How many Auditions did you take?

[PMeuph]

1 on tuba for a small regional orchestra. 2 on euph for Military bands.

I didn't get past the first round in any of them and I don't intend to do any more with the hopes of earning a living. I would like to play tuba in an orchestra someday (even an amateur one), but I don't see that happening unless I move. All the local orchestras, even the unpaid ones, have aspiring "professionals" playing in them. Maybe when I move away from the big city, I'll find a smaller city where I can play in an orchestra. But, for now, it mostly bands and chamber groups.

[Unatuba]

So you're saying there's a chance? Understanding that my chances may be lower than winning the lotto, I guess what matters more to me is the journey. God I love tubenet.

[kontrabass]

To add to my previous comment - I did about nine or ten auditions and advanced in a few, all smaller jobs in Canada, but never really got myself out of the middle of the pack in the bigger auditions. I think I may have been in the top 20-30% of players my age when I was in my mid-20s, but not the top 10%, not good enough to win an audition, and the reason was that I was also interested in composing and in playing non-classical music so never really focused 100% of my time on getting to that next level.

A lot of auditions are like this photo; the peloton is all cut early and those top few are the ones that only ever really had a chance. Most players can get into the middle of that pack with sustained hard work but becoming one of those top three is another story.

peloton.jpeg

[toobagrowl]

I think I took maybe 3 or 4 live auditions, mostly while in college, or soon after. My teachers didn't know; I just took them without really knowing what the heck I was doing. Only my last year in college, the trumpet teacher had brass class and a couple mock auditions. It helped to get feedback from other players and teachers. We would also record ourselves on MiniDisc (remember those?). That helped A LOT.....being able to hear yourself. In addition to that, I would buy recordings of orchestra, wind ensemble and quintet performances I was in so I could hear what I sounded like in each group. That, and to just have "records" of those performances.

Anyway, I was usually one of the younger players to show up to the auditions I took. The biggest one I took was a "top 10" orchestra located somewhere between Maryland and Virginia. I was still in college, only a sophomore or junior. I probably shouldn't have been there, but it was a good experience (yes, "experience" ) for me. At least I got to "play the list" (6 excerpts) and there was a "big-name" player in my group who did not advance any further than me. So I didn't feel so bad afterwards Come to think of it, I "played the list" at all those auditions, but didn't advance. At the time I was like "Wtf, I played all the right notes, no mistakes". But looking back at them, I'm sure I would cringe If I heard those auditions. You have to make music at auditions; you have to "sell" the music to the committee and say "this is how this goes" and make them feel something in the music. Sure, good time, intonation, great sound and clean playing is a big part of it. But so is making it musical, and interesting to the committee/audience.

Oddly enough, the audition I "won" (soon after college) was a small part-time pro orchestra about 2 hours away from home. THAT audition was not note-perfect, but I played with confidence and musicality and they seemed to like it
I played in that orchestra for about 4 years, got tired of it, and now mostly 'freelance' and do brass quintet stuff.

[pecktime]

I've never auditioned for one main reason: I don't like the music enough. Surely that should be number one on the list?

Especially now with a glut of excellent tuba players around, a love of the repertoire is essential. Otherwise you're banging out notes and it SOUNDS like you're banging out notes.

I play jazz because I love the music. When I hire musicians, technical ability is far down the list.

If you're doing auditions for the job security or because you don't want to waste your expensive degree I truly empathise, but you're better off charting a new course.

[MackBrass]

I have taken about 20 or so in a 15 year span with the last one officially in 2000. Although I advanced for 3 and was runner up for two different spots i gave it up at the age of 35 because of nerves. When auditioning the nerves would kick in to the point that my shaking got in the way hindering my abilities to come through. Performing was never an issue but the auditions for me kicked my a$$. It was a conscious decision i had made and being that i was not not going to make performing a career i stopped playing for the next 6 years. 6 months prior to the Dayton audition i decided to give it another crack, took it, advanced and thought i should give playing again some serious thought.

Needless to say, the drive and desire was lost and to maintain an extremely high level of ability was not going to happen. Life changes, family comes and priorities change as we get old. There are times i still say to myself give it another shot, the mind and musical ability is still there but at age 50 the patience to put the time in is not. Heck, if it weren't for making youtube videos and starting my company, although it been a a long time since the last one, i probably would have never picked it back up. Even today, playing a few times a month is a struggle.

[Tom]

...the drive and desire was lost and to maintain an extremely high level of ability was not going to happen. Life changes, family comes and priorities change as we get old. There are times i still say to myself give it another shot, the mind and musical ability is still there but...the patience to put the time in is not. <snip> Even today, playing a few times a month is a struggle.

This is very well said and the quoted portion certainly applies to me. There was a time and a place when tuba was just about my single minded focus and the pursuit of excellence on the tuba was about all I did. That was during my college years and for another two or three years following that. At that time in my life I had the time to spend on it, regular instruction, and all the ensembles I had time to play in. What this means is that I basically peaked in college. There are probably many here that did regardless of if they would admit to it or not. I loved it. I still do, but like the other Tom said, life changes. I decided to get married, have children, and pursue other interests for my livelihood - all of these things have made tuba playing less and less of a priority and more and more difficult when I do decide to do so.

I got to the point where (looking back on it today) I was, quite frankly, a run-of-the-mill very good college level tuba player. Only I didn't really know about the run-of-the-mill part at the time. Or maybe it was that I didn't want to admit it. I took a few auditions and quickly realized that there were many others just as good and many more that were even better. Initially I was a bit like toobagrowl who mentioned wondering what happened because I could play all the right notes with no mistakes but wasn't winning. Eventually I just decided to drop the idea I'd be able to "make it" as a tuba player. I'm in a very related field, but not making my $$$$ by playing the tuba and that's ok with me.

Most memorable audition was actually probably a festival audition for a position I really wanted and figured wouldn't be that hard to get. Yeah, right... I ended up getting beat out by Carol Jantsch who now is with the Philadelphia Orchestra. I recorded a bunch of orchestral excerpts and the suggested solo stuff thinking it wasn't so bad. She played the first movement of the Khachaturian Violin Concerto. This is the same recording that later made it's way to the Philadelphia Orchestra and is part of what got her invited to the audition. She was (and still is) a far better player and deserved to win that festival spot at the time. That was an eye-opening experience for me to realize I was competing with people on that level.

[Three Valves]

I peaked in forth grade.

I was the smartest, most athletic, talented (even the tallest!!) kid in class.

It's been all down hill since then.

[MackBrass]

After HS and college I took the audition for Chicago, it was my first and i never practiced an excerpt before that for an audition. Needless to say, i did not advance but I learned where I stood, not very good.

After the realization hit me i took it on as a challenge knowing that only a few make it. Over the next several years the auditions got better along with my abilities and 5 years after Chicago I advanced for the first time. The journey and the improvements over the next 10 years I made were life changing in the way that i knew I could be successful at something if I applied myself in the same way as preparing for a major audition. Attaining a high level of playing is like preparing for the olympics or professional sports. There are many that give it a shot and those who stick with it and persist are given a better chance. In my music career I realized everyone who picks up an instrument will have strengths and weaknesses. I found that making your strengs stronger than most others and refining your weeknesses is the key to success. The degree in which you do this will determine how far you go.

Chester Schmitz asked me once during a lesson, "how good do you want to get? " my response to him was "as good as you". He responded to me with "wrong answer " and said "be the best you as possible as that could be better than anyone else, including myself". When the best tuba player to ever pic up the horn to me this, it really hit home. These are words i still live by and when i have the opportunity to teach i still impress this message.

[tuneitup]

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