Percussion Audition Guidelines
Undergraduate Auditions
Bachelor of Music Degree Applicants
Percussion applicants seeking a B.M. degree must audition into the percussion studio. All students admitted into the percussion studio will be given individual applied lessons and participate in weekly Studio Class, as well as personal access to percussion practice rooms and equipment.
Bachelor of Arts in Music Degree Applicants
Percussion applicants seeking a B.A. degree are highly encouraged and advised, but not required, to audition into the percussion studio. Students that are not in the percussion studio will not have access to the percussion equipment outside of their large ensemble requirement. Applied lessons are possible at the discretion of the Director of Percussion Studies and as percussion studio space allows.
Audition Requirements for Bachelor of Music Degrees*:
Auditionees should be prepared to perform the following in a live audition. Please see below for the percussion audition guidelines and suggested repertoire level.
*Bachelor of Music Degrees in: Music Performance, Composition, Industry, & Music Education. Jazz Studies, please see below.
Snare Drum - One concert solo & one rudimental solo from the standard repertoire.
Sample literature and 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 from the standard repertoire.
Sample literature and 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 from the standard repertoire. This can be performed on xylophone, marimba, and/or vibraphone as appropriate by literature choice.
Sample literature and 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
Drum Set - Drum Set is highly encouraged for all applicants, but is optional for all degrees except Jazz Studies (see below).
Please demonstrate the ability to perform the following styles:
- Jazz/Swing in 4/4 and 3/4
- Bossa Nova
- Samba
- Ballad w/brushes
Sample literature and level: 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
Audition Requirements for Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies:
Drummers and percussionists interested in the Jazz Studies program should schedule a live audition and prepare the following:
Drum Set
- Demonstrate the ability to perform the following styles live with the provided JMU faculty member or students:
- Jazz/Swing in 4/4 and 3/4
- Bossa Nova
- Samba
- Afro-Cuban
- Ballad w/brushes
- Sight reading:
- One big band chart
- Short notated excerpts
Snare Drum
- One rudimental solo of your choic. 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
- Sight reading
Mallet Percussion
- Please prepare all major scales, the professors will ask for 3
- Sight reading
- A vibraphone, xylophone, or marimba solo of any style is optional
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 (see recommended repertoire suggestions below):
- 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
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.
Recommended Repertoire*:
*Applicants are not limited to the listed composers' repertoire. These examples are listed to illustrate content and performance level only. Please do not feel an obligation to choose this specific repertoire.
Snare Drum: choice of one concert and one rudimental solo
- Delecluse - Twelve Studies
- Becker - Rudimental Arithmetic
- Peters - Advanced Snare Drum
- Cangelosi - Meditation no. 1, Tap Oratory
- Markovich - The Winner, Stamina
- Wilcoxon - The All-American Drummer, no. 121 and above
- Pratt - 14 Modern Contest Solos
Timpani: One solo
- Saul Goodman - Modern Method for Timpani
- Eckehardt Keune - Schlaginstrumente-Pauken
- Kahn - Raga
Mallets: One two-mallet solo and one four-mallet solo. Can be done on xylophone, marimba, and/or vibraphone as appropriate by literature choice.
- J.S. Bach - Cello Suites
- G.H. Green - Ragtime xylophone solos
- Abe - Michi, Wind In the Bamboo Grove
- Koshinski - Two
Two Orchestral Excerpts: instruments and selections of choice, but variety recommended.
- Bizet - Tambourine, Carmen
- Rimsky-Korsakov - Snare Drum, Scheherazade
- Mozart - Glockenspiel, Magic Flute
- Gerswin - Xylophone, Porgy and Bess
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 (see recommended repertoire suggestions below):
- 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
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.
Recommended Repertoire*:
*Applicants are not limited to the listed composers' repertoire. These examples are listed to illustrate content and performance level only. Please do not feel an obligation to choose this specific repertoire.
Snare Drum: choice of one concert and one rudimental solo
- Tomkins - Nine French-American Rudimental Solos
- Becker - Rudimental Arithmetic
- Cangelosi - Preludes, Tap Oratory, Sleight of And Evil Hand, Meditation no. 1
- Áskell Másson - Kim, Prim
- Martynciow - Tchik
- Pratt - Rudimental Solos for Accomplished Drummers
- Wilcoxon - The All-American Drummer no. 121 and above
- Markovich - Stamina, Tornado
Timpani: one solo
- Elliot Carter - Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
- Vic Firth - Etudes
Mallets: one two-mallet solo and one four-mallet solo. Can be done on xylophone, marimba, and/or vibraphone as appropriate by literature choice.
- Donatoni - Omar
- Gita Stiener - Four Bagatelles
- Druckman - Reflections On the Nature of Water
- Abe - Dream Of The Cherry Blossoms, Variations On Japanese Children Songs, Prism
- Stockhausen - Vibra Elufa
- Koshinski - Two
Four Orchestra Excerpts: instruments and selections of choice, but variety recommended.
- Bartok - Timpani, Concerto for Orchestra
- Rimsky-Korsakov - Snare Drum, Scheherazade
- Dukas - Glockenspiel, The Sorcerer's Apprentice
- Messiaen - Xylophone, Exotic Birds
