Auditions for the Ankeney Middle School Jazz Band usually take place in mid- to late-November. Audition materials and information will be announced in class and emailed home when it is time. Below are some commonly asked questions about jazz band but feel free to ask your band teacher if you have other questions!
SIGN UP FOR AN AUDITION TIME HERE!
The Ankeney Jazz Band performs music in a variety of styles including swing, latin, rock, and funk. This group focus on jazz standards as well as modern hits and helps students learn the basics of jazz improvisation. The jazz band performs at school concerts and additional community events. The instrumentation is slightly flexible but is generally made up of 5-7 saxophones, 5-7 trombones (or baritones/tubas), and 5-7 trumpets as well as a rhythm section made up of 1-2 piano players, and 1-2 drumset players. Additionally, if students audition who are proficient on guitar or bass guitar, those instruments can be included in the ensemble. Students must audition to earn a spot in jazz band and demonstrate a certain level of skill on their instrument to be accepted (i.e. if only 1 guitar player tries out, that does not guarantee them a spot).
The Ankeney Jazz Band rehearses Tuesdays and Thursdays after school from 2:30pm-3:30pm. Rehearsals will begin at the beginning of December.
All students (except those wanting to play piano, bass, guitar, or drum set) should try out on their primary instrument. Flute, clarinet, and double reed players that make it into jazz band will learn alto, tenor, or bari sax. Baritone or tuba players that make it into jazz band will learn trombone.
YES! Students interested in audition on multiple instruments (i.e. piano, bass, guitar, or drum set) may try out for more than one instrument but they must sign up for multiple audition times. You will not be able to do two auditions in a single time slot.
Unfortunately no. Only students that try out specifically on piano, bass, guitar, or drum set will be considered for those respective instruments.
Students will sign up for an audition time online through a link provided on www.ankeneyband.org. On the day of the audition, students should arrive at least five minutes before their scheduled audition time. Students are welcome to stay after school and practice in the band room if they would like. Auditions will be taking place in the band office. The audition music is available through SmartMusic - it is highly recommended you practice with SmartMusic to get a feel for the style. Additionally, SmartMusic is a good tool for practicing an improv solo. If you have questions about the audition, please ask BEFORE your audition so you can prepare appropriately.
No. There is no SmartMusic or recorded audition option for Jazz Band auditions.
One of the best things to do to get a feel for jazz music is practice in SmartMusic! The SmartMusic library has thousands of jazz band songs you can play and many of them include parts for all instruments (i.e. flute, clarinet, etc.). Additionally, there are jazz method books that are like the jazz band version of our normal band book. Finally, go to YouTube, Spotify, etc. and listen to some jazz! The students who are most successful in their audition are those who understand the style (i.e. how to swing your 8th notes) and a lot of that comes from just listening!