PERCUSSION

Back to Undergraduate Auditions

Audition using the following suggested material. If your selected repertoire doesn’t meet the criteria presented below, we encourage you to still audition. We are more concerned with how you play than the specific materials you choose for your audition repertoire. If you cannot attend the live auditions, upload a recording to YouTube and include it in your application in SOMIS. Please reach out to Matt Coleman at matt_coleman@byu.edu with any audition questions.

Demonstrate proficiency in the following areas:

• Snare Drum 
  
  1. Select an etude or solo that includes rolls, ornaments like flams or drags, and good dynamic contrast. Demonstrate these in an appropriate orchestral style. Suggested literature: a selection from Portraits in Rhythm by Cirone or from Recital Solos for Snare Drum by Whaley, or something similar.
  2. Perform a 30-second (approximately) buzz roll ranging from soft to loud to soft.
  3. Perform some paradiddles at a fast tempo; accented paradiddles or non-accented are fine.
• Keyboard Percussion
  
  1. Select a 4-mallet or 2-mallet solo or etude that demonstrates your technique and musicianship to best advantage. Suggested literature: a selection from Fundamental Solos for Mallets by Peters or Impressions on Wood by Davila, one of the 39 etudes from Goldenberg’s Modern School for Xylophone, Marimba, and Vibraphone, a selection from either Volume 1 or 2 of Intermediate Masterworks for Marimba by Gottlieb, or something similar.
• Timpani
  
  1. Select a solo or etude that demonstrates a variety of articulation, rolls, and dynamics, and that includes tuning changes. Suggested literature: a selection from The Solo Timpanist by Firth or from The Timpani Challenge by Woud, or something similar.
• Drum Set
  
  1. Demonstrate the ability to play a variety of styles (swing, rock, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian). Demonstrate your ability to play brushes, trade fours in a swing style, and play figures from a big band chart.
  2. Perform a solo that demonstrates your technique/abilities to best advantage: Suggested solos: Jazz Solos, Vol. 1 by Rich Thompson or from Advanced Funk Studies by Rick Latham. You may also play a transcription.