MTSBOA All Mid-State Audition Information Packet
MIDDLE SCHOOL WINDS AND PERCUSSION - Mid-State Instructions
Auditions for 7th & 8th grade are at Antioch High School (1900 Hobson Pike Nashville, TN) on Saturday 21
November 2015
 You will be given an audition number and you will play in that order. Do not lose your audition ticket you will not be allowed to play without it. (A $50.00 fee is required to replace lost tickets. PAY
ATTENTION!) Locate your audition room and check periodically to see what number they are on. You
may warm up in the designated warm up area, but should be in the area of your audition room when the
room is within 3 to 5 positions of your number.
 There will be designated warm-up areas. No playing in the halls.
 There will be an area for parents to wait until you have completed your audition. Parents are asked
to NOT accompany students to the audition rooms, or to stand in the registration line with them.
Helpful hint: Drop the student off and go enjoy the day…. Students must message Mr. Norris with certain
information before they depart anyway, so they can easily call you when they have finished.
 When you have finished all parts of your audition, you are free to go. DO NOT ASK WHAT TIME THIS
WILL OCCUR. There are simply too many variables to any audition day to possibly be able to answer
when you will be finished for the day. The best rule of thumb is to simply never plan anything on All MidState audition day.
Wind Instruments (there are three parts of the audition):
Prepared Music
 Judges may dismiss students from the audition for evident lack of preparation. There will be no score given
and students dismissed will not play scales or sight-read.
 If you have more than one prepared excerpt, you may play either selection first. It is suggested that you
begin with your most secure excerpt. This will build your confidence.
Scales
You will play two major scales and a full chromatic.
 Students must make an honest attempt to play each scale asked; any student who refuses to attempt to play any scale will be

immediately dismissed from the audition.
Transposing instruments will be asked Major Scales in this manner: “Please play your ____ Major scale
That is the Concert _____ Major scale
up and down.
. (Listen for that part,
and clarify with the monitor if necessary!!) Your starting note is your written _____”
Sight Reading
You will have the opportunity to sight read three short excerpts.
 You will only progress to later excerpts if the judges feel you exhibit adequate reading skills.
 You will have twenty seconds to look over each excerpt
 Sight reading excerpts are being generated using the website www.sightreadingfactory.com. You will play
excerpts from levels 2, 3 and 4.
*****Flutes, clarinets, alto saxophones, trumpets and trombones first play prepared in one room, then move to the
scales and sight-reading room. If you do not play the entire audition in both rooms, your audition will be invalid.
All other sections will play the entire audition in a single room. Make sure you know where your instrument is
auditioning.
Percussion
All Percussion students will follow the same format and will play all three instruments.
 Students will play a prepared piece, sight read and demonstrate fundamentals on all three instruments snare, mallets, and timpani.
 There will be one room for each instrument in which the student will play all three components of the
audition for that instrument.
 Make sure all percussion students understand they MUST go to all THREE rooms or their audition is
incomplete and invalid.
MEIGS STUDENT HELPFUL INFORMATION & PROCEDURES

The way registration is done for auditions have completely changed for this year. As of this printing, Meigs
Band students are to arrive at Antioch High School at 12:30PM. BE AWARE THAT THIS COULD
CHANGE, SO PLEASE READ ALL E-MAILS. While we know that some students will not be done until
late in the afternoon/early evening, the benefits outweigh this one drawback. Students will arrive much
better rested, avoid the stress of standing in miserably long registration lines for 2+ hours, have the
opportunity to have a decent lunch rather than spending money on (possible) concessions, etc.

Upon arrival, students are to proceed IMMEDIATELY to their designated registration table and sign in to
receive their audition ticket.

No matter what happens, DO NOT LOOSE YOUR TICKET! You will pay a $50.00 late registration fee
if your ticket is lost. (There is NOTHING Mr. Norris can do to affect this policy.)

PERCUSSION STUDENTS: It would be easiest to group up near each other in the audition line so that our
snare drum, mallets, etc. can be utilized for all that need it! However, do try to avoid going one right after
the other. (We will talk about what to do at school.) We will also need to make certain that students have all
of their materials packed up before Friday afternoon!

When students have registered, they will then go and find their assigned room (OR MULTIPLE ROOMS)
for auditions. Signs will be posted throughout the building. Remember, Prepared Music auditions are
usually in a separate room from Scales/Sight-Reading. Once this is accomplished, report to the Warm-Up
Room.

