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Definitely have a piece of standard repertoire hot for your audition. But, moreover - the audition panel realizes that you are young and not yet a professional. They don't expect perfection, they look for potential. Here are a few things that they look for other than "right notes."

1.) A good clock - You need to have solid rhythm and solid time. A panel would much rather see you miss a partial than blow through long notes and short change them.

2.) A good sound - As Arnold Jacobs said, "Above all else, sound good."

3.) A positive attitude - A teacher wants a student that is easy to work with, and a team player. So, don't go into your interview, if there is one, with a hardcore chip on your shoulder.

And above all else, have fun. Music is supposed to be fun, if it isn't - - - there is obviously a problem.

- Pat Stuckemeyer

you might want to look at the auditions tab of the forum. It has a lot of info for you.College Audition Advice

Make sure you play something you feel comfortable with and play well!

It would not be worth it play something "OK" when you can play something else much better!

I have a friend of mine who played the Vaughan Williams concerto for his college audition and one of the things that the panel really harped on him about was the fact that it's written for a bass tuba (he played it on a BBb).

Here is a little advice about auditions that I include on a handout to prospects. Hope this might help! Good luck with your college search and audition!

The Audition
A very important part of the application process for any school of music is the audition. Your audition may be held in front of a committee of faculty or perhaps with only the applied professor. It is very important for you to know that everyone in the room who is listening to you play is pulling for you. You are playing for a bunch of people who have experienced the sweaty palms, the dry mouth and the anxiety of the moment dozens of times. Relax. Breathe deeply. Now, play your best! Here are some things to consider in preparing to present your best product.

1. Before you go to your audition, play for as many people as possible. Play for your teacher, your friends, your parents, anyone who will listen! As far as audition prep goes, there is no substitution for live performance. This will help you to get a grip on your nerves and will make the process seem less intimidating. No one at your audition wants you to feel intimidated. (If you sense that someone there does want to intimidate you, you might want to reconsider if you really want to subject yourself to that for four years! Yikes!)

2. Try to arrive on campus a day before you have to play. Travel tends to make people feel a little funky. Arriving a day ahead of time will allow you to find out where you’re going and to get a good night of sleep before you perform. If you are an easy drive from your audition and arriving a day early seems like overkill, just allow plenty of time to get lost and to find parking.

3. Please don’t assume that the higher, faster, louder mentality has a whole lot of appeal to your audition committee. They would rather hear a thoughtful, controlled performance of music that you can play well than to hear a shoddy performance of a piece that you think might knock their socks off. Plan your program accordingly. If a school has a prescribed audition program, don’t stray from that literature. If there is not a specific list of requirements, it is usually a good idea to prepare two solos of contrasting style that will explicitly demonstrate both your technical and musical abilities. If you are unsure what to play, e-mail the teacher and propose a couple of options. They will point you in the right direction! It is always a good idea to know ahead of time whether or not you will be required to perform any scales. It is not a coincidence that the “luckiestâ€

Whatever you do, DON'T try to hurry and learn how to play an f tuba. That would be the worst thing you could do. If you decide not to go for the Van Williams I would suggest something like Introduction and Dance by Barat. That's what I did on my BB flat. If your instructor told you to look at the Van Williams then you must be technically capable for the Barat (there is an optional part that goes to a pedal C, though). Here is a good website for you to get an idea about what college tubist work on:UNT solo syllabus (You will need acrobat reader to view)
If you see any on there that you have worked on in the past it might be a good idea to do those.

By the way, what schools are you auditiong for?

good luck

Have you ever heard of Weber State University? It's the school that I go to and it has a very good music program. With money being an issue, it's not that expensive at all (I'm a music ed. major and all together this semester was about $1900 (lessons were the biggest part, they cost $320 a semester)). The quality of music teachers are the same as the bigger schools in Utah (like BYU and U of U) but you get a much more one-on-one experience. Within two weeks just about all of the professors knew my name before I even knew theirs (and yes, there were some awkward moments with that). I noticed that you were from Boise and with location being another big issue, Weber State is about just about 4 hours away were as BYU is about 6 hours away and U of U is about 5 hours (I don't know if you're looking into the U of U or not but I'm very much against BYU's music program, because Steve Call, the professor of tuba and euphonium was a jerk to me during my early years of playing the tuba, so I'm just letting you know that it's out there.). Dr. Thomas Root is the director of bands and is a very generous man when it comes to scholarships and he is also on the scholarship committee. He will do anything to help you out when it comes to finacial issues. The music program here gets the 2nd most money for scholarships with the next most amount given to athletics. Everything at this school is top notch and for the amout of money that it cost's to go here, it can't be beat.

That's my little post about my school.

When I 1st started in 7th grade, my band director had Steve Call come over for a group lesson. He had us all play in front of him and after I had played, he said "I don't think tuba is the right instrument for you." and went onto the other students without even trying to help me out like he did with the other students. I forgot about him saying that until I was auditioning for college's and I walked into the room for the audition. I don't think he remembered me but I ended up getting an offer for a full ride, which I declined, and haven't really talked to him eversince. He's called a few times asking if I was interested in transfering and that the offer still stands, but I've always politely declined. I like to believe that he didn't mean to be rude but, from my experince's alone, BYU and him as a teacher just aren't for me.

I'm not trying to completely discourage you from going to BYU, I'm just letting you know how my personal experience was.

Well, sorry, I worded that wrong, they offered a full TUITION and then they offered to help out with some student fees and housing but it wasn't a complete full ride. Mind you that this was about a little about 3 years ago when I auditioned and I'm not sure how their scholarship situation is anymore. To be totally honest, he said the same things about me, but like I said, I politely declined. I currently take lessons from Matt Moore (who subs for the Utah Symphony) and, when I'm able too, from Gary Ofenloch, the principal tuba of the Utah Symphony.

I just have to say that I'm not trying to get you to come to Weber State (unless you want to ), I'm just letting you know ONE personal experience from BYU and I hope that you go to where ever you feel best.

I graduated from BYU in music ed in 1996. If you have questions about that school, instructors, etc. feel free to email me at tlevar *at* gmail.com

It's a very good music school. If you're "close" to being able to play the first movement of the VW on a BBb, you are pretty prepared for the competition there. (Although I reiterate the other suggestions to play something you are rock solid on, instead of something that might be too difficult.)

I'm going to try and go but I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to be able to make it too (I'm not really able to plan that far ahead). Do you know the time that Oystein Baddsvik will be doing his masterclasses on Saturday mornin'? Everything I've seen for it just says "morning".... Depending on how early the master class is on Saturday, I might go to the concert on Friday and spend the night in Provo just so I don't have to drive the 2 hours back home and then 2 hours early in the mornin' on Saturday.

Is any information about the BYU Octubafest available online?