Bachelor of Music in Piano
Additional Information for Out-of State Piano Students
(American Citizens)
Additional Information for International Piano Students
Piano Transfer Students (non-Freshmen) to UH Manoa
Piano at U.H. Manoa
Piano at the University of Hawaii has been invigorated and is headed in new directions. It is an exciting time in the piano department with two actively performing piano faculty, Thomas Rosenkranz and Thomas Yee. The piano faculty is dedicated to the highest professional, artistic and academic standards for our students.
The Music Department offers a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Master of Music in Piano Performance. Our Bachelor of Music and our Master of Music degrees offer pianists a comprehensive education for professional performing as soloist chamber musicians and collaborators. Our degree programs also provide qualifications toward private studio and university teaching.
We also offer a Bachelor of Arts program, a broad liberal arts degree and a Bachelor of Music Education which prepares for music teaching in elementary and secondary schools.
There are ample performing opportunities to perform in weekly studio classes in Orvis Auditorium and in Piano Repertory Labs which occur four times per semester. Students are also strongly encouraged to compete to play a concerto with the University of Hawaii Orchestra each year. Of significant note are the opportunities to perform in Chamber Music, Piano Vocal Collaboration, Contemporary Music Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, just to name a few of our magnitude of both eastern and western ensembles.
Our recently renovated practice facilities feature many new Steinway and Petrov pianos providing piano students plenty of free and available practice time.
Students in piano pedagogy have opportunities to connect with local teachers in Honolulu's vibrant piano scene. They are encouraged to become members of the Hawaii Piano Teachers Association, the Music Teachers National Association and the Hawaii Music Teachers Association's annual convention which takes place at the University of Hawaii Music Department.
In addition to piano studies, the Music Programs at the University of Hawaii provide extensive training in music theory and composition, music history, music education, conducting, ethnomusicology and music technology.
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Additional Information for Out-of State Piano Students (American Citizens)
Students from a number of western states qualify for participation in the Western Undergraduate Exchange Program (WUE). In this program, students pay approximately 1.5-times the in-state tuition, which is significantly lower than the out-of-state fees. See the Western Undergraduate Exchange Program website for more information.
For additional information on establishing residency in Hawaii, see the UHM Admissions & Records - FAQ (Residency) page.
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Additional Information for International Piano Students
Students from a number of Asian and Pacific countries may qualify for the UHM APTDE Scholarship at the University of Hawaii. The University of Hawaii International Student Services site offers more information and criteria, including financial information.
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Piano Transfer Students (non-Freshmen) to UH Manoa
Transfer students must have earned at least 24 semester credits from regionally accredited U.S. colleges and universities, in courses comparable to the University of Manoa (UHM) courses to be waived from submitting your high school transcript and SAT/ACT scores.
Transfer students require a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 (for Hawai`i residents) and 2.5 (for non residents).
For more detailed information on transferring to UH Manoa, visit UH Admissions & Records - Admission of Transfer Students.
Students at community colleges in the UH system (e.g. LCC, KCC) may qualify to take certain courses at UH Manoa for their program at their home campus (called concurrent registration). Concurrent registrants must have approval of a home campus advisor to enroll in a course at UH Manoa. For more information, please see Procedures for Concurrent Registration (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
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Audition Requirements for Pianists
Undergraduate B.A. (15 minutes)
- 2-3 works of contrasting styles at the early Intermediate to Advanced level.
- Demonstration of a major and minor scale, 2 octaves, and arpeggios in root position.
- Short sight-reading example (music provided by Faculty.)
Undergraduate B.M. (15 minutes)
- 3 works of contrasting styles at the late Intermediate to Advanced level.
- Demonstration of a major and minor scale, 4 octaves, and arpeggios in root position.
- Short sight-reading example (music provided by Faculty.)
Graduate M.M. Students (Solo) (20 minutes)
- At least 3 works of contrasting styles at the Advanced level.
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Audition Dates
Local Auditions
For studies beginning in the fall semester: live auditions scheduled in the Music Building Room 19 on or before March 15.
Contact Prof. Thomas Rosenkranz, Piano Chair, at (808) 956-6384 to schedule. (thomasr@hawaii.edu)
Out-of-state/ International applicants
Contact Prof. Thomas Rosenkranz, Piano Chair, at (808) 956-6384 (thomasr@hawaii.edu) regarding deadlines for the submission of recordings.
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Program Requirements
Music Requirements
| Course | Credits |
| Theory and Aural Training | 12 |
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| Music History | 6 |
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| Applied Music (Primary) | 20 |
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| Applied Music (Secondary) | 2 |
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| Ensembles | 3 |
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| Other Ensembles | 6 |
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| Ethnomusicology | 1-3 |
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| Advanced Courses | 23-25 |
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| Recital Attendance | 0 |
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| Music Electives | 3-7 |
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| Total in Music | 80 |