Percussion Audition
Welcome to CSUN Percussion!
Your audition repertoire will fall under one of the degree option headings below. After applying to CSUN, you will receive a link to a music audition application on the platform "acceptD". On the application, you will have a chance to select a desired audition date and you will have the chance to schedule your audition. Any student who does not live in the area and cannot present their material at a live audition date will have the opportunity to select "video audition" on the application.
We look forward to hearing your audition! Any questions about the CSUN Percussion area can be directed to john.roscigno@csun.edu or aaron.smith@csun.edu.
BM Percussion Performance or BA Music Education
Three solo pieces with one coming from each category below:
1. Concert Snare Drum Solo taken from one of the following:
- Intermediate of Advanced Studies for Snare Drum by Mitchell Peters
- Portraits in Rhythm by Anthony Cirone
- 12 Etudes for Snare Drum by Jacques Delecluse
2. Marimba or Vibraphone Solo: a 2 or 4-mallet intermediate/advanced work for marimba or vibraphone
3. One solo of your choice to be played on any of the following instruments:
- Timpani
- Multiple-Percussion
- Rudimental Snare Drum
- Drum-set (Demonstration of 2-3 jazz/latin or commercial music styles)
- World Percussion
- An additional mallet work
Please also prepare at least 6 major scales and arpeggios of your choice and 2 minor scales and arpeggios.
BM Composition, BM Media Composition, BA Music Therapy, BA Music Industry
Two solo pieces to be chosen from two different categories below:
1. Concert Snare Drum Solo taken from one of the following:
- Intermediate of Advanced Studies for Snare Drum by Mitchell Peters
- Portraits in Rhythm by Anthony Cirone
- 12 Etudes for Snare Drum by Jacques Delecluse
2. Marimba or Vibraphone Solo
2 or 4-mallet intermediate/advanced work for marimba or vibraphone
3. One solo of your choice to be played on any of the following instruments:
- Timpani
- Multiple-Percussion
- Rudimental Snare Drum
- Drum-set (Demonstration of 2-3 jazz/latin or commercial music styles)
- World Percussion
- An additional mallet work
Please also prepare at least 4 major scales and arpeggios of your choice and 2 minor scales and arpeggios.
MM Percussion Performance
Three solo pieces with one coming from each category below:
1. Concert Snare Drum Solo taken from one of the following:
- Advanced Studies for Snare Drum by Mitchell Peters
- Portraits in Rhythm by Anthony Cirone
- 12 Etudes for Snare Drum by Jacques Delecluse
- Other concert snare drum work of equivalent difficulty
2. One solo advanced work for marimba or vibraphone (4 mallets). Multiple movement works should require four mallets for at least a few of the movements.
3. One solo of your choice to be played on one of the following instruments:
- Timpani
- Multiple-Percussion
- Rudimental Snare Drum
- Drum-set (Demonstration of 2-3 jazz/latin or commercial music styles)
- World Percussion
- An additional mallet work
Graduate students should know all major and minor scales and arpeggios. These, along with sight-reading, may be asked in the audition process.
Candidates for the MM in Percussion Performance should also submit a resume that clearly lists musical experience and your prior degree. The resume can be uploaded onto your music audition application. It is expected that candidates for the graduate percussion program CSUN will have received a bachelor's degree in music and have diverse experience as a performer.
Students who live outside of Southern California have the opportunity to submit a video audition online. The "video submission" link will be in the drop-down menu with the audition dates.