Sax on the Web

Sax on the Web Forum Archive / Baritone Saxophone / Trying out for college shortly.....

Chris Becker
User ID: 9196513 Dec 15th 2:25 PM
Hello everyone! I will be trying out for a few college's, and most of them allow the player to pick out their own piece. What kind of piece do you think will come off sounding the best to the professors? Jazz? Concert band stuff?

Thanks alot.

Ben
User ID: 9308123 Dec 15th 2:37 PM
Doesn't matter. A competent professor will be able to spot talent no matter what the prospective student plays. It's not what you play but how you play it.

SteveC
User ID: 1105234 Dec 15th 3:46 PM
ben, i have to disagree. With the amount of good students out there each year and growing i think it is wise to chose good literature that you sound great on. And i feel staying in the norm helps. There are only so many scholorship $$$$ out there as well. The professor may be able to recognise talent, but he will select those that take the audition seriously for his studio.

Chris, there are two types of auditions. ither you will do a standard audition for the school that will be classical or you will be doing an audtion for a Jazz Studies type of program.

In the "standard" audition you may be in a room with just the saxophone instructor or playing for a panel of woodwind teachers. You want to do your best and that Oboe teacher may not know sax literature well, be will know if it;'s good or not. It is doubtfull and obbe, bassoon, or typical clarinet teacher woulds care for a jazz tune in your audition.

Classical audition pieces that are often used are
Creston Sonata
Heiden Sonata
Glazenouv Concerto
Iberto Concertino De Camera

easier pieces can be acceptable as well, such as:
Eccles Sonata
Two Contrasting Etudes (Ferling)
A Bach transcription (beware of the purist here)

In most situations you will not complete the performance of the entire piece, but should be prepared to play 2 movements of contrasting style.

Most universities will have you do a classical audition to get into the school, then you go to the jazz dept for a jazz audition for ensembles/ jazz scholorships.

Tune for a jazz audition should vary as well. I would prepare a standard Blues, a medium swing, and up tempo (rhythm changes maybe) and a ballad. They probably will have you sight reed charts as well.

Scales: some ask for alot, some ask for nothing. You should at the very least be prepared to play chromatic full range in one breath up and down, Major scales in 2 octave (where possible) and Natural minor in two octaves (where possible) It would be goods to know melodic minor and harmonic minor, but many schools consider them "upper division" and don't want to hear those until you are at the end of your sophamore year.

I urge you to call each saxophone teacher you wish to auditions for and ask them what they would lie from you. You should try and arrange a lesson as well. You don't want to go to a school and discover you don't like your teacher! ($40,000 mistake!)

If you can find others saxophone students at the University you are auditioning at ask them about the teachers preferences for equipment, music etc...Aks ask ask....and ask more questions!

Be prepared. Know the scales by memory, know your music inside out!

Good luck!

Ben
User ID: 9308123 Dec 15th 4:29 PM
Hi, SteveC. Chris had asked what he should be auditioning on, jazz or concert band material. I guess my answer sucked. I just wanted to tell him to play either. But what I implied or hoped for him to infer is to play what is 'appropriate'. I feel that any serious and competent prospective student will know what is appropriate. A serious jazz musician will have the blues and a few standard tunes learned as well as the basic jazz scales. A serious classical musician will have at least one 'serious' piece and some etudes prepared and have their major and minor scales down. Having said that, what I was trying to tell him was that whatever he prepares that is within these guidelines, a competent professor will be able to spot potential.

CURT
User ID: 2246984 Dec 16th 9:27 AM
Stevec,
Good post I agree. I only wonder why this is under "Baritone Saxophone." In grad school I play primarily Bari Sax. That being said, I don't know what one would use for audition material on Bari.

The classical works are quite limited. Maybe one of the following.

The Bach "Cello Suites"
Hartley's "Sonatina"
Everette Gates "Incantation and Ritual"
Caravan's "Sonata"

Any of these are good pieces and none are as difficult as the Creston or the Glazenouv

Wouldn't it be great if people could audition on baritone sax at every school. There would be hope for the Lisa Simpsons of the world!

Curt
www.MusicMedic.com
Curt@MusicMedic.com

Bootman
User ID: 0756324 Dec 16th 2:29 PM
Why not also use some the classical alto repertoire, if you could pull this off on Baritone then this should give you gretaer marks because of the increased difficulty in doing it on Baritone. In essence, Steve C is correct, talk to each professor and find out exactly what it is that they require from you for the audition.

