Audition Excerpts

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KMEA All-State Wind & Percussion
2023-24 Audition Excerpts

Participation Eligibility Requirements

There are three requirements for a student to be eligible to audition for the KMEA All-State Band and Orchestra Winds/Percussion membership:

  1. The student must first be a performing member of their District’s 2023-24 KMEA Band, Jazz Ensemble, or Orchestra.
  2. The student’s director must be a member of KMEA, will register each audition online, and send the Audition Invoice with appropriate payment to the KMEA Payment Manager. These must be completed by the deadline established by KMEA.
  3. The student must be deemed an eligible freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior in good standing in their high school.

Music Requirements for the Live Audition:

  1. A chromatic scale slurred up and tongued down. Quarter Note MM= 60. Play the rhythm as written on the scale sheet. Memorization is not required.
  2. One major scale, as written on the scale sheet, with up to 4 sharps or 4 flats. Quarter Note MM= 60. Play the rhythm as written on the scale sheet. Memorization is not required. All scales will start on the notes indicated on the scale sheet for their instrument. Each scale is non-transposed (i.e., if a trumpet player is asked to perform a C scale, they will be expected to perform a C scale on their instrument, not a C concert scale.) The major scale for each instrument will be posted by the band chairpersons on the morning of live auditions.
  3. Scale examples are provided indicating articulation and range for each scale. Please perform the rhythms as indicated with the metronome setting of quarter note equals MM=60
  4. Sections of the required etudes/solos listed below.
  5. Sight reading
NOTICE – Following discussion at the June 2023 KMEA state board meeting, KMEA will allow adjustments to the excerpts up through August 15, 2023. This is due to the new excerpt documents being prepared in the Wind/Percussion areas. Once August 15, 2023 arrives, no further changes will occur and what is posted on that date will be the final versions that will be used for the 2023-24 auditions at the state level. Going forward in subsequent years (beginning 2024-25), excerpt documents will be considered as final and complete by May 1st, which is our usual practice. The usage of August 15 as a lock-down date for excerpt adjustments will be for one school year only, 2023-24.

Wind Excerpts – Cycle 1
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File version updates
Instrument Version Date Posted
Piccolo Ver. 4 Aug 14, 2023
Flute Ver. 4 Aug 13, 2023
Bassoon Ver. 3 Aug 13, 2023
Clarinet Ver. 2 May 31, 2023
Alto Sax Ver. 2 May 14, 2023
Tenor Sax Ver. 2 May 14, 2023
Bari Sax Ver. 2 May 14, 2023
Trumpet Ver. 3 Aug 13, 2023
Trombone Ver. 2 Jul 21, 2023
Tuba Ver. 5 Jul 21, 2023

NOTICE – The following percussion excerpts will be used for 2023-24. This will be the final year these sections audition separately. Beginning in 2024-25, these sections will change to a combined Percussion audition which covers all three areas.
Percussionists may audition in one or more areas, but a separate entry and payment must be submitted for each audition.

Timpani
26 Etudes, The Solo Timpanist, Vic Firth, published by Carl Fischer (04402).
Play all of Etude II and Etude III.
Beginning of Etude III, M.M. dotted-quarter = 69.

Mallets
Masterpieces for Marimba, arr. Thomas McMillan, published by Belwin/Warner Bros. (PROBK 1202).
Play page 10 and 11: “Sonata” by Handel.
Observe the first repeat; omit the second repeat.

Snare Drum
Portraits in Rhythm, 50 Studies for Snare Drum, Anthony Cirone, published by Belwin Mills (HAB 101).
Play all of Etude #11 on page 13.
Play all of Etude #6 on page 8.