Undergraduate Admissions. Secure YSU Bulletin, complete Application and Financial Aid forms.
International Students. See Center for International Studies Program at YSU Homepage/Admissions.
Transfer Students. See YSU hompage/undergraduate admissions. Determination of the appropriate applied percussion course level will be determined by Dr. Schaft following your entrance audition and a re-evaluation will occur after your first semester jury.
Auditions. Each percussion major must be admitted to the University and accepted into the Dana School of Music pending a successful entrance audition.
•An on-campus audition and interview is preferred. A recorded audition is acceptable pending faculty approval. It should be a high quality DVD labeled with name, repertoire, composers, recording dates, and performers.
•The mandatory theory placement test is designed for placement in the appropriate level theory class and is administered on the Dana audition days and at the beginning of each semester. If you have little or no theory experience, enroll in MUSTC 1520.
•The optional piano placement test is designed for placement in the appropriate level Keyboard Musicianship Class. If you possess piano experience take the test to see if you can proficiency out of any of the four required Keyboard Classes.
Audition appointments. The Dana School of Music offers three published audition dates on the Dana website and the studio events calendar. Visit www.ysu.edu/dana/auditions/ to submit an audition request form online or call the Dana Office (330)-941-3636 for an appointment. You will receive an appointment confirmation and itinerary. If you cannot attend the published dates, contact Dr. Schaft directly.
Audition and scholarship deadlines. See YSU homepage for academic scholarships deadlines. To be eligible for Dana scholarship consideration you must complete your audition by the last published Dana audition day. Auditions may occur anytime pending studio vacancies. Current majors are automatically re-considered for Dana scholarships.
Undergraduate Audition Requirements
•Each candidate is allotted 30 minutes.
1. Performance. Choose 10-15 minutes of music representing your highest achievement. We are interested in your intrinsic motivation, commitment to becoming your best, and your musical achievement – especially your concept of motion/sound production and awareness of rhythm and pitch. Memorization is left to your discretion.
2. Submit your résumé at the audition including: contact info, school related musical experience, other musical experience, honors and awards, percussion teachers, and three references including title/position, phone, and email.
3. Interview includes: audition feedback, discussion of university and career goals, and question/answer.
Audition Repertoire: Percussion Major (BM, BA, BM Education degrees) Auditions assess rhythmic skills, aural skills such as pitch matching, interval identification, singing major and natural minor scales, instrument experience, sight-reading on snare drum and keyboard, and adaptability to instruction via a mini-lesson. We prefer you play snare drum, keyboard, timpani, and drumset but encourage you to audition even if you lack experience on all these instruments.
•Audition should be prepared with the most qualified teacher(s) available. Contact Dr. Schaft for private lessons or teacher referrals.
•Prospective music education majors should ideally demonstrate a balanced instrumental experience including snare, keyboard, timpani, and drumset.
•Prospective performance majors should demonstrate significant achievement on the instrument(s) of your choice.
•Prospective jazz vibraphone majors should play a vibe solo or etude and improvise over a blues and/or standard song form.
Snare drum
1. Table of Microbeats (see Percussion Handbook downloads)
2. Ping-Pong Microbeats (see Percussion Handbook downloads)
3. Rudiments - slow to fast to slow - including: single strokes, double strokes, flam, drag, single paradiddle, 5, 7, and 9 stroke rolls. Triple-bounce and/or buzz roll soft to loud to soft.
4. Rudimental and/or orchestral style solo(s) selected from Wilcoxon All-American Drummer, John Pratt books, Alan Abel solo 2040’s Sortie, other Class A contest solo, Cirone – Portraits In Rhythm, Peters – Intermediate or Advanced Etudes, Delecluse - Etudes.
5. Sight-reading.
•Keyboard - marimba, xylophone, or vibraphone
1. Chromatic scales, two octaves. (see Handbook downloads)
2. Twelve major scales and arpeggios, twelve natural minor scales and arpeggios -two octaves, memorized. (see downloads)
3. Solo or etude of your choice – two and/or four mallets
4. Two-mallet sight-reading.
•Timpani
1. Solo or etude from Peters – Fundamental Method for Timpani or similar method.
2. Tuning intervals may be requested.
3. Sight-reading may be requested.
•Drum set Demonstrate timekeeping and soloing in styles such as swing, jazz waltz, Brazilian-bossa nova or samba, Afro-Cuban –mambo or songo, rock, and funk. For example – play an 8 measure cycle; 4 bar time-feel and 4 bar solo, repeatedly.
•Hand Drumming - congas, frame drums, etc. Perform a solo or groove style.
•Composition Major Degree Audition Repertoire:
•Percussion audition as above.
•Submit portfolio of scores and recordings of representative compositions (CD format).
Audition Logistics. The auditions occur in Dr. Schaft’s studio, room 2234. We provide snare drum, marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, drum set, timpani, congas. Bring your own mallets and one copy of your music for the audition committee. A warm-up room next to my studio (#2240) containing snare, marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, timpani, and drumset is available 30 minutes before your audition and a student proctor will assist you. They may ask to see your mallets to assure that they will not damage our instruments. Please do not use hard plastic or acrylic mallets on xylophone, hard marimba mallets, or wood on timpani. No loud playing in the low register of the marimba.
Audition outcomes - acceptance or denial. You will receive a Dana acceptance status letter in early/mid March, after the final published audition date. Our studio enrollment is generally 15-20 students and there are typically three to six annual vacancies.
1. Acceptance - we believe you are capable of successfully completing your proposed degree program. We will email you a “percussion division letter of intent” by April 1. You must complete the letter and return it, postmarked by April 30, to indicate your attendance plans and to offer us feedback about your visitation day and audition experience. We will not hold your studio position or guarantee scholarship fund unless you comply with this deadline. You may enroll in applied percussion 1500 level and percussion ensemble. See registration and advisement.
2. Denial of admission – may occur as follows:
A. Long-term denial. You did not demonstrate the musical aptitude or achievement necessary to pass the first semester applied percussion course and are denied admission to major and minor level applied lessons and percussion ensemble. Significant long-term deficiencies exist and we believe that you should not re-audition for at least another year.
B. Waiting list. You are placed on our “waiting list” pending a studio vacancy. We believe you possess the musical aptitude and achievement necessary to pass the first semester applied percussion course and a re-audition is not necessary. Notification of vacancies for waiting list candidates typically occurs after the May 1. Upon notification of acceptance, you may register for major level applied percussion and percussion ensemble.
C. Short-term deficiencies. We recommend that you study privately to correct short-term deficiencie(s) specified at your audition and then re-audition in early August before the beginning of fall semester. We recommend this option if we believe you are capable of correcting short-term deficiencies without enrolling in minor level lessons your first semester.
D. Minor level recommendation. We believe you possess sufficient musical aptitude to be accepted at the major level pending a re-audition, but require a semester of minor level lessons to correct the specified deficiencies. Minor level applied percussion lessons (1500A) are only permitted if you are concurrently enrolled in a Dana large ensemble. You will study with the percussion faculty and receive practice room access. You must perform a jury (audition for major status) during final exam week. Pending a passing jury grade you will be admitted to major level status.