Region/State Audition Prep -- Advice sought

[Joe Baker]

My son is a High School Sophomore, with a year and a half experience on his instrument (trombone), and is one of the top two or three out of 20 or so in his school. We're thrilled with his general progress as a player, but he's just had a fairly unsatisfactory Regional band tryout. He very much wants to do better next year -- wants, in fact, to make All State. I think he is capable, and is willing to do the work, but is unsure about what is required. He has a private teacher, but his teacher concentrates on teaching playing, and really hasn't concerned himself much with the Region/State auditions (in fairness, I don't believe he's been asked to help with audition prep). I could probably give him some advice that would help; but what do I know, I'm just a computer programmer!

Thus I ask those of you who have been in a position to judge such tryouts: could you explain exactly what you expect from an All State musician? How well should he be able to play his music? Would you say that an All State player should absolutely be able to play the piece at tempo, without mistakes? If the student cannot play the piece to tempo without mistakes, is it better to play it to tempo WITH a mistake or two, or play it WITHOUT mistakes at a slightly slower tempo? How much of the score is based upon getting the notes, rythms and intonation correct, and how much upon musical playing? In playing scales, what do you listen for (right notes, intonation, consistent rythm, tone quality, etc), and how do you weight each factor? Should the student play them quickly to demonstrate familiarity, or slowly to demonstrate tone and intonation? Of course I don't expect any one person to answer all those questions, but they should give you an idea what kind of info I'm looking for.

I would also be interested in testimonials of those that have made All State as to what it took to get there. It would be helpful if responses included a brief explanation of the credentials of the respondent.

Thanks to all!
___________________________________
Joe Baker, who will compile an article for the 'tips' page from the responses received, subject to Sean's approval.

[Mudman]

The best players in any state have often been studying for several years.

As a judge I look for a few things above all else: Great tone, clean attacks, musical direction, good rhythmic drive. I do listen carefully to range and what happens to a student's sound as they climb upwards. Right notes are a given as anybody who puts in the time will learn the notes.

Intonation is usually a result of good tone. If a student has weak or unsupported tone, it will almost never be in tune. (When teaching I go for Tone first, Tune later. Students who can make a great sound then work on fine tuning.) There is something magical and impressive about a great brass tone. (#1 goal or why bother playing?)

The winners will be able to play any required pieces pretty much as written or faster (technical solos). I have my students start working on the required music with a metronome at slower than half-tempo. When it is perfect, they click the metronome up a couple notches. For efficiency, students only work on small sections at a time. (Human nature being what it is, most students play too fast, too soon. Weeks of detailed practice at slow and accurate tempos is a guaranteed way to succeed and win auditions. The students that stick with it end up doing better than others.) It can be tough going so I vary my approach with each student and get them to push their "concentration limits."

***The student (not the parent) has to have the desire in them.*** This is a hard one for some parents to accept.

Scales are the easiest thing to master. Use the metronome approach "slow and perfect" before gradually increasing speed. Every day. In a single year of regular practice just about any student could go from being ho-hum to amazing.

Listening to as many great recordings as possible is the best way to help a student improve their sound and musicality. (Live performances are even better.) Buy every tuba recording available within a set budget.

Sight read duets in lessons and encourage sight reading (sometimes with a metronome.) It doesn't matter how easy the music is, just that a student practices going from top to bottom without stopping. No matter how big the mistake--keep going.

Credentials--I like to repair motorcycles. I've judged all-state in a few different areas of the US. Personal sudents who have stuck with my plan have consistently placed in the top handful in a couple of states.

In case this approach sounds like "not much fun," I make sure each student has a say in what they are working on. Even with the most driven practicers, we look for things that they can do just for kicks on a daily basis (improvise a tune, play a favorite etude just for musicality, or work on multiphonics). Students who work really hard usually see that getting better is the most satisfying reward of all.

Learning all-state music should be a small part of the balanced practice diet. Avoid falling into the same trap that the schools do (playing 3 tunes all year for contest). The best musician is going to be the one who regularly makes the most music. True at any level of playing.

