TubeNet

Hi,

I know there aren't any auditions right now, but how and what do you prepare for military auditions? Are there certain exerpts/solos/etc... that are considered standard?

I apologize for my ignorance. I recently lost enough weight to actually be able to audition for these bands and would like to start getting ready for the next opening.

Thanks for the help!

GoldenMoose,

The internet is a wonderful tool, google/yahoo/(insert internet search engine here) it!
The Navy is holding auditions at the ITEA Conference. You can find info on that in the "Auditions" forum here on TubeNet.
Here is the US Air Force Band Program website: http://www.bands.af.mil/careers/" target="_blank
I'll let you enjoy finding the rest on your own, happy hunting!
Congrats on your weight loss, good luck with your auditions!

Best Wishes,

The premier bands (DC and New London, CT) publish a list of excerpts specifically chosen for the particular audition, as do several of the "second tier" bands. While there are a number of excerpts that show up regularly on audition lists (e.g., Melody Shop, Pineapple Poll, Festive Overture, March and Song without Words from Second Suite in F, for euph), one cannot necessarily assume that any particular excerpt will be chosen for any given audition.

Everything you need to know about preparing for and winning an audition can be found in the threads below.

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=30785&p=269101#p269101" target="_blank" target="_blank

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=29148" target="_blank" target="_blank

http://www.yeodoug.com/resources/faq/fa ... dards.html" target="_blank" target="_blank

http://yeodoug.com/resources/symphony_a ... tions.html" target="_blank" target="_blank

http://www.matthewguilford.com/?page_id=73" target="_blank" target="_blank

http://tromboneforum.org/index.php/topic,40262.0.html" target="_blank" target="_blank

http://tromboneforum.org/index.php/topic,42379.0.html" target="_blank" target="_blank

http://tromboneforum.org/index.php/topic,42380.0.html" target="_blank" target="_blank

http://www.trombone.org/articles/librar ... p?ArtID=38" target="_blank" target="_blank

http://www.armyband.com/Broadcast/2007/ ... mPanel.mov" target="_blank" target="_blank

LET THOSE WHO HAVE EARS TO HEAR, HEAR.

The Army was not at full tuba capacity when I spoke with an Army Bands person at the Pentagon a few months ago. You could probably schedule an audition right away.

I did 25 years in the Navy but as an aviation electronics tech, not as a musician. I did, however, successfully audition for the fleet (non-Washington, D.C.) program at one point (too long a story to explain why that didn't work out!) and I have had my finger on the pulse somewhat over the years. The websites for most of the band programs have good guidelines regarding auditions. Audition tapes are still accepted as far as I know but it is best if you can travel to a band location for an in person audition. I auditioned on both trombone and tuba. Speaking specifically about the Navy fleet band program, expect to play major and minor scales (including harmonic and melodic). In addition you should prepare solo material that will display your technique, musicality and range. Once your prepared stuff is over expect to do some sight-reading. I don't recall all that I was asked to sight-read but the standout was the lead trombone solo part for an arrangement of Lionel Richie's "Truly". Screaming high part but would have loved to play that arrangement with a band!

I made the USMC bands over 20 years ago. Due to a knee injury I never got to play. But for the audition I played what I played for the Colorado State honor bands [pre provided music from the state] and I remember I was asked to sight read a part from Handel's Water music in treble clef. I played bass clef. I made it on a Yamaha yep-321 non compensating 4 valve. Out of the eight people that auditioned that day I was the only one who made it. I imagine it has changed a bit but that was my experience.

Good luck!

Don't join a reserve/national guard/... band with the intent to go active in a few years (it is possible, but "how" seems to change rather often), but one of those could be worth looking into especially with the various schooling incentives (GI bill, tuition assistance, student loan repayment). My understanding is that it is harder to go active or even change units in the NG than the reserves due to the state obligation.

