Jazz Ensemble will hold auditions on Oct. 28, 30. According to band director Mike Pote, there will be five judges: Pote, associate band director Andy Cook, associate band director Chris Kreke, associate band director Kyle Young and Percussion specialist Jeffery Queen.
According to Pote, there will most likely be two rounds in the audition process. “The first round will be to get the upper echelon players, intermediate players, beginning players; to try and get an idea of where everyone is falling, and then the second round, if needed, kind of clears that out a little bit more,”he said.
People auditioning will be scored on a rubric that notates musical components such as tone quality, style, rhythms and musicality.
Matt Hodges, a vibraphone player and junior, said he prepares the audition piece, “Peri’s Scope” by Bill Evans, by learning the correct notes, chords and rhythm and playing them in the proper style. “The audition process for me is always a little bit unnerving. I mean, it’s fun, it’s exciting to learn the piece and to go through the process of preparing it, but the actual audition itself I’ve always found nerve-racking,” he said.
Hodges said he plays jazz to express himself. “We rehearse every morning, and it’s a good way to get your head warmed up for the day. You go in, you’re thinking about music, you’re calm, you’re relaxed, you’re focused and you’re ready to go for the day.”