Gawd am I long winded. Just wish the semester break would end so I could get back to work

[WoodSheddin]

Here is a writeup I did a few years ago.

http://www.chisham.com/tips/bbs/nov2000 ... 37436.html
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Posted by Sean Chisham on November 19, 2000 at 12:33:22:

Well, I helped to judge Maryland All-State Band tuba auditions yesterday and thought I would post some comments here while they are still fresh in my mind. I had never done anything like that before and although the overall abilities were less than that of the professional ranks, there are some parallels which can be drawn.

We had about 27 or so auditionees in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. I am not sure how many will be used in the band, but I believe it is something like 5 or so. We were to judge a major scale, a chromatic scale, a prepared etude, and 1 sight reading. The scales got upto 5 points each and the catagories of "Tone Quality", "Tempo and Rhythm", "Articulation and Technique", "Musical Interpretation", and "Intonation" got upto 15 points each. Sight reading was worth upto 15 points. Highest score possible was a 100.

We would have them enter the room and ask them to play a few notes if they wished, then begin with either their scales or their prepared piece. All but about 2 chose to play the scales first. The order didn't really matter to us. After that they were given 60 seconds to review an original etude supplied by the Maryland All-State Band people to us to use for sight reading.

Ok, first the scales. Most everyone was able to play the scales, but all but the top finishers sounded a bit shaky on them. The people who were able to play them in the most relaxed fashion, with the best sound started out their auditions on our good side. The first notes we hear, including the "warm up" in the audition room, set the stage for the rest of the audition. Some people would play a couple of notes to get ready and immediatelly we knew we had a winner. Others would play and we knew we would be in for something interesting to say the least. Those first few notes matter. First impressions matter.

Now onto the prepared piece. It was a 1 page etude with basically three different styles present. The first part was a simple tune. The second was a more legato/slurred romantic section. The last was a staccato triplet tune like a horn call or spirited dance or something. However you describe it, the three sections were very obviously intended to be played in radically different styles. There was also some ink on the etude such as dynamics, articulation indications, and so forth which were needed. The etude actually had a melody line which could easily be exploited, yet only a small handful of people seemed to really know how to do it. Most of them played at the ink and at the dynamics and at the articulations, but few seemed to understand why they were playing that way. Maybe singing the tune a few times to oneself in order to really get the tune would have helped. I don't know. What I was after was someone to come along and present the tune in a way which made it enjoyable to listen to.

When you practice your music for an audition, don't play the ink simply for sake of playing the ink. Figure out why the line is crecendoing at that spot or why their is a ritardando to a fermata. The music, unless intended to be a simple technical exercise, is generally given these indication to help relate a direction in the tune by the composer. Really understand why things are written the way they are. Ink costs money. Composers don't generally use it unless they are trying to say something. Listen.

The sight reading was not much of a melody. It was more of a technical exercise to see who could play the ink the best while reading accidentals, odd rhythms, and playing intervals within a chord structure. The piece wasn't really that difficult although when I read through it for the first time before the auditions began I did miss a carried over accidental towards the end. The sight reading scores could have been so much higher for those who could play the intervals and rhythms, if they would of at least tried to play the ink such as articulations and dynamics. Almost no one did this. It was very frustrating to listen to 20 or so people play the whole thing at mezzo nothing. A few people tried, but in general their contrasts were so slight, that one had to be staring at the piece and really listen hard and hope in order to tell that they were trying. Play the ink and you will wow them at sight reading.

There were some people who did some weird stuff. I shouldn't say specifics in case they are reading this, but to summarize. Keep your audition simple and let your product do the talking. The guy who won, had the best sound, play the tunes in a way which made sense to our ears, and did very little else. He didn't talk too much or try to show off. He just walked in the door, sat down, played a couple of notes, and proceeded to play the tunes with the confidence that told us that this guy knows what he is doing. To be honest, I wanted to ask him to play a bit more for my own enjoyment, but we weren't supposed to have them play anything extra.