In the Warm-Up Room, GO THROUGH THE PROCESS:
o
Before you play anything else, play through your long tones and a few lip slur exercises just as
you would on any other day! (Percussion: Have a practice pad with you and go over some warmups such as “Accent Tap”, “Double Beat”, etc.)
o
Once you have done this, it is time to “warm-up” your scales/rudiments. Start with a slow tempo
and work your way up throughout the day to your best speed just before you audition!!
o
During warm-up, be certain to go over audition materials as you have been practicing it. Do not
take “tips” from other students. You are going to hear literally hundreds of other students playing
your music. Some will be playing it differently, and that is just fine. You must not let this affect
YOUR performance.

DO NOT PRACTICE UNTIL YOU CANNOT PLAY ANY MORE DURING WARM-UP! You need to
be fresh for your audition. “Over-practicing” will only mean that your BEST performance will be left in
warm-ups. Follow this strategy: Play for 25-30 minutes for every hour you are in warm-up. Make sure you
play notes immediately before you go down to your audition room.

REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING STEPS IN THE AUDITION ROOM:
o
Play a few long tones in the room before you start your audition. Do NOT go overboard, and do not for any
reason play any scales!
o
Brass Players: Get all of the water out of your horn before you begin. Woodwinds: Get a sip of water before
you go into the room to avoid “Dry Reed Syndrome”. Have a water bottle handy!
o
Take a good, deep breath and then let it out before you play. It will settle your nerves and get your body
ready for taking deep breaths.
o
During your scales audition, FOLLOW THE PROCEES for success: 1.) Take five-seven
seconds to finger the scale pattern at speed with no air. 2.) Take a deep breath and then let it out.
3.) COUNT YOUR SELF OFF AT THE TEMPO YOU WILL PERFORM!! 4.) Breath and play
your scale at your best, most accurate speed!
o
During sight-reading, FOLLOW THE PROCESS for success: 1.) Identify the Key Signature and
then finger a one-octave scale that matches the key signature. 2.) Check the Time Signature for the
example. 3.) Scan the example for sixteenth-note patterns. If you see none, proceed to Step 4. If
you DO see sixteenth notes – 3A.) Air play the measure(s) with sixteenth notes AND the measure
after to establish a steady tempo that you can perform everything accurately. 4.) Air-Play the
example from the beginning at the tempo you are able to perform the sixteenth notes accurately.
HOLD YOUR TEMPO STEADY, and LOOK FOR ACCIDENTALS! 5.) Remember to use every
second given to you. Play when asked by the Room Monitor only. 6.) COUNT YOURSELF OFF
AS WE HAVE PRACTICED IN CLASS EVERY DAY. 7.) Play confidently and advance to the
next round!
o
You may play your starting pitch for sight-reading, but be certain to inform the room monitor what
you are doing BEFORE you enter for the audition.

Once a student has completed their Prepared Music, Scales, and Sight-Reading, it is time to go home!
HOWEVER, before you head out, you are to communicate the following to Mr. Norris. Following this
procedure has saved more than one student from not completing their audition in years’ past, and takes
away the need for numerous weekend phone calls to ensure you were safely delivered home:
o
Send a text message/ iMessage to Mr. Norris (Contact number - (270) 991-1208) to alert him of
the following things: 1.) your audition is complete and you are actually leaving the school. 2.) how
you felt that your prepared and scales went in your audition. 3.) the number of sight-reading
examples that you were given to attempt.

Be sure to drink water throughout the day before AND during the audition day to avoid “Dry Mouth
Syndrome” in the audition room. This is a leading cause of squeaks from the woodwinds and cracked
notes in the brass. Percussion students – Don’t be dehydrated. It will slow down your hands!
Whatever you do, STAY AWAY FROM ENERGY DRINKS!!

Check your instruments now for last-minute repair needs, as well as for TWO WORKING REEDS! If
your reed breaks in the Warm-Up room, and you do not have an already played back-up, you are in serious
trouble!! Furthermore, take an extra ready-to-play reed to the audition room along with you. The likelihood
of tracking down Mr. Norris (while he is performing adjudication duties) amongst 1,200 students and over
one hundred directors at the exact moment of need is slim to say the least. If you need reeds, see Mr. Norris
immediately!

Friday night is NOT the night to stay up late and not be well-rested. Students have been working very
hard for this opportunity since at least August, if not before! Parents: PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT
EVERY STUDENT AUDITIONING GETS PLENTY OF REST AND A GOOD BREAKFAST AND
LUNCHBEFORE ARRIVING FOR AUDITIONS.

If your case does not have a name tag with your information on it, NOW IS THE TIME TO FIX THAT
PROBLEM! With almost 1,200 students auditioning, it is very easy to get cases mixed up. Please be certain
that you have YOUR belongings whenever you move from one area to another. Helpful hint: Meigs Band
students need to group together in one area in the Warm-Up Room so that our equipment stays together.

Finally….relax, take a full breath, and give your best effort! You have all worked very hard for this
opportunity, and now is the time to demonstrate the full extent of your abilities. Good Luck!