 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Meri
Date: 2004-03-27 20:12
Hello, everyone.
Last Thursday, I had my first university music audition, which went really well (according to all parties involved, especially my pianist). I think they went really easy on me,for some reason. I was never asked to play any scales/arpeggios, They never asked me to identify cadences I never was requested to playthe study I had prepared (no. 4 from the Rose 32) I was never asked the questions about the repetoire for the clarinet or the pieces I was doing, they asked me to do only one movement (Chasidic Dance) of the Srul Irving Glick Suite Hebraique no. 1. Was slightly shaking in the second mvt of the Arnold Sonatina, but that disappeared by the 4th line or so. Considering, too, I was playing with a sore throat. The last movement was the closest to perfect I had ever played it! It seemed the auditioners
were astounded by my performance, I know they're supposed to try to remain neutral, but you could see it on their faces that they really enjoyed the audition; it felt closer to a real performance than an audition. The page turner (who was one of my students) did a great job too.
I was more nervous on the questions they had asked me about my musical goals, and I just took what I had said on my application essay. Probably the hardest part was naming the intervals, sightreading was significantly easier than I thought it would be.
So, what are your amazing audition stories, and did they really go easy on me?
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Author: Melissa
Date: 2004-03-27 21:11
Well I haven't gone to any auditions, since I'm only in grade 11, but my friend who is a trumpet player has.
She auditioned to Queens (in ontario canada) and she only had to play the 1st and 2nd mov. of the Haydn concerto. She had 2 studies prepared and was ready for scales but they didn't ask for either. She also had an audition to University of Toronto and she only had to play the Haydn. She had the same as above prepared plus a 20th century work and none were asked of. Kind-of makes me feel like there is no point to even learning all this music for university (don't worry I will).
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Author: Robyn
Date: 2004-03-28 00:37
Speaking from some experience (with taking auditions, not running them), I think often students are asked to prepare more than they will actually perform. My guess is it's because there is only time to play so much material, but if only that amount of material is assigned, then the auditioners won't necessarily get a good idea of how good the person is (because they can really drill on that small amount of stuff, to the exclusion of everything else).
Robyn
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-03-28 00:58
Say, if that's an audition for university, you got off easy compared to my Grade 10 RCM exam, the one that I'm still steaming about. The accompanist went over all my pieces, ear training, intervals, playbacks, etc. with me the night before and I felt so ready for that exam. I guess at 6:00 p.m. after being in the stifling hot examination room all day without air conditioning (this was the August day before the lights went out all over N. America - remember that day?), the examiner was ready to nail someone, and it was me. My accompanist was shocked at the results, and she was in the room hearing what was going on. Maybe I should audition for university instead. Actually I study with one of the university profs. That's OK, then he'd have to be biased, or step out of the room and let the others take over.
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Author: Melissa
Date: 2004-03-28 01:25
I wouldn't even take grade 8 RCM because I would die in the ear training section (It's definitly not one of my high points). I guess one day I will have though, wont I?
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-03-28 01:49
Melissa, I found that there's a set of cassette tapes that you can buy from music stores to help you prepare for your ear training - they're called "Perfection Ear". You ask for the grade level you need, and everything's there for you to practice while driving to work (yes fellows, I hear you, but it's better than putting on makeup at 120 kph), or just do a couple of the 14 exercises each day.
For intervals you can think of songs - for example, the minor third is "Oh, Canada", a perfect fifth is "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", and so forth. That makes it a breeze!
For the playbacks: pay attention to the opening arpeggio - break it down in your head and hum the arpeggio to yourself before they start with the first note. Once the first note is played, you'll know instantly on which note of the arpeggio the playback begins. Of course, it helps if you've been playing your arpeggios and dominant 7ths as part of your clarinet exercises, and you know the sequences of the notes (C-E-G-C, and so forth, and add the sharps or flats where necessary, but that's already memorized in your daily work.)
There are a lot of little hints that really help. Need more?
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Author: Melissa
Date: 2004-03-28 15:08
Thanks Brenda! I will look into getting the cassettes. I think my music teacher did say something about that but I just never got along to buying them. I guess I should since I do want to go into music for University.
I know a few of the intervals but not all of them. I will write the ones I know and if you know of any others please feel free to let me know.
M2 happy birthday
-2 Jaws
M3 Kumbiyah/row your boat ashore
-3 o canada
P4 here comes the bride
P5 twinkle twinkle/rememberance day
M6 my bonnie lies over the ocean
-6 Chopin (it reminds me of a piece by Chopin but I can never remember which one)
M7 superman/needs to be resolved
-7 I don't have anything for this one but it sounds so close to M7 I just go by that
PO Somewhere over the rainbow/Octave
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-03-28 15:19
Now if someone will try to find intervals going DOWN we'd have the complete list . . .
Here's the one I thought of off the bat
-3 "In the sky, snow is fall-ing" (walking in a winter wonderland)
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: jn_pdx
Date: 2004-03-28 23:41
Intervals going up (that haven't been listed):
Dim 5th - Bernstein's "Maria"
Min 7th - Bernstein's "Somewhere" (Not Somewhere Over the Rainbow)
-jn
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-03-29 01:55
Don't worry about intervals that go from high to low - switch them in your head and use the knowledge you already have. There's no need to learn two sets of songs.
How about this - minor 4th - Theme from The Simpson's
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-03-29 02:14
Minor 4th? No such animal.
The Theme From the Simpsons is an augmented 4th (tritone)..GBK
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2004-03-29 03:41
You never know what will be asked. Worst audition I ever played was when asked simply, "Please play an Ab major scale. Two octaves will be sufficient."
I fell on my sword. It was so bad they didn't want to hear any more. Hadn't practiced scales in many days, y'see, having expected just about anything else. A month before, I could have breezed through any scale with ease. Not that day, mind full to the brim with, you know, the "harder" stuff. After all, nobody would ask to hear something as simple as a scale, right? Hah!
Don't try to second-guess the auditioners. You, too, could end up in last place. Be fluid, be ready for anything, and be not surprised.
Regards,
John
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-03-29 17:05
You're right! It IS an augmented fourth! Sorry about that. Up to the point that I figured out the "Simpson's" them I had the dickens of a time trying to guess that interval.
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