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Auditions
Students interested applying to and auditioning at the University of Michigan should visit the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance website and complete the prospective student information form. This will put immediately put you into our database and allow for direct contact to be made and for questions to be answered should you have any about the percussion program or auditions. It will also allow us to have better communication with you throughout the application and audition process. For additional information, you may click on the below links for more specific information about the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance undergraduate and graduate programs.
Application FAQ's Undergraduate Admissions - Information Graduate Admissions - Information
Visiting Campus
Prospective students interested in visiting campus should visit the Admission Office's information on visiting, as well as contact Prof. Joseph Gramley or Prof. Jonathan Ovalle. A visit outside of the audition is a good way to get a sense of everyday life at Michigan and get to know current students and faculty. If you wish to view a percussion class or rehearsal, Tuesdays and Thursdays are good days. Orchestral Repertoire Class, Percussion Ensemble, Percussion Pedagogy, Percussion Literature, and Studio Class meet on Tuesday and Thursdays. Large ensembles (orchestras/bands) rehearse Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. World Percussion Ensemble also rehearses Wednesday and Friday late afternoons.
2012 PERCUSSION AUDITION DAYS
January 27, February 3, February 10, February 17
Undergraduate (B.M. or B.M.A.)
AUDITION REQUIRMENTS
Please select music from the solo, concerto, and orchestral literature which demonstrates your highest musical and technical abilities in the following areas: concert and rudimental snare drum, mallet-keyboard instruments (2 and 4 mallet), and timpani. (Orchestral excerpts may be included, but are not required.) Sight-reading and timpani tuning will be evaluated. Applicants are required to demonstrate skills in all of the above areas. Memorization is neither required nor discouraged. When selecting repertoire, it is best to discuss appropriate audition repertoire with the individual instructor(s) who know you best.
**Auditions in Ann Arbor are highly preferred**
Recorded auditions will be considered only in unusual circumstances. If you wish to audition via DVD, please email Professor Gramley (jgramley@umich.edu) and Professor Ovalle (ovalle@umich.edu) for permission before preparing your recording. If you have a performance of a solo or chamber music multiple percussion work or if you have percussion skills in the areas of drum set, pan, and/or hand drumming, please bring to your audition a non-returnable DVD recording of your playing demonstrating your highest musical and technical abilities in those areas.
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Graduate (M.M. or Specialist Degree)
**A pre-screening is required of all interested Masters/Specialist degree candidates.
For consideration for admission to the Masters or Specialist Degree programs, interested candidates must first pass a prescreening to be uploaded prior to the live audition. Candidates will submit video recordings which represent no less than 20mins of music representing designated specific skill areas. These videos must be uploaded to Citizen Groove by December 1st and must also be accompanied by your application to the university and School of Music, Theater and Dance. Upon review of your pre-screening videos, a decision will be made whether or not you will be invited to take a live audition and you will be notified of the results.
M.M. / Specialist Degree - PRESCREENING REQUIREMENTS
1. MALLET KEYBOARDS
Two mallets: one movement from J.S. Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin or Suites for Solo Cello – no repeats.
Four mallets: an advanced level marimba solo of your choice. (Schwantner -Velocities, Thomas - Merlin, Lansky - Three Moves, etc.)
Excerpts: Gershwin: Porgy and Bess - xylophone (opening passage) & Mozart: Magic Flute Overture - glock
2. SNARE DRUM
Long Roll (pp-ff-pp approx. :45sec)
Rudimental: A rudimental snare drum solo/etude of your choice (Wilcoxon, Pratt, Markovitch, etc.)
Concert: A concert-style snare drum solo/etude which demonstrates orchestral ornaments and rolls at various dynamics (Delecluse, Cirone, Peters, etc.)
Excerpts: Prokofiev: Lt. Kije – Birth of Kije (Rehearsal no.1- no.2) and one additional excerpt of your choice
3. TIMPANI
Solo work: An advanced level timpani solo/etude of your choice which demonstrates basic stroke/tone production and rolls at various dynamics (Lepak, Hochrainer, Goodman, or equivalent)
Excerpts: Tchaikovsky:Symphony No. 4 – Mvt. I (2 before T to 3 before U) and one additional excerpt of your choice
4. CHOOSE ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING:
1. Multi-Percussion: A full-length recording of a solo work of your choice
(Lang: Anvil Chorus, Xenakis: Rebonds B, Kopetski: Canned Heat, etc.)
2. Drumset: A sample of your time playing/ soloing in at least 4 contrasting styles
(medium swing, rock, samba, mambo, ballad-brushes for example, etc.) Recordings of you playing solo or with a group
3. Global Music: A demonstration of your understanding of basic tones, sense of groove/feel and clear communication of style. May include, but not limited to: Afro-Cuban hand drums and percussion; Samba (all styles); pan-African hand drums and percussion; steel pan; middle-eastern frame drums/percussion; Asian festival drumming; other, etc.
