JUNIOR LEVEL INFORMATION 2008
JUNIOR BAND
Jeff Marshall, Judah Christian / Parkland College, jeffmarshall048@hotmail.com (217-359-1701)
AUDITION PROCEDURE
- Students must be in grades 6, 7, or 8 and be members of their school band.
- Scale sheets and the etude cycle reference, Etude Set I, can be found on the same page that you pulled up this information - District III, Junior Level Information.
- Students may audition for both jazz band and concert band.
Warm up room monitors needed throughout the day. If you are available for a one- or two-hour shift during the day please contact Jeff Marshall. Thanks!
IMPORTANT: District III Junior Band uses DIFFERENT SCALES than the one listed under “Division Info” on the state website. Please use only the ones that are found on our district page …… click on Junior Level Information and you will find the correct scale sheets!
FESTIVAL INFORMATION
Guest Conductor: Chip De Stefano, McCraken Middle School, Skokie
District Repertoire:
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Prestissimo – Karl King (Barnhouse)
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Peregrin – Douglas Akey (Queenwood/Kjos)
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When the Stars Began to Fall – Fred Allen (TRN)
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Symphony No. 4 - Andrew Boysen (Kjos)
JUNIOR CHORUS
Heidi Blaine, Parkside Jr. High, blaineh@unit5.org (309-337-3324)
Elizabeth Martin, Jefferson Middle School, martinel@champaignschools.org (217-351-3790 ex.730)
AUDITION NEEDS
- 8 judges (stipend available)
- 3-4 music teacher volunteers to monitor the warm-up room (1-2 hour shifts each)
- 2-3 parent volunteers to serve as hallway monitors
AUDITION PROCEDURE
Students in grades 7 & 8 who are members of their school choral ensemble are eligible to audition
Prepared Selections (2): 48 points
- Students will need to learn their own part on all of the music selected for the festival. Students will be asked to sing 2 selected passages using an accompaniment CD (provided). Starting pitch, tonality, and piano accompaniment intro will assist the student in starting the passages. The two pieces will be posted outside the audition rooms.
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6 points per selection in the following categories: note accuracy, rhythmic accuracy, intonation, and diction.
Rhythmic Sight-Reading: 8 points
- One 2-measure exercise in common time (4/4) using only eighth, quarter, half, and whole notes. Students will intone the rhythm on the solfege syllable Do or using ta’s and ti ti’s.
Tonal Skills (Tonal Memory & Major Scale): 26 points
- Tonal Memory (10 pts) - 5 note melody beginning and ending on the tonic and based on the first five scale degrees of a major scale. Student will sing the melody back on a neutral syllable. The melody will be played twice on the CD before the student sings it back.
Ascending Major Scale (16 pts) - Altos and Sopranos will sing a C major scale. Tenors will sing F Major. Basses will sing B Major. Due to the variety of vocal changes occurring in their voices, any tenor or bass who prefers to sing a different major scale will be allowed to do so provided he can walk into the audition and clearly state which scale he is prepared to sing.
Tone Quality: 18 points
This is the only subjective part of the audition score. Overall vocal quality awarded by the judge may be based upon the following: voice support, evenness of vocal range, and developmentally appropriate sound of the student’s voice.
2008 FESTIVAL INFORMATION
Guest Conductor: Beth Best, Thayer J. Hill Middle School, Naperville, IL
Festival Repertoire (Prepare ALL music):
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Exsultate Justi, Viadana/ ed. Porterfield 3 pt mixed, Alfred #23039
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She Sings, Bernon, 3 pt mixed, Heritage #15/1362H
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Sing Me to Winter, Bray 3 pt mixed, Heritage #15/1439H
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Can You Hear, Papoulis, 3 pt mixed, Boosey & Hawkes #M-051-47498-1
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Come to Me, O My Love, Petker, SATB, Hinshaw HMC-997
Note: Kidder Music, The Music Shoppe, King Music, and JW Pepper have been notified of these selections.
JUNIOR ORCHESTRA
Karen Monhardt, Bloomington HS, monhardtk@district87.org (309-828-5201, ext. 1332)
AUDITION PROCEDURE
- Selections from the required repertoire
- Students in grades 7 & 8 who are members of their school orchestra are eligible to audition.
- Students will still choose either Violin I or Violin II
2008 FESTIVAL INFORMATION
Guest Conductor: David Barg, ArtsLab, Astoria, NY
Festival Repertoire:
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Three Slavonic Dances (Dvorak/Isaac), pub. Alfred
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Carmen Suite (Bizet/Leidig), pub. Alfred
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Early American Suite (Isaac), pub. Alfred
JUNIOR JAZZ BAND
Mike Lehman, Edison Middle School , lehmanmi@champaignschools.org 217-351-3771
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A second band will be formed provided there is enough instrumentation. This will, of course, greatly depend on rhythm section numbers. We have been low in bass and piano numbers over the last few years.
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When auditioning on alto or tenor sax, please consider doing a second audition on bari. This is another area where we are often low in numbers.
NEW ITEM ON THE WEBSITE
We have placed a drum set pattern guide on the website for you to use. You can find it on the District 3 webpage under “Junior Level.”
AUDITION PROCEDURE
- Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 are eligible to audition
- Prepared Piece: students should audition on the first part for their instrument
- Improvisation: F Blues (Jamey Abersold, Vol. 1, Track 8)
- The majority of the audition will consist of the prepared piece. Improvisation is encouraged and a large component of jazz in general, but is not the focus of the audition.
Audition Selection:
"Smack Dab in the Middle" by Sammy Nestico
Other District Selections will be mailed to each student selected for the district festival.
2008 FESTIVAL INFORMATION
Guest Conductors:
Band I: Bob Lark, De Paul University
Band II: Beth Nuss, Paxton-Buckley-Loda HS
