Re: Re: Re: New Horn + Audition


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Posted by Sean Chisham on January 04, 2004 at 23:44:23:

In Reply to: Re: Re: New Horn + Audition posted by Kenneth Sloan on January 04, 2004 at 22:56:47:

The reason there are so many band audition books floating around is so that you can become acquanted with as many possible "sight reading" tunes as possible before auditioning. Very little of the "sight reading" I ever had to do at band auditions was unknown material. By having people play Lincolnshire Posy when it may have not been on the list you get a good idea of their everyday playing ability.

If you spend weeks polishing Stars and Stripes for the list, then you should sound great on Stars and Stripes. Everyone has played Stars and Stripes several times before. Now recall the level you played it at the first day you knew it was on the list and began to work on it. It is likely that you have it more polished on the audition day several weeks later than you did on that first day. Playing Lincolnshire Posy at the audition will give the committee some idea of how you play tunes in a more realistic situation, namely one where you have not been touching the tricky parts for weeks leading up to the performance. Most of the playing we do is with between zero and 3 rehearsals.

It is also useful to have unknown sight reading. Sight reading is difficult for the committee also. You have to attempt to factor in who knows the tune and who does not. Hopefully when it is all done. The best musician, and good human, will prevail.

So, you can see, that it is to your advantage to monitor audition lists to learn the standard warhorses and to also compile a large assortment of parts to study. Know the overtures, marches, Hindemith, Grainger, Barnes, Claude T Smith, and other popular tricky tunes. They WILL show up on auditions along with a few dusty sheets of rarely played one off in-house arrangements and compositions.


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