Posted by Kelly O'Bryant on September 22, 1999 at 14:11:59:
In Reply to: Re: premier band auditions posted by Adam Crowe on September 22, 1999 at 12:28:30:
Adam is absolutely right. To say that a gig is "locked" just because you have
the right name(s) on your resume is absurd. Whoever passed this gem of false
info on to you doesn't have a very strong grip on the audition scene.
As a former member of one of the U.S. Military's Premier bands, I can tell you
that "big names" on a resume are no where nearly as important as how good of a
player you are. Chops are chops, regardless of where you got them from.
Yes, Mr. P. does have a lot of alums in the bands. So does Fritz Kaenzig,
Scott Watson, Skip Gray, John Stevens...... you get the point.
And having been a member of numerous audition committees, both for tuba and
euph, I can also tell you that sometimes folks walked in who had the whole
enchilada on their sheet:
B.M. from great school and superstar teacher...
M.M. from even greater school and bigger superstar teacher...
D.M.A. from best school in the galaxy and God as teacher...
and they sounded like some of my high school students on a bad day. Anyone
can "pay the fees and get the B's..."
Heck yes, having a great prof(s) on your resume is great.
Playing your butt off on a consistent daily basis because you are dedicated
and put in the time in the woodshed is even better.
Good luck -
Kelly O.
--
Kelly O'Bryant
kotuba(AT)erols.com
Annapolis, Maryland
http://www.erols.com/kotuba