Northern Illinois University

School of Music

Percussion Audition Information

Undergraduate Level

All prospective undergraduates must perform a keyboard percussion solo or etude and a snare drum solo or etude for their audition. In addition, solos or etudes in a minimum of two other areas are required. These other areas include timpani, drum set, multiple percussion, and world percussion. Scales, sight-reading and pitch matching will also be included in the audition. If a personal audition is not possible, you may submit a videotaped audition. Audio cassette tapes will not be acceptable for auditions.

Graduate Level

All prospective graduate students should be prepared to perform senior recital level literature in each of the following areas: two-mallet keyboard percussion, four-mallet keyboard percussion, timpani, snare drum, and an orchestral excerpt on keyboard percussion, snare drum, and accessory instruments. In addition, you may also choose to perform on drum set, demonstrate proficiency on jazz vibraphone, and/or perform on world percussion instruments. If a personal audition is not possible, you may submit a videotaped audition. Audio cassette tapes will not be acceptable for auditions.

Steel Pan (all levels):

  1. Major and harmonic minor scales, two octaves at quarter note = 100.  These should be played as sixteenths.
  2. All major and minor arpeggios.
  3. Audition pieces:  Prepare J. S. Bach's Violin Concerto in A minor, movement 1 or 3 at quarter note = 100.  Also, J.H. Fiocco's Allegro at quarter-note = 100.

For on-campus pan auditions there will be sight-reading of excerpts from the Baroque period as well as a Calypso piece.