Re: Re: Re: Re: Tips for All-State auditions


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Posted by Rick Denney on November 20, 2000 at 15:37:41:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Tips for All-State auditions posted by Matt on November 20, 2000 at 00:22:26:

No, showing off is not what you should do, even if you have to be a better player to pull it off.

Two stories:

Once, in Austin, Texas, I played in the better local symphonic band. We had a member who was a decent player, but insisted on playing much of the music down an octave. We were all impressed with his low register, but we still resented is re-interpretation of the music. Why? Because it made the section sound muddy, and reflected badly on all of us.

A few years later, when I was in the San Antonio Municipal Band, we were joined by a new player on a shiny, expensive Hirsbrunner tuba who had been studying with a (very) well-known teacher. She played about three dynamic levels louder than the rest of us. Was she a good player? Yes. Was she better than me? By far. But she ruined the sound of the section. Eventually, she was nudged out of the group, but I wasn't.

The moral of these two stories is that it is the sound of the section that counts, and the judges, though trying to find those few truly excellent players, are also trying to find those who are humble enough to work towards the sound of the section and the band, and not to show off.

I suspect orchestra auditions are pretty similar. Sure, they want the best musician, but wrapped into that definition of "musician" is the ability to submerge oneself into the sound of the group for the good of the music.

Rick "A good-sounding section makes everyone seem good" Denney


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