Sight Reading at Auditions - What's the best way to prepare?

[Weaponofchoice]

Most military band auditions inform you that sight reading will be part of the audition process, however what is the level of sight reading one needs to reach in order to sightread successfully at the audition?

More importantly, how should one prepare for the type of sight reading asked at military auditions?

[Kory101]

Sight-read

[Weaponofchoice]

Sight-read

Thanks for the obvious, now try contributing something that I don't already know and that i'm not already doing.

[Kory101]

Ok,

-Sight-read LOTS!
-Play etudes in different keys and clefs
-Sight-read MORE!

Rinse and repeat...

Kory

[Mitchell Spray]

Everyone is going to make a couple mistakes when "sight reading" a piece of music. It is a positive sign when the player is able to continue playing even if a mistake is made. Are you able to convey the musicality when sight reading?
Buy a couple books that you have not played from before and use them for sight reading practice. If you can get manuscript books, that will be a plus. Before you begin playing, look the etude over for pitfalls like odd meters, technical challenges, accidentals, etc. Then, play it through without stopping. After one time through, look at it again for the mistakes that you have made and play it again without stopping. Move on to the next piece and do the same as the previous piece.

[Wyvern]

Some people are better at sight reading than others, like some are better public speakers than others. I do lots and lots of sight reading, but still consider it a weak area.

The advice I have been given is to always look through the music before you start playing, take note of changes of key, tempos, rhythms, scales, intervals, dynamics, accidentals, etc. Mentally run through before you start playing - that will give you a much better chance of not get caught out and playing accurately.

[b.williams]

Sight-reading is very much dependent upon the technical level of the player. If the sample is beyond the technique of the player he/she won't be able to sight read it. The way to become a good sight-reader is to work on technique (scales, arpeggios, etc.) and sight read as much as possible. It has been my experience that sight reading on military band auditions usually consists of typical works chosen from the band's folder. Many times it wasn't sight-reading at all because I had played the work many times before. It has also been my experience that if you are truly sight-reading on an audition, particularly a Premier Band audition, you will not win the audition.

[dwerden]

Actually, the first response was pretty good, but perhaps I can fill it out a bit.

Certainly you need to practice sight reading. You may want to concentrate on band literature for most of this practice, although there are no "rules" about what they can throw at you. If you have access to a band library, I would go through any part for your instrument that looks the least bit hard/interesting. Dig out some of the really old transcriptions - they can be very challenging. Also look over any march you can find. While you are at it you could read the first cornet part of the marches if you are a euphoniumist. And for the transcriptions, give the bassoon parts a try.

How you practice is also important. Try to do what you would do in an audition: take about 5-10 seconds to look the piece over before you start, so you can know the key, time signature, and performance indications. Once you start playing, try to keep going as though you were playing with an ensemble; in other words, keep an even tempo and don't stop. When you have finished with the piece/excerpt, only then should you go back and touch up places that were rough. I wouldn't spend huge time practicing, but try to pick up a little bit from any excerpt that wasn't played perfectly.

Cover different styles. The old transcriptions take you through lots of traditional, classical-styled moments. Read some Broadway and some jazzy pieces. Read modern, atonal works. Etc. And be sure to find some not-too-neat hand manuscript to get comfortable reading music that is not typeset.

If possible, have a friend bring in a couple pieces and read it in front of him/her.

You want to be ready for anything, so cover as many "anythings" as you can.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

I'll go out on a limb and suggest that keeping a consistent tempo is the most important thing when being evaluated as a sight-reader. Of course you want to nail as many pitches and rhythms as possible, too, but rest assured that the committee will be "tapping along" as you perform your sight-reading excerpt. In a real-world situation, you simply can't let tempo suffer because of a difficult passage and that's what the committee is looking for.

Many years ago, I won that "Mock Military Band" competition at a TUBA conference. Did I play more correct notes and rhythms that my very talented competition? Probably not. Did I keep an absolutely steady tempo when playing the excerpts and sight-reading? Absolutely. I would always imagine the tempo and how the excerpt sounded at that tempo before starting to play, and then I would tap my toe inside my shoe to keep the tempo consistent.

