GYJO Auditions for Director: Peter Martin Audition Panel: T.B.A.

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1 GYJO Auditions for Director: Peter Martin Audition Panel: T.B.A. GYJO audition requirements (each audition is c minutes): Please prepare the following towards gaining a place in GYJO: Your organisation skills This information should be submitted with your application: 1a) Audition registration Please download and complete the Member information sheet which we require you ing to our GJL Director (informed on website). In this please also answer the three questions below: [If a previous auditionee, please just the GYJO Director expressing your interest in a re-audition] i) How did you first hear about GYJO? ii) Why are you are interested in GYJO? iii) Why do you feel GYJO will be beneficial for you? Please refer to the skills you feel are your strength and which you need to develop. 1b) If you think a reference from either your Head of Music at school / college or your instrumental teacher will be beneficial to your audition application (ie. there may be a lot of music making activities you are involved in that we would find useful to know), then the GYJO Director must receive this via at least 72 hours before the student s audition detailing the following: [Any previous auditionees will be informed by the GYJO Director what is required in terms of references] i) How does your student demonstrate passion and dedication for jazz music? ii) What are your student's aspirations as a jazz musician? iii) How does your student demonstrate commitment for continued and steady / impressive progress? iv) Please describe your student's technical, independent and ensemble skills, their musicianship and achievements to date (including reading, sight-reading, theoretical knowledge, musical awareness and improvising skills). v) Please detail any other impressive achievements or suggestions about your student which you feel we should be aware. Your rehearsal skills: 2) Visiting two trial rehearsals with the band (one trial visit will not be accepted). Students will perform with, experience and contribute to our band rehearsals. We do encourage visiting musicians to take an "open solo" on one of our easy-intermediate charts as well as demonstrate their best rehearsal disciplines, individual and ensemble playing. Your practical and performance skills and musical awareness - Your personal audition: Please note we have a full quota of drummers, space for 2 guitarists & 2 bassists. Singers ONLY audition in May each year. 3a) Students should bring along a copy of their last grade exam certificate (please note we ideally look for grade 6 for entry). 3b) Perform the head of On the sunny side of the street with a swing feel at a moderate tempo (mm. 120). Please see the respective lead sheets on the next few pages. Whether there is a one, two, four-feel or a mixture is up to the discretion of the student to what they feel represents them at their best. The audition focus is on accuracy, fluency, style and interpretation. Student s backing tracks will only be accepted in mp3 format if received via (to the GYJO Director) 72 hours (at latest) before the audition, otherwise we will provide a live piano accompaniment. Students should be prepared for questions about they would approach improvising on the piece and be prepared to demonstrate. Singers MUST practice along with the Big Band version (see weblinks at the bottom of page 3&4), rehearse this in the GYJO trial rehearsals and perform with a piano accompanist in the audition. Singers can also be an instrumentalist (ideally grade 6) in GYJO as well please ensure this is mentioned in your initial of interest that auditioning as an instrumentalist is also wanted (our GYJO Director will reply with confirmation of exactly what you need to prepare). 3c) Improvising over ONE of three provided chord sequences on the next page. Instrumentalists need to prepare all 3 in a latin, swing and straight-8 funk feel, singers only in a latin and swing feel. One chord sequence will be chosen by the audition panel in one of these feels for the student to improvise over with a live piano accompanist. The 8 bars will be repeated three times before the last pause chord where the student will be required to improvise a cadenza in the chosen style. The audition focus is on awareness of scales / chords, rhythmic, stylistic and expressive improvising as well as command of improvising skills and instrumental techniques. 3d) Sight-reading A short exercise (at least 32 bars) will be presented to the student, which will be in any key, time signature, tempo and jazz genre / style the audition panel choose. The audition focus is on accuracy, fluency, sense of style and command. 3e) An interview immediately after the audition with an opportunity for the student and audition panel to ask any questions.

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3 Any phrases not within comfortable range should be sung in a different octave or melodically adapted by the singer Please visit the links below to hear the big band vocal arrangement:

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