Klarinet Archive - Posting 000148.txt from 2004/07

From: Robert Wood <instruments@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Bumblebee
Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2004 08:27:31 -0400

I thought a bit about Bumblebee for you: and criteria for choosing an
audition piece. The members here know far more than I, but these would
be my first suggestions to ask yourself:

1. What do I want to communicate to this audition committee?
a. Looking in the mirror- do I want to impress them with my
speed? ( ego!! Forget it-They've heard that stuff far too
many times,( "long ago, - - stay far away".)
2. What are my strongest musical abilities: Fast technique? Good
rich tone in all registers...in only one register?
A passionate love of a particular composers music? What is my winning
trump card?
What composers music best exemplifies MY temperament, my
need to speak to the world?
3 Why do I want to go to this particular college- and what do I plan to
study?
4. If I were a judge on this committee what would I look for in a
prospective student? -
5. If I were to be his teacher - what raw talent would I most value ?
6. If these auditions are public can I go there and attend one - before
the time comes for me to decide what to offer myself?

--------
Finally my real opinion on Bumblebee is that it is a very one
dimensional piece- fast and smooth-save the few staccato broken chords
in the middle- with an obligatory diminuendo at the end. It can't show
the committee much else- EXCEPT the possibility they decide you have no
other talent, and think they can be fooled. There is not one long
sustained tone- and that's too thin an offering to risk assigning a
scarce berth in the incoming class. They want talent they can work with,
some skill, and willingness to listen and practice musically. 50 years
ago concert programs were often larded with such salon divertissments -
but now only as encores- (except for a stray carillonaire here and there).

Thomas wrote:

>the Flight of
>the Bumblebee for clarinet? I'm using it for college audition.<<
>
>Don't. Use something else.
>
>>From a retired professor of clarinet. www.chesco.com/~thomas/tg.html
>
>Courtesy of his wife.....
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