Percussion Auditions

Welcome, percussion students!

Below are the audition requirements for the Percussion area. For full details—including application requirements and audition dates—please visit our Application & Auditions page.

Audition requirements are updated each September for the upcoming application cycle.

Live auditions will be held on campus in San Francisco. If you’re unable to attend in person, virtual auditions via video recording are available upon request once the audition scheduling module opens. Additional details can be found on the Application & Auditions page.

Prescreening Audition Requirements

All Percussion applicants are required to submit unedited audiovisual recordings fulfilling the prescreening requirements listed below with the application. Applicants will be informed if they are invited to attend an audition or have been denied in prescreening.

Works with piano are not required to be performed with a pianist or piano recording.

One two-minute solo étude on timpani
One two-minute solo étude on mallets (two OR four mallet)
One two-minute solo étude on snare drum

One two-minute solo étude on timpani
One two-minute solo étude on mallets (two AND four mallet)
One two-minute solo étude on snare drum

Final Audition Requirements

Works with piano are not required to be performed with a pianist or piano recording.

Undergraduate

Mallet percussion
- One two-mallet piece (your choice)
- One four-mallet piece (your choice)
Snare drum
- One étude: Cirone, Peters, Delecluse
- One rudimental: Wilcoxon, Pratt
Timpani
- One étude: Hochrainer, Goodman, Woud, etc.
Sight-Reading (Mallets or Snare Drum)

Mallet percussion
- One two-mallet piece (your choice)
- One four-mallet piece (your choice)
- 2-3 orchestral excerpts on xylophone, glockenspiel, and/or vibraphone
Snare drum
- One étude: Delecluse, Peters, Macarez
- One rudimental: Wilcoxon, Pratt, Tompkins
- 2-3 orchestral excerpts
Timpani
- One étude: Hochrainer, Woud, Delecluse, etc.
- 3-4 orchestral excerpts