Admission to the Tuition-free Conservatory and Preparatory Program is by audition only.

Auditions are held two times per year, in early June and early September. Please contact Danny J. Thomas in May or August to schedule an audition appointment. There is a $5 audition fee.

All students who schedule an appointment will be sent a musical excerpt two weeks before the audition that they will be asked to play on the audition day. In addition to the excerpts, students should also be prepared to play scales, sight-read and play an excerpt from a piece of their choice.

On audition day, auditioning students will be at Merit for about one hour. The audition process consists of registration, a family interview, a music theory exam (for placement purposes only), and the student’s audition.