The Master of Music in percussion performance is designed to give students the opportunity to further their study of the area(s) of percussion that they are most passionate about. It prepares the student for a career as a performing percussionist in their area(s) of expertise, to teach at a more advanced level, or to go on to a Doctor in Musical Arts program. The percussion curriculum is shaped to the students’ needs based on what they are interested in and the expertise of the percussion faculty. Over the years, Master of Music students in percussion have focused on orchestral performance, contemporary classical chamber and solo music, world music (including steel drum and tabla performance), and jazz performance (drum set and vibraphone). If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Brady Spitz with any inquiries.
The MM candidate in percussion is required to audition in the following areas:
- Snare Drum:
- A concert solo or etude - Delecluse, Aleo, Macarez, or equivalent
- A rudimental solo or etude (optional) - Tompkins, Pratt, etc
- Two orchestral excerpts
- Keyboard
- One significant work for four-mallets - solo marimba or vibraphone are acceptable (Bach, Mackey, Druckman, Vinao, Manoury, etc)
- Two orchestral excerpts for xylophone/glockenspiel
- Timpani
- One solo or etude - Carter, Hochrainer, Delecluse, or equivalent
- Must demonstrate ability to tune multiple drums from a single reference pitch
- Accessory percussion:
- 2-3 orchestral excerpts demonstrating a variety of styles and techniques for crash cymbals, tambourine, triangle, bass drum, or castanets.
- Optional areas:
- Solo Percussion: a significant piece of repertoire (Xenakis, Cage, Rzewski, Lang, etc)
- Can be performed live or sent as a recording ahead of time
- Drum Set: demonstrate ability to improvise in a variety of styles and tempos, including (but not limited to) swing, bossa nova, Afro-Cuban styles, rock/funk, etc.
- Prepared solos and performances with play-along tracks are also welcome
- World Percussion: a prepared solo or improvisation in a non-Western style (steel drums, Afro-Cuban, frame drums, tabla, gyil, etc)
- Jazz on vibraphone: a prepared solo demonstrating ability to improvise in a variety of musical contexts.
- Solo Percussion: a significant piece of repertoire (Xenakis, Cage, Rzewski, Lang, etc)
Important Notes
- It is important to choose repertoire that best highlights your strengths and interests
- Sight reading may be asked on any concert percussion instrument
- Repertoire that requires a solo percussion setup, world percussion, or electronics should be communicated to Dr. Spitz ahead of time. This will ensure that instruments and technology are available to help support your audition.
- Candidates are welcome and encouraged to bring their own small percussion instruments to the audition (snare drum, tambourine, etc). For a complete list of equipment available at the audition, please contact Dr. Brady Spitz ahead of time.
Scheduling Your Audition
- To schedule an audition, please contact Dr. Brady Spitz at spitzbj@appstate.edu
- Please fill out this audition form prior to your audition.
- Auditions and applications completed by March 1 will be given priority consideration for an assistantship. Therefore, submitting audition videos or having an in-person audition well before March 1 is encouraged. Contact Dr. Brady Spitz at spitzbj@appstate.edu with any inquiries.
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