Chris Becker User ID: 9196513	Dec 15th 2:25 PM Hello everyone! I will be trying out for a few college's, and most of them allow the player to pick out their own piece. What kind of piece do you think will come off sounding the best to the professors? Jazz? Concert band stuff? Thanks alot.
Ben User ID: 9308123	Dec 15th 2:37 PM Doesn't matter. A competent professor will be able to spot talent no matter what the prospective student plays. It's not what you play but how you play it.
SteveC User ID: 1105234	Dec 15th 3:46 PM ben, i have to disagree. With the amount of good students out there each year and growing i think it is wise to chose good literature that you sound great on. And i feel staying in the norm helps. There are only so many scholorship $$$$ out there as well. The professor may be able to recognise talent, but he will select those that take the audition seriously for his studio. Chris, there are two types of auditions. ither you will do a standard audition for the school that will be classical or you will be doing an audtion for a Jazz Studies type of program. In the "standard" audition you may be in a room with just the saxophone instructor or playing for a panel of woodwind teachers. You want to do your best and that Oboe teacher may not know sax literature well, be will know if it;'s good or not. It is doubtfull and obbe, bassoon, or typical clarinet teacher woulds care for a jazz tune in your audition. Classical audition pieces that are often used are Creston Sonata Heiden Sonata Glazenouv Concerto Iberto Concertino De Camera easier pieces can be acceptable as well, such as: Eccles Sonata Two Contrasting Etudes (Ferling) A Bach transcription (beware of the purist here) In most situations you will not complete the performance of the entire piece, but should be prepared to play 2 movements of contrasting style. Most universities will have you do a classical audition to get into the school, then you go to the jazz dept for a jazz audition for ensembles/ jazz scholorships. Tune for a jazz audition should vary as well. I would prepare a standard Blues, a medium swing, and up tempo (rhythm changes maybe) and a ballad. They probably will have you sight reed charts as well. Scales: some ask for alot, some ask for nothing. You should at the very least be prepared to play chromatic full range in one breath up and down, Major scales in 2 octave (where possible) and Natural minor in two octaves (where possible) It would be goods to know melodic minor and harmonic minor, but many schools consider them "upper division" and don't want to hear those until you are at the end of your sophamore year. I urge you to call each saxophone teacher you wish to auditions for and ask them what they would lie from you. You should try and arrange a lesson as well. You don't want to go to a school and discover you don't like your teacher! ($40,000 mistake!) If you can find others saxophone students at the University you are auditioning at ask them about the teachers preferences for equipment, music etc...Aks ask ask....and ask more questions! Be prepared. Know the scales by memory, know your music inside out! Good luck!
Ben User ID: 9308123	Dec 15th 4:29 PM Hi, SteveC. Chris had asked what he should be auditioning on, jazz or concert band material. I guess my answer sucked. I just wanted to tell him to play either. But what I implied or hoped for him to infer is to play what is 'appropriate'. I feel that any serious and competent prospective student will know what is appropriate. A serious jazz musician will have the blues and a few standard tunes learned as well as the basic jazz scales. A serious classical musician will have at least one 'serious' piece and some etudes prepared and have their major and minor scales down. Having said that, what I was trying to tell him was that whatever he prepares that is within these guidelines, a competent professor will be able to spot potential.
CURT User ID: 2246984	Dec 16th 9:27 AM Stevec, Good post I agree. I only wonder why this is under "Baritone Saxophone." In grad school I play primarily Bari Sax. That being said, I don't know what one would use for audition material on Bari. The classical works are quite limited. Maybe one of the following. The Bach "Cello Suites" Hartley's "Sonatina" Everette Gates "Incantation and Ritual" Caravan's "Sonata" Any of these are good pieces and none are as difficult as the Creston or the Glazenouv Wouldn't it be great if people could audition on baritone sax at every school. There would be hope for the Lisa Simpsons of the world! Curt www.MusicMedic.com Curt@MusicMedic.com
Bootman User ID: 0756324	Dec 16th 2:29 PM Why not also use some the classical alto repertoire, if you could pull this off on Baritone then this should give you gretaer marks because of the increased difficulty in doing it on Baritone. In essence, Steve C is correct, talk to each professor and find out exactly what it is that they require from you for the audition.