The 2017-2018 MBDA 6-8 Honor Band is an opportunity for talented young musicians from across Minnesota to join together in the performance of quality concert band literature. Both the rehearsals and performance will take place at Kasson-Mantorville High School at 101 16th St S, Kasson, MN 55944. The band will rehearse from approximately 8:30am to 8:00pm on Saturday, April 21 and rehearse starting at approximately 12:00pm and perform a concert on Sunday, April 22, 2018 at 2:00pm. Exact times will be provided upon acceptance. Please have students check their calendars BEFORE submitting auditions as attendance at all rehearsals is mandatory.
Students in grades 6-8 must be involved in their MN school band program during the year of audition and have MN directors who are current, paid members of MBDA by November 1, 2017. Students are selected based on ability, but each school is limited to a maximum of eight students. It is the intent of MBDA to represent as many schools across Minnesota as possible each year.
All student auditions must be submitted via mp3 recording.
The window for submitting auditions online is November 27-December 4, 2017.
Director rankings will be completed online at the time of submission. Directors - please be sure your membership is paid and current (The membership year begins on July 1st). Band director MBDA memberships must be paid and current by November 1, 2017 or auditions will NOT be accepted.
Notification of acceptance and music will be sent to directors in February 2018. If selected for the MBDA 6-8 Grade Honor Band, students will be expected to attend all scheduled rehearsals and activities on April 21 and 22, 2018. A participation fee of $65.00 per student will cover expenses, including the cost of lunch and dinner on Saturday and a t-shirt. Parents are responsible for transportation, lodging, and supervision at all other times during the Honor Band weekend.
Please contact Beth Claybaugh at
bclaybaugh@pierz.k12.mn.us with any questions
6-8 AUDITION PROCESS
Preparing to record your audition with your director:
Please do NOT record all audition materials at once. Each student (with the exception of flute with piccolo auditions and percussion auditions) should have five recordings. Flute/piccolo and percussion auditions will have six recordings. Each particular scale and etude must be recorded in one take, not edited and spliced together.
METRONOME USE: Please note that recordings with an audible metronome will receive a score of ZERO for that portion of a student’s audition.
Record your audition in the following order in mp3 format – each scale and etude should be its own track. See the audition rubric online at the MBDA website for more specific details about scoring.
1. Record the major scales listed for your instrument. Scales are available on the MBDA website. Judges will be listening for students’ ability to play evenly and fluidly at the indicated temp. (Woodwinds/Brass at Quarter Note = 120; Percussion at Quarter Note = 140). Exceeding the indicated tempo will result in a slightly lower score.
2. Record the chromatic scale listed for your instrument using the articulations indicated. Scales are available on the MBDA website. Play a straight eighth note scale pattern at the tempo indicated on the scale sheet.
3. Perform the etudes listed for your instrument. Etude lists are available on the MBDA website.
NOTE - Do not use the “#” sign in naming audio files
To complete the audition process, complete the following:
1. Online Audition Form, electronically signed, and submitted by the student's parent/guardian
2. Pay audition fee of $17.00. Submit payment online (
mbda.org/payments) or make checks payable to MBDA and send to Beth Claybaugh at Pierz Public Schools at 112 Kamnic St, Pierz MN 56364.
Student audition recordings must be completed and uploaded by 10:00pm on Monday, December 4, 2017.
