Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Music Audition Requirements | Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Percussion Audition Information

 

Auditions must be performed without accompaniment.

Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in the three areas described below. You are encouraged to program creatively so as to represent your skills well and also demonstrate something unique about yourself as a musician.

Snare Drum

Perform both of the following, totaling about four minutes:

  • Concert etude. Suggested composers: Delécluse, Cirone, Aleo.
  • Rudimental solo. Suggested composers: Pratt, Tompkins, Wilcoxon.

Mallets (xylophone, marimba, vibraphone: your choice)

Perform both of the following, totaling at least four minutes:

  • Two-mallet solo. Suggested composers: Bach (preferably from Sonatas and Partitas for Unaccompanied Violin OR Suites for Unaccompanied Cello), Kreisler, Green, or selections from the MassChap 2010 Xylophone Collection.
  • Four-mallet solo. For suggestions, see Recommended Solos.

Note: For two-mallet and/or four-mallet solo, creative adaptations of any other composers' works are most welcome. In general, pieces with tempo fluctuations and a variety of rhythms and characters are preferred over perpetual motion pieces.

Timpani

Perform the following, totaling about three minutes:

  • Solo piece, about three minutes in duration. Suggested composers: Woud, Hochrainer, Firth, Delécluse, Macarez.

Note: Etudes that demonstrate standard orchestral timpani musicianship are preferred (e.g., Woud or Hochrainer etudes are preferred over Carter solos).

 

Updated on 09/17/2018