Need help with choosing a college audition piece

[Justine]

Well, first of all, I'm new to the forums. I'm Justine, I'm 16 years old, and I've been playing the flute for seven years. I'm in band, but I study privately with another flautist in my town. I own a Gemeinhardt 2SP (for marching band/practicing in school), I owned a nickel plated Armstrong (that I used for marching band, but I sold it because it was... well, nickel plated), and I recently invested in a Haynes Amadeus AF700 (for everything else, that is, concerts, recitals, church/wedding performances, practicing at home, my private lessons, and orchestra pit - which, I might add, I absolutely love).

My dilemma is that college auditions are sneaking up on me as I speak (or type?). I have a little under a year to prepare for them, and I really want to blow them away (literally? and I'm really counting on my fluting to be amazing to them, since my grades aren't so hot, if you know what I mean). I want to apply to Ithaca College and Western Connecticut State University so far. Problem is, I don't quite know what I should play for my auditions. If any of you can offer me any help, that would be amazing. Listed below are the two colleges, their requirements, and songs I'e recently played, so that you can kind of judge my playing ability. If it's any help, I've been told that I have a really nice low register. I'm not really too comfortable in my high register; I can do it, but it's just a major pain, y'know? Also, I'm really good at fast runs, if that's any help.

Ithaca Audition Requirements

• One complete major work -- a concerto, sonata, or suite (this is what I really need help on)
  Two smaller works (or movements from a major work) of a contrasting style

WCSU Audition Requirements

• One slow and one fast etude from a standard etude book
  One movement of a standard sonata or concerto (Mozart, Vivaldi, Bach)

Pieces I'm learning/have played recently
Offertoire - Donjon (here is a video of me playing it. trust me, it's a LOT better now.)
Fantasie - Fauré
Badinerie - Bach
Adagio - Mozart (here is an audio file of me performing it at my church last May)

And I practice two hours every day, so your suggestion, if heeded, will not be going to waste Thank you so much.

[etgohomeok]

Work on bringing your grades up instead. Musicians aren't gonna make any money with this Recession/Depression coming up.

[fluteguy18]

I would ask your teacher. He/she should be able to help you more than we can.

I also second the idea of bringing up your grades. Colleges DO take grades into account. Maybe not so much at a conservatory, but at a public state funded college they definitely expect decent grades. Not straight A's, but high enough that they show that you care. For scholarships in college, they require you to keep a certain GPA to keep the scholarship long-term.

And as for the economy... I'm not going to say anything one way or another for the sake of being politically neutral. With these being "troubled" times, if you still plan on going into music [because making a living is something you need to take seriously before it's too late] I would advise getting a music degree in something that can make money. Music Business/Merchandising/Marketing or Music Education is your best bet on that.

[fluttiegurl]

I don't mean to be bleak, but scholarships are not exactly handed out regularly for flutists. Music departments are rarely looking to increase their flute studios since there are so many flutists who apply yearly.

I too recommend spending time increasing your GPA. Private lessons, depending on the level of your teacher, should help your chances some, but don't count on a music scholarship. If you get one, great! Just don't bank on that being your only way of funding college.

As for what to play, ask your teacher. He/she will know your playing better than any of us. You have plenty of time, so spend time working in your high register. After you work on technique, you should be able to spend several months on your pieces before you have to audition. When you select your final pieces, you should be able to play something that shows off technicality, range, tone and stage presence.

[etgohomeok]

Listen to fluteguy18, get a degree in teaching music. Become a band director at a high school. You'll make decent money, have a fun time, and your job will be pretty secure.

[Justine]

I should've mentioned that I want to major in Music Education. In fact, I want to be an elementary school musc teacher. But yeah, the expectations at both colleges are pretty medium ranged, and I have a 3.2, so I guess it isn't too bad. And I wasn't really thinking about a music scholarship per se, since WestConn is relativley cheap (seeing as it's a public college).

[akonojo]

ok this is not helping but i think i recognize you, whats up justine its Puffy

[akonojo]

Try to ignore the latter post, I think that you should go to 8notes.com ;then look at the different concertos, sonatas, and suits and then listen to them (some of them have mp3 listening), choose the one that you feel you like the most, or could learn to play the most easiest and then use that piece of music well that’s what I think
As for what etgohomeok said (no offense to you though) you should try to do both, keep up your grades and become a musician because music is one of the few things in this world that can impact people in a positive way, we should spread it around and plus you, just like anybody, want a backup when going to college.
I've heard you play Justine live and on youtube, you've got talent you should go for it

[Justine]

Puffy, you don't ring a bell, sorry. I used to call my uncle Puffy, but I don't think you're my uncle haha.
Okay, and thanks for the help.

[akonojo]

marching band flute, with puffy hair. tiana