2019-2020 PERCUSSION AUDITION REQUIREMENTS
1. Solo of your choice—Prepare three solos (snare, mallets, and timpani) that demonstrate your technical and expressive capabilities. Timpani solos must be on at least three drums and include tuning changes. Due to time constraints, the audition panel may not listen to each solo in its entirety, and will choose the portions you play. Memorization of solo pieces is not required. Please bring one additional copy of your solos for the audition panelists; these can be photocopies.
2. Scales/Arpeggios—Each scale and its corresponding arpeggio should be played in quarter or eighth notes at a minimum tempo of quarter note=80. The panelists will ask to hear one major scale and arpeggio and one minor scale and arpeggio from among those you prepare. Memorization of scales and arpeggios is not required.
Prepare the following scales and arpeggios:
2 major scales of your choice with arpeggios (2 octaves)
2 minor scales—natural, harmonic, or melodic minor—of your choice with arpeggios (2 octaves)
3. Sight Reading—You will be asked to sight read an excerpt on either snare, mallets, or timpani.
4. Rudiments—Prepare a long snare roll from soft to loud to soft.
5. Orchestral Excerpt (advanced students only)—Students who wish to be considered for placement in Vermont Youth Orchestra (our most advanced orchestra) must also perform the orchestral excerpt for percussion. The assigned percussion excerpt can be downloaded below; please bring the copy of the excerpt you download and print to your audition. Preparation of this orchestral excerpt does not guarantee placement in VYO.
19-20 Orchestral Excerpt—PERCUSSION
New students can schedule an audition by filling out our audition registration form. Current students will be automatically scheduled an audition, and will receive instructions for completing their audition registration along with their assigned audition time. Audition questions can be emailed to auditions@vyo.org.
