Practical Exam (audition)

For the first round of the audition (pre-selection) we ask you to send in recordings of the pieces as mentioned below. You can record the different pieces in separate takes.

If you are invited for the second round, you can prepare the same pieces. Please bring a program with you, so the jury knows what you have prepared. The audition will take 20-25 minutes, including the Master Project Plan interview.

    Snaredrum

    Technical skills

    • Building up speed with open rolls (rrll) and single paradiddles, starting at a slow tempo.
    • Mastering the closed roll at different tempos.

    Etudes

    Choose two etudes, for example:

    • J. Delécluse: Douze etudes nr.1 or nr.8 or Test Claire or
    • A. Wagner: nr. 64 or 74
    • Ch. Wilcoxon: Rudimental Swing solos: Heating the Rudiments

    Excerpts

    Choose one excerpt, for example:

    • N. Rimsky Korsakoff, Sheherazade
    • F. von Suppé, Piqué Dame

    Xylophone

    Choose one excerpt or an etude, for example:

    • G. Gershwin, Porgy and Bess
    • I. Stravinsky, Firebird
    • M. Goldenberg, Etude nr.18 (or other etudes at the same level)

    Glockenspiel

    Choose one excerpt, for example:

    • P. Dukas, L’apprentice Sorcier
    • C. Debussy, La Mer

    Timpani

    A selection of three excerpts in total, from the classical period, romanticism, to more contemporary works, with active tuning of all four timpani.

    Examples Orchestral excerpts:

    • W.A. Mozart, Ouverture die Zauberflote, Symph. 39
    • L. von Beethoven, Symph. 1,5,7,9
    • J. Brahms, Symph. no. 1,4
    • G. Mahler, Symph. 5,7
    • R. Strauss, Der Rosenkavelier
    • B. Bartok, Concerto for Orchestra
    • I. Strawinsky, Le Sacre du Printemps

    Etudes:

    Two different études with signature from the orchestral repertoire. Voices, rolls, dynamic variety, rhythmically and metrically accurate.

    Examples from repertoire:

    • R. Hochrainer, Etuden fur Timpani, (no. 47 - 54)
    • N. Woud, Symphonic studies solo Timpani (no. 1,2,8,10)
    • H. Knauer, Paukenstudien (66,67)

    Marimba:

    Choose one solo piece, for example:

    • J. Schwantner, Velocities
    • J. Druckman, Reflections on the nature of Water - (choose 2 movements)
    • A. Marinissen, Totem (1 movement)

    (For the live audition: We may cut you off during the piece).

    Vibraphone

    Instead of a marimba solo piece, you can also play a solo vibraphone piece, for example:

    • P. Hurrel, Loops
    • B. Hamilton, (part of) Interzones
    • F. Donatoni, 1 movement of Omar

    (For the live audition: We may cut you off during the piece).

    Multipercussion solo pieces, only for the video audition

    Choose one piece, or part of a piece, for example:

    • I. Xenakis, Rebonds A or Rebonds B
    • K. Volans, Asanga
    • K. Volans, She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket

    Alessandra and Jonty talk about the Master Project

    Need help getting started with designing your Master Project Plan? Watch the video below for some inspiration.