Collegiate Expectations

[Captain]

This fall I'm starting school as a music education major. I'm kind of nervous that they'll be expecting a skill I'll be lacking, and with my large scholarship, I can't afford to disappoint. If you were a college professor at a large, well known university, what skills would you expect your new students to have? I guess this is really for any concert percussion instrument, not just mallet percussion. I really appreciate any feedback you guys can offer.

[Isaiah.Lamb]

So I'm not really going to answer your question, because I'm not in college... (I'll be starting this fall as well), what I do know, however, is that if you have a large scholarship, you have it for a reason. The school of music decided that you were someone they wanted to invest in, so think about that! Also, remember that college is about LEARNING. If they expected you to be perfect when you first arrive, well, that would just be ridiculous. I don't think you need to worry very much! If you get to school and realize your not destined to be an educator, what are you going to do, change fate? Have a little confidence man! You will do great.

[hurt-a]

Don't worry about how you should be stacking up compared to others. Work at your own pace. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses

[bowmansbeatlab]

The first thing you have to remember is that every university is unique in its standards and expectations for its scholarship recipients. That being said as you have been told before if you were offered a large scholarship to come to that university so you must already possess a significant level of skill to have been offered that. Regardless, you cannot constantly worry yourself about what you don't know. You are there to learn and that's what they will have you do.

However these are some concepts that are some of the standards for freshmen music majors of percussion:

1. Knowing all major scales and able to play in two octaves at once.

2. Knowing all minor scales and able to play in two octaves at once.

3. Able to sight read in base and tremble cleft.

4. Able to sight-read percussion music

5. Knowledge of multiple percussion toys (claves, cymbals, tambourine, etc.)

6. Able to perform on a concert snare drum

7. Able to perform on timpani

8. Basic knowledge of marching percussion (this depends on your individual program, some do not emphasize this particular element.

Hopefully this should give you a rough idea of what could be expected of you, but as I said before every program is unique. Just enter into it with a positive, open mind and you should be fine.

Best of luck.