2020-21 PLACEMENT AUDITION INFO

Placement auditions are required for enrollment in 2020-21 ECHS band classes. This coming school year our program will split into four band classes, with a dedicated Freshman Band. Current freshman, sophomores, and juniors will audition for placement in Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble. A BALANCED instrumentation for Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band will be capped at 54 students. Incoming freshman (current 8th graders) will also be asked to audition (on different materials than high school students) as an official sign-up for the Freshman Band class.

There will be separate auditions for placement in Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Workshop, and Jazz Lab. Jazz Ensemble and Workshop are highly specialized classes with limited instrumentation. Students must show a complete command of their instrument in order to be accepted into these classes. They are not the place to learn instrument fundamentals or how to read music. Concurrent enrollment in Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, or Concert Band is required for Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Workshop, and Jazz Lab.

All auditions will be submitted via Dropbox. Students will record the etudes and scales and place in their Dropbox folder by the specified date. Students should track each portion of their audition as separate files and name each file appropriately. Example: John Doe; Etude, Jane Doe; A Major. Please note that current placement in Wind Ensemble or Jazz Ensemble does not guarantee your placement in those groups for the upcoming school year, so make sure you are well prepared for your placement audition!

* New this year: if you are placed in Wind Ensemble and/or Jazz Ensemble, your placement is not guaranteed until May. Your work ethic throughout the remainder of the 2019-20 school year (punctuality, submitting assignments on time, being prepared for playing exams, and maintaining a rigorous practice schedule) will be assed throughout the spring semester.

 

ALL Auditions are due by Monday, February 24, 2020!

TO ACCESS AUDITION MATERIALS CLICK HERE

 

HIGH SCHOOL students should prepare the following:
  • E Major, F Melodic Minor, Chromatic Scale
  • Etude 1
  • Etude 2

Make sure to include all components of your audition in Dropbox. Follow all instructions on the etude, i.e. check the metronome markings, articulations, and dynamics!

MIDDLE SCHOOL students should prepare the following:
  • E flat Major & G Major Scales
  • A Piece of your Choosing

Instrumentation for each jazz band class is capped as follows:

  • Alto Saxes: 2; Tenor Saxes: 2; Bari Sax: 1
  • Trumpets: up to 5; Trombones: up to 5
  • Drums: 1; Bass: 1; Piano: 1; Guitar: 1 *

Up to two (2) drummers, bass, piano, and guitar players may be accepted into Jazz Workshop/Lab depending on the level of the student(s).