smiles for Tracey” by Adolphus Hailstork | “Hall of Ghosts” by Amanda Harberg | “Homage to Manuel Da Falla” by Bela Kovacs | “Winter Fantasy” by Eric Mandat | “Three Pieces” by Igor Stravinsky | The following orchestral excerpt: Scherzo from Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Beginning to Letter B | Optional: one additional solo work, étude, or band/orchestra excerpt on the Bass clarinet or Eb clarinet | Scales or sight-reading may be requested | For recorded auditions: | Within the required introductory video , address this prompt as well: | How would you assess your own strengths and weaknesses as a clarinetist?
  • DePaul University: Bachelor of Music
    • We encourage all applicants to audition in person if possible. Audition registration will be available after prescreen results are sent. Register for a live audition by January 15. | Prescreen Repertoire - Due Dec. 1 | A prescreen is required for all applicants who list clarinet as their primary instrument. Please review our Prescreen Information page carefully before submission. | One movement of a solo work from the standard repertoire | Two orchestral excerpts of the applicant's choice | Audition Repertoire | One movement of a solo work from the standard repertoire | Two contrasting etudes of the applicant’s choice | Two orchestral excerpts of the applicant's choice ​
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Bachelor of Music
    • Prospective students will be evaluated on their skills of tone production, intonation, musicality, lyrical phrasing, rhythmic accuracy, technical proficiency, and overall musical experience. The student will be asked to perform: | • Two or more contrasting movements from standard solo repertoire, sonata or concerto (an etude is acceptable for one of these) demonstrating lyrical phrasing and technical proficiency | • All Major scales (2 octaves, 3 octaves where appropriate ex: F Major, G Major, E Major, F#/Gb Major) chromatic scale (full range-low chalumeau E through altissimo G). | On-campus audition dates can be found here . It is highly recommended that all undergraduate candidates attend an on-campus audition. If you are unable to audition on-campus, please select the “recorded” audition format preference on your supplemental music form. Undergraduate applicants who would like to submit a recorded audition should follow the steps outlined here .
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Bachelor of Music
    • Clarinet: Audition Requirements Undergraduate: Mozart, Clarinet Concerto (first movement) or Weber, Clarinet Concerto, No. 2 (first movement) Solo piece selected by the student Graduate: Mozart, Clarinet Concerto, exposition of the first movement Nielsen, Clarinet Concerto, opening of the first movement to the cadenza Solo piece selected by the student
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Master of Music
    • Clarinet: Audition Requirements Undergraduate: Mozart, Clarinet Concerto (first movement) or Weber, Clarinet Concerto, No. 2 (first movement) Solo piece selected by the student Graduate: Mozart, Clarinet Concerto, exposition of the first movement Nielsen, Clarinet Concerto, opening of the first movement to the cadenza Solo piece selected by the student
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Graduate Diploma
    • Clarinet: Audition Requirements Undergraduate: Mozart, Clarinet Concerto (first movement) or Weber, Clarinet Concerto, No. 2 (first movement) Solo piece selected by the student Graduate: Mozart, Clarinet Concerto, exposition of the first movement Nielsen, Clarinet Concerto, opening of the first movement to the cadenza Solo piece selected by the student
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Artist Diploma
    • Clarinet: Audition Requirements Undergraduate: Mozart, Clarinet Concerto (first movement) or Weber, Clarinet Concerto, No. 2 (first movement) Solo piece selected by the student Graduate: Mozart, Clarinet Concerto, exposition of the first movement Nielsen, Clarinet Concerto, opening of the first movement to the cadenza Solo piece selected by the student
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Artist Certificate
    • Clarinet: Audition Requirements Undergraduate: Mozart, Clarinet Concerto (first movement) or Weber, Clarinet Concerto, No. 2 (first movement) Solo piece selected by the student Graduate: Mozart, Clarinet Concerto, exposition of the first movement Nielsen, Clarinet Concerto, opening of the first movement to the cadenza Solo piece selected by the student
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Doctor of Musical Arts
    • Clarinet: Audition Requirements Undergraduate: Mozart, Clarinet Concerto (first movement) or Weber, Clarinet Concerto, No. 2 (first movement) Solo piece selected by the student Graduate: Mozart, Clarinet Concerto, exposition of the first movement Nielsen, Clarinet Concerto, opening of the first movement to the cadenza Solo piece selected by the student
  • DePaul University: Master of Music
    • ​​ ​We encourage all applicants to audition in person if possible. Audition registration will be available after prescreen results are sent. Register for a live audition by January 15. | Pre​​​screen Repertoire - Due Dec. 1 | A prescreen is required for all applicants who list clarinet as their primary instrument. Please review our Prescreen Information page carefully before submission. | Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A, K622, movement I Exposition | Stravinsky 3 Pieces, 2nd piece only | Excerpts from: ​Beethoven: Symphony No. 8, third movement only​​ | Mendelssohn: Scherzo from "A Midsummer Night's Dream), beginning to bar 48 | Audition Repertoire | ​​ Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A, K 622, movement I Exposition​ | Stravinsky 3 Pieces, 2nd piece only | Excerpts from: ​Beethoven: Symphony No. 8, third movement only | Mendelssohn: Scherzo from “A Midsummer Night's Dream", beginning to bar 48 | Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2, beginning (rehearsal #155) to bar 17 (one measure after rehearsal #157) AND Rehearsal #212 to the end of the piece​

