Dear Percussionists,

We’re so glad to hear that you’re interested in the Northwestern University Drumline! We are a
proud section of the Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band dedicated to sharing precision
and musicianship with the Big Ten community and beyond. In addition, the NU Drumline is a large,
close-knit group of friends brought together by their love of performance, rhythm, and marching
percussion. Members come from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences, so all the members
of the line learn a great deal from each other as musicians and individuals. Each person is very
dedicated to the group, and we can all testify how being a part of the NU Drumline is an invaluable
and rewarding experience.

Here’s a brief introduction to our leadership team:

Scott Simon (Instructor) Scott Simon will be starting his first full season with NUMB and is
excited to be a part of the team. His marching experience started in 1996 and continued for 8
seasons of drum corps, most notably with Phantom Regiment for the 2000, 2002, and 2003
seasons. He then became a part of the instructional staff with Regiment from 2007-2010 as well as
Santa Clara Vanguard in 2011 & 2017. He is currently in his second year as a tenor tech for the
Cavaliers. Scott also teaches private lessons as well as the percussion class for Prospect High School
and Niles West High School. In addition to his teaching, he is very active in the musical theatre
scene, playing drums and percussion for numerous productions in the Chicagoland area. Scott
received his Masters in Music Performance from Central Michigan University and his Bachelor’s
from Illinois State.

Noah Schaffer (Co-Captain) is a senior from Stamford, Connecticut studying Computer Science.
This will be Noah’s fourth year on the line, where he plays snare. This summer, he will be in
Evanston conducting research at the Interactive Audio Lab. He is so excited for his final season and
is ready to get back out on the field!

Kegan Grace (Co-Captain) is a Junior from Cincinnati, Ohio studying Statistics and Music. This will
be his third year on the line; he played Bass drum for one year and this is his second year on the
Tenor drums. Over the summer he plans on interning at the World Music Foundation as a non-profit
management and marketing intern.

We're all very excited to begin preparing for the 2021 season! Please read the instructions and music
carefully, and don’t hesitate to email us with any questions. You can audition for as many or as few
instruments as you’d like – but please audition for all instruments for which you would like to be
considered. In other words, those who audition only on snare drum will only be considered for the
snare line. Important: Please send us your summer mailing address (including effective dates),
phone number, and email addresses (see contact information below).

Furthermore, if you have not done so already, please contact the marching band director, Daniel J.
Farris, at d-farris@northwestern.edu, and let him know you’re interested in participating in the NU
Marching Band this fall. He can also field any general questions you have about the marching
program here at Northwestern.

Best Regards and Go 'Cats!

Noah Schaffer Kegan Grace

(203)-585-7871 (513) 431-6952

kegangrace2023@u.northwestern.
noahschaffer2022@u.northwestern.edu
edu
 Audition Requirements

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all auditions for the 2021 season will be
adjudicated online. All applicants should review the audition requirements
below before submitting a video audition.

● The video should be posted unlisted on YouTube, with the link sent to
srsimon23@yahoo.com, noahschaffer2022@u.northwestenrn.edu and
kegangrace2023@u.northwestern.edu. For full consideration with
regards to part assignments on the line, submit your video by Friday,
June 25, 2021 at 11:59 PM CST. However, we will continue to accept
videos beyond this date.
● Mark time during all parts of the audition. This mean “march in place”
Stand with your feet together and parallel. Starting with the left foot on
beat 1 of every measure (in Standard 4/4 time), lift the foot about an
inch and press it into the ground on each count. The ability to mark time
while playing is an important component of the audition for all
instruments.
● Please perform all exercises/etudes/cadence excerpts with an audible
metronome in your video
● Videos must show your entire body and the instrument. Please make
sure that we can see your feet in the video.
● Please announce your name at the beginning of the tape.
 Instr ment Instr ctions
• Snare Drum If o o n or can obtain a snare dr m for the a dition
please do so If not a practice pad ill be s itable The North estern
Snareline ses traditional grip so please se this grip in o r
a dition
Record the ideo in this order ith the indicated tempo markings
s bpm
B cks bpm
NU th Note Timing bpm
Do ble Triple Beat bpm
Gallop bpm
Triplet Diddle bpm
Flam e ercises bpm
P rple Paradiddles bpm
Traditional m bpm

These tempos sho ld be seen as o r goal hen in do bt pla the

e ercises et des at the fastest tempo here o can be s ccessf l
b t no faster than those listed abo e

