Dear Honor Band Students and Parents,

 Wednesday, October 30^th, you will be competing for recognition as an honorary member of the 2013 All-District Band. Entry fees for this contest are $5.00 and have been included in your band fees that were due on Sept. 20^th.  If you have not paid your band fees please send that with your student as soon as possible.   The major purpose of this audition is to give CFBISD students additional experience in trying out before their All-Region Auditions in November.  The intent of this letter is to help you understand the process of auditioning and the responsibilities and commitments related to your tryout.   We felt this letter would assist everyone in having a smooth and efficient audition.  We are also very aware that Wednesday is a school night and want to greatly reduce the amount of time any single student spends in the audition process.

 

Audition Day:

Wednesday, students will receive an audition time when they arrive and check in with their room monitor at the designated room.   This is the time the student should be prepared to enter the audition room, so plan to arrive 15 to 30 minutes ahead of time to be fully warmed up.  The auditions are at Dewitt Perry Middle School, 1709 E. Beltline Road.  Please note the attached map and the appropriate entry doors.  Warm-up will be allowed only in the designated area; absolutely no playing or loud talking will be tolerated in the hallways.  Students should be in hallways when moving to and from their audition room.   At all other times students should be in the warm-up area or the cafeteria.

 

Audition Procedure:

Students will enter their audition room individually.  A monitor will be outside each room keeping students in order and making sure each student knows what to play.  Be sure you understand exactly what to play before you enter the room.  The student will then play 2 major scales and chromatic from memory, after playing scales the student will play an excerpt from the first half of their lyrical etude; then an excerpt from the first half of the technical etude.  Students are then allowed 30 seconds to study the sight-reading which will be 8 measures long, in the key of Bb, Eb or F Major. (Your director will have more details about what the sight-reading music will and will not contain).  Students must know the sequence of performance, when auditioning the student should play each exercise without waiting to be told, this will save lots of time if everyone is prepared.  The judge's will time the sight-reading and prompt that portion of the audition.

 

Percussion auditions will be in the following sequence:

Major Scale, Mallet Etude, Timpani, Snare rudiment, Snare etude and sight-reading

Each percussionist should bring his music and mallets to the audition, all instruments will be provided.

 

Following the audition the student should pack his/her instrument and is free to go home.  All results will be available from each school's director on Thursday, October 31^st.

 

If you have any questions please call your school's director for clarification.  You should be proud of your child and their efforts in preparing for this major event.

 

Students qualifying for the All-District Band receive a certificate recognizing their accomplishment.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Julia Lawson

Ben Howard

Band Directors at Perry Middle school