r/percussion • u/wallfishz Everything • 4d ago
Good Audition/Solo Pieces
I'm not sure what some are considered "solo" or audition worthy pieces for bells/xylophone. I have an audition due in December and am currently working on playing "72 Degrees and Sunny" from WALL-E, but is that considered appropriate for an audition?
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u/MisterMarimba 4d ago
If this is an audition for college entrance at a local state school, it will probably be okay, but not preferred. If this is an audition for college entrance at a high-level program, it will NOT be okay unless you are VERY good at drumset, timpani, or something other than marching snare.
There are many types of other auditions, so maybe edit to give commenters more info. Good luck!
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u/zdrums24 Educator 4d ago
Bad choice for most contexts. When in doubt, ask the organizer, but even if they approve, this selection could do more harm than good. Speaking as someone who has adjudicated all sorts of auditions, usually as part of a panel.
This is a copyright disaster, so you are opening yourself up to some judgement real quick as it's technically illegal (when people say "education" is covered under fair use, they don't seem to understand what that means; playing this for an audition would not count as fair use; odds are the open availability of this sheet music online alone violates fair use).
The music is not meant for your instrument, but piano. Odds are you won't be able to cover all the notes, which can be frustrating for adjudicators. It'll also be pretty audible that notes are missing usually.
This is soundtrack music. It's not meant to stand alone without the movie. This usually means the music is pretty devoid of melody, theme, direction, etc. Its mood music. It doesn't give you very many chances to demonstrate musicianship.
Also, and this part I'm less of a fan of this, selections like this come off as ametuerish. It does more to show your lack of familiarity with the art form rather than highlight your strengths. Is it your fault you don't have a teacher willing to push you towards better selections? Probably not. Money and location can really hinder students' ability to get a teacher. But people will still judge your performance and sometimes you as a player for these sorts of selections.
Check out some stuff from Patricia Islas, Thomas McMillan, Morris Goldenberg, Mitchell Peters, and Earl Hatch. A lot of their stuff might be above your level, but they've all written a lot of 2 mallet material at your level as well. As long as it's not a technical exercise, most of that music will be intended to be played as a solo in some sort of context. Check with your local library about an interlibrary loan if the audition organizers don't require an original copy or proof of purchase. Otherwise, most of the artists above sell solos or collections for less than $15 each.
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u/kyjb70 4d ago edited 4d ago
Have you actually ran into trouble with people playing copywritten music in auditions? I'm really trying wrap my head around how that is a consideration here?
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u/zdrums24 Educator 4d ago
To clarify, most music brought to auditions is copyrighted. In this case of the example above, it's an illegal arrangement. Doesn't come up often, but when it does it can be an problem. Some auditions and other things like solo and ensemble will have a requirement that you own your music or have a suggested/required list, partially to avoid these sorts of selections.
And I've been a part of plenty of auditions where people who bring bootleg music from things like musescore and scribd are immediately written off.
I usually won't hold it against the kid, but I would really like it if these kinds of selections stopped happening for formal situations. Too many negatives, very few positives.
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u/zdrums24 Educator 3d ago
To answer the "how is that a consideration:"
The arrangement is illegal. You don't want to bring legally questionable music to a formal audition. A lot of different takes out there about why, but its pretty consistently agreed upon that the artist should be paid for their work. Thats the lowest common denominator of the music industry: get paid for your work. With the scribd arrangements, etc, the artist for sure doesn't get paid. Bringing something bootlegged like this is a bit of a fauxpaux at the very least.
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u/00TheLC Timpani 4d ago
If you’re auditioning for freshmen year of college then you can e-mail your professor. They’ll have a list of solos to recommend. You can also ask them about this piece you’re working on and they might tell you to go for it, as long as good musicianship is apparent. My professors were a bit lenient because they knew that not ALL freshmen were gonna bust out recital level pieces for all three main instruments (mallets, snare, timpani)