University of Southern California

USC Thornton School of Music

Percussion

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.

USC Thornton School of Music