At least in the Army RC (reserve component= Reserves and NG), you will still go through basic and advanced training. There's talk of AIT (advanced individual training, where you focus on your particular Army job; for Army bands it's near Norfolk, Virginia) being changed from 6 months for active and 1 month for reserves to somewhere in the middle for everybody, but as of now it's still one month for reserves.
I don't know anything about the reserve Navy and Marine bands or anything at all about the Coast Guard or Air Force. I'm quite happy with the Army. I didn't want to go through all the training all of the Marines do, I was glad to join the branch my grandfather served in (and was super happy to join at a higher rank than most other branches seem to start their musicians at), and the Navy has too many damn uniforms.

bloke wrote:I cannot imagine this happening in the modern era, but a friend of mine (a Phil Farkas student, who ended up serving as Principal Horn in "Pershing's Own" ...and later on in his career Principal Horn in Japan and Hong Kong) showed up for his D.C. Army audition. The person in charge of the audition stuck him somewhere, instructed him to warm up, and told him that they would be back in a few minutes to take him to his audition.

My friend noticed that the person (and a few others) were sort of wandering in the periphery of where he was "warming up". He soon realized that his "warm up" WAS - in reality - THE AUDITION... ...so he commenced to "wail" (playing all the critical excerpts/difficult solo passages, etc...and executing them flawlessly).

bloke "Yes. He got the job."

I took a bass trombone audition for that same band fifteen years ago... not exactly modern era, but...

My tape was accepted, and so they sent me the audition excerpt list. In addition to SIX bass trombone concerti (generally the most difficult solos out there at the time), there were also SIXTY excerpts listed. The excerpts were not the usual orchestral fare, but band literature. Many excerpts were impossible to find (I was in the West Point Band at the time and had access to everything in that library, but still had trouble obtaining the complete list). To learn that much music in a short time (about three weeks from receipt of the list until the audition), was very difficult.

At the audition, each player played a selection of his/her choice, and then excerpts. And, and after all of that preparation, NONE of the excerpts were from the original list.

Porkins, "No, I didn't get the job."

They hired a friend of mine, who is a fantastic bass trombonist, and clearly a skilled sight reader.

Bob Kolada wrote:Don't join a reserve/national guard/... band with the intent to go active in a few years (it is possible, but "how" seems to change rather often), but one of those could be worth looking into especially with the various schooling incentives (GI bill, tuition assistance, student loan repayment). My understanding is that it is harder to go active or even change units in the NG than the reserves due to the state obligation.

At least in the Army RC (reserve component= Reserves and NG), you will still go through basic and advanced training. There's talk of AIT (advanced individual training, where you focus on your particular Army job; for Army bands it's near Norfolk, Virginia) being changed from 6 months for active and 1 month for reserves to somewhere in the middle for everybody, but as of now it's still one month for reserves.
I don't know anything about the reserve Navy and Marine bands or anything at all about the Coast Guard or Air Force. I'm quite happy with the Army. I didn't want to go through all the training all of the Marines do, I was glad to join the branch my grandfather served in (and was super happy to join at a higher rank than most other branches seem to start their musicians at), and the Navy has too many damn uniforms.

Not exactly true. If you're in a Army RC band, then your commander (if they allow you to) could set up an audition with an active band. Then you go back to the School of Music for the full AIT time and then to an active duty band. Starting in October 2010, the School will be 11 weeks for everyone, so if you're RC and go active, you shouldn't have to go back to the School. We have one person that's going active soon, just waiting on an audition time.

My understanding was a sign off was needed by someone higher up than the unit commander, possibly the division commander or some such thing (I though I had heard at least one person say a 1 star!). A saxophone player in my unit went active a while back; he said it wasn't terribly difficult though it did take a while. I would like to do it eventually but there are other things I want to do first. I should be doing the Charlie 1 in the next year, probably on trombone as well as I'm not sure I want to spend the rest of life having a sousaphone beat up my shoulder. I got a 2.9 at AIT on a "full of character" tuba, so I'm feeling good about beating that with an instrument that I am more comfortable on. I also would like to hit at least E-5 before I try but since my unit has approximately 1 slot for about 8 people that might take a while...

ai698 wrote:Starting in October 2010, the School will be 11 weeks for everyone, so if you're RC and go active, you shouldn't have to go back to the School.

So if I did the 4 week course during IET and it changes to 11 before I go active, I would not have to go back? I actually like the SOM, so it it doesn't bother me too much either way.