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Hello, all

I have an audition coming up on Saturday for the Florida Youth Orchestra. The website details the audition for the most advanced group. 12 Major scales (2 8ve), a chromatic range through the full range of the instrument and a short solo demonstrating "mastery" of the instrument.

I was talking about it with my teacher, who works with the orchestra as a brass tech. We have worked through some orchestral excerpts, what I've had and what he has given me. He told me that the musical director would see it as a refreshing change to have an auditionee that has already been studying some orchestral repetoire and that there wouldn't be any problem with me playing a few excerpts in lieu of the short solo.

So, I ask this. Is this not uncommon? Advisable? I have been working on a few excerpts for a while now (namely the Ravel Pictures, Meistersinger, Ride and Bruckner 7), so I don't think I'd have a problem playing them for the committee.

Thank you!

-Jackson

Let me preface my comments by acknowledging that I realize the OP isn't talking about a professional audition, but I personally think the same standards should apply. You are quite free to believe differently.

In an audition, the best advice is to follow precisely the rules as you are notified of them. Since the website says to play "a short solo demonstrating "mastery" of the instrument," I would play a short solo. I can't think of any professional audition situation where it would be advisable to alter the audition requirements for any reason. In those situations, an audition committee would never see playing something they didn't ask for as "a refreshing change." They would see it as an easy reason to say, "Next."

It would have been easy for the conductor to have asked for standard orchestral excerpts instead of a short solo. You should ask your teacher why, if the conductor would find excerpts a "refreshing change," he isn't asking to hear them. Makes no sense to me at all. Would you change the required etudes for your All-State audition because you (or your teacher) thought the audition committee would rather hear something else? Of course not.

That's my advice, but I don't have any connection to the orchestra you're auditioning for or your teacher. I also don't have a job playing the tuba. I only have a couple of framed pieces of paper on the wall (neither of which say "tuba") and the experience of a dozen or so professional auditions. So take my advice for what it's worth (obviously, not much).

The big question is...do you have a solo "ready-to-go" for an audition in 6 days that demonstrates your mastery of the tuba?

Todd S. "thinking there's more to the story here" Malicoate

To the big question, yes I do have a solo ready to go for the audition. I have been working on that longer than I have on the excerpts.

You do certainly make sense on playing exactly what they ask. I think my teacher thought the music director would allow the rules to bend because most all youth music groups around here have almost identical audition requirements (not trying to discredit them).

I'm not going to go in blind on Saturday, though. I'm going to get in touch with my teacher and ask him to talk to the director on the matter. I understand and agree with you that this audition (as well as any other) needs to have the same standards as a professional one.

As a high school student,I think you should probably take your teacher's advice,especially if he has good standing with the orchestra and conductor.If you don't trust him,you probably need a different teacher.However,it's always a very good idea to have an impressive solo ready to go.You never know when opportunity may knock...

MikeMason wrote:As a high school student,I think you should probably take your teacher's advice,especially if he has good standing with the orchestra and conductor.If you don't trust him,you probably need a different teacher.However,it's always a very good idea to have an impressive solo ready to go.You never know when opportunity may knock...

I trust my teacher enough to know that he wouldn't give me this idea if it wasn't even a bit possible. I think he's a good guy and an excellent teacher.

I had the same requirements for my Junior Symphony audition in high school, and I substituted excerpts for the solo, on my teacher's advice. I played Ride and Hungarian March and won the audition. The audition committee was very surprised when I said I had prepared excerpts, but it seemed to be in a favorable way. I think, to the committee, it seemed less like rules-bending and more like an initiative.

There you go. Only a few responses and already completely opposite opinions. Just goes to show what a difficult game it is to try and guess what someone else would like to hear.

My other thought that I didn't express in my earlier post: Nail your 2 octaves major scales and chromatic scale with a nice sound and you will be so far ahead of most players the rest will matter but very little.

Todd S. "wondering what's "helpful" about a speculative thread like this" Malicoate

I find it is actually helpful to argue all sides of an argument thoroughly before making a decision.When I was 17,probably not so much

Good luck, Jackson!

You seem to be a serious, smart kid and I hope you do well.

Whatever you play, play it with joy and confidence and have fun.

Jeff "Never had a musical audition but wish he had" Benedict

tubashaman wrote:Another good one to throw in (as the GDYO has asked for before) is the solo from Gershwin's An American in Paris

Its a great solo that shows musicality, intonation, and a good core sound

While I agree that the Gershwin solo is a good one to show off one's musicality, and perhaps even one's good core sound (although I suspect any excerpt allows you to do that)...

I have to strongly disagree that the Gershwin solo is an appropriate one to show off one's good intonation...of all the major tuba excerpts to choose from, this is perhaps the worst one for that simply because of the "bluesy" nature of the music. Listen to any commercially available recording of this and I'll wager you'll hear at least some "pitch-bending" from the tuba soloist.

