Audition Do's and Don't's for Junior and Senior High School Trumpeters

by
Charles Decker, Trumpet Professor,
Tennessee Technological University

Preparing for the Audition

Do: - Be well prepared so you will be less nervous.; - Practice audition materials using a metronome and tuner.; - Play the entire audition, including a sight reading example, for as many people as possible to get experience in pacing yourself under pressure.; - Spend as much time practicing sight reading as you do working on required scales and prepared music.; - Get coaching on the audition materials.; - Know key signatures and rhythmic syllables.

At the Audition

Do: - "Dress up" to show you care about your performance.; - Be early to your audition room.; - Be friendly, confident, and speak up clearly if asked questions.
Don't: - Play any longer than necessary in the warm-up room; stay focused on the audition, rather than trying to impress students in the warm-up room.; - Expect to play a "perfect audition."; - Say to the adjudicator, "I am not very well prepared," or "I can't sight read very well."; - Panic; it is normal to get nervous!

Required Scales

Do: - Play scales with consistent sound, speed, and patterns as adjudicators listen for more than correct fingerings.; - Play scales thinking the letter names of notes and singing the sounds in your mind.
Don't: - Play scales by "finger feel" because fingers tend to "forget" when one is nervous.

Prepared Music

Do: - Follow the printed dynamics, but add even more dynamic contrasts to demonstrate musicianship, proving you are concerned with more than just pitch and rhythm.; - Practice the required examples many different ways, i.e., slur the music if it is tongued and vice versa, play it different tempos, vary dynamic levels from what is printed, play very freely as though a cadenza, etc.; - Record yourself and listen to your audition as though you were the adjudicator.
Don't: - Go any faster than you can play comfortably, regardless of the indicated tempo; slower accurate playing earns more points than fast inaccurate performance.

Sight Reading

Do

- Know the translations of basic Italian terms, i.e., andante, con moto, dolce, etc.

- Look ahead in the music, especially during rests and long notes, to anticipate challenges.

- Play confidently, even when you make errors (and everyone makes errors when sight reading).

- Develop this systematic approach to improving sight reading; with practice, it can be done within the 30 seconds you have to review the music.

Check the four directions in the first measure.
a. key signature
b. time signature
c. dynamic level
d. tempo and style (allegro, cantabile, etc.)
Scan for repetitious rhythmic patterns and exceptions to them.
Scan for accidentals (sharps and flats) not in the key signature.
Scan for changes in musical style, dynamics, or tempo.
Scan for scale fragments and chord patterns.

Don't

- Go faster than you can play the example as accurately as possible.

- Ignore dynamics and tempo indications; they are as important as the notes.

- Attempt to practice fingering the entire sight reading example since it is usually longer than the 30 seconds given to review the music; thus, the later part of the music will be a complete surprise.

- Stop playing in the middle of the example or ask to start again; as best you can, complete the sight reading music.

To listen to recordings of 2002 West, Middle & East Tennessee Junior and Senior High School trumpet audition music as performed by TTU Trumpet Professor Charles Decker, or the All-state Jazz Etudes performed by TTU Professor of Jazz Studies Chris McCormick, use the links below.

Use the back button on your browser to return here after listening to the examples.

East Tennessee: ETSBOA Lower Area Junior Band Prepared Music; ETSBOA Middle Area Junior Band Prepared Music; ETSBOA Upper Area Junior Band 7th Grade Prepared Music; ETSBOA Upper Area Junior Band 8th Grade Prepared Music; ETSBOA Upper Area Junior Band 9th Grade Prepared Music; ETSBOA Senior High School Band Prepared Music
Middle Tennessee: MTSBOA Junior High School Band Lyrical Prepared Music; MTSBOA Junior High School Band Technical Prepared Music; MTSBOA Senior High School Band Lyrical Prepared Music; MTSBOA Senior High School Band Technical Prepared Music
West Tennessee: WTSBOA Junior High School Prepared Music; WTSBOA High School Band Prepared Music
Note concerning West Tenn. band audition music from Charles Decker: After consulting with colleagues, I chose to perform the repeated turn figure at the end of the fourth measure in line seven not as B C D-flat C, but rather B C D (natural) C. In our opinion, the D-flat to C at the beginning of the measure is a 6-5 suspension and should not continue for rest of the measure, even though the music theory rule states that an accidental applies to the entire measure. I suggest you speak with musicians in your area to determine which note, D-flat or D (natural), you should play for your audition.; WTSBOA Senior High School Orchestra Prepared Music
All-state Jazz Etudes performed by Chris McCormick: Latin/Funk; Swing

You may also want to check out the Trombone Audition Tips Page by TTU Trombone Professor Joshua Hauser at http://www2.tntech.edu/brass/trombone/2001allstate.html.

For more information on the trumpet studio at Tennessee Tech, visit our trumpet page at http://plato.ess.tntech.edu/music/trumpet/trumpet.html.

Tennessee Technological University
Box 5045
Cookeville, TN 38505
e-mail: cdecker@tntech.edu

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