All-State

For most high school students involved in music, all-state is a huge deal. The All-State Band and Orchestras are composed of the best of the best players in the state. The competition is cutthroat. With all-state auditions right around the corner in less than a month, I think it is a good time to explain exactly what it takes to be a part of one of these outstanding ensembles.

There are three parts to the all-state audition: a solo, two etudes, and scales. Each year students are asked to choose a minute to minute and a half excerpt from a solo to perform for the judge. The solo is always performed first, so it is extremely important that it be very solid. It needs to be especially good because it is the first thing you will play when you walk into the room, so it serves as a first impression for the judge. No matter how good anything else sounds, if you walk in and play your solo poorly, the chances of getting selected are very low.

The next portion of the audition is the etudes. Each year two etudes are selected from a specific book for the all-state auditions. Typically there will be one fast and one slow etude chosen to give players a chance to show off both aspects of their playing. It is important for musicians to have the ability to play both technically and beautifully at different tempos.

The final section of the auditions is arguably the most important: scales. Scales are said to be the things that either make or break your audition. There are twelve major scales total that must be memorized and played at a certain tempo. However, you only play three scales in the audition. Each student walks in and picks up a card that has two scales written on it. These are the two scales that are performed in the audition. The third is the player's choice scale. Everyone is given the opportunity to play their favorite scale that they feel most comfortable with for the judge. If your choice scale is written on the card you select, however, you cannot play that scale again as your choice scale. This is why it is important to have a number two choice scale. Some instructors even say to have a third just in case both of your choice scales are written on the card you choose. The last scale performed in the audition is the chromatic scale. The chromatic scale consists of every note you are capable of playing on your instrument; from the lowest to the absolute highest and back down. In order to make it into all-state, your scales must be near perfect.

This is my third year auditioning for all-state and I feel more prepared than I ever have. I hope all my hard work pays off and I am given the opportunity to play in one of these outstanding all-state ensembles.