This is part one of a series I am writing about undergraduate college auditions.
In many ways the serious undergraduate college percussion audition is a shocker and an eye opener. Or at least, it should be. In an environment where many schools offer some sort of percussion performance degree and many students will take multiple auditions, it's all too easy to overlook the actual importance of the college audition preparation experience itself. It is a true growing experience and by correctly going through the process, the undergraduate auditionee should become an immensely better player.
This article deals with the serious auditioning student. I define "serious" as the student who demands of themselves a basic and fundamental understanding of music and the percussive arts before plunging in and making the investment both time wise and financially to pursue a degree in music performance. While college will and should be a time where this foundation is further reinforced, I believe a foundation must also be in place before college. In our present day, there is simply too much riding on the college investment to go in without some sort of foundation.
I have spent the majority of my career listening to college auditions as a professor of percussion at NYU Steinhardt. I also have extensive experience helping to prepare them from when I was the director of The Juilliard Pre-College Percussion Department and now today at Boyar Music Studios.
All of the major music schools have their audition requirements listed on their websites. I will use this article to delve a step further. I hope for many excited students, this will prove to help clearly define the process. I also hope not to sound too negative or "hardcore." I am simply trying to illustrate clearly what must be done to be competitive and succeed at the highest level possible.
Snare Drum
Although there are always exceptions to every rule, in America most students learn how to play the snare drum first. Snare drum is on many levels the core of general percussion. Many general percussion techniques can be related to or traced back to snare drum playing. In a sense this makes the snare drum portion of the audition all about basics. Therefore, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to show strength in this area.
Although there are always exceptions to every rule, in America most students learn how to play the snare drum first. Snare drum is on many levels the core of general percussion. Many general percussion techniques can be related to or traced back to snare drum playing. In a sense this makes the snare drum portion of the audition all about basics. Therefore, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to show strength in this area.
Let's review the different aspects specific to the snare drum portion of the audition.
Rudiments
The first thing to consider when preparing rudiments is the 40 Standard American Drum Rudiments. These rudiments are the alphabet of drumming and like the regular alphabet, they should be readily available instantly from memory. If you have to think about or recall them for even just a second you may be considered unprepared.
Many schools will ask for rudiments to be performed slow - fast - slow / open - closed - open. There is a flow to this form of playing rudiments and it's takes hard work to perfect it. It you haven't practiced them this way for a long period of time prior to your audition it will show. Be sure to take your time when going from slow to fast and back again. You should be able to accelerate and decelerate as smoothly as possible.
When playing rolls and going from open to closed, you should try and remain at the fastest open tempo possible for at least a couple seconds before transitioning to closed. This shows that you can maintain the faster tempo while not sacrificing the quality of your open sound. Once you transition to closed remain there for a few seconds and then reverse the process in the same way.
Here are a few other important tips to consider about rudiments.
Here are a few other important tips to consider about rudiments.
1) You must have a strong, clean, and clear open roll. A sloppy open roll is a red flag that shows a lack of experience and fluency in snare drum playing.
2) You must have a smooth, consistent, and sustainable buzz roll at all dynamic levels. If you don't it, it may send a signal that you have skipped the nurturing of this fundamental and important technique.
3) Flams and accents are extremely important as they show your ability to control both down and up strokes. If either of these techniques are inconsistent, it makes you look weak on a whole range of technical snare drum performance issues.
Solo Orchestral Snare Drum Work
There is a lot of information here to think about but first, perhaps the most basic piece of information I can impart to you is to make sure that you are "in time." Believe it or not, time is a commonly overlooked aspect of the solo orchestral snare drum portion of the audition. Time and pulse are a both a foundation in music. Musically, snare drum is often the time keeper as well. If you have no time, the snare drum portion of your audition will appear extremely shaky and potentially work against you. My suggestion is to practice with a metronome and record yourself playing along with it. You will immediately notice many inconsistencies that must be fixed. Address them!
Consistency throughout all dynamics is also very important. Your concept of forte, piano etc. should be the same throughout the entire piece. I also find that many students have trouble controlling their soft dynamics. Playing soft should be a natural process. If a student comes in unable to play soft or if their soft sounds more like a "mezzo forte," (this especially happens all the time) it is clear that this concept has not been fully explored.
As I pointed out in the rudimental section of this article, it's also very important to have excellent control of your buzz roll at all dynamic levels. It should not sound "choppy" or "strokey." It should be full sounding and smooth.
Finally, ornaments are important. If you don't have a consistent approach to all of your flams, drags, and 4 stroke ruffs it shows a lack of thoughtfulness. There are many different ways to play these but a consistent approach goes a long way toward expressing thoughtfulness.
You'll want to record yourself playing during practice sessions to check up on everything. Go through your orchestral snare drum solo line by line and iron out the kinks. Learn to play it in a way that is consistent with a rock solid steady beat and a lot of passion and energy.
Rudimental Snare Drum Work
I can often tell a lot about a student's background by how well they play their rudimental snare drum solo. Some students are able to play orchestral snare drum extremely well but have little to no experience playing rudimental snare drum. These students may not have been exposed to marching band or drum corps* or they may not have had a teacher who considered rudimental snare drum to be important. Some teachers may feel this way but I couldn't disagree more. Rudimental snare drum is a historical cornerstone of drumming and percussion.
