Music Educators Association of New Jersey
Serving teachers and students since 1927
The Annual Piano Auditions is one of the MEA's most successful and fruitful programs. Labeled "Auditions" at their inception, they actually comprise an incentive program with year-end evaluations for piano students of all levels and ages, including adults. This is not a competition, rather a program designed for all hard-working pianists - from the earliest beginner through the most accomplished young artist. The requirements for the category determine eligibility for that particular level.
Through the Annual Piano Auditions, the MEA's mission is to:
Every year approximately 1400 piano students participate on weekends in May and June at five different colleges across New Jersey. The student performs for a judge (usually an active, highly qualified piano teacher) and receives a written evaluation and a certificate. Additional awards are given for 3, 5, 7 and 10 years of achievement.
The auditions also play into the eligibility for MEA Camp and College Scholarships. MEA welcomes all members to enroll their students in this valuable and rewarding program. A detailed syllabus with repertoire and technical requirements is available for all members from their Member Homepage.
For instructions and a current list of dates and venues download the PDF form from your Member Homepage entitled Annual Auditions Information and Guidelines. The MEA Calendar also lists the audition dates for the current year.
For campus locations and directions, please go to: Center Venues and Locations.
(Note: you must be logged into your member area to access this page.)
To obtain a copy of the current syllabus you can download and print from your Member Homepage.
March 1 Deadline. In order to register students for the auditions, all Membership Dues (new members and renewals) must be received by this date.
Each year the MEA hosts a special Young Artist Master Class at its June general meeting. It is quite an honor for a student to be chosen to perform at this class, which is conducted by an outstanding piano pedagogue. Students must be Young Artist A, Young Artist B, or Young Artist Preparatory A to register. The audition for this is part of the regular audition program and usually takes place the first Sunday in June. It is currently held at the County College of Morris.
For this audition, student performers are heard by two judges. From a maximum of 12 entrants, the judges choose three or four to perform. Since this audition also functions as part of the regular audition process, ratings are recorded and count toward other MEA awards and scholarship programs. To learn more about this event, please click: Young Artist Master Class
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The Music Educators Association of NJ is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization of private piano teachers founded in 1927. Our mission is to raise the standards of private music teaching throughout New Jersey, while encouraging musical excellence and instilling a love of music in our students.