• Tenor Drum If o o n or can obtain tenor dr ms or o n a tenor

practice pad please perform on it for the ideo a dition If none of
these options are a ailable please pla matched grip on a snare dr m
pad
Record the ideo in this order ith the indicated tempo markings
s bpm
B cks bpm
NU th Note Timing bpm
Do ble Triple Beat bpm
Gallop bpm
Triplet Diddle bpm
Flam e ercises bpm
P rple Paradiddles bpm
Traditional m bpm

These tempos sho ld be seen as o r goal hen in do bt pla the

e ercises et des at the fastest tempo here o can be s ccessf l
b t no faster than those listed abo e
• Bass Drum If o o n or can obtain a bass dr m or bass dr m practice pad
please se it to record the a dition If none of these options are a ailable pla
matched grip on a practice pad or snare dr m
Record the ideo in this order ith the indicated tempo markings
s bpm
B cks bpm
NU th Note Timing bpm
Do ble Triple Beat bpm
Gallop bpm
Traditional m bpm

Pla e ercises ith ritten splits t ice the first time in nison and the second
time ith the split of the bass dr m o o ld like to be placed on

For Traditional pla the split of the bass dr m o o ld like to be placed

on

These tempos sho ld be seen as o r goal hen in do bt pla the

e ercises et des at the fastest tempo here o can be s ccessf l b t no
faster than those listed abo e

• C mbals If o o n or can obtain a pair of c mbals se those to record the

a dition If this option is not possible then please clap the e ercises hile
marking time
Please record C mbals Et de and C mbals Et de at the tempo
indicated and Traditional m at bpm

These tempos sho ld be seen as o r goal hen in do bt pla the

e ercises et des at the fastest tempo here o can be s ccessf l b t no
faster than those listed abo e
 N e e U e Ma c Ba d 2021
D e
A d e I f a S ee
-E a hi d c e de i k.

Na e: ______________________________ C a ( 21-2022): ________________

I e ( ): _______________________ A e: _________________ Ma :
_____________________ H e : _____________________ Add e :
_____________________________________________________ E a :
_______________________ P e: ____________________

L de f e efe e ce e e:

D a a :
M/W/F 4:00-6:00, T/T 7:00-9:00
L a c f c (e e e a e ) a a e:

Pe M ca E e e ce:
Ma c Ba d # f ea : ______
C ce Ba d # f ea : ______
O c e a # f ea : ______
Ja Ba d # f ea : ______
O e?
_______________________________________________________
 Double/Triple Beat

                                              
R... L... R... L...

                    

5

L... R... L...

                   
9

R... L... R...


                           
13

L... R... L... R

 NU 16th Note Timing

  r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r r l r r l r r l r r l r l            

 r l l r l l r l l r l l r l r l             r r l r r l r r l r r l
4

 r l r l              l r l  l r l  l r l  l r l  r l       r l  r l 
7

 r l        lr  lr r         rl  r l r l       r r r l        l   l 

 
11

 r l        r  r             r 
   
19
r l l
 Purple Paradiddles

     
 = 126


                               
R l r r l l R l r r l l R l r r L r l l r r L r l l r r L r l l

     
                                
3

R l r r l l r L r r l l R l r r L r l l r r l R l l r r L r l l

     
                                
5

R L r r l l R L r r l l R L r r L R l l r r L R l l r r L R l l

           
                            
7

R l l R R l l R R R l r r L r r L L r r L L L r l l

             
                            
9

R l R R R l R R R R l r r L r L L L r L L L L r l l

     
                                
11

R l r l r r L r l r l l r L r r L r l r l l R l r l r r l R l l

   6    6
                          
13

R l r l r r L r l r l l Rl r r l l R l r l r r L r l r l l Rl r r l l


    
15

R
 Cymbals Etude

 
 = 132
Clap and mark time     

                        
3

    
 

 3 
                                
5 3

 


   
9


 Cymbals Etude #2

Clap and mark time         

 
  = 120
                              


     
                                        
5




2 2 4

    
9


 Cadence Excerpt

● For this audition a portion of the cadence will be

required

● Please prepare Measures of the Traditional

cadence for each instrument ou audition for

● Tempo should be quarter note at bpm

● Sticking notes triangles indicate stick clicks open

diamonds are backsticks snare x s are for
rimshots snare and tenor or rim clicks bass
For an additional questions please contact Noah
or Kegan