To:
From:
, District Band Audition Chairman
Subject: Instructions for Hosts
Please use this information to help you set up the
auditions. If you have any questions feel free to contact me
at
home or school.
You will need the following:
1. An Assembly Room for all students, preferably the
auditorium, with a public address system. Students leave
coats and cases here while auditioning. The Assembly Room
Monitor will announce the numbers of students being
sent to the warm-up room.
2. Registration tables with signs plainly showing where each
instrument should register. Please follow this
procedure very carefully.
A. Students arriving to register are to have their registration forms with them, already filled out except for
their number, which will be assigned to them at the time of registration. Have reliable parents register the
auditions. You may provide registration slips to those that have forgotten them.
B. At the time of arrival, each student will turn in his/her registration slip and be assigned a number for the
audition. The person at the registration desk writes this number in the blank on the registration form and
copies the student’s number on the master list so that the number assigned to each student on his
registration form matches that on the master list.
C. The registration forms are kept in numerical order at the registration desk until picked up at the close of
registration.
D. Number all like instruments consecutively, starting from 1 (one).
3. Set up a warm-up room for each judging station. Never
more than 3 or 4 students in this room at a time. As
one student leaves for a judging station another should be brought to
the room by the runner who is working
between the warm-up room and assembly room. Your guides and
runners must be very firm in handling students
who are auditioning. If anyone cannot follow instructions, they
may be disqualified upon the recommendation of
the host.
4. Each judging station should have a long table for the
judges and their equipment (teacher/students desks can be
used). Use screens, portable blackboards, cafeteria tables,
etc., in all rooms to completely hide the judges from the
view of the students.
**THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITY OF THE HOST**
5. For cornets, flutes and clarinets, there must be two
judges stations; one for playing major scales and first sightreading
selection, and one chromatic and second sightreading selection.
The major scales and first sightreading selection are heard
first. Other instruments might need two rooms due to the large
number of pre-registered students. This information will be
sent to you will before the auditions.
6. Situate all audition rooms well apart from each
other. Each room should have adequate heat and ventilation.
Electrical outlets are necessary in each room.
7. The following runners or guides are needed:
A. Assembly Room: One band director (Administrative Assistant) to announce numbers of students being
taken to the warm-up room.
B. Between Assembly Room and Warm-up Room: One for each warm-up room, to take students to warm-up
rooms.
C. Warm-up Room: One for each room to stay and keep order.
There is no sight-reading warm-up room. All sight-reading will be done in the audition room.
D. Between Warm-up Room and Audition Room: One for each room to take students to audition room.
E. Audition Room: One for each room to assist judges and to inform judges when the student is comfortably
seated and ready to play. The guide must stand out of line of vision of the student during the audition.
The guide will inform auditioning students to return to the assembly area, get their belongings and leave
the premises as soon as possible after finishing the audition. The guide will communicate with judges in
the event of any questions by the auditioning student.
F. For cornets, clarinets, flutes, etc., an additional guide will be needed to take the students from the major scale judges room to the chromatic judges room. Runners or guides must have only one assignment at a time.
Have extra runners to occasionally relieve those on duty.
G. After the student leaves the audition room; it might be a good practice to have a special guide (at each
audition room) to escort the student back to the assembly area. In this way, no student will be observing
other students warming up or auditioning.
8. Registration Desk : Have band parents register
students for each level and instrument group being judged.
This person will assign number.
9. Have coffee, soft drinks, donuts, etc. . available for
judges (keep them happy). Extra student runners may be
needed here.
10. Make arrangements for judges lunches well in
advance. If the judges are to eat while auditioning, make
sure
all judges at your school do the same. If you are planning a
lunch break, make sure your student runners know this
and stop audition traffic in the proper manner (no one left in
warm-up).
11. Have a meeting the day before the auditions with all
your guides and runners. Be sure they all know and
understand procedures, and impress them with the importance of their
jobs. On them rests the success or failure of
the day’s auditions. A sheet explaining their assignments
may be helpful.
12. Collect all adjudication sheets at the end of the audition. KEEP THEM IN AUDITION ORDER!
13. Make certain all students have been called and have been
heard before the judges leave.
GOOD LUCK!