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Auditions?


Megalomania

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Wow. The band stuff in New Jersey is vastly different than what we do here in Texas. But then again, Texas is a helluva bigger state, so things are bound to be different just for that reason alone.

 

How it works here is that you have All-Region band tryouts, where the states is divided into regions, and you tryout that way. You have a certain amount of people in each section who make it, and out fo those people, a certain portion qualify for Area. What this means is that these people get a chance to try out for the All-State band, which is how they gather all the best players of the state for each school qualification (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, and 5A), which is based on the size of the schools. I made high on All-Region tryouts and made Area every year, but I never did make All-State because I was in the 4A/5A division, and I was competing with people from the Dallas and Houston area who I had no chance of beating because their school was so much more prepared than mine. I didn't make it, but I did it, anyway. Why? It gives you experience as a performer, and you can learn a lot from it.

 

As far as your nervousness goes, that happens to everyone. I've played instruments in front of people for half my life now, and I still get nervous. I've learned to handle it much better, though. You have to find something that works for you that helps you calm down. For me, I stretch before I perform. It helps me release the tension and pent-up energy in my body that I get when I'm nervous. Some say it's a psychological thing, but it works for me, so it doesn't really matter how it works. Eating bananas helps, too, as they have potassium, which helps calm nerves. (I've never actually tried this, but I've had many people tell me this very thing, so I'm assuming it's true.) Some people take beta blockers, but I really wouldn't suggest that.

 

Anyway, I think you should do it. Your teachers seem to have faith in you, and even if you don't do so well, it shows you what you need to improve on, and it can help you become a much better clarinet player as a result. You're a young player, too, and you have a few more years ahead of you, so it can't hurt.

 

I hope this helps. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck. :hug:

 

This was really helpful Violet, thank you. :hug:

 

Wow, I bet that was crazy competitive. :surprised:

 

I just got the Regions (level above Area) audition solo, and I have never seen a more difficult piece of music in my life. :| Not doing that. :P

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I just saw Violet's mention of beta blockers and figured I'd comment. I've used them a few times for performances/solos (I get ridiculously nervous!) and they actually work really well. You have to get a prescription (I stole them from my sister though :uhoh:) but it's worth it if you get really bad heart-pounding nerves like I do.

 

I usually take them for piano exams because my heart pounds so hard that my hands shake and then I can't play. :P

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This was really helpful Violet, thank you. :hug:

 

Wow, I bet that was crazy competitive. :surprised:

 

I just got the Regions (level above Area) audition solo, and I have never seen a more difficult piece of music in my life. :| Not doing that. :P

 

You're quite welcome. :nice:

 

Oh yeah, when you get to Area, the differences in playing are so much more minute, and the judges have to listen much closer to what's going on.

 

Oh? How bad is it?

 

I just saw Violet's mention of beta blockers and figured I'd comment. I've used them a few times for performances/solos (I get ridiculously nervous!) and they actually work really well. You have to get a prescription (I stole them from my sister though :uhoh:) but it's worth it if you get really bad heart-pounding nerves like I do.

 

I usually take them for piano exams because my heart pounds so hard that my hands shake and then I can't play. :P

 

Well, what I meant was, I wouldn't recommend it if it's just normal nerves, like the kind that I get. I do have a friend of mine who severely shakes when he gets nervous, so he takes beta blockers, and they seem to help him significantly. If your nerves are as bad as you say they are, then that makes a lot more sense. You can't expect to play the piano effectively if your hands are so jittery.

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I just saw Violet's mention of beta blockers and figured I'd comment. I've used them a few times for performances/solos (I get ridiculously nervous!) and they actually work really well. You have to get a prescription (I stole them from my sister though :uhoh:) but it's worth it if you get really bad heart-pounding nerves like I do.

 

I usually take them for piano exams because my heart pounds so hard that my hands shake and then I can't play. :P

 

Wow. :uhoh:

 

My nerves are more like what Violet has (from what I can tell). . . It's more mental/stomach fluttering nerves

 

You're quite welcome. :nice:

 

Oh yeah, when you get to Area, the differences in playing are so much more minute, and the judges have to listen much closer to what's going on.

 

Oh? How bad is it?

 

How bad is it?

 

There's an excerpt of the first page here. Let's just say that that is 4th grade level compared to the other pages

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You're auditioning on Weber? Interesting. :thinking:

 

That's not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I mean, it's adagio, so it's a slower piece, and the range doesn't seem too bad. (I mean, I don't see a ridiculous amount of notes in the altissimo range.) I'm not saying it's easy, mind you. I'm just saying that with the right amount of practice, it seems perfectly manageable. But then again, from what you're telling me, this one's the "easy" one, so I can't really say too much. :shrug:

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...

So I doubt most of you care but for those that do I thought I'd update this thread a bit.....

 

 

So I got 4th chair out of 23 clarinets auditioning for county band. Concert's done, we had an incredible guest conductor, Professor Bott from Rutgers. It was honestly the best concert I've ever had in my life, and I made some awesome friends from it.

 

Next up is North Jersey Area Band- auditions are December 10th and I'm already freaking out. We need to have 9 scales memorized and 3 octave chromatic. :freak:

 

Also, the audition piece is Concertino by CM von Weber (aka death on a paper). I've been working with my private teacher, and so far I've gotten to the end of the part I need to know for area auditions. Now I need to work on perfecting the technicalities and bringing the speed up.

 

 

Also coming up quickly is Region band auditions, which are in January. I need to know 11 scales + chromatic for that, and all of Concertino is fair game for auditioning. For some odd reason my band director thinks I can get into regions. :|

 

So basically I don't have high hopes lol but I'm going to try. :nice:

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I heard the Weber Concertino in concert last night with a guest solo clarinetist from The President's Own Marine Band. Oh my word, she was amazing. Her soft sections were just gorgeous. :heart: She got her undergrad from my university and is from the East Texas area, so it was super cool. :awesome:

 

Having said that, that piece is really difficult. The fact they're using it for these auditions is pretty ridiculous. As I've told you before, it means something if your director has that much faith in you. Just go for it with all you've got. If you ever need to talk about anything as far as band stuff is concerned, VM me or something. :hug:

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Wish I could have been there, it sounds like it was gorgeous. :heart: (quite unlike how I'm playing it now LULZ)

 

The best news is that apparently this is one of the easier pieces that's in the area/region audition rotation. Can't wait for the next two years haha.

 

I know, I was kind of surprised he thinks I'm good enough to be in regions. . . I can tell he really wants someone from our school to make it there- it's usually a rarity from someone here to even make it into area.

 

Thanks Violet, it means a lot. :hug:

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I wish you could have, too. It was pretty fabulous. In fact, I'm going to see if anyone (by chance) recorded it and uploaded it to YouTube. -goes to look-

 

Nope, it's not there. Such a shame. :(

 

Well, it's better they make it hard than make it easy. You wouldn't have stuff to work on if it were.

 

Yeah, it's like that here with All-State. When I was in high school, I qualified for Area all four years, but not once did I make it to the All-State band. Damn you, kids from Dallas and Houston who were that much better than me. :lol:

 

It's no problem at all. :hug:

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  • 3 weeks later...

K auditions are tomorrow morning, I'm about ready to curl up into a ball and cry :bigcry:

 

Good news is that I only have to know up to 5:00 of this piece for Area auditions

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR9oxnm66bY&feature=player_embedded]Stanley Drucker/NYPO/Mehta/Weber Concertino for Clarinet - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

 

Bad news is that I have to know 5 minutes of that piece D:

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