Directors,
Attached is the list of scales required for each instrument. I have listed the concert pitch at the top of the column and then listed the instruments starting pitch below. These are the scales that they are required to play. You will need to use the scale sheet at www.ncbandmasters.org for the correct octaves for each instrument. The articulation for the scales will be:
Scale #1: Tongue
Scale #2: Slur
Scale #3: Tongue
Scale #4: Slur
Chromatic: Slur
master-scale-list-starting-pitch
This is true for every instrument except trombone, which all scales should be tongued. If a trombone player wants to correct me on this, I will make the adjustments.
If I have any of the scales listed incorrectly on the attached sheet, someone please let me know so that I can correct them and submit them again. Also, we will use the order that is on the scale sheet for district. I know that for most instruments this begins with Concert F, instead of B-flat. Please tell your students to check their scale sheet and the articulation page that will be on the stand to make sure that they are playing the correct scale. Finally, MS students can use their scale sheet, HS students must have the scales memorized. No scale sheets will be allowed in HS audition rooms. Tell your student not to even bring it back to the audition room, leave it in the warm-up area.
Solos can be found at www.ncbandmasters.org. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure that your student has the correct edition of the solo. We do not want any student coming into the room with the wrong solo and having to implement our plan for correcting.
Each student will sight-read a selection as part of the audition. They will have 30 seconds to look over, finger through, but not play the sight-reading. When that 30 seconds is up, they will be ask to play the selection and then their audition is over.
We want the audition to run as smoothly as possible. I have broken down the judges rooms as far as I think I can and I will send out the judging assignments by Friday of next week. I was able to fill all of the slots with no extras. I believe this will make the auditions run smoothly and quickly and hopefully with the set-up of the rooms, we will be finished auditioning by 7:30-8:00 at the absolute latest and hopefully gone and home by that time. But at the same time, please remember that the auditions are about the students and we don’t want to rush simply because we want to get home. We need to be efficient, but we need to be thorough as well.
If you have any questions, please e-mail me at rayj2@gcsnc.com. Please try to avoid the reply all or even reply because that goes to Nathan. If I think your question needs to be addressed by the entire group of directors, I will forward the question to them. Thanks.
Jeremy Ray
Director of Bands, NBCT
4530 Southeast School Rd.
Greensboro, NC 27406
Phone: 336-674-4379
