youth orchestra can be quite competitive, so always good to be good at piccolo

otay.

Orchestra in general...very competitive, whether professional or youth.

I am in a state youth orchestra and it took me lots of hard work to catch up to all the other competing flute players (I started the flute later than all of them). You really just have to be on top of your game for everything. You have to have a GREAT sense of rhythm and a GREAT sense of pitch/musicality (both at equal levels). Now that is difficult, because most people are better at one or the other...

Yes, piccolo is a BIG advantage. I know a friend who is good at the flute but it EXCELLENT at the piccolo...therefore, she is always at an advantage over all the other flutes.

Wow, Spark12, you are in State youth orch, congrads! Yes, you are right, even in youth orch, it's very competitive, you are talking about the best youth players who started at 7,8,9 mostly not older than 10! they worked hard daily for hours.

Yes, in orch, there are orders to take care of: no.1 exact rhythm! no.2 good pitch! no.3 correct notes(good sightreading), no.4 dynamics, no.5 good tone, no.6 articulation, no.7 musicality,phrasing,etc.....

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Oh forgot, Good at Counting rests also very important! You may get fired very soon if you are bad at it.

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our youth orch's audition this year is playing and counting rests AT NO music accompanying, I had to count 24 bars all by myself inside my heart, lucky that I practice with metronome very day. haha.

Wow...i do feel like if I were to consider joining/auditioning then I would be at a disadvantage because while most people started younger then 9 or ten, that's when I began.
This is off topic, but I need the answer: there is a difference between reading vocal music and instrumental music, right? I'm been mostly playing out of hymnals over the summer and realized there was a difference between pitch and fingerings.

This may be a little off topic, but all of this orchestra talk reminded me of this.

Altus Flutes is doing a contest and the winner and a guest gets a free trip to New York for three days as well as two tickets to see Denis Bouriakov (who is a unbelievable performer if you havent seen him) at Carnegie Hall. The winner will also be able to have Dinner with Denis After the show. Here is the link to register if you are interested.

http://www.altusflutes.com/2010/DinnerWithDenis.aspx

Please don't keep spamming the forums, it's quite annoying.