Department of Performing Arts: Music

Percussion - Audition Requirements

For admission into the department of music as a percussion major students should perform an audition on snare drum, mallet keyboard, and timpani. In addition, drum set, multiple percussion, and/or hand percussion may be performed along with the required instruments.  These audition requirements are appropriate for scholarship audition as well. Audition materials from each of these areas are recommended below:

Snare Drum:

1. Performance of basic rudiments including:

• Single Stroke Roll
• Buzz Roll
• Double Stroke Roll
• Flam
• Flam Accents
• Flam Taps
• Paradiddles

  These may be performed individually or in the context of a rudimental snare drum solo.

2. Performance of a concert snare drum solo. Some collections to choose from are:

• Morris Goldenberg: Modern School for Snare Drum
• Anthony J. Cirone: Portraits in Rhythm
• Vic Firth: The Solo Snare Drummer
• Mitchell Peters: Intermediate Studies for Snare Drum, Advanced Studies for Snare Drum
• Fred Albright: Contemporary Studies for the Snare Drum

Multiple Percussion

Performance of a multiple percussion solo (pieces performed for district and state solo competitions are appropriate). Suggested repertoire selections at that level:

• William Kraft: French Suite; English Suite; Morris Dance
• Dave Hollinden: Cold Pressed

Mallet Keyboard

Perform a solo on marimba, xylophone, or vibraphone. The following pieces and books represent appropriate literature:

• J.S. Bach: Violin Concerto in A Minor; Suites for Cello
• George Hamilton Green: Instruction Course for Xylophone; Xylophone Rags
• Mitchell Peters: Fundamental Solos for Mallets; Chant for Marimba (2 mallets); Sea  Refractions (4 mallets); Yellow After The Rain (4 mallets)
• Claire Omar Musser: Etude or Prelude (2 or 4 mallet pieces)
• Morris Goldenberg: Method for Marimba, Xylophone, and Bells
• David Friedman: Vibraphone Technique, Dampening, and Pedaling
• Alice Gomez & Marilyn Rife: Mbira Song; Rain Dance

Timpani

Perform an etude or solo from one of the following:

• Mitchell Peters: Fundamental Method for Timpani
• Mitchell Peters: Fundamental Solos for Tympani
• Saul Goodman: Modern Method for Timpani
• Garwood Whaley: Fundamental Studies for Timpani
• John Beck: Sonata for Timpani; Three Episodes for Timpani; Three Movements for Five    Timpani
• William Kraft: Variations for King George; Images
• John Bergamo: Four Pieces for Timpani

Drum Set

Show ability to perform basic styles such as swing, jazz brushes, bossa nova, samba, Afro-Cuban, funk, and rock. Demonstration may be in a presentational format or structured into a solo format (such as 8 bars of each style, or 4 bars followed by 4 bar fills, etc.). A composed drum set solo may also be performed.

Hand Drumming

Show ability to perform traditional techniques and styles for the given instrument (congas, bongos, djembe, dumbek, riqq, tabla, etc.).