Undergraduate Auditions
Auditionees should be prepared to perform the following in a live audition. Please see below for the percussion audition guidelines and suggested repertoire level.
After you have submitted your portfolio through Slideroom, the percussion faculty may invite you for a callback interview and discussion. Please be ready to discuss your interest in JMU, your background as a percussionist, and your educational goals.
Snare Drum - One concert solo & one rudimental solo*
Recommended literature level:
- Garwood Whaley - Musical Studies for The Intermediate Snare Drummer
- Anthony Cirone - Portraits in Rhythm
- Jay Wanamaker - Championship Corps Style Contest Solos
- Charlie Wilcoxin - All-American Drummer
- John Pratt - 14 Modern Contest Solos
Timpani - One solo
Recommended literature level:
- Muczynski - Three Designs for Three Timpani
- John Beck - Sonata
- Saul Goodman - Modern Method for Timpani, Exercises 35 and beyond
- Eckehardt Keune - Schlaginstrumente-Pauken, Exercises 33 and beyond
Mallets - One two-mallet solo and one four-mallet solo. Can be done on xylophone, marimba, and/or vibraphone as appropriate by literature choice. *
Recommended literature level:
- Garwood Whaley - Musical Studies for The Intermediate Mallet Player (two mallets)
- George Hamilton Green - Ragtime Robin (two mallets)
- Alice Gomez - Rain Dance (four mallets)
- James Moyer - Four-Mallet Method for Marimba, solos from Bartok, Kabelevsky, Luther, Goedicke, Bach, Beethoven, Diabelli
*Candidates will be asked to perform light sight-reading on snare drum and a mallet instrument of choice (two mallet).
Drumset - All students interested in Jazz Studies at JMU should perform drumset in their audition. This is in addition to the other percussion instruments. Please demonstrate the ability to perform the following styles:
- Jazz/Swing in 4/4 and 3/4
- Bossa Nova
- Samba
- Ballad w/brushes
Recommended literature: The Jazz Drummer's Reading Workbook by Tom Morgan, page 15 "Out of the Fog" with accompaniment
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to email Professor Casey Cangelosi: cangelcr@jmu.edu
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Master of Music Graduate Auditions
The application process for graduate music admissions involves submitting two applications:
1) The Graduate School Application
2) School of Music Application via Slideroom
Please submit the following audition materials:
- One concert style and one rudimental snare drum solo
- One two-mallet marimba or xylophone solo or etude
- One four-mallet marimba solo
- One timpani solo or significant etude
- Two (2) excerpts from the standard orchestral literature
For recommendations on repertoire, please see the MM percussion guidelines.
Please contact Professor Casey Cangelosi at cangelcr@jmu.edu if you have any questions about your pre-screening repertoire.
Areas will contact applicants that pass the pre-screening round to relay the next steps in the audition process. In conjunction with auditions, invited applicants will need to complete a writing prompt, solely for the purpose of assessing language skills. Date to be announced.
Return to Master of Music Admissions
Doctor of Musical Arts Graduate Auditions
The application process for graduate music admissions involves submitting two applications:
1) The Graduate School Application
2) School of Music Application via Slideroom
Please submit the following audition materials:
- One concert style and one rudimental snare drum solo
- One two-mallet marimba or xylophone solo or etude
- One four-mallet marimba solo
- One timpani solo or significant etude
- Four (4) excerpts from the standard orchestral literature
For recommendations on repertoire, please see the DMA percussion guidelines.
Please contact Professor Casey Cangelosi at cangelcr@jmu.edu if you have any questions about your pre-screening repertoire.
Areas will contact applicants that pass the pre-screening round to relay the next steps in the audition process. In conjunction with auditions, invited applicants will need to complete a writing prompt, solely for the purpose of assessing language skills. Date to be announced.
