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As many of you have seen, I am a Lower classmen in high school. This coming fall, I play to audition for the honors band in our region. If I make that, I play to audition for disitricts, and ultimately region. My audition piece for honors band is, Serenade #12 by Persichetti movements: 2,3,&5. I plan to start that Saturday. Can you please give me hints to prepare for this fall?

I can give you a suggestion that has worked for me and for my students:

Use Smart Music Studio for your practicing.

If you aren't familiar with Smart Music, the yearly subscription is about $30 and it comes with many solos for tuba. Many of the works for tuba are not available, but you can make a smart music file from a Finale file. You can scan a tuba solo and piano acc. into Finale by using a program called Sharpeye 2. Sharpeye can be downloaded and used free for a trial period. Finale is pretty expensive, Sharpeye not so much so.

Someone may already have made a smart music file of your rep?

Mark Howle

I agree that Smart Music is the way to go, but unfortunately, The Persichetti Serenade #12 is unaccompanied.

Find some good recordnings t get an idea of tempi and style, but develop your own interpretation of the piece. Trying to play it like "so and so" is not going to help you find what music you have inside you.

Roger

Could someone link to me to their favorite playing of it?

Roger Lewis wrote:I agree that Smart Music is the way to go, but unfortunately, The Persichetti Serenade #12 is unaccompanied.

Yes, it is unaccompanied. Smart Music is still very effective as a reference for pitch, tempo, and rhythm regardless of whether or not there is an accompaniment to a piece that is being learned.

I recommend smart music for practice no matter the piece, especially when learning the notes. However, one thing it is not good for is interpretation of the musical expressive aspects of a piece. I never use it in "intelligent accompaniment" mode because I've never gotten it to follow my tempo well at all. I set it to play at predetermined tempi specifications and follow the computer when I want a very accurate reference for pitch and rhythm. It will play the style and dynamic markings pretty well also, but I'd never use it to tell me how to interpret the music.

I agree with the post above: listening to good recordings and to mimic the styles of more advanced performers is a really good way to get ideas on the interpretation of music. Listen to as many different recordings/performances as possible and chose specific aspects that you like from a large sample, then use your imagination.

Divide the piece into sections, then divide the sections into phrases. Then work on one phrase at a time. Practice everything slow enough that you can sound good early, speed it up one click at a time only when you can play it accurately slow. Start each practice session at a slow tempo and speed up gradually within each practice session. Spend most of your practice time at the slower speeds.

Practice each day longer than you think you can, but don't damage your chops on the continual high notes. Rest often, then go back to work.

Perform it several times prior to the big event.

And last but not least---Hire a good teacher.

I received some audition tips in an interview that can be found here:

http://sousacentral.blogspot.com/2011/0 ... or-of.html

This seems a good choice for an audition piece. I would certainly prefer a decent performance of it to most of the rather crappy renditions of the Vaughn WIlliams one finds on UTube.

One way to develop familiarity with it is to sit down at a piano and play it and sing along so that you get the sequence of pitches locked into your mind. Do this often until you can sing it in tune without the piano. Record yourself and then listen carefully to make sure you are reproducing the pitches accurately. While you are doing this you will be developing your "ear" and possibly picking up or improving piano skills - VERY important tools.

If, by any chance, you can find a good cellist who is willing to help (or bassist) have them play it for you. To my view somebody like Yo Yo Ma would make this suite sound really good.
A major consideration is that this work largely, IMO, should be light and graceful. Yes there are big variations in dynamics but, it should never get overdone or to the point where your sound is cracking or blatty. Think of contrast, not loud, anywhere it is forte or above. While the tempi should be fluid, generally keep things moving. Think of a graceful ballerina, not a ponderous elephant dancing to your song.

As part of your overall preparation, do a lot of sight reading and use a metronome to help keep rythms right. KNOW all your scales and arpeggios.

One little tip. NEVER carry any music into an audition which you are not fully prepared to play. It is surprising how often somebody will see something which you may never even have looked at and want to hear it. That can be disastrous!!!!!!!!!!

I can not over stress the value of sitting at the piano and reading music - even 1 handed, single lines and singing along and then without accomp as a means of improving your pitch sense.
After a while you can mentally sing something as soon as you see it. When you can do that your brain will learn to tell your body what to do to produce the correct pitches when you are playing your tuba. A'la Jacob's "Song and Wind" concept.

Recording and listening critically to your playing is another good habit to get into.

I'm not certain but, believe Harvey Phillips, among others recorded this piece. Finding a source might prove good for your research skills too.

Good luck!!!