 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Drenkier_1
Date: 2004-07-23 16:24
Hey yall I'm a freshmen this year, and so I'm looking at all these competitions that I'll be up agianst High Schoolers, and I'm wondering if any of yall have tips for making state this year. I have this drive to make state that im willing to do anything to get it. Any tips will help
Kevin Collins
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2004-07-23 16:32
You know the old saying about how to get to Carnegie Hall, right?
Practice, practice, practice... then take the D line to Columbus Circle and go south 3 blocks on 7th Avenue.
Take some lessons from a good teacher if you're not doing so already.t
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: Shawn
Date: 2004-07-23 17:54
It looks like your from the Houston area, and unfortunately that is one of the toughest areas to make state. So, I would strongly suggest trying to get Michael Webster or one of the Houston Symphony people to take you as a student, which as a freshman will not be an easy task.
Also, like Ralph said "practice, practice, practice!" I would probably throw another practice in there.
The All-State rep for this year are pgs. 12, 19, 74. This is from the Artistic Studies for Clarinet - The French School edited by David Hite. Pg. 19 start in mea. 65 and play to the end. Pg. 12 and 74 play whole page.
Good luck!
Shawn
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Author: n_hanson12
Date: 2004-07-23 17:58
Practice... as said before!! But it can never be underestimated!! And play a lot of scales. That's been my experience anyway.
~Nicki
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2004-07-23 19:25
I have a few suggestions...
Practice a lot (why didn't anyone else suggest that?). In order to pull the music off flawlessly in the room, with all the nerves, you need to know it backwards and forwards and be able to play it in your sleep. I personally believe that with a solo performance (recitals / solo & ensemble/ all-state), if you don't have the music memorized, then you aren't ready. This doesn't mean to consciously memorize it, however. You should play the music so much that you naturally memorize it, with all the expressive markings and everything. When this happens, you've probably practiced enough (even though it never hurts to practice more!)
Play the music for a lot of people. Playing a piece in your room or a practice room isn't the same as playing it for a person who is actively listening and critiques you. I, like you, was determined to make all-state, no matter what. I played my music for anyone who would listen... other clarinetists, both the band directors, my private lesson teachers.. basically anyone with a bit of patiences and enough musical know-how to listen and make suggestions. Also, I would recommend recording your pieces often and listening critically. You will hear things you never heard (while playing) if you record the pieces and listen. This can give you good insight.
You should also take advantage of every masterclass that is offered. Someone usually does a masterclass at FHS (this year it might be me - a scary thought... possibly Mr. Rowell or Mr. Wall will do them too). I also think that Mr. LeGrand does one (or he did when I was in High School) at Univ. of Houston. Find out where they are and go to as many as you can. Most masterclasses will give you a chance to perform in front of peers, plus you will get a variety of instruction from different teachers.
Some other suggestion that might help are practice in a variety of conditions. I've found that audition rooms can sometimes be really cold, which can wreak havoc on your playing. You don't necessarily have to practice in "cold places", but maybe switch around where you practice. The acoustics of a room can effect how you hear yourself, and it may be beneficial to not always practice in the same place (particularly if the place is resonant... even a slight echo in a room can hide a lot of little mistakes). Then there is also the basics, make sure you have a handful of broken-in, good reeds on the day of the contest.
If you have a problem with nervousness, I know there are some exercises (breathing/mental) that can help relieve the physical symptoms of nervousness. If this proves to be a problem for you, you might look up info on some of these.
These are just a few things that might prove helpful.
DH
theclarinetist@yahoo.com
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Author: SVSorna05
Date: 2004-07-23 19:45
Yes, being from Texas, as most of you have already chimed in are from Texas. You may want to consider your freshman year as sort of a warm up. Region/State is a completley different ball game in High School than it was in Middle School. The competition is rigorous. As said above practice is the key, you have a week before the music is released then from there you have three months...ish to get it all down then go in there and not screw up..too badly. also as stated above play in front of people that is the only way to know what kind of mistakes you'll make under pressure, if you dont you will get up there and have problems with something that you've never had problems on in the past. Get a confident teacher, you need to stay confident and let the rest be fun. Good luck hope to see you there.-
-Dain-
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Author: Brian Richards
Date: 2004-07-23 19:49
I also live in Texas. And this year will be my first year I'm going to audition. And I have a question. Is the music listed above the music you perform at Area?
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Author: SVSorna05
Date: 2004-07-23 20:16
yes the difference between 4A and 5A in my opinion is night and day...
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Author: angelpineapple
Date: 2004-07-23 22:07
Randall Griffin from the Houston Ballet Orchestra give private lessons to high schoolers. He also teaches at the University of Houston. Email me if you want more information.
