ILMEA Auditions 2026-2027

Winds & Brass Auditions Cycle 3 (for ILMEA Band & Orchestra)

Your audition should be recorded in the order listed here.

You may pause the recording between sections or record each item at different times but there must be no audio editing or video enhancements in the audition video outside of piecing the audition sections together into one continuous video.

The use of headphones, air pods, non-ILMEA provided backing tracks, using metronomes, being cued, or editing of components will automatically result in the audition being disqualified.

CLICK HERE FOR GUIDELINES ON RECORDING AND SHARING YOUR AUDITION

1. SCALE SHEET
   There is a 3-minute time limit; all notes must be tongued 

2. ETUDE 1 - Technical

3. ETUDE 2 - Lyrical

PERCUSSION AUDITIONS

Percussion auditions will not include scales and should proceed immediately to recording the excerpts in the following order:

1. Snare

2. Timpani

3. Mallet

4. Auxiliary percussion

Jazz Auditions 2026-2027 (for ILMEA Jazz Band & Jazz Combo)

CLICK HERE FOR GUIDELINES ON RECORDING AND SHARING YOUR AUDITION

1. STATEWIDE INSTRUMENTAL JAZZ ETUDES, CYCLE 3

Each backing track is linked with QR code on the etude PDF and are also available HERE

2. IMPROVISATION (EXCEPT DRUMSET)

Districts will use Jamey Aebersold Jazz, Inc., Vol 6, Track 2 - Billie’s Bounce for the improvisation portion of the District Audition.
Students will perform 3 choruses. Click here for backing tracks

Click here for the transposed lead sheets for Billie's Bounce. These are for study and rehearsal only - melody is not part of the audition assessment.

3. IMPROVISATION (OPTIONAL - FOR HONORS COMBO CONSIDERATION)

Using standard changes, students will perform 2 choruses of improvisation using the ILMEA-provided backing tracks. Tracks can be found here: I Got Rhythm (Optional Honors Combo) Playalong Tracks

4. STATEWIDE DRUMSET

Drumset players demonstrate a functional approach to a variety of rhythmic studies: 

1. Swing (fast or slow) 

2. Latin (samba or bossa) 

3. Brushes (medium swing or ballad) 

4. Funk

I Got Rhythm Backing Track (Honors Combo)