Wanna impress the panel with solid intonation? Play the first section of Lohengrin...nail the two octave leaps, and then nail the high D to low G at the end (there's not much harder than an extended perfect interval like that).

Whatever, however you do it Jackson, good luck!
Ally"no auditions in her past either"House

I would assume that they don't really care what you play as long as you play better then anyone else. When they say a short solo they just want to hear you play anything and if you can play prepared excerpts all the better. It wouldn't hurt to ask beforehand either. In my (somewhat limited) experience with my two youth orchestra auditions and six college auditions they don't really care what you play as long as you play it well and with confidence. As long as you play something that makes them say "I want them in my ensemble/college" you should be fine.

Todd S. Malicoate wrote:

tubashaman wrote:Another good one to throw in (as the GDYO has asked for before) is the solo from Gershwin's An American in Paris

Wanna impress the panel with solid intonation? Play the first section of Lohengrin...nail the two octave leaps, and then nail the high D to low G at the end (there's not much harder than an extended perfect interval like that).

I think you are meaning Meistersinger, and I agree. Meistersinger is a better crossover between excerpt and solo (letter J) and really do show what you want a tuba to do. As a teacher, I always tell my students to play exactly what the requirement is for an audition. When you freelance on the requirements, you are taking the risk. A conductor might wonder if you will be a team player if you can't follow instructions. If you are OK with the risk involved, then roll the dice and take your chances. You know the situation there best, as we only have small pieces of information about it. It is not out of line to check to see that excerpts are OK...but I would definitely do that before I played the audition.

Yes, thank you, Tony...Meistersinger. Late night last night.

The Jackson wrote:To the big question, yes I do have a solo ready to go for the audition. I haven't been working on that longer than I have on the excerpts.

You do certainly make sense on playing exactly what they ask. I think my teacher thought the music director would allow the rules to bend because most all youth music groups around here have almost identical audition requirements (not trying to discredit them).

I'm not going to go in blind on Saturday, though. I'm going to get in touch with my teacher and ask him to talk to the director on the matter. I understand and agree with you that this audition (as well as any other) needs to have the same standards as a professional one.

Jackson-

Based on only getting to know you through your posts, PMs and general attitudes through this board - I must say you are WISE beyond your years and truly seem like you have your SH$T together. I know you'll do great!

Brian "wishing I were nearly as level-headed and mature as a high skool stoodnt" Gilbert

Thank you, Mr. Gilbert and others for your kind words. It's nice to know I have lots of support here.


I just left my teacher a voicemail to talk to the musical directors about this. Things look good.

I don't think An American In Paris would be great for me to play on Saturday. I don't have the actual part and have only figured it out by ear. As Tony said, I think the different sections in Die Meistersinger have good solo as well as full ensemble parts.

Thanks, everyone!

Which of those excerpts would qualify as a "short solo"? Play that first.

Rick "not seeing mutual exclusivity here" Denney

If you can out perform everyone at the audition then you should be fine no matter what you decide to play. Beat them with great preparation and musicianship. Good Luck!

Todd S. Malicoate wrote:
The big question is...do you have a solo "ready-to-go" for an audition in 6 days that demonstrates your mastery of the tuba?

Todd S. "thinking there's more to the story here" Malicoate

This sort of question always puzzles me. Doesn't *everyone* taking serious lessons and auditioning for competitive chairs *always* have a "short solo" that they can play at the drop of a hat?

It seems to me that a responsible teacher would have you work up solo after solo (along with all the other necessary material), so that you always have one "mastered" and one "in progress".

I mean, even the Intermediate Rubank book has a few "short solos" that demonstrate the level of competence of the player working out of that book!

I would think it goes without saying that if you don't have a "short solo" in your hip pocket, ready to play on 5 minutes notice, then you can't make any claims about "mastery of the tuba"!

This is something I work on with students all the time (no, I don't teach the tuba!). I tell them that they need to be prepared to stand up and give a coherent presentation that lasts at least 15 minutes - at all times. The joke usually is that new students say "I have to talk for 15 whole minutes?" and the advanced students always say "I only get 15 minutes?" (for grad students vs. assistant professors the dividing line is 50 minutes - the standard academic "hour")

So...a poll: if asked to play 5 minutes from now (assume you have your instruments and all your sheet music) - what would you play if given 15 minutes? a half-hour? an hour?

I think this is part of a general trend I see when auditions are announced: there's a lot of bleating of the form "that's too much material to prepare; I don't have time!" This all comes from the eventual losers. The eventual winners look at the list and say "is tomorrow good for you?"

Just another version of "I need to learn *how many* scales by next Saturday?"

MikeMason wrote:I find it is actually helpful to argue all sides of an argument thoroughly before making a decision.When I was 17,probably not so much

when you are 17, there is only *one* side to any question.