As Dave and others have said, sight-read everything you can get your hands on. Make sure and make that practice productive by sight-reading in the exact same manner as you will have to at the audition. Don't waste time and materials by "practicing" the music you put aside for sight-reading training. IMPORTANT: Practice sight-reading materials that are "too hard" for you. Learning to keep a steady tempo is part of a skill set that you need to learn and it won't be developed if you can consistently sight-read your materials perfectly. Learn how to "drop notes" and "fake through" very difficult passages while keeping the tempo steady...again, this is part of a skill set that most players don't consciously work on.

[THE TUBA]

In a masterclass/Armed Forces panel discussion at USABTEC a few years back, I remember one of the tubists recalling camping out in his college's band library and sight-reading through every work in stock.

In line with what dwerden mentioned, try to familiarize yourself with the conventions of as many different styles or genres as possible. You can save time when looking through works if you are able to quickly identify and anticipate conventions of the selected work genre. Although the actual notes in a piece of sightreading should be new, the style should not. Create a clear standard of stylistic performance for the works you might encounter to ensure that your interpretation will be appropriate, even if your accuracy isn't 100%.

[Weaponofchoice]

Thanks everyone for the information, there's a lot here I haven't heard before.

[Uncle Buck]

Read this response. Then read it again. And again. Then do exactly what it says.

Actually, the first response was pretty good, but perhaps I can fill it out a bit.

Certainly you need to practice sight reading. You may want to concentrate on band literature for most of this practice, although there are no "rules" about what they can throw at you. If you have access to a band library, I would go through any part for your instrument that looks the least bit hard/interesting. Dig out some of the really old transcriptions - they can be very challenging. Also look over any march you can find. While you are at it you could read the first cornet part of the marches if you are a euphoniumist. And for the transcriptions, give the bassoon parts a try.

How you practice is also important. Try to do what you would do in an audition: take about 5-10 seconds to look the piece over before you start, so you can know the key, time signature, and performance indications. Once you start playing, try to keep going as though you were playing with an ensemble; in other words, keep an even tempo and don't stop. When you have finished with the piece/excerpt, only then should you go back and touch up places that were rough. I wouldn't spend huge time practicing, but try to pick up a little bit from any excerpt that wasn't played perfectly.

Cover different styles. The old transcriptions take you through lots of traditional, classical-styled moments. Read some Broadway and some jazzy pieces. Read modern, atonal works. Etc. And be sure to find some not-too-neat hand manuscript to get comfortable reading music that is not typeset.

If possible, have a friend bring in a couple pieces and read it in front of him/her.

You want to be ready for anything, so cover as many "anythings" as you can.

[Tubachin]

I am not sure if this is a good practice, or something that just works for me.

When I am playing a piece that I know, my field of view of the notes (what I see) on the page is quite small, maybe the note that I am playing and the next few notes. When I am sight reading a piece, I increase my field of view to about one to two measures. This helps me "see" what is coming next and prepares my mind, breath, embouchure and fingers.

I can't explain how to look ahead while playing notes that are behind. I hope this helps.

I consider myself an above average sight reader and below average after practicing...

[Paul Evans]

Things I've seen as sight reading in auditions (military band and orchestral):

Rochut Etudes
Brass Band music in Bb Treble clef
Flute parts
cadenza from the Hindemith Sonata
Old orchestral transcriptions to band in different keys from the original
Very old etudes that I've never heard of before or since.
Difficult arrangements of jazz standards
Standard band or orchestra rep.

Some of these pieces should not be sight reading. If a committee could tell that a tuba player had never seen a particular Rochut etude or the Hindemith Sonata they would probably assume that the candidate was very green. The same could be said of the standard band and orchestra rep. Never seen the Hindemith Symphony in Bb, or the Ride? Come on! Other pieces are just there to test the level of musicallity and ability to pull something off in a short period of time. Many groups (smaller orchestras definitely!) have very little rehearsal time.

Just some of my observations...