Some of the information here is repeated from the previous section on rudiments. You must have excellent open rolls and complete control of all accents, flame, and open drags. Anything less is a potential red flag for lack of experience with rudimental drumming. This goes without saying. However, the true mastery of the rudimental snare drum solo lies in developing a fluid flow while traversing the stick twisting patterns inherent in rudimental solos. This takes a lot of slow practice and relaxation. It is not something easily accomplished. I still meet professionals who have not put the time in and developed this skill. Take your time and learn how to play a naturally sounding clean and flowing rudimental drum solo. It will set you apart.
* While there are many other ways to garner experience playing rudimental snare drum, I have always believed that some marching band or drum corps experience is a good thing.
Orchestral Excerpts
Some schools may not ask undergraduates to play excerpts but if they do this section of the audition is often tricky. Many potential undergraduate percussionists may have very little to no experience actually bringing this music to life in live performances with an orchestra. However, there is still a lot of important preparation work that must be done to insure that this section of the audition is professional regardless of experience.
The first think to do is to listen to and study the music with the score. You must do this before even attempting to practice a single note of the music. This takes some time but it is necessary. I can always tell when an undergraduate auditionee is attempting to play an excerpt with no prior knowledge of the music. It is unprofessional and ill prepared.
Rudimental Snare Drum Work
I can often tell a lot about a student's background by how well they play their rudimental snare drum solo. Some students are able to play orchestral snare drum extremely well but have little to no experience playing rudimental snare drum. These students may not have been exposed to marching band or drum corps* or they may not have had a teacher who considered rudimental snare drum to be important. Some teachers may feel this way but I couldn't disagree more. Rudimental snare drum is a historical cornerstone of drumming and percussion.
Some of the information here is repeated from the previous section on rudiments. You must have excellent open rolls and complete control of all accents, flame, and open drags. Anything less is a potential red flag for lack of experience with rudimental drumming. This goes without saying. However, the true mastery of the rudimental snare drum solo lies in developing a fluid flow while traversing the stick twisting patterns inherent in rudimental solos. This takes a lot of slow practice and relaxation. It is not something easily accomplished. I still meet professionals who have not put the time in and developed this skill. Take your time and learn how to play a naturally sounding clean and flowing rudimental drum solo. It will set you apart.
* While there are many other ways to garner experience playing rudimental snare drum, I have always believed that some marching band or drum corps experience is a good thing.
Some schools may not ask undergraduates to play excerpts but if they do this section of the audition is often tricky. Many potential undergraduate percussionists may have very little to no experience actually bringing this music to life in live performances with an orchestra. However, there is still a lot of important preparation work that must be done to insure that this section of the audition is professional regardless of experience.
The first think to do is to listen to and study the music with the score. You must do this before even attempting to practice a single note of the music. This takes some time but it is necessary. I can always tell when an undergraduate auditionee is attempting to play an excerpt with no prior knowledge of the music. It is unprofessional and ill prepared.
To further clarify, knowing the music well means doing the following things.
1) Know what other instruments in the orchestra you are playing with during the excerpt (if any). You should be able to hear the music going by in your head as you play it. This is a literal statement!
1) Know what other instruments in the orchestra you are playing with during the excerpt (if any). You should be able to hear the music going by in your head as you play it. This is a literal statement!
2) Know the greater structural context of your part in the music. For example, is the excerpt you are playing in the beginning or the end of the work? What movement does it take place? This may seem obvious yet so many students overlook this easy part of the process.
3) Know the historical period when the work is written and some stylistic characteristics of it.
4) Finally, any other historical anecdotes and stories about the work are welcomed and encouraged. The more you know the better!
Once you feel comfortable with this information prepare the music to the best of your ability. It is understood by most professors that a potential undergraduate may not have a lot of performance experience but if the proper background work is done and music is made, a noticeable lack of experience will most likely be forgiven.
Once you feel comfortable with this information prepare the music to the best of your ability. It is understood by most professors that a potential undergraduate may not have a lot of performance experience but if the proper background work is done and music is made, a noticeable lack of experience will most likely be forgiven.
Suggested Snare Drum Audition Repertoire List
This is only a very small suggested audition list to get you started. There are many other acceptable works worth exploring. However, with these you won't go wrong and a large portion of your ability will be safely on display.
Orchestral Snare Drum
Douze Etudes pour Caisse-Claire, Jacques Delecluse
Portraits in Rhythm, Anthony Cirone
Rudimental Snare Drum
14 Modern Contest Solos for Snare Drum, John Pratt
Modern Rudimental Swing Solos for the Advanced Drummer, Charley Wilcoxon
Orchestral Excerpts
Peter and the Wolf, Sergei Prokofiev
Concerto for Orchestra, Bela Bartok
Lieutenant Kije, Sergei Prokofiev
Capriccio Espagnol, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Scheherazade, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Symphony 10, Dimitri Shostakovich
In part two of this series. We will explore the mallet keyboard portion of the undergraduate percussion college audition.
No comments:
Post a Comment