Undergraduate Entrance Requirements

upcoming Audition Dates:

Click HERE to see upcoming audition dates.
Contact Susan Brake at 277-8998 or sbrake@unm.edu. to set up an audition time.

Acceptance into the University of New Mexico Percussion Studio is by audition. A student should be able to demonstrate proficiency in at least one of the following four main areas of percussion performance for entrance into percussion studies and in at least two of the four main areas for scholarship consideration.

Students may set up a personal audition with Scott Ney or submit a video and/or audio recording. Recordings should contain no more than 30 minutes of music. It should be a high bias cassette or compact disc and be clearly labeled with your name, repertoire, composers, and any additional personnel. For a live audition, all large instruments will be provided: however you are expected to supply all sticks, mallets, and music. Audition material should demonstrate technical facility, musicality, and stylistic awareness. Piano accompaniment is not required. In each of the four areas it is assumed the student possesses a firm command of all the fundamental elements of music reading in rhythm and terminology.

The following is a list of possible materials that can be used for an audition and technical/musical expectations:

General Percussion

A strong rudimental background in snare drumming as demonstrated by performance of solos by Pratt, Wilcoxson, Markovich, Rapp, or any drum corps/marching style solo.

A strong performance of a concert style etude from one of the following methods:

• Goldenberg: Modern School for Snare Drum
• Cirone: Portraits in Rhythm
• Firth: The Solo Snare Drummer
• Peters: Intermediate Studies for Snare Drum, Advanced Studies for S.D.
• Albright: Contemporary Studies for the Snare Drum

A basic understanding of tonal and technical aspects of playing bass drum, cymbals, triangle, tambourine and other accessory percussion instruments including the Latin-American and/or other ethnic percussion instruments.

Drum Set

A demonstration of basic style concepts such as, swing, jazz brush playing, Brazilian (bossa nova, samba), Afro-Cuban, rock, and funk. You may wish to play over the form of a jazz tune such as a 12 bar blues or 32 bar AABA tune. You could learn the melody and play time for one chorus of the tune while you sing the tune, you could then play a solo over the next chorus. You might trade 4 or 8 measure solos with yourself - this might include 4 measures of a swing time feel followed by a four measure solo - repeating this numerous times.

You might prepare a composed drumset solo such as:

• Max Roach - Blues for Big Sid (published in Nov. 1994 Modern Drummer Magazine)
• Roy Burns - Drum Set Music, Collection of 12 solos .

A thorough knowledge of music fundamentals must be possessed; and a basic understanding of reading drum set charts displayed by performance with recorded music or live musicians is encouraged. A strong understanding in the General Percussion area is very desirable.

Mallet Keyboard

A basic playing and/or theoretical understanding of major and minor scales and arpeggios. A reading command of intermediate mallet literature. Perform a solo on marimba, xylophone, or vibraphone.

The following pieces and books represent appropriate literature:

• Bach: Violin Concerto in A Minor
• Eyles: George Hamilton Greens Xylophone Rags
• Peters: Yellow After The Rain (4 mallets)
• Musser: Etude or Prelude (2 or 4 mallet pieces)
• McMillan: Percussion Keyboard Technique (Pick one from p. 49-52)
• Goldenberg: Method for Marimba, Xylophone, and Bells (Pick one from p. 62-93)

Timpani

A basic knowledge of the mechanical and pitched characteristics of the timpani. Have a basic understanding of intervals and scales and have the ability to hear, sing, and tune them on the timpani. Students will be asked to tune several pitches on the instrument and sing a series of ten pitches played on the piano.

Suggested etude repertoire:

• Mitchell Peters: Fundamental Method for Timpani (Etude #29)
• Saul Goodman: Modern Method for Timpani (Exercise #37)

Suggested solo repertoire:

• John Beck: Sonata for Timpani (1 movement)
• John Bergamo: Four Movements for Timpani (1 movement)