All-County Band Audition Resources

• • scale sheets for winds

  • scale sheet for mallets

  • rudiment sheet for snare

  • Ms. Gasque's YouTube video on scale tips, information, and strategy

• • sight-reading guidelines

  • YouTube video: S.T.A.R.S for Sight-Reading

  • Sight-Reading Factory (to practice) -—Click "Sight Read for Free" or ask me for a login/password.

  • SmartMusic sight-reading: Give yourself 30 seconds to study. Then play it.

    • level 2

    • level 3 (skip any with a 2/2 time signature)

    • level 4

  • Sight-Reading Practice Tools (Google Sheets file that Ms. Gasque created; HCS Google login required; make a copy if you want to use the checkboxes)

  • 4four.io (tools for rhythm practice)

• • terms list

  • terms Quizlet

  • terms flash cards

  • Cole's Blooket

  • Kahoot!

    • play solo

    • play asynchronously with others (expires Oct. 20, 2025)

• • Students may audition on mallets, timpani, or snare. Students auditioning on snare, if selected, would play snare/bass/accessories at the concert.

  • Students sight-read and define terms just like the winds do. A technique score replaces the tone score.

  • mallets

    • Scales are like winds (7 major 2-octaves scales in 3 minutes; chromatic scale).

  • timpani

    • audition requirements to be added

  • snare

    • Students play 4 rudiments instead of the winds' scales and a long roll instead of the chromatic scale. 

    • rudiments: 9-stroke roll, paradiddle, flam, single drag tap

      • Mr. Paxton's practice sheets: They are designed to help you develop your rudiments. The actual rudiments are not exactly the same as each of these lines.

      • old rudiment demonstration video

      • older rudiment demonstration video (uses Lesson 25 instead of the now-required Single Drag Tap; HCS Google login required)

      • Vic Firth rudiment library — Watch the rudiment breakdown video and practice bronze track.

        • 9-stroke roll (Vic Firth; Drumeo; Mr. Paxton; Vic Firth play-along)

        • paradiddle (Vic Firth; Mr. Paxton; OBMS Google Slides; Vic Firth play-along; Mr. Land)

        • flam (Vic Firth; Mr. Paxton; "Keep Your Grace Note Down"; OBMS Google Slides; Vic Firth play-along)

        • single drag tap (drag on Vic Firth; single drag tap on Vic Firth; single drag tap on Drumeo; Mr. Paxton; drag Vic Firth play-along; single drag tap Vic Firth play-along)

      • untimed rudiment: long roll

        • long roll in Vic Firth library — Practice bronze track for both double stroke roll and double stroke roll application.

          • Vic Firth play-along

      • additional rudiment resource for your practice

        • Percussive Arts Society rudiment page

Questions I've received and their answers:

1. I heard of an examination of sorts on music vocabulary. Are the questions less advanced, for example, one of the answers being mezzo-forte, or will it be much more difficult, for example, Phrygian Half Cadence, or somewhere in the middle? There are 45 music vocabulary words for which you need to know the exact definitions. They are listed on the back of the audition information flyer I gave you, I believe, or you can see them here. The format will be multiple choice, somewhat like this. I recommend that you study them until you are able to say the definition without the multiple choice, though, because people tend to perform better in auditions if they can do that.

2. When we practice for two days, do we sleep at school? And will my parents drive there, or will I be transported via bus ride? You will not sleep at school. We will ride on a bus from OBMS to Myrtle Beach High School both days. Your parents will pick you up both days — 8 PM on the Thursday, and after the concert on the Friday.

3. Is there a sign-up sheet online or on paper that I have to put in? If your name is written on the white board, I will sign you up. Then you just need to make sure you play all the audition requirements for me (“pass-offs”) so that I let you go.

4. Is there a chair system? Yes, the person with the top score for that instrument is 1st chair, and so forth.

5. What’s a clinic? A “clinic” is just the word for the time that the people who are selected for All-County Band get together to rehearse and then play a concert.