Middle School Band

2020-21

The unison audition excerpts are now included in the SWKMEA Guidelines Notebook.

Please refer to the Chromatic Scale Examples page for PDF resources.

Cycle 1 - Even Years
Cycle 2 - Odd Years

For the 2020-21 school year, make sure you are using Cycle 1 - Even Years.

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 Chairman 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. The scale must be slurred up and tongued down on wind instruments at 120 bpm. This also includes mallet percussion.
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. Directors, please listen to the recordings before submitting them. In the past, background noise or incorrect recording has ruined a recording for a student.