A CLARINETIST'S GUIDE TO THE AUDITION PROCESS AND LITERATURE FOR THE PREMIER UNITED STATES SERVICE BANDS

Abstract

The eight premier United States service bands provide numerous job opportunities for the prospective professional musician and offer financial stability, job security, and an outlet to perform at a superior level in a variety of settings. Although many published resources exist to prepare candidates for orchestral auditions, few published resources address the audition process and literature for the premier U.S. service bands. This study examines the audition process at these organizations through written correspondence with past and present audition coordinators. It addresses topics such as the system of rounds, the personnel that comprise committees, literature selection criteria, desirable traits of candidates, the role of sight-reading in the audition, and the relationship of each band's process to its mission. In order to compile a list of significant wind literature including clarinet, a written survey was distributed to a cross-section of conductors and clarinetists from universities and military bands. The survey requested identification of five to ten works from three categories including original works, marches, and transcriptions of orchestral music deemed essential for audition preparation for these bands. Fifteen of the most frequently identified works are excerpted, and accompanied by a technical and stylistic discussion. Appendices include sample audition lists from 2005-2010 and a discography of premier U.S. service band recordings of excerpted literature. These resources should aid candidates in preparing for these auditions more comprehensively than previously possible, while reducing the amount of time required to locate such reference materials.