2025 Austin Youth Jazz Orchestra Audition Details
For the 2025 AYJO Audition, you will make a video recording of yourself playing the material listed below. Audition videos are due JANUARY 6, 2025. Create your video following these instructions, and then upload it to YouTube:
- Title your video like this:
2025 AYJO Audition – [INSTRUMENT, FIRST-NAME LAST-NAME]
Example: 2025 AYJO Audition – Tenor Sax, Diego Rivera
- Upload as UNLISTED (not PRIVATE, or we will be unable to see your video)
Instructions on how to upload the video as UNLISTED are located here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkgOvUr5Alc
- Try to upload only one video with all three parts of your audition.
- Upload the link to your video here:
https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_afxvIxFsjHz6PKC
The audition consists of three (3) parts:
PART I: Excerpt from “Wiggle Walk”
-
All instruments play from the beginning to the downbeat of measure 61
-
Play the excerpt either acapella (by yourself) or with a metronome on beats 2 & 4.
-
A reference recording is available for download. Audio - The Wiggle Walk.mp3
PART II: Improvisation, “Yardbird Suite”
-
Sheet music files with chord changes are linked at the bottom of this page.
-
Backing tracks for each instrument group are provided for you to practice. (See the links at the bottom of these instructions.) You may play along with the track or acapella (by yourself) for your video.
-
All Saxes, Trumpets, and Trombones
-
Play the melody once
-
Improvise for two choruses
-
Play the melody once more
-
Guitar, Piano, Bass:
-
Play the melody once
-
Improvise for one chorus
-
Piano/Guitarists Comp, Bassists Walk for one chorus
-
Play the melody once more
-
Drums
-
Play the first 32 measures on brushes
-
Play the following 32 measures on sticks
-
Improvise for the following 32 measures
-
Play the last 32 measures on brushes
(Optional) PART III: Selection of your choice
-
Play ANY selection you feel tells us more about who you are as a musician. It could be a jazz standard, solo transcription, classical etude, or anything you want!
- Selection should be at most 3 minutes.