Graduate Auditions (MM or DMA)

Below are the audition requirements and suggested pieces/books for each percussion instrument. Original copies and/or books must be used at the audition. Please bring all necessary sticks and mallets and an A=440 tuning fork.

Snare Drum

Applicants should prepare one snare drum solo or etude in concert style and one snare drum solo or etude in rudimental style.

Concert

  • Jacques Delecluse, Twelve Etudes for Snare Drum, Keiskleriana, vol. 1
  • Askell Masson, Prim, Kim

Rudimental

  • Joe Tompkins, Nine French-American Rudimental Solos
  • John S. Pratt, 14 Modern Contest Solos

The applicant should also prepare 3-5 contrasting orchestral excerpts for snare drum (eg. Scheherazade, Lt. Kije, Shostakovich 10, Capriccio Espagnol, etc.).

Keyboard Percussion

The applicant should prepare one substantial keyboard solo. Suggestions for repertoire include:

  • Sueyoshi, Mirage
  • Schwanter, Velocities
  • Reynolds, Autumn Island
  • Vinao, Khan Variations, Burritt Variations
  • Klatzow, Dances of Earth and Fire
  • Thomas, Merlin
  • Mackey, See Ya Thursday

The applicant should prepare one J. S. Bach two-mallet work from Violin Sonatas and Partitas or Suites for Solo Cello.

The applicant should also prepare at least two excerpts each for glockenspiel and xylophone (e.g., Porgy and Bess, Colas Breugnon, Hary Janos Suite, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Pines of Rome, Magic Flute, etc.).

Timpani

The applicant should prepare one substantial solo or several short etudes for timpani.

Suggestions include:

  • Hochrainer, Etudes for Timpani, book 1
  • Carter, Saeta, Improvisation, Canaries, March from Eight Pieces for Four Timpani

The applicant should also prepare three contrasting excerpts illustrating the range of historical repertoire for timpani (eg. Mozart 39, Beethoven 1, 5, or 9, Brahms 1, Tchaikovsky 4, Symphonic Metamorphosis, etc.)

Multiple Percussion

Though it is not required, the applicant is STRONGLY encouraged to prepare a multiple-percussion solo from the following list.

  • Xenakis, Rebonds, Psappha
  • Volans, She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket, Asanga

Drumset

Potential jazz majors and others with experience are encouraged to demonstrate different grooves (eg. jazz, rock, Latin), but drumset is not required for concert-style performers.

The applicant may be asked to sight-read on any instrument. Students must bring music, mallets, and an A=440 tuning fork.