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Author: allencole
Date: 2004-07-23 22:24
Work on WHAT you can WHEN you can. Most regional competitions involve one or more of these components:
1 - Major & chromatic scales
2 - A prepared piece
3 - A piece to be sightread
Work first and foremost on what you already know about, so that you will be able to devote time to the things that you get on shorter notice:
Scales - Chances are, you already know the ranges and format. Start NOW, so that you have plenty of spare time for more time-sensitive needs.
Prepared piece - Always try to keep some sort of piece prepared which shows you off to good advantage. There may be opportunities other than All-District/All-State. When your audition piece is published, get to work on on it immediately. You don't want to be fretting over it (or your scales) when you are handed your sight-reading peace to play after a minute or less of examination.
Sightreading - This is the most difficult thing to prepare for, and doing so is a way of life for most of us. Here are some things that will help:
1 - Learn to COUNT! Counting is the essence of sight-reading and you want to do it confidently.
2 - Your technical studies will do much to automate your fingers. Once major and chromatic scales are mastered, learn your minor scales and major, minor, dominant and diminished arpeggios. Learn them physically rather than intellectually, because you need to keep your brain free for rhythm, expression, etc.
3 - Learn to be a "quick study." Sight-read something every day. It needn't be long. You just need to get used to seeing new music, gleaning as much info as you can from a quick look-over (1 minute or less) and then jumping in.
All this takes time. Learn your scales today. And consider going to a private teacher. He or she can help steer you to the most productive course of study to meet your goals.
Allen Cole
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2004-07-23 23:00
When I competed for region (1996-1999) there was no scales or sightreading. I know that other regions do this, but mine didn't doesn't. I believe Friendswood (where Kevin, the original poster, is from) is in Region 19 (if that helps), but I'm not sure. Unless things have changed since I was in high school, you just go in, play the three prepared pieces and that's it.
DH
theclarinetist@yahoo.com
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Author: jbutler ★2017
Date: 2004-07-23 23:01
SVSorna05 ,
You can find the music listed on the TMEA website: http://www.tmea.org
There will be a link for this years audition music. Those involved with ATSSB, I think that this is year "D" for the HS and can be viewed on their website: http://www.attssb.org
jbutler
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Author: Gazebo Dealer
Date: 2004-07-24 02:54
I can give you the closest information as what to do your freshman year to make it to state... I will be a sophomore this year, and I made it as a freshman. It was pretty spectacular. 3 freshmen ,including myself, all made it from the same region, to state. The Houston "area" is really tough, and in our region we had 137 clarinets audition. I made like 15th chair, the other two freshmen made 4 and 13. They take 4 class 4A and 11 class 5A. I managed to sneak in there somehow. The 4A kids were kind of upset. But anyway, my advice is play for as many people as you can. As some people will say it's a bad idea because you don't stick to one styler. I say that is as wrong as you can get. I played for Griffen, all of my directors (Rick Yancey, Robert Caston), a few different lesson teachers, and Greg Countryman. I've spoken with Webster (very amiable), but his rate for lessons, $80 an hour, is kind of much for "HS"ers. I was greatly satisfied with all the commentary from these guys and gals and was happy to call it "my" own personal style. I am in FBISD at Elkins High School. And I would also like to advise you not to practice non-stop. YOU HAVE TO TAKE BREAKS. A few days off from practicing will keep you from burning out the music, and you will become better after rebuilding your embrochure. Especially with music being out so early this year, don't limit yourself to 3 pieces of music for 6 months. That is one of the things I regret about last year, and I am considering not doing the region process. Recording yourself is MANDATORY. I didn't learn this until Christmas break with less than two weeks before Area F tryouts. Get a computer mic or an mp3 player with a built-in recorder. Maybe even a tape recorder, but the newer ones don't really last very long. And oh yeah, have fun working on the music. It's not worth it if you don't love playing. If your directors are making you do this, I'm sorry for you. All State was one of the greatest experiences of my life. If Griffen does his annual master class, you should definitely go. It is normally around early October. Keep checking the Moore's School Website. And when it comes to getting ready for an audition (nerves), that's an ENTIRELY new TOPIC. It's completely different than it is for adults. If you have any questions or need advice on the music, IM me or something. It would be great to get a potential 4-year all-stater in this area!!!
Sorry for the long post...![[happy]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley12.gif)
P.S. would it be possible for anyone to come and do a masterclass at Elkins? We may have 20 clarinets try out this year, but probably 10 or 11 would show at the would-be master class. I dunno if any of you are good friends of Mr. Yancey or Mr. Caston, but I would greatly appreciate any kind of guidance. And I didn't know that Legrand and Webster did masterclasses. WOW this year will be exciting.
