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Percussion

“Percussion is the most elemental of all the instruments: It’s about time, timbre, energy, and passion. At Juilliard, we are looking for musicians first, who also happen to play percussion — musicians with talent, determination, and a willingness to work hard. Although the path is difficult and the goal can be elusive, we remain committed to producing competent, knowledgeable musical citizens: players with the hands to execute, the ears to hear, and the soul to interpret all of the world’s great music.” — Daniel Druckman, Chair, Percussion Department

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Percussion

At the heart of Juilliard’s percussion department is a distinguished faculty, whose members include well-known soloists, recording artists, and principals of major orchestras. They serve as teachers, role models, and mentors for students in the department. As a percussionist, you will enjoy ample performance opportunities. All students participate in the Juilliard Percussion Ensemble, which gives two concerts annually. You can also join one or more of the school’s numerous orchestras, chamber groups, and new music ensembles.

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Video feature on Haruka Fujii, Juilliard alumna and internationally renowned percussionist

Percussionist & Alumna Haruka Fujii | Juilliard Snapshot

Core Experiences

  • Performance Opportunities

    Performing before a live audience is an essential part of the Juilliard experience. Whether you are an instrumentalist, singer, or composer, you will have frequent opportunities to share your art with the public. Most performances take place in one of Juilliard's superb auditoriums, but you will also have occasion to appear elsewhere at Lincoln Center, including David Geffen and Alice Tully halls, homes of the New York Philharmonic and the Chamber Music Society; at other venues in New York City, such as Carnegie Hall, where the Juilliard Orchestra performs annually, the Blue Note Jazz Club, where Jazz students enjoy regular gigs, and the Museum of Modern Art, where the New Juilliard Ensemble appears in the Summergarden series; or on national and international tours.

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  • Classroom Studies

    The Music Division’s main areas of classroom instruction—Ear Training, Music Theory and Analysis, Music History, and Keyboard Studies—complement your private lessons and performance experiences to broaden your understanding of the foundations of music and to provide a context for the music literature you study and perform. Juilliard’s Center for Innovation in the Arts equips students with skills to compose and perform music using new technology, and offers hands-on experience with state of the art equipment.

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  • Liberal Arts

    Whatever your discipline, your development as an artist will be deepened by a foundation in the liberal arts, which provides the humanistic, ethical, social, critical, and aesthetic background essential to personal development and professional excellence. All undergraduate degree students take classes in literature, philosophy, history, social sciences, arts, and languages – studies that will help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself and the complex world in which you live. Through your coursework in liberal arts, you will refine your skills in reading, writing, speaking, and critical thinking, and learn to communicate with greater clarity and effectiveness.

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  • Entrepreneurship

    In the changing cultural landscape, performers must think more creatively about their careers than ever. While some pursue positions in traditional settings, others are exploring new ways to create opportunities that are both creatively satisfying and financially sustainable. The Alan D. Marks Center for Career Services and Entrepreneurship encourages leadership, initiative, and entrepreneurial thinking, enabling young performing artists to develop a more expansive view of success in the 21st century. It teaches students the skills essential for success in today’s entrepreneurial environment, with workshops in public speaking and business planning, panel discussions with industry leaders, and entrepreneurship residencies. It also facilitates more than 450 freelance performance opportunities for Juilliard students.

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