The first and second chairs were pretty close, but the real tie breaker was the winner's sound and feeling of relaxed confidence that he gave off. The second chair girl was close, but things just didn't seem to come as easily to here and at times she sounded a bit more stiff than him.

sean</BLOCKQUOTE>

[Carroll]

Joe,

While I have not been involved in trombone judging on this end of the state, I have judged tuba/euphonium Mid-state and All-state a few times. I echo Sean's post in that you can tell in a couple of notes. I really think I could walk through the warm-up area and put them pretty much in order.

The kids who play at that level play the notes... period. So that part must be a given. In the middle of the state we have instituted a "scale barrier" which precludes those who cannot perform their scales from even continuing the audition. That narrows the field, somewhat. As a judge, though, I would much rather hear a musical performance under the marked tempo than a frantic, mistake filled run at the correct metronome marking. The regional/state player should be very comfortable with the range requirements ("F' below the staff to 4th ledger line "B flat") and scales - including chromatic - must cover this range. Sight reading is a skill that can be honed by practicing it, like anything else.

Have you set him up with a session with Don Hough at UT. He is a great guy and a very energetic teacher. He will be able to tell you, quick, if you are headed in the right direction.

Hope this helps, and good luck,

Carroll

[Joe Baker]

Wonderful material!! By all means, I welcome much more.

Mudman, the ideal credential I had in mind was "has judged an all-state or all-region contest", so you definitely qualify! BTW, I understand exactly what you mean about the student having to want it, not just the parent. I've told my son repeatedly that if he wants to do other things he can. I just want him to know what it's going to take so HE can decide if he's prepared to do the work, or if he just wants to play 'recreationally'.

And Sean, may I suggest that your write-up, as is, would be an outstanding item for your 'tips' page.

Thanks to all so far. Any other input?
_______________________________
Joe Baker, who

[Mudman]

And Sean, may I suggest that your write-up, as is, would be an outstanding item for your 'tips' page.

Sean's idea that "warmup notes count" is a great one. I'm going to add that to the "pre-flight checklist" I go over with my students.

I do make sure that none of my students "test" notes before playing scales, solos or sight-reading. The way I cure that bad habit is by pointing out that the note that they just tested ended up being the right one. Why not just start on it then, without testing?

[MartyNeilan]

I did regional and allstate auditions from 7th through 11th grade in NJ (12 was college - the real auditions), and usually fared well. In NJ, they always would give you a choice of three cards face down to pick from that had differen scales on them. Starting with my first time, I ALWAYS picked the middle one. Some other players would freak out and not be able to make up their mind. By knowing beforehand that I would always select the middle card, it was one less thing to worry about on the audition. This strategy can apply to anything in which they let you take your pick.
I also had my clothes picked out, my stuff packed, and my horn cleaned and lubed the day before, so there would be as little as possible to think about in the morning to distract me. If I were only so organized now!

[Matt G]

From my own experience from judging All-County try outs in Florida and placing my students in the top two chairs in the Florida All-State band in addition to other all-county groups and various youth orchestras, I would certainly echo Sean's comments.

First off: Sound
-Needs to be characteristic
-Supported in all registers

Second: Precision
-Correct notes in all examples and scales
-Excellent rhythm
-Good intonation
-Correct dynamics as called for (I told students to always feel like they were exaggerating in the live audition without going crazy)
-Correct articulations. Make a difference between an accent and a marcato and staccato. Don't ignore tenuto lines and breath (phrasing) marks.

Third: Professionalism
-Dress nicely
-Act polite
-Speak clearly
-Thank auditioners for their time

On top of all this, I prepared students with "mock" auditions. I had them play the prepared stuff in the order they felt comfortable with and gave them something different to sightread every lesson. They usually got 4 lessons of this before the audition date.

