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Percussion - Audition Requirements
For admission into the department of music as a percussion major one or
more of the following areas should be chosen for audition: snare drum,
multiple percussion, mallet keyboard, or timpani. In addition, drum set
and/or hand percussion may be performed along with one or more of these.
These audition requirements are appropriate for scholarship audition as
well. Audition materials from each of these areas are recommended below:
Snare Drum:
- 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.
- 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
- Charles De Lancey: Love of L'Histoire
- Dave Hollinden: Cold Pressed
- Darius Milhaud: Concerto for Percussion
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.).
