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I judged two concerto competitions on Thursday, which reminded me of this post full of tips on taking all types of auditions from the original HTML Horn Notes Blog, dated 3/14/06.
The trip up to the mountains yesterday to see the snow with my family has helped me recover from to the point I can write it up–over the previous eight day period I heard over 100 auditions. Out of them all I have a few notes and tips that I want to highlight.
The run of auditions started last Saturday, our last ASU audition day of the year. There were only two horn auditions this time but quite a few trumpet and tuba auditions in particular. From them I would note:
- Undergrad performance majors out there, be sure you are studying excerpts now if you want to go on to grad school. A couple of the more advanced students auditioning (not on horn) actually said that their teachers don’t believe in teaching excerpts. Which really blows one away when the students future goals can’t possibly be met without having a good foundation of excerpt study laid already. If you goals include orchestral playing or teaching at the college level you must be studying excerpts (and complete parts) on a high level as soon as you are capable.
- It is a false perception but sometimes the luck of the draw for times will put people auditioning for the same program back to back, with one giving the amazing audition and the next coming across like some sort of caveman. Work to be the one giving the amazing audition. If the route to this goal this means finding a better teacher, find a better teacher.
Following those auditions (the longest ASU brass audition day I recall hearing) I had a week of teaching and a couple brass mini-vacations.
The first highlight was a Tuesday noon concert by the U.S. Army Field Band Brass Quintet, Robert Cherry, horn. They gave a great show, I really wish more here could have heard it. Brought back great memories of my time in the Potsdam Brass Quintet. Also of interest: hornist Cherry plays a Schmid triple and has for some years. Triples really are the future….
The second highlight would have to be the 100th birthday celebration concert in tribute to trumpet virtuoso Rafael Mendez. Wow, a really great show and event. ASU Regents Professor of trumpet David Hickman was joined by trumpet virtuosi Jens Lindemann and Allen Vizzutti for a concert with the ASU Symphony Orchestra. A great concert followed the next day by master classes by Lindemann and Vizzutti. These took a different form than I have seen much of in the horn world, as they were more along the lines of presentations/rap sessions. Both were full of interesting things that “translate” to horn easily. A couple items:
- One topic that both addressed was mouthpieces. Many brass players use too big mouthpieces. I know that I did for quite a while on horn. They use smaller than average equipment, and their comments reconfirm to me that on the whole you are better off working for a dark sound on a smaller mouthpiece than working hard all the time on the big mouthpiece.
- Another thought that really hit me was the importance of memorizing solos. I have and agree that this does lead to better performances. I am working now to memorize a new solo (new to me), the Graun Concerto, for my upcoming workshop performances at the Midsouth and Southeast Horn Workshops. My recent Telemann performance, at the Midwest Horn Workshop, was by memory.
Friday was a lighter day, the last one before spring break. I had a great meeting relating to a couple book projects; be watching for more news on these in the coming months.
Saturday I did something I also did last year, judged Arizona All-State auditions. These are the best high school hornists in Arizona so all are winners already to even be at the auditions. However, if you aspire to make All-State anywhere a few general thoughts on these auditions that would help you rise above the crowd include:
- Almost nobody can play staccato well. Get hard-core about your Kopprasch with a good teacher.
- Few can sell dynamics. Ditto.
- Absence of “hairpins” does not mean that you should not play phrases.
- Get a good sound! We were behind a screen but I suspect that many players used mouthpieces that were of low quality and much too covered hand positions which combined with so-so, “default mode” breathing to make the sound less than excellent.
- The information that they had in their hands already before they walked in the door to audition said that we would ask a chromatic scale. It should not sound like a big surprise when we ask. Also, follow directions, if judges ask for a G-G two octave chromatic scale, that is in fact what we want.
- This year I feel that we asked a very simple piece of sight-reading, G major, two lines of music, simple rhythms, only two accidentals. The variation of level of performance on this was just amazing. Only three people played the printed dynamics, for example, and there were several auditions where players got off the harmonic and missed over half the notes. Some must have learned the solo selections more or less by rote.
I followed this up on Sunday afternoon by doing my annual Brevard Music Center audition marathon. A few more general thoughts:
- Work on your audition music, all of it, with your teacher. Sounds basic but I suspect that many don’t. Be sure you have interesting, varied selections that show off your playing at its best.
- Don’t play Tchaik 5 unless you can give a compelling, magical performance. Brahms 3 and Till are better choices of excerpts to play in this type of audition.
- As much as I love Strauss 1 and Mozart 2, it really is OK to play something else for this type of summer festival audition.
- Don’t play etudes in auditions unless you really don’t know any other lit like excerpts.
Only one more audition to hear this week then I am done for a while! Whew.
