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What to practice when you have nothing to practice.


crazymello

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I guess I have two questions kinda. I've never had to deal with a DCI audition before, and, well, I simply don't know what to expect. Are you tested on scales? I know an etude is usually involved, maybe two, but what else? And if no audition material is out for anyone, what do I practice that I not only will expect at an audition, but will make me a better player in general. I know long tones... been doing lots of those. I have worked in all the ranges of the horn (at least all the ranges anyone wants to hear out of a mellophone....), done lip slur stuff and all that, but what do you guys suggest?

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Carnival of Venice.

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Buglers Holiday..........all 3 parts. (at the same time) :worthy: Seriously though........10 minutes a day.....whole notes, long tones, maybe some scales for dexterity.....if old enough....have a beer. :thumbs-up:

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When I was gearing up for my second year of corps I was trying to beef up my endurance so my prof. gave me a packet of lead trumpet parts for several marches. i would have to start at the beginning of the packet and play all the way to the end without stopping. It's a great way to get used to long blows on the horn, gets your dexterity up, and also exposes you to a wide variety of marches that you will probably end up playing at some point.

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funny, I teach some kids to play trombone at a highschool, and I was working them in the arban trombone book just today. (as we happened to find it in said school's library, and it looked like a good recourse)

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The Blue Devils have some suggestions.

Blue Devils Brass FAQ's

Q: What should I expect at my playing audition with The Blue Devils?

A: In a nutshell, your playing audition will last around 5 to 10 minutes and be in a room with just you and one or two members of The Blue Devil brass staff. We will ask you a few simple questions such as your age and marching experience to "break the ice" and get things rolling. DO NOT BE NERVOUS! Although you will have had time to warm-up on your own before the audition, we will give you another minute to re-warm and prepare for your audition. From there we will ask to hear the "2009 Audition Exercises" which will give us a good idea of your tone, flexibility and articulation style. If you are interested in a lead spot, we will also ask you to demonstrate your range. Once the basic technique is out of the way, we will listen to you play about 2 minutes of prepared material which should consist of both technical and lyrical playing. A lot of potential members choose excerpts from one or two different pieces to demonstrate these contrasting styles. Finally, we will ask you a few more questions and that is it, painless! (From BD web site, by John Meehan)

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Colts use to have a lot of good information on their website about what they were looking for in a marcher.

If I could give you advice of what to practice it would be work on your timing with a met everyday.

They will be much more impressed with your ability to play in time than they will theatrics on a horn.

Best drills I have found for drum corps still come from the SChlossberg book.

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