School starts again next week for me and I’m anticipating hearing hours of placement auditions to the Lamont Jazz Studies program ensembles.  I think its a good time to write a little about what those of us on the other side of the audition want to hear.

First, remember that the people who listen to auditions generally hear the same stuff from every player, for hours and hours, so do what you can to make your audition as painless for them as you can.  That means taking care of all of your business; prepare the music as directed (don’t ask to play something that is not on the list of things to play), check your intonation before you begin, complete any forms, dress like you want to be employed (not like you just rolled out of bed), and observe any particular requirements (for example, I don’t allow cases in the audition room because it takes time to take out and put away instruments and that causes the audition to run long).

Then, consider what they actually want to hear.  What is that you say? Well, here is what I want to hear, in the order of importance.  I hope it is helpful for you.

Tone

The sound you make is the most important thing.  Always strive for the most appropriate tone for the musical situation.  I don’t want to hear a “one size fits all” sort of sound.  I want you to demonstrate your musicianship to me right away by modulating your sound to accommodate the music.  Also, if you play a very directional instrument (e.g., brass instruments) or potentially loud instrument (electric guitar) make sure you’re not “blasting” right at the listener.  You may play with a beautiful tone, but if it is painful to hear, you won’t make the positive impression you desire.

Time

The most important thing for me after tone, is time.  Thirty years of music teaching has led me to believe this is the most foundational aspect of musicianship – and the one that is almost impossible to teach.  If a player does not have a solid internal pulse, all other aspects of their musicianship are at risk.  Playing with a secure pulse, even though you might play the audition a little under tempo is extremely important.  I can work with your technique to get the piece up to tempo if you can demonstrate you have a solid time feel, but without that feel there’s not much I can do for or with you.

Intonation

Right, so you’ve checked your intonation with the piano before you began and you’ve warmed up so that your instrument is playing in tune with itself.  Now, make sure you continue to take care of the foundational technical issues to be able to play in tune.  Of course, this always begins with listening – to yourself and to the way you are playing with others.

For wind instruments and vocalists the most common technical cause of bad intonation is not supporting the air column.  This is understandable because your natural physiological reaction to stress situations causes erratic breathing.  You must strive to overcome this natural reaction.  Fortunately, one of the best ways to calm yourself is to take a deep breath (after exhaling, you don’t want to explode!).

For all musicians, there is a tendency to carry tension in our upper back and shoulders.  Make sure you are in a relaxed and ready physical position before you begin your audition – back straight, feet on the floor, head erect and relaxed.  Getting your body in the right condition to play will assist with performing with good intonation and just performing well.

Phrasing

The next thing on my prioritized list is phrasing.  By this I am generally referring to attention to articulation issues, and dynamic shaping.  Musical clarity, and in fact, music meaning itself is very dependent on the character of articulation.  There are differences between a staccato, tenuto, slur, accent, “house-top” accent, etc. and I need to hear those differences.

In regards to phrasing in improvisations, what I want to hear are lines that have a sense of forward motion, change directions in interesting ways, and use a variety of rhythmic values – including silence.  (Notice, I didn’t say “rest.”  I think “rest” is the most unfortunate musical term, it should be called “highly active silence,” but that would be clumsy!)

Notes

Now comes the lowest priority item on the list – the notes.  This should not be a surprise because if you’ve taken care of playing with a good sound, playing with good time, in tune, in a stylistically accurate way, you’ve obviously dealt with the notes.  Also, if you miss a few notes for technical reasons, I can help you with that but if you don’t have the other items together… well I think you get the picture.

I hope this helps with your auditions now and in the future.  And remember, auditions are like other things in music – you get better at them with practice.