For Audition Materials & Rubric, Click Here
We invite any student who will be enrolled at PCHS next year to participate in the PCHS Band Program! Here is some information for students that will be handy in the process of auditioning for and selecting classes for next year, organized by your current situation:
Audition Timeline
Friday, March 3rd, 2023 – Basic Audition Etude and Audition Scales are due in SmartMusic
All submissions will be individually reviewed.
Friday, March 17th, 2023 – Advanced Audition Etude due in Google Classroom (video submission, not live).
The advanced audition is only required for students auditioning for Wind Ensemble.
Friday, March 24th, 2023 – Audition results announced.
Private Lesson Instructors
Students of all levels are strongly encouraged to study with a private teacher. Private instruction helps students tremendously improve on tone and technique specific to their instrument working one one one with someone who plays their instrument professionally. Our work in band is to prepare music for concert and we work primarily on group skills like balance, blend, and intonation. Private lessons provide additional guidance for students that is not provided during class but is still essential to their success in the band program. Click here to view a list of private lesson teachers approved by District 202. You are welcome to work with other private instructors, but these teachers have passed a background check with the school district.
Students with no prior band experience
We invite you to join the PCHS Band Program as part of our Concert Band. Since marching band is a required part of our curriculum for all students, we strongly encourage that you study with a private teacher prior to joining the program so that you at least have some experience and can play your instrument. None of our bands start at the very beginning, so having a private lesson teacher to help you along the way will help you be a lot more successful!
Percussion Students (All Levels)
Please follow the instructions below based on your current circumstances with the following exception: instead of using SmartMusic, please submit your audition components as videos via Google Classroom through your current Band Program. If you are outside the PSD202 School System, you can share links to your audition videos with Mr. Vanderwall via email. All audition videos must show your hands and face. Having your music stand low and as flat as possible will help us see your hands!
Please note, all percussion students will be enrolled in 7th period band. It’s called Concert Band on your schedule, but it’s really a Percussion Class! All percussionists, regardless of the band that you audition into for performances, will have band together. However, this is a significant difference in the level of challenge and development based on your assigned band, so it is worthwhile to apply yourself in this audition process even though you’ll be in the same class with all other percussionists.
8th grade band members who will be freshman students at PCHS next year
While all three levels of band are open to all students at PCHS, we invite you to join our program with no audition required to be in Concert Band. This is the introductory level of high school band and we expect most 8th grade students to place in this level.
However, if you are interested in performing more advanced music, you are welcome to audition for Symphonic Band and/or Wind Ensemble. To join Symphonic Band, you are required to play the Basic Audition Etude at 90% or higher and the PCHS Band Scale Sheet at 60% or higher. If you intend to be in Wind Ensemble, you need to play the Basic Audition Etude at 90% or higher, the PCHS Band Scale Sheet at 80% or higher, and record the Advanced Audition Etude in Google Classroom. For Symphonic Band, if you pass the barrier levels, you’re in! However, Wind Ensemble has specific numbers of students in each section and we strive to create an ensemble with the best possible balance of players from one section to all the others. While there may be many qualified players for one section, it is possible that not all will be selected for Wind Ensemble.
Current PCHS Concert Band Students
If you’re in Concert Band and intend to stay in Concert Band next year, you are required to play the Basic Audition Etude in SmartMusic (it’s for a grade) and the first four scales of the PCHS Band Scale Sheet. If you intend to move up to Symphonic Band, you need to play the Basic Audition Etude at 90% or higher in SmartMusic and the PCHS Band Scale Sheet at 60% or higher in SmartMusic. If you intend to move up to Wind Ensemble, you need to play the Basic Audition Etude at 90% or higher in SmartMusic, the PCHS Band Scale Sheet at 80% or higher in SmartMusic, and record the Advanced Audition Etude in Google Classroom.
Current PCHS Symphonic Band Students
If you’re in Symphonic Band and intend to stay in Symphonic Band next year, you are required to play the Basic Audition Etude at 90% or higher in SmartMusic and the PCHS Band Scale Sheet at 60% or higher in SmartMusic . If you intend to move up to Wind Ensemble, you need to play the Basic Audition Etude at 90% or higher in SmartMusic , the PCHS Band Scale Sheet at 80% or higher in SmartMusic , and record the Advanced Audition Etude in Google Classroom.
Current PCHS Wind Ensemble Students
If you’re in Wind Ensemble and intend to stay in Wind Ensemble, you need to play the Basic Audition Etude at 90% or higher in SmartMusic, the PCHS Band Scale Sheet at 80% or higher in SmartMusic, and record the Advanced Audition Etude in Google Classroom. If you intend to move to Symphonic Band, you are required to play the Basic Audition Etude at 90% or higher and the PCHS Band Scale Sheet at 60% or higher (no live audition on the Advanced Audition Etude). Anyone who does not turn in an audition will be placed in Concert Band.