4. Tonal Improvisation: demonstrate your abilities in this area through a solo work or an example with a supporting group. May include, but not limited to: Jazz/Bebop, Latin-jazz, jazz fusion on Vibes/marimba; steel pan, etc.
M.M. / Specialist Degree - LIVE AUDITION REQUIREMENTS
Please select music from the solo, concerto, and orchestral literature which demonstrates your highest musical and technical abilities in the areas of concert and rudimental snare drum, mallet-keyboard instruments, and timpani. Sight-reading and timpani tuning will be evaluated. Applicants are required to demonstrate skills in all of the above instrumental areas. Memorization is neither required nor discouraged. If you have a performance DVD of a solo or chamber music multiple percussion work, or if you have percussion skills in the areas of drum set, pan, and/or hand drumming, please bring a non-returnable copy of the DVD of your playing which demonstrates your highest musical and technical abilities in those areas.
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Graduate (D.M.A - Rackham)
**A pre-screening is required of all interested D.M.A. degree candidates.
For consideration for admission to the D.M.A. program, each applicant must first pass a pre-screening to be uploaded prior to the live audition. These videos must be uploaded to Citizen Groove by December 1st and must also be accompanied by your application to the university and School of Music, Theater and Dance. On this pre-screening recording, each applicant must be prepared to play an audition consisting of representative selections which are drawn from a wide range of percussion repertoire and which clearly demonstrate the following requirements:
Doctor of Musical Arts Degree - PRESCREENING REQUIREMENTS**
1. MALLET KEYBOARDS
- A major concerto or a solo or chamber work for marimba demonstrating advanced four-mallet marimba technique
- A representative work for xylophone from either the ragtime era, from the symphonic literature or a transcription.
2. SNARE DRUM
- A work demonstrating concert orchestral snare drum artistry, including rolls at varying dynamics, ornaments, rapidly changing rhythms, shifting meters, and metric modulations,
- Five or more orchestral excerpts.
Please email Prof. Gramley (jgramley@umich.edu) and Prof. Ovalle (ovalle@umich.edu) for approved excerpts.
3. TIMPANI
- A Timpani tuning etude or work with significant pedal tuning
- Five or more Orchestral excerpts on Timpani (Beethoven, Brahms, Hindemith, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Strauss, etc.) Please email Professor Gramley, for approved excerpts.
4. MULTI-PERCUSSION
- A multiple percussion work demonstrating your highest musical and technical abilities in solo or chamber music playing.
5. ADDITIONAL AREAS
Applicants are encouraged to include work(s) which clearly demonstrate skills in world music, jazz drumming, and/or tonal improvisation. World music submissions can include representative world drumming styles from Africa, India, Spain, Caribbean, Asia. Tonal improvisation submissions can include standard Jazz tunes, original compositions, world music, or other works which demonstrate the applicant's highest level of tonal improvisation. Please feel free to contact Prof. Gramley or Prof. Ovalle if you have any questions.
**The pre-screening requirement is waived for current University of Michigan graduate percussion majors applying to the D.M.A program.
D.M.A. - LIVE AUDITION REQUIREMENTS
Please select music from the solo, concerto, and orchestral literature which demonstrates your highest musical and technical abilities in the areas of concert and rudimental snare drum, mallet-keyboard instruments, and timpani. Sight-reading and timpani tuning will be evaluated. Applicants are required to demonstrate skills in all of the above instrumental areas. Memorization is neither required nor discouraged. If you have a performance DVD of a solo or chamber music multiple percussion work, or if you have percussion skills in the areas of drum set, pan, and/or hand drumming, please bring a non-returnable copy of the DVD of your playing which demonstrates your highest musical and technical abilities in those areas.
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During Your Audition Day - some rules to follow
- Room 1215, on the lower level, will be available for you to warm up in, beginning a half hour prior to your scheduled audition time.
- A student proctor will be at the room to welcome you. We value our instruments highly, so we hope you will not mind showing the proctor the mallets and timpani sticks you propose to use. We have experienced damaged instruments on audition days, so we hope you understand the intent of these guidelines.
- PLEASE DO NOT USE HARD PLASTIC OR ACRYLIC MALLETS ON THE XYLOPHONE -”Becker Blues” or the equivalent are fine.
- Please use caution when playing marimba at loud dynamics so as to avoid cracking bars, especially in the lower octaves. If the core is hard and your tone sounds brittle, the mallet is too hard.
- PLEASE DO NOT USE THE BACK/BUTT END OF TIMPANI MALLETS ON TIMPANI HEADS (Carter, etc.)
If you have any questions or are not sure about your mallets, please ask the student proctor before you begin your warm up.
During your audition day, if you have any questions about anything, feel free to come into the percussion cage (located next to the rehearsal hall) and introduce yourself. We’ll be happy to talk with you about the program and answer any questions you may have.
WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR AUDITION EXPERIENCE AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN!!
Joseph Gramley, Jonathan Ovalle, Ian Ding, Cary Kocher, Michael Gould
& the UM Percussion Students
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