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Region & All-State Band Auditions

Auditions are one of the most reoccurring events in the life of a band member. It is our job as band directors to prepare them for the audition as well as to help with the learning process leading to the audition. This is the handout my middle school students get along with the term list and etude. If it is helpful to you please feel free to give it to your students.

Scales

15% of total score. Every person auditioning will know his or her scales, so you will need to as well. Keep them at an even tempo and practice them in the same order you will play them in the audition. Make sure you are using the correct fingerings (clarinet, oboe and bassoon). Tone quality should be considered when you are practicing scales. Record yourself playing your scales and then listen as if you were the judge. Would you make a perfect score? Do not just memorize the fingerings! Make sure you can spell all of your scales. This will help in case you draw a blank in the audition. Play with confidence! If you know them, show them!

Chromatic

5% of the total score. Most students do not realize this scale is judged not only for the correct notes but also for evenness. Work this scale out slowly, making sure you are using the correct fingerings. Woodwind players spend extra time on correct fingerings. Brass players should be extra careful on where they choose to inhale. I encourage my brass players to inhale half way up and half way down but not at the top. Choose a tempo that will allow you to play as evenly as possible.

Etude

30% of the total score. This is what I call a given. Just like terms, scales, and chromatic, every student auditioning will know the etude so you should as well. Ask your band director to help you with the interpretation of the etude. Make sure you are not just playing notes. This is your time to make music!

Sight-reading

30% of the total score. Sight-reading is the best part of the audition. The only way to prepare for this portion of the audition is to sight-read every piece of music you can find. I find that sight-reading duets with someone else is a great way to improve your sight-reading skills. You should devise your own sight-reading routine and follow it every time. Key signature, time signature, tempo marking, and title of the piece are the first things to consider. Next step would be to take a brief (5 seconds) look through to find repeats, dynamics, accidentals, etc. Tizzling and fingering are the final step before performance. Make sure that you are not just standing there staring at the music. Be actively involved in figuring out how it should sound. Sight-read with confidence and try not to sound scared.

Terms

5% of the total score. There is no reason that any one should miss a term. Most of them you should be familiar with because you use them every day in band class. The ones you do not know spend time learning them. Terms are a given!

Tone Quality

15% of total score. This is the only part of the audition that affects all of the other parts. Tone is a part of the etude score and the sight-reading score. Spend quality time working on getting a characteristic sound from your instrument. I recommend you buy a CD of a professional playing your instrument. The CD should include slow selections, such as largo, adagio, etc. These will be more helpful as you try to emulate their sound. Spend time playing long tones to strengthen your embouchure. Good posture will help the air flow and give you a better sound. Nervousness seems to have a horrible affect on tone quality. Spend time calming your nerves, you have worked too hard not to have your best audition.

Auditioning for region band is a great opportunity to become a better musician. Your band director encouraged you to try out because of how much you will learn as you prepare for the audition. The audition itself will last about 7 minutes, but what you gain from the preparation process will last a lot longer. If you do your best you should be content regardless of the outcome. Some of the best musicians I know never made All-state.

Shelly Moore