Hi,
I've already done the audition process for college and have been accepted and rejected. But now, after reading a few posts and just thinking about it, I have a question for you guys about what you think the Professor or whoever is "judging" your audition should be paying most attention to.
For example, one of the professors at a school I auditioned at (no names) was, what I call, a "drill sergeant" saxophone teacher. He loved his metronome. Perfect precision and technique was all he seemed to care about (I had a lesson with him a year prior to my audition, which is how I got this impression of him. Not after one 10 minute audition). Very robotic. He even got the metronome out during my audition and had me use it to play my scales to it because I was a bit off in tempo (not that great of a feeling and certainly didn't help me with my nerves).
Later, I felt like he wasn't listening to my pieces as much as just paying attention to my tempos and rhythmns.
I think, especially during an audition, the Professor or whoever is sitting in, should focus on things like musicality, tone, interpretation, interest (in an improv), etc. Not so much technique and whether I used the Bis B-flat key when I played a certain sixteenth note run in the 5th measure of my Ferling Etude.
I did not really like this professor, and after being rejected, it didn't bother me that much (ok, maybe a little bit, I liked the other faculty, but now I see it's more important I like the actual saxophone professor).
So what do you guys think? Is it all about technique and being a robot, or should that take a backseat to the other things I mentioned above, at least in an audition.
And to be fair, I am not a fan of technique (in the metronomically sense). I've never had perfect time, and I still play my chromatic scale a tiny bit slower when I get up to the high D,E, and F. But my teacher/professor helps me with that and is therefore obviously able to see other things about my playing to make up for the fact that, yes, I sometimes use the Bis B-flat key a bit too much. Bad habit!!!
Also, the "drill sergeant" professor is a very respectable player and I realize that. He actually was lead alto in the army band for 20 years or something. Go figure right? And the school he taught at was NOT an Eastman or anything as extreme as that where having perfect technique, on top of amazing musicality, tone, interpretation, etc. must go hand in hand. It was a very good music education school.
So what are your guys opinions?
or am I just finally venting about being rejected, 6 months later
...and yes I realize the importance of proper technique, I've been working on it ever since I didn't get in...
I've already done the audition process for college and have been accepted and rejected. But now, after reading a few posts and just thinking about it, I have a question for you guys about what you think the Professor or whoever is "judging" your audition should be paying most attention to.
For example, one of the professors at a school I auditioned at (no names) was, what I call, a "drill sergeant" saxophone teacher. He loved his metronome. Perfect precision and technique was all he seemed to care about (I had a lesson with him a year prior to my audition, which is how I got this impression of him. Not after one 10 minute audition). Very robotic. He even got the metronome out during my audition and had me use it to play my scales to it because I was a bit off in tempo (not that great of a feeling and certainly didn't help me with my nerves).
Later, I felt like he wasn't listening to my pieces as much as just paying attention to my tempos and rhythmns.
I think, especially during an audition, the Professor or whoever is sitting in, should focus on things like musicality, tone, interpretation, interest (in an improv), etc. Not so much technique and whether I used the Bis B-flat key when I played a certain sixteenth note run in the 5th measure of my Ferling Etude.
I did not really like this professor, and after being rejected, it didn't bother me that much (ok, maybe a little bit, I liked the other faculty, but now I see it's more important I like the actual saxophone professor).
So what do you guys think? Is it all about technique and being a robot, or should that take a backseat to the other things I mentioned above, at least in an audition.
And to be fair, I am not a fan of technique (in the metronomically sense). I've never had perfect time, and I still play my chromatic scale a tiny bit slower when I get up to the high D,E, and F. But my teacher/professor helps me with that and is therefore obviously able to see other things about my playing to make up for the fact that, yes, I sometimes use the Bis B-flat key a bit too much. Bad habit!!!
Also, the "drill sergeant" professor is a very respectable player and I realize that. He actually was lead alto in the army band for 20 years or something. Go figure right? And the school he taught at was NOT an Eastman or anything as extreme as that where having perfect technique, on top of amazing musicality, tone, interpretation, etc. must go hand in hand. It was a very good music education school.
So what are your guys opinions?
or am I just finally venting about being rejected, 6 months later
...and yes I realize the importance of proper technique, I've been working on it ever since I didn't get in...