Program Requirements

Bachelor of Music: Percussion

No prescreening round; audition unaccompanied.

Fall 2024 Audition Dates:

Early Decision: TBD ||| Regular Decision: TBD

Fall 2024 Audition Formats

FALL 2024 AUDITION FORMAT OPTIONS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN THE SUMMER OF 2023.

2023 AUDITION FORMAT INFORMATION:

Applicants will have the option to audition on campus or virtually. On-campus auditions are strongly encouraged. Those auditioning in person should prepare the repertoire found below.  
 
For those unable to audition on campus, a two-part virtual audition option is available:

  1. Submit a recorded audition via the Portfolio section of your Bienen School Supplement. After submitting your Bienen School Supplement and Common/Coalition Application, you will receive an email that includes a link to the specific recorded audition repertoire requirements and video duration specifications. The recorded audition deadline is November 15 for the Early Decision round and February 1 for Regular Decision. Repertoire requirements will be pulled from the audition requirements found on this page.
  2. Complete a 10-minute Zoom meeting with faculty. Information on the meeting format will be available via the aforementioned email. The meeting may include playing and applicants should have access to all percussion instruments required. Applicants will receive their Zoom link 3-5 days before the meeting.
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For Final Audition:

The audition should include snare drum, timpani, and keyboard percussion. Sight-reading during the live audition may be required.

Suggested Repertoire:

NOTE: Listed repertoire is not required; any piece of similar difficulty will be accepted.

Snare Drum
•    One orchestral snare drum étude, such as:
o    Delécluse 12 Études
o    Peters Advanced Studies for Snare Drum 
•    One rudimental piece by Pratt, Wilcoxon, or other studies

Timpani
•    One timpani solo, such as:
o    Two-drum or Three-drum Étude by Hochrainer
o    Solo/étude by Duncan Patton or Nick Woud

Keyboard Percussion (2 and 4 mallets)
•    One 2-mallet piece on marimba or xylophone, such as:
o    Bach, any fast movement from Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
o    Creston, Concertino for Marimba (1st or 3rd movement) 
o    Musser,  A-flat étude 
o    Kreisler, Tambourin Chinois  
o    Any xylophone rag

•    One 4-mallet piece on marimba, such as:
o    Tanaka, Two Movements for Marimba (1st movement)
o    Burritt, October Night (2nd movement)
o    Stout, Astral Dance or Mexican Dance (2nd movement) 
o    Sammut, Caméléon 
o    Druckman, Reflections on the Nature of Water (2nd or 6th movement)
o    Schuller, Marimbology (4th movement)

Other Degrees

Master of Music: Percussion