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Audition notes - Information for children interested in auditioning for the Recorder Ensemble
We’re looking for children who are able to play a recorder confidently. The Recorder ensemble will be made up of about thirty children from Years 5-8. We require descant-recorder players; treble-recorder players; tenor recorder players and bass recorder players.
If you are interested in belonging to the Recorder Ensemble, you must audition - even though you may have been a member of the group last year. Everyone has to audition.
If you are taught recorder by Genny Long, you may be auditioned by another tutor to ensure that your audition is fair.
Each audition will take approximately five minutes and the results of the auditions will be posted to your school on the 21st June 2010.
The audition process - what you can expect at the audition:
After you have applied online to be a member of the Recorder Ensemble Special Group, we will arrange an audition time and ask your school to tell you where you are to audition and what time we would like you to come to the audition.
You will be asked to do the following:
- Decide on which recorder you will audition on and learn one of the audition tunes shown below. You need to play this at your audition.
- The tutor will then give you a piece of music that you probably haven’t seen before and ask you to play it as well as you can. This tests your ability to sight-read music.
- You will then be asked to play a scale on your recorder. If you have stated that you can play more than one recorder, the tutor will choose on which recorder you are to play the scale. If you play a descant or tenor recorder, you must be able to play one octave of the A Minor Harmonic scale. If you play a treble or bass recorder, you need to be able to play one octave of D Minor Harmonic Scale. Scales are to be prepared - tongued only.
- The tutor will mark your performance according to a rubric below. The total mark you can earn is forty points.
| 5
points |
4
points |
3
points |
2
points |
1
point |
|
 |
All notes
are played correctly and are accurate in all ranges & registers |
Most of
the notes are played correctly with just a few intonation difficulties |
Some wrong
notes that detracted at times from the overall performance |
Many wrong
notes that substantially detracted from the overall performance |
Significant
number of errors. Tonality is unclear |
 |
Overall
accurate performance no rhythmic errors |
Mostly
accurate but with a few wrong rhythmic figures |
Generally
accurate but not consistent (rushing or slowing down) |
Has a basic
sense of rhythm but many errors detract from overall performance |
Is neither
accurate nor consistent |
 |
Is full,
rich & characteristic of the tone quality of the instrument
in all ranges & registers |
Is of a
characteristic tone quality in most ranges but occasionally distorts
in some passages |
Shows evidence
of good tone a majority of the time but is not consistent (sometimes
too thin or too harsh) |
Some good
tone but has some major flaws in basic production |
Does not
play with a good sound. Sound is often too thin or harsh. |
 |
Student
demonstrates maturity in the use of phrasing and other musical nuances
to express the feeling of the music |
Good use
of phrasing and other musical nuances most of the time. Shows an
understanding of dynamic markings in most of the performance |
Student
attempts and has some success with the use of phrasing to express
the feeling of the music |
Starting
to grasp the essentials of good phrasing and starting to show a
feel for the music |
Performance
shows no evidence of musical expression in the performance |
 |
Student
is able to play at a level of expected of a Grade 7 student or above |
Student
is able to play at a level expected of a Grade 6 student |
Student
is able to play at a level expected of a Grade 5 student |
Student
is able to play at a level expected of a Grade 4 student |
Student
is able to play at a level expected of a Grade 3 student |
Section B: Scales
| Criteria |
Points |
| Student plays the scale using ALL (2); most (1); less than half (0) of the correct notes. | 2 points |
| Student plays the scale with accurate (2); almost accurate (1); poor (0) intonation. | 2 points |
| Student plays the scale using the appropriate tempo and rhythm the first time without having to start over. | 1 point |
| Degree of difficulty:3 octaves (3); 2 octaves (2); 1½ octaves (1);1 octave (½) | 3 points |
| Total |
8
points |
| Criteria |
Points |
| Melodic Accuracy: Student plays all(2); the majority(1); less than half (0) of the notes in the excerpt correctly | 2 points |
| Rhythmic accuracy: Student plays all (2); the majority (1); less than half (0) of the rhythms in the excerpt correctly | 2 points |
| Tone: Student performs the excerpt, with full tone, (1); some (½); or very little (0) | 1 point |
| Musicianship: | 2 points |
| Total |
7
points |