Audition Requirements

Strings
Students should prepare a two or three-octave scale of their choice and one solo work. The solo work should best represent your skills and must show elements of shifting, vibrato and a a complement of bow technique such as spiccato, slurred bowings and brush stroke. The excerpt may be either a solo and/or etude. Students should bring a copy of the piece for the judges. The judges may stop a student mid-piece once they have heard what is necessary to make a placement  Sightreading will be used in auditions.

Harps​

Perform a piece of your choosing.

Woodwinds and Brass

Perform a two-octave scale of their choice (quarter note at about 84mm). Perform one solo piece that BEST represents your skills. The piece should be technically challenging but also demonstrate the student’s ability to play musically and expressive. The excerpt may be either a solo and/or etude. Students should bring a copy of the piece for the judges. The judges may stop a student mid-piece once they have heard what is necessary to make a placement. Sightreading will be used in auditions.

Percussion
All interested percussion students should prepare one solo work of their choice and perform the following: 

• Snare drum: Rudimental Rolls, flams, paradiddles 
• Mallet Instruments: Two octave major scale and arpeggio of the student’s choice 
  
• Timpani: Long roll ppp to fff and interval tuning to Perfect 4th’s and Perfect 5th’s

Auditions
Auditions are open to all students from 8th through 12th grade who are currently enrolled in their school’s music program. Based on an audition, the following ensemble positions will be filled: drum set, bass, piano, saxophone, trumpet, and trombone. Other instruments will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The jazz audition will be a relaxed environment. We want to get a good sense of your playing ability, and also assess your ability to pick up on new ideas. Auditions will be 10 minutes long.

Audition Materials

Download the appropriate charts for your instrument
C instrument

B-flat instrument

E-flat instrument

Bass Clef Instrument

Download play-a-long tracks

There Will Never Be Another You

Things Ain’t What They Used to Be

Horns
Traditional jazz combo instruments: trumpet, trombone, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax. We will ask you to play:

• One scale of your choosing
• One major scale of our choosing
  
• The “head” (melody) to There Will Never Be Another You and Things Ain’t What They Used to Be with the play-along track
  
• We would like to hear you improvise on the changes. We do not expect you to be a killer improviser, but we do expect you to try. Much of jazz is based on improvisation, therefore, a willingness to try is imperative for participation in the ensemble.
  

Piano/Guitar/Vibes
We will ask you to play:

• One scale of your choosing
• One major scale of our choosing
  
• The “head” (melody) to There Will Never Be Another You and Things Ain’t What They Used to Be with the play-along track.
  
• One chorus of comping the changes for either There Will Never Be Another You or Things Ain’t What They Used to Be
  
• We would like to hear you improvise on the changes. We do not expect you to be a killer improviser, but we do expect you to try. Much of jazz is based on improvisation, therefore, a willingness to try is imperative for participation in the ensemble.
  

Bass
We will ask you to play:

• One scale of your choosing
• One major scale of our choosing
  
• The “head” (melody) to There Will Never Be Another You and Things Ain’t What They Used to Be with the play-along track.
  
• One chorus of walking the changes to either There Will Never Be Another You or Things Ain’t What They Used to Be
  
• We would like to hear you improvise on the changes. We do not expect you to be a killer improviser, but we do expect you to try. Much of jazz is based on improvisation, therefore, a willingness to try is imperative for participation in the ensemble.
  

Drums
We will look/listen for drum technique, your time, and your ability to swing.

• Be prepared to play the styles of both prepared tunes, There Will Never Be Another You and Things Ain’t What They Used to Be
  

​
Other grooves we would like to hear include, but are not limited to:

• medium swing (on Ride and on HH)
  
• uptempo bop. (tempo 200+)
  
• brushes ballad
  
• jazz waltz (medium tempo)
  
• samba
  
• Bossa