In an effort to continually align auditions statewide at the junior and senior levels, the Board of Directors voted at their Summer 2024 meeting to implement a cycle of commissioned etudes for Strings, Winds, Percussion and Instrumental Jazz at the Junior and Senior levels.
Instrumental Jazz etudes will be implemented in the Fall of 2024; Strings, Winds and Percussion etudes will be implemented in the Fall of 2025.
Junior Instrumental Jazz Auditions
1. Prepared Selection
Excerpts from the required selection that coincides with the correct year will be performed by each student. Multiple excerpts may be required from the same chart.
2023: Cycle 2 – Groovin’ Hard (arr. Barduhn)
2024: Cycle 3 – April In Paris (arr. Stitzel)
2025: Cycle 1 – Orange Sherbert (Nestico)
2. Improvisation
Students will improvise 2 choruses over changes in F Blues from the Jamey Aebersold Volume 1, track 8. An mp3 of exactly what will be used for the audition will be emailed out to directors who have nominated students for this audition type.
Students who audition for drum set will be asked to perform the following styles:
Swing (medium tempo)
Bossa nova
Funk/ Rock feel
Senior Instrumental Jazz Auditions
Please visit the Instrumental Jazz Division Page for what will be covered in the District auditions, what material will be used and this year’s state selection.
District 6 Senior Instrumental Jazz Students will also prepare an additional required selection from Jim Snidero Jazz Conception Series:
2023: Cycle 2 - Friends
2024: Cycle 3 - Great Love
2025: Cycle 1 - Lunar
Piano players will play from the Jazz Conception 21 solo etudes book. Melody will be played in the right hand and comping in the left. Vibraphonists will play from the guitar book. Bass players will play the melody and not the walking bass line. Drummers will not be required to play from the Jazz Conception book as they will demonstrate the 4 styles spelled out in the Instrumental Jazz Division Page linked above.
Trumpets ONLY will need to perform full range Bb concert major scale in half notes as high as can be played (no points are assigned to this part of the audition).