Bachelor of Music (BM) or Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Master of Music (MM) or Graduate Certificate (GCRT)
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)

***IMPORTANT NOTE: The Thornton Prescreen Information Form is REQUIRED for this program. See below for more details.***

Applicants to programs in Percussion must submit an audition recording to be pre-screened by the faculty. The results of this pre-screen will determine whether an applicant will be invited to perform a live audition on the USC campus in Los Angeles. Recordings must be received by the December 1st deadline. Any application not complete by December 1 may be removed from consideration. Using a permanent marker, please label the actual CD/DVD itself with the following information (the case that the CD/DVD comes in will be removed during processing):

• First and Last Name
• Date of Birth
• Program to which you are applying (i.e., BM Vocal Arts)
• Year you are applying for (i.e., Fall 2012)

The prescreen recording MUST be accompanied by a completed Thornton Prescreen Information Form. Both the recording and the form should be mailed directly to the Thornton Admission Office:

Mailing Address:
(for United States Postal Service only)

Percussion Admission Review
USC Thornton School of Music
Office of Admission
University Park Campus- LPB 200
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0851

Street Address:
(for private mail carriers only- e.g., Fed Ex, UPS, etc.)

Percussion Admission Review
USC Thornton School of Music
Office of Admission
3450 Watt Way- LPB 200
Los Angeles, CA 90089

UNDERGRADUATE PRE-SCREEN RECORDING REQUIREMENTS

• Snare Drum
• Long Roll-Start pp and gradually crescendo to ff, hold at ff for a few seconds, and gradually diminuendo back to pp for a total duration of 25-30 seconds.
• Pratt "Drum Corps on Parade from 14 Modern Contest Solos for Snare Drum"- From the beginning to the downbeat of measure 28 (1/4 note = 108).
• Mallets
• Two Mallets (to be played on marimba)
• JS Bach "Violin Concerto in A Minor" (Transcription from Morris Goldenberg "Modern Method of Xylophone"): Play from the beginning to the 5th measure of letter D = 104.
• Four Mallets
• JS Bach "Tempo de Bouree'" From Partita #1 first 20 bars 1st time only (1/2 note = 66).
• Timpani (Please tune exclusively with an A440 tuning fork, and without the use of an electronic tuner)

• Starting with the pedals in a low position, tune a B natural on the 29" drum and an E natural on the 26". Perform Goodman "The Modern Method for Timpani" - Etude #49.

GRADUATE PRE-SCREEN RECORDING REQUIREMENTS

• Snare Drum
• Long Roll-Start pp and gradually crescendo to ff, hold at ff for a few seconds, and gradually diminuendo back to pp for a total duration of 25-30 seconds.
• Pratt "Drum Corps on Parade from 14 Modern Contest Solos for Snare Drum"- From the beginning to the downbeat of measure 28 (1/4 note = 108)
• Delecluse "Etude No. 1 from 12 Etudes pour Caisse Claire". Play from the beginning to the downbeat of measure 46. (1/4 note = 76).
• Mallets
• Two mallets
• Any two mallet movements from J.S. Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin or Suites for Solo Cello (no repeats).
• Four mallets
• A 2-3 minute excerpt from a work of your choice.
• Timpani (Please tune exclusively with an A440 tuning fork, and without the use of an electronic tuner)
• Record the following excerpts in one take without stopping as if playing a live audition.
• Beethoven "Symphony no. 9" coda (1st mvt., 18 before S to the end).
• Hindemith "Symphonic Metamorphases" (2nd mvt., S to T).
• Tchaikovsky "Symphony no. 4" (1st mvt., 2 before T to 3 before U).

UNDERGRADUATE LIVE AUDITION REPERTOIRE

If invited to a live audition, applicants should bring two bound copies of all materials.

• Snare Drum
• Rudimental Solo Etude from Pratt, Wilcoxon or the equivalent.
• Concert Solo Etude from Cirone Portraits in Rhythm, Mitchell Peters Advanced Studies or Delecluse 12 Etudes, or the equivalent.
• Knowledge of rudiments and ornaments.
• Ability to roll at all dynamic levels.
• Sight-reading.
• Mallets
• Two-mallet solo of your choice that would be suitable for a recital.
• Four-mallet Marimba or Vibraphone solo of your choice that would be suitable for a recital.
• Knowledge of scales and arpeggios.
• Sight-reading.
• Timpani
• Etude from Goodman method, Firth, Delecluse, Hochrainer books or the equivalent.
• Ability to tune accurately.
• Sight-reading.

GRADUATE LIVE AUDITION REPERTOIRE

If invited to a live audition, applicants should bring two bound copies of all materials.

• Snare Drum
• Rudimental Solo Etude from Pratt, Wilcoxon or the equivalent.
• Concert Solo Etude from Cirone Portraits in Rhythm, Mitchell Peters Advanced Studies or Delecluse 12 Etudes, or the equivalent.
• Knowledge of rudiments and ornaments.
• Ability to roll at all dynamic levels.
• Sight-reading.
• Four standard orchestral excerpts.
• Mallets
• Two-mallet solo of your choice that would be suitable for a recital.
• Four-mallet Marimba or Vibraphone solo of your choice that would be suitable for a recital.
• Knowledge of scales and arpeggios.
• Sight-reading.
• Three standard orchestral excerpts on Xylophone and 2 on Glockenspiel.
• Timpani
• Etude from Goodman method, Firth, Delecluse, Hochrainer books or the equivalent.
• Ability to tune accurately.
• Sight-reading.
• Four standard orchestral excerpts.