FCF HS auditions

I'm very excited for this year's auditions at Mt. Blue High School for the 2025-26 FCF!

Auditions will be a bit different this year, all auditions (you choose video or live) will be due on Monday, June 9. ALL prospective members will start rehearsing with FCF at the beginning of school next fall. Our first 2 meetings are: Monday, August 25 from 5-6 pm at MBHS, and Monday, Sept. 8, from 5:15-6:30 pm at MBHS. Audition information is all here!

Everyone must currently be enrolled in orchestra (or at least in the music program at Mt. Blue) in order to audition, that has been a longstanding music department policy. Instrumentation: Fiddles, of course! Plus other melody and rhythm instruments, viola, cello, bass, guitar, piano, flute/tin whistle, accordion - we've had clarinet, sax, bagpipes and more in the past. . . If you want to play this kind of music, check FCF out!). If you've returned your rental instrument for the summer, you should make plans to have it for the first FCF rehearsal.

Rehearsals are traditionally held on Monday evenings, 5-7 or 5:15-7:15, and we play a lot of performances. If you're not ready for this level of commitment, please audition for FCF another year. (On trip years we play close to 30 performances including the performances on our trip). We usually take some min-trips, visiting school, nursing and Veteran's homes, and we get asked to perform at a lot of events.

I will use technology to get you music, information and performance dates, most likely in an FCF Google Classroom. Please make sure that you're organized, and able to access the internet often.

Everyone will need an auditions commitment letter, signed by you and a parent, in order to audition.

Here's the link to the 25-26 "auditions committment letter"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ixee7ObyTQRpP2YNVfoJdy1zDupd-eto/view?usp=drive_link

(There is 1 required tune for auditions this year:

Tune:

You will all learn the Irish fiddle classic "Julia Delaney" by ear. (Sometimes called Julia Delaney's) I'm providing some YouTube reference videos. Learn from the videos, the first videos are tutorials, with each phrase being introduced. The tune is in D minor. Your ability to learn tunes by ear will be paramount to your success in FCF, and it's a skill that will improve over time!

Melody instruments can play the fiddle tune - harmony instruments (guitar, piano, etc.) should play the chords. (it would be great if you could play the melody too). Viola/Cello/Bass - feel free to change any high pitched sections an octave lower to avoid shifting, or go for it! For harmony instruments: I suggest selecting a video with the right speed, playing that one in the background, and filming yourself playing chords.

NEW VIDEO: Here's a video of me showing how this tune can be played on violin, (regular or low register) and viola, cello, bass, low register, I also do a quick guitar demonstration at the end. https://youtu.be/u3vqnKcdTFo