Post Edited (2004-07-24 05:31)
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Author: kdennyclarinet
Date: 2004-07-24 03:55
Gazebo Dealer makes some excellent points... one thing I would counter is the taking a few days off comment. Yes, it is important to take a few days off from the audition music, but I wouldn't recommend taking a few days off from the clarinet entirely. Make sure you are practicing other music.... "fun" music to keep you excited about music and the clarinet in general. For me, anyway, I can get away with one day off from the clarinet... but if I go further... two or three days or more... it does take some time to build back up to my usual practice time without experiencing fatigue.
Another suggestion on preparation: It is important that you spend time with the music AWAY from the clarinet. Study it... imagine different ways that each phrase could be played... try to understand where each phrase is eventually going... explore alternative fingering combinations and resonance fingerings for your throat tones... try to understand the music as far as theory is concerned (tonic, dominant, leading tones, etc)... look for scales, arpeggios, and other common patterns found in etudes... practice counting and articulations as you sing or hum the piece. This kind of practice can save you a lot of "mindless" practicing hours and frustration.
Best of luck to you!
K. Denny
BME, MM, DMA
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Author: Bigno16
Date: 2004-07-24 17:06
Here's 3 of the best tips I can give (ones that aren't always covered in "Practice, practice, practice).
1) KNOW your scales and play them at the required steady tempo. I cannot underestimate the importance of this. You have no idea how many people didn't make it that would have if they knew their scales better.
2) Work on improving your sight-reading skills. Everyone is going to know their solo piece like the back of their hand, so if you can sight-read well, then you have an advantage over them!
3) Play with musicanship and feeling. Make the adjudicator realize that you're concerned with more than right notes and rhythms.
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Author: Clarinetist
Date: 2004-07-24 19:24
It seems that people are just saying that you should practice a lot...however that isn´t enough if you don´t know what you are doing. You should always have all your concentration with you when you practice. This is so important! If you just practice without having all your concentration on the music, then you could rather go to do some fishing...
Good luck!
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2004-07-24 20:25
I think when people say 'practice', that implies all that goes along with proper practicing practices (haha, I alliterated!) such as focus, goal formation, blah, blah, blah. It might be beneficial to go over the "proper practice" suggestions, however, if anyone is up to it.
DH
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Author: Meri
Date: 2004-07-25 01:29
Advice for *any* audition:
1. Develop a great sound. (trust me, auditioners do notice!)
2. Cultivate a good sense of rhythm.
3. Develop strong sight-reading skills.
Meri
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Author: pewd
Date: 2004-07-27 05:35
> When I competed for region (1996-1999) there was no scales
in region 3 (north texas) you also will play 3 scales, chromatic to high g, plus 2 scales selected from the following 12: C, F, Bb, G, D, A, plus their relative minors. F & G major scales - 3 octaves, 2 octaves on the others.
this in addition to the edutes posted on the tmea site. all scales quarter-eighth pattern, tounged up, slured down.
or more accurately, thats what the kids did last year at regional; maybe the rules changed again , but i doubt it. and i have no idea what the other regions do.
excellent advice in prior posts, about getting a private teacher who will go over all this stuff with you
-pewd
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: jbutler ★2017
Date: 2004-07-27 12:14
The scale requirements are put into place by the different region band divisions. Some regions require scales, other do not. Some regions, like ours, require all major scales plus a chromatic from memory. There is not a minor scale requirement in this region. There are four very competitive regions within this metropolitan area: Region 17, Region 19, Region 23 and Region 9. I think that toughest to get out of area to state is Region 17 and 19 due to the fact they are assigned to the same area (Area F). Region 9 is in Area D and Region 23 is in Area E, which streaches all the way to San Antonio.
jbutler
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Author: JessKateDD
Date: 2004-07-27 20:31
Aye, Mr. Butler - repairman and band director extrodinaire - has it exactly correct. Different regions in Texas have different scale requirements. Also, some specify a certain range on the scales while others do not. No region that I know of in Texas requires sightreading.
Other states are different. Some have a written test on theory as part of the audition. Some use etudes, some just have students work up solo works. And some have sight-reading.
To answer Drenkier's initial question - making region/area/state in Texas is a lot like running a marathon. Those who try to work up the pieces too quickly will have problems. Take your time and get the notes solid at very slow speeds and then gradually pick the tempo up. What matters is how you play these pieces in December (for the region tryouts) and January (for area, if you are lucky enough to get that far). So you have over four months to work this music up. Do not let older, more advanced players intimidate you into working the pieces up too quickly. That is advice I always have to drill into my younger students. Be the tortoise, not the hare.
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