About clarinet study

The clarinet uses a single reed and a cylindrical bore, and it has an unusually wide range and dynamic span. Degree-level students work on tone, articulation, finger technique and control across the instrument's registers, and also on reed selection and adjustment, since reeds strongly shape response. Orchestral players typically use more than one clarinet, so programs commonly teach B-flat and A clarinets and often the E-flat and bass clarinet.

Repertoire includes concertos, sonatas and a substantial body of chamber music, such as works with strings, piano and voice, in addition to wind quintet and wind band literature. The clarinet has strong roots in jazz and in folk and klezmer traditions, and some programs include these styles. Contemporary composers have also written extensively for the instrument, often exploring extended techniques.

Typical degree contexts include the Bachelor of Music in clarinet performance, the Master of Music, and practice doctorates such as the Doctor of Musical Arts. Clarinet also features in music education programs because it is widely used in school bands, and in jazz programs where it may be a secondary instrument to saxophone. Prospective students should check whether a program frames clarinet as a classical, jazz or mixed pathway.

What study typically involves

  • Clarinet tone, articulation and register control
  • Reed selection and adjustment
  • Solo repertoire, concertos and sonatas
  • Orchestral, wind band and chamber playing
  • A, E-flat and bass clarinet in many programs
  • Contemporary techniques and new music
  • Sight-reading, ear training and theory
  • Pedagogy, and jazz or folk styles in some programs

Award titles. Clarinet is commonly studied for a Bachelor of Music or BMus and a Master of Music or MMus. Some conservatories award an Artist Diploma or a graduate or postgraduate diploma to advanced players; these are diploma awards, not master's degrees. The Doctor of Musical Arts is a practice doctorate. Names vary by country and no equivalence is claimed here.

A program is listed under clarinet in this directory only when its official page names the instrument in the title, as a major, or as a formal principal-study option. A private teacher or a faculty clarinetist does not count. Not every school offers clarinet as a degree specialization, and jazz clarinet may be handled within saxophone or jazz programs.

Auditions and admissions guidance

General orientation only. Each program publishes its own repertoire, format and deadlines; this directory cannot guarantee acceptance.

Clarinet auditions are usually live, with recorded prescreening used by some schools. Applicants commonly play contrasting works, often a classical or romantic sonata or concerto movement and a contrasting piece, together with scales and an etude. Panels listen for tone, intonation, evenness across registers and musicality.

An accompanist is often required, with provision varying by school. Orchestral excerpts may be requested at graduate level, and sight-reading, theory and aural tests are typical. Jazz-oriented applicants may be asked to improvise.

Each program publishes its own repertoire, format and deadlines, and they change over time. Read the current-year requirements for every school. Nothing here guarantees admission.

See also preparing for auditions and prescreening vs final auditions.

Costs and funding

Clarinetists are needed in many ensembles, and programs may offer scholarships connected to wind ensembles or orchestras. Graduate students might be considered for assistantships such as teaching non-majors, coaching sectionals or assisting in band programs.

Terms vary by school, country and year, and many students receive partial support or none. Check each program's funding information.

Costs beyond tuition. Clarinetists may pay for instrument purchase or rental, with professional instruments involving significant cost, plus mouthpieces, ligatures, reeds, cork grease and repairs. Additional clarinets such as A, E-flat or bass may be needed. Accompanist fees and audition travel are other possibilities.