So we had our All-State auditions this Saturday, and I made it!!

I was actually very confident about the whole thing. My teacher had told me several times she was pretty sure I would make it and all that! That really boosted my confidence! I was actually more excited than nervous the few days (and the day off) the auditions which was actually a pretty odd thing for me!

There was about 50 flutes total at our center, and 5 were accepted Three were from my school (we have a VERY strong music program) both of them were second year All-Staters as well.. one is a senior and the other a sophomore, I'm a junior..

After my first audition I felt VERY confident and was incredibly happy with how it went, so I was too surprised when I got a callback (10 were recalled) and then after the callback I wasn't real happy about it.. They asked us to play the B scale which is normally fine but I missed up in the middle going down (lol.. dumb place to mess up but obviously they didn't care too much, and I think a lot of people were messing something up in it..) but everything was ok, just not as good as before!

But yes.. I made it! I am very excited because this was one of the reasons I quit orchestra and it has really been a good choice.. I've moved up several chairs in concert band so now I'll be getting to play first part along with some piccolo (yay!)

Of course now I got a lot of practicing to do! The music is very within my range to play though, which is good!

We are playing
Ride by Samuel R. Hazo
Vesuvius by Frank Ticheli
Selections from "The Danserye" by Tichment Susato
Elegy for Concert Band by John Barnes Chance

and America the Beautiful cause they do that every year

Mazel Tov!

Congratulations to you! I know how exciting that is. You must have worked hard to get that far! Keep up the good work.

Congrats!

Congrats! Honor Band is hard and very stressing! My audition was just given to me and I have about a month to work on it! I hope I'll get as far as you! Good job and really nail the picc stuff!!!

Any tips for me? I'm doing flute for All-State and I am nervous out of my mind!

I found that it all really is a mental game after you can play it!

At one of the clinics I went to, the person told us to visualize us doing everything for about 15 minutes a day. Get yourself freaked about it at home so when you actually are at the auditions, your are not as nervous. Plan out your entire day (I did.. can't say a stuck to it to well!) and DO NOT listen to others' auditions before you play.

Another huge thing is warming up. DO NOT play the etudes/excerpts before you auditions except maybe to run a few very select spots.

This was my warmup:
long tones. Starting at b (in the staff) and go down chromatically to the lowest note (b/c). Hold the first note 2 counts, then the next note 4. Repeat that note for 2 counts and go down. Make sense? Then after you go through all those, start at the b (just above the staff) and go up to all the notes you know.

Then I ran through the few spots in my solo and in my two etudes, and I was ready!

BE CONFIDENT! I actually got myself to the point I was very excited about the auditions, more so than nervous.. My teacher gave me TONS OF confidence about the auditions. She told me that I would probably make it if I played like I did for her at the auditions.. although that is much easier said then done!!

And remember.. the spots/scales you don't want them to pick, they will so be prepared, lol! Just over prepare, it takes SO much work but its very exciting when you get to that goal!

Thanks!

good advice...treat an audition like a performance, then you will have fun! then what happens happens, if you look like your having fun, the judges will like you better anyway...

This also really helped me!

Remember that everyone (you, the judges) are there just to hear you play music! And they want you to do well! Just go in there and play music!