Scholarship Audtion time!!

Performace Tips, Advanced Technique and More

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jaredzachary
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2004 8:10 pm

Scholarship Audtion time!!

Post by jaredzachary »

Hi, I recently schedualed a Scholarship
Audtion at my favorite college... and was wondering is I could get any tips on
whta I should play or what I shouldn''t play. Obviously I have 3 peices of
which 2 will actually be performed on audition day but I just need input. My
first peice is Movement I. of Paul Hindemith''s 1936 Sonate. This peice is
intended to show off my lyrical abilities... and with it I am playing it about a
4 out of 6 star (hah) quality. My second peice is Concertino by Chaminade (from
his 107th Opera) it is my technical peice. My other choice for technical peices
is Certo No. 1 in G major by Mozart. I jsut need some input on how to best play
these peices or if you think another peice would be better that would be
wonderful. Also audition tips for College would really help me relax :) thankx a
ton for any help!! [::)] -jaredzachary o)
"We
grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze
of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winters evening. Some of us let
these great dreams die, but other nurish and protect them." -Woodrow
Wilson

sakuramimato
Posts: 95
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2004 3:39 am

Scholarship Audtion time!!

Post by sakuramimato »

[quote] ---------------- On 3/16/2004
8:32:33 PM [Concerto] No. 1 in G major by Mozart. ---------------- [/quote] The
California Band Directors Association [http://www.cbda.org] is using Mozart's
Concerto No. 1 in G major for their flute and piccolo audition piece for the
2005 California All-State Honor Band in February. I recently managed to get the
piece (measures 86-217 of it since the copy my friend let me borrow is over 40
years old), and haven't had much difficulty learning the piece. The piece is
obviously very baroque with staccato all over the place and running 16th notes
with third leaps and whatnot, air support can be strained with the lack of
breaks in the piece. I'll have to make a further analysis of the piece, but it
is very upper level compared to what I normally play, and learning it hasn't
been much of a problem, but polishing it for auditioning will take me a while. I
suggest the Concerto, but I have yet to hear of the other two pieces.

AG950Flute
Posts: 139
Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2003 4:24 pm

Scholarship Audtion time!!

Post by AG950Flute »

I think the three pieces you mentioned are
great. The Mozart Concerto is standard on all college auditions and you will
almost certainly be asked to play it. Although it is not a huge challenge to
play, most people consider compositions by Mozart the most difficult to play in
the correct style. It must be very clean and have a sound and sense of ease in
the playing and style. It is not serious music, and you should make the primary
and secondary theme sound different stylistically. One of my teachers told me to
think of Mozart's Italian operas when playing his concertos and to implement
different "voice" types throughout the piece and make it sound conversational.
Often the primary theme is considered more masculine and the secondary theme
more feminine, however nowadays people don't like to refer to them that way,
but in my opinion it's a great way of making a strong distinction between the
two. The Chaminade is also a good piece because it is a French conservatory
piece and often French pieces are required on many college auditions. It has the
opening lyrical section and then the fast technical section. The Hindemith is
also a good choice because it is from the 20th century. I think you have done a
great job in picking pieces, and have shown a great way of contrasting styles,
which can be difficult to do. When you go in for the audition you may want to
tell the committee the three pieces that you have prepared. They may ask you to
pick a piece that you would like to start with, and if they do you should pick
the one that you feel will show off your talents the most and the one you can
play the best. And then for the second piece if they choose than they can have
the option of picking from two pieces, and it shows them that you have gone
above and beyond their requirements. Most of all, best of luck with your
audition, and remember to have fun! One of my teachers once told me that when it
comes to the performance don't think about the technical aspect, especially if
you've done your homework and prepared yorself, but think about making the
music [:)]
Courtney
Morton

FluteDiddy
Posts: 197
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2003 4:32 pm

Scholarship Audtion time!!

Post by FluteDiddy »

Most of all, best of luck with your
audition, and remember to have fun! One of my teachers once told me that when it
comes to the performance don't think about the technical aspect, especially if
you've done your homework and prepared yorself, but think about making the
music I think that is outstanding advice
F-Diddy the Man with the Purple flute

jaredzachary
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2004 8:10 pm

Scholarship Audtion time!!

Post by jaredzachary »

Thank you sooooo much for all of your
comments. I will take them to heart. -jaredzachary o)
"We
grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze
of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winters evening. Some of us let
these great dreams die, but other nurish and protect them." -Woodrow
Wilson

lhampton
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 6:32 pm

Scholarship Audtion time!!

Post by lhampton »

I'm playing the Concerto in G by Mozart and
I can only suggest that you really work on the phrasing in the piece, play it
like you mean it! And don't rush the sixteenth notes, i tend to do that! Also
listening to recordings of the piece really help! Good luck! Leanne

FluteDiddy
Posts: 197
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2003 4:32 pm

Scholarship Audtion time!!

Post by FluteDiddy »

Also listening to recordings of the piece
really help! More great advice. I have even heard listening to a good recording
of your piece right before you play can be like a visualization tool. Also
recording yourself playing it and listen to yourself, but I would not do that
the day of, but weeks before the audition. But I do agree with the cute Courtney
that the day of the event is too late to think about technical aspects of the
piece and is time to think about playing music not notes.
F-Diddy the Man with the Purple flute

User avatar
embum79
Posts: 169
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2003 11:55 pm

Scholarship Audtion time!!

Post by embum79 »

I also think the pieces you have picked
would be great. The greatest bit of advice I can give you, having gone through
college auditions is to relax and be yourself. I know, easier said than done.
Professors are not only looking for your playing ability, but also your
personality. They will be trying to see how you would fit into their studio.
Also, the more you play in front of people in general, the better you'll do.
Practice makes perfect. :)
Cheers,
Emily

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