You will need to complete an audition card prior to signing-up for your ensemble audition. A link to sign-up for your time will be provided upon completing the card. Please check back over the summer for a link to the card.
2022-23 instrumental jazz ensemble auditions will be live, in person. The live auditions will be held on Sunday, August 21 from noon-6PM. To be fair to all, auditions will be done “blind”, behind a screen, so that the ensemble directors will not know who is playing. Be sure not to speak to the directors to maintain anonymity. If you have any questions after reading the instructions below, contact jazz director Mike Titlebaum at mtitlebaum@ithaca.edu.
ALL NECESSARY DOWNLOADS FOR THE AUDITIONS ARE AVAILABLE HERE: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ja9u09feiq6cj7k/AADGPrBhtfcaWEacJKYpPIKxa?dl=0
For drummers: Download the PDF “Drum Set Audition Piece - Too Many Things.PDF”. In addition to playing this piece at the audition, you will be asked to demonstrate several other styles for a few bars from the following list (probably trading 4s with an imaginary soloist, and using brushes on at least one):
- Slow, medium and fast swing
- Samba
- Bossa
- 3/4 Swing
- An asymmetrical meter, such as 5/4 or 7/4
For everyone auditioning other than drummers: The audition piece is “Blue Dolphin Street.” You’ll audition along with the play-along recording. You might notice that the chord progression to “Blue Dolphin Street” closely resembles the standard “Green Dolphin Street.” To help prepare the tune and learn the style, you can study and practice along with the MP3 called “AUDIO - Blue Dolphin Street - demo with Mike playing head.mp3”.
For all wind/brass players: Download the sheet music PDF transposed for your instrument (PDFs of several transpositions are available), and the play-along called “AUDIO - Blue Dolphin Street - for auditions of melodic instruments.mp3.” When you audition, you’ll play four choruses along with the mp3: One chorus of the written melody, two choruses of improvised solo, and one final chorus of the written melody. If you do not yet improvise, you can stop after the first chorus of melody.
Additional note for saxophone/woodwind doublers: If you play flute or clarinet, download the transposed versions for those instruments. During the audition, you’ll re-start the play-along for each instrument you play. There is no need to improvise solos on more than one instrument.
For guitarists/pianists/vibes players: Download the sheet music PDF “Blue Dolphin Street - Sheet music for guitar piano vibes and flute.pdf” and the play-along called