I always felt the sightreading to be the deciding factor. I told my students this. If all else is equal, which is certainly possible, than sightreading is the only unknown variable. Everyone else will know the excercises and the scales, but if the student can become comfortable with sightreading to the point of getting all the notes and most of the articulation, dynamic, and rhythmic markings, then they will do well.

Lastly, I always told them to approach the situation as an opportunity and to have a positive experience (which we all know is nearly impossible since we our are own worst critics). The worst that can happen is that they not get chosen, and that if they have a bad day playing, that it does not make them a bad player. We all have bad days and the more we audition, the less bad days we will have in this situation. That is why I always had my students auditioning for other stuff as well, just to give them auditioning experience. The best part is when they had to choose if they could accept the spots that they won.

Joe, your son has two more chances for that band. Hopefully there are other groups he can audition for as well. Sometimes just seeing the same players from other groups and hearing there progress and abilities outside from exposure can help influence a judges decision. Many times the judges had heard my students before in performing situations both in their academic ensembles and extra-curricular ensembles. Reputation can preceed even the youngest player, both good and bad.

I have to remind myself of this non-sense on the "executive interview" circuit as well.

[Wes Krygsman]

I auditioned for the North Jersey Region Band and the New Jersey All State Band my senior year of high school(2 years ago). I made 3rd overall at regions and 5th overall at states(both on bad playing days actually, and that made me feel great that I actually made it on bad days). It took alot of preparation and much of it was really common sense for me but I will try to make a little list(some of which I wish I thought of at the time)...

1) Get hold of all the required material as early as you can.
2) Work on a daily routine(my warmup usually) or 2 routines done alternating days, include the basics for great technique and sound:long tones, lips slurs, tonging exercises, and variations of them all in all ranges(pitch-high and low, and dynamics-soft and loud). Sound and technique are very important to making music, without having the basics down, the harder stuff will stink.
3) Learn all the required scales slowly and once they start to happen, practice them both slow and legato + fast and staccato so you're ready for almost anything. (In NJ, all major scales (tongued) and a chromatic scale (slurred) are required. After the tuba auditions the year I tried out I overheard the judges walking out together and they all seemed to agree that scales are the easiest thing to practice and everyone should've had them down cold. The ones that didn't, their scores reflected it.)
4) Start working on the solo (and/or etudes)as soon as you get it. Have it broken up into a bunch of little sections. I broke it up by 1 or 2 breath phrases.(usually 2 bars works too) Then practice each section like crazy at a slower tempo, one or 2 sections a day will do, and review old sections everyday. When the student feels comfortable enough in that tempo, it's time to move it faster and faster until it is up to tempo. When all sections are so worked on that they're boring and uninteresting, they are probably memorized too, and that's when it seems time to play the piece straight through. Playing it all the way through will hopefully make the piece interesting again, and will give a good idea about sections that aren't as ready as you thought.
5) Sight read something (or somethings) EVERYDAY!!! Sight reading was always my weakness...until I decided it shouldn't be and I did this(which was right before the audition). Get an easy etude book and read one or 2 a day, then get a harder book.
6) The week b4 the audition, I played for everyone I could, as much as I could, especially my high school band director. Then I put in my last huge practice day 2 days b4 the audition. The day before was a quick run through of it all. I ate a banana or 2 a few hours before going to bed and got everything ready to go that night. Then in the morning, ate a decent breakfast, and another banana, then off to the audition. I played a few notes just before leaving because I knew it would be crowded and loud in the waiting area. When I got there, I just warmed up a little(not overdoing it) and deep breathed while listening to my headphones to keep relaxed. Just before my audition I'd play a few more notes and just go for it. A good thing to remember not to do is to listen to everyone else. Someone might sound good in the warmup room and intimidate you, or play something different that makes you rethink your interpretations of the music. And lastly, never pay attention to the other's auditions, especially the sight reading, no one ever seems to play it really that well, and listening could potentially screw you up when you try it.

Wow, another novel. Sorry everyone, I do hope this was helpful, coming from a former NJ All State Auditioner.