Sandbox Percussion Seminar

The 21st century has changed the music-making landscape. Aspiring musicians are now required to posses an entirely new set of skills to have a successful career in the performing arts. Nowhere has this been felt more than in the area of percussion. As the 20th century came to a close, percussion began to take a leadership role at the forefront of relevant creative compositional ideas. As a result, an entire generation of composers and performers adopted a new way of thinking and approach towards music-making that was fundamentally geared toward the inclusion of a competent and strong percussionist. Thousands of new works were written, and a new standard repertoire began to take shape.

It has become standard practice for these works to be programmed in concert halls and universities throughout the world. As such, aspiring young musicians must now possess a thorough understanding and mastery of the skill sets needed to perform this music, as well as the entrepreneurial skills required to create and sustain a career. This seminar seeks to provide you with the opportunity to learn how to become fluent in this new language of performance and build a foundation for a career in the modern world.

The focus of this week-long program is to study and learn a small amount of repertoire at a very intense level. You will be assigned one or more chamber pieces and placed in a group that contains one member of Sandbox Percussion and several other participants. You will rehearse with your group each day, culminating in a performance in NYC!

In addition to rehearsals, there will be nightly classes and discussions with Sandbox Percussion and several guest artists. Sandbox will cover both the musical side of their organization and the business side of running a chamber music ensemble. Our guests will talk about their careers, and specifically how they transitioned from studying music in college to performing, writing, or supporting it in the professional world.

We are pleased to have scholarships available, which include full tuition and room and board. In addition to the other application requirements, participants applying for scholarship must also include a written personal statement and a video statement. See the application for full details.

The Seminar will feature:

• Influential guest composers and percussionists. 
• Masterclasses and optional private lessons with faculty
• An in-depth study of the percussion repertoire
• Performances by faculty and guest artists such as: Juri Seo, Christopher Cerrone, Michael Joseph McQuilken
• A culminating performance with faculty at an NYC venue.

View a complete list of NYU Steinhardt Percussion faculty. For more information about studying at NYU Steinhardt, please visit the Percussion Studies homepage.