Middle School Band
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Membership Requirement
For a student to participate in KMEA honor groups the sponsoring teacher must be an active member of the Kansas Music Educators Association.

Middle School Band

2025-26

Clinician
TBA

Important Dates
Oct. 5 - Audition Upload Deadline - Late entries are not possible - $15 per completed audition
TBA - Judging ends
Nov. 8 - Clinic & Concert @ Dodge City MS - $5 per selected student

MS Band invoices are provided in your Festival Scores account.

Audition Event Tag
Directors will need to activate the following tag in their Festival Scores account:
Event Tag TBA

Chromatic Scale
Rules for Chromatic Scale:
  1. Play the chromatic scale on eighth notes with the MM Quarter Note=60.
  2. Slur up, tongue down
  3. Students must play the chromatic scale as written
The following excerpts are available as PDF files.
Unison Audition Excerpts
Audition material for all instruments will be taken from the Essential Technique for Band. These materials are selected on a two-year cycle.

Cycle 1: Even Years
  1. #164: Reading Skill Builder No. 7 for WW, Brass, Mallets and Snare TBA
  2. #132 Only Snare Drum Quarter Note =120
  3. #123 Only Timpani Record Tuning of Three Timpani then play exercise Quarter Note = 120 with no fermatas.
Cycle 2: Odd Years
  1. #166: Reading Skill Builder No. 9 for WW, Brass, Mallets, and Snare. TBA
  2. #132 Only Snare Drum Quarter Note = 120
  3. #123 Only Timpani Record Tuning of Three Timpani then play exercise Quarter Note =120 with no fermatas.

Audio Files

Record the following audio files (mp3 format) for each audition.

SectionAudio Files
Winds and Mallets
  • File 1 - Chromatic Scale - 2 Octaves
  • File 2 - #164 or #166 (refer to Cycle rotation) TBA
Timpani
  • File 1 - #123 - Including tuning of 3 timpani
Snare
  • File 1 - #132 - Snare Drum Only Exercise
  • File 2 - #164 or #166 (refer to Cycle rotation) TBA
Audition Recordings
  1. Students will audition via mp3 recording through Festival Scores. Audition recordings must be uploaded by the audition deadline.
  2. Please fill out your student profiles as completely as you can. This is the only way the Chair can get the correct information to each school and student.
  3. Audition material for all instruments will be taken from the Essential Technique for Band. These materials are selected on a two-year cycle.
  4. A chromatic scale will also be played in addition to the etude. It is written out for each instrument and provided on the website.
    Rules for Chromatic Scale:
    1. Quarter note=60 played on eighth notes
    2. Slur up, tongue down
    3. Students must play both octaves as written in chromatic scale
  5. Snare drum percussionists will play the exercise with a multiple bounce buzz roll. Quarter note at 120.
  6. Timpani percussionists will record tuning the timpani followed by the exercise with no fermatas. Quarter note at 120.
  7. Bell lyre, orchestra bells, xylophone, and the marimba are acceptable for mallet auditions. Mallet percussionists will play the same chromatic scale as listed above for wind instruments in addition to the etude. Please record the scale first followed by the etude.
  8. Each percussion instrument audition must be on a separate recording.
  9. No accompaniment playing with audition material.
  10. Directors, please listen to the recordings before submitting them. In the past, background noise or incorrect recording has ruined a recording for a student.
 
Chairperson
Jeffrey Poort
Pratt HS
400 S Hamilton St
Pratt, KS 67124
w: 620-672-4540
Important Dates - MS Band
Oct. 5, 2025 - Sun
Audition Upload Deadline — MS Band
$15 per audition
Nov. 8, 2025 - Sat
Clinics & Concerts — MS Band, MS Orchestra, HS Jazz Band
Dodge City MS
$5 per selected student
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