For the record, once again, what a difference a week makes!
Last Friday – the first audition – was rough. Afterwards, Kenny and I hit up Carls Jr to try and figure things out over some burgers and fries. One of the top questions on our minds, besides where we went wrong in the whole recruiting area, was what was needed in order to make this ensemble still work…
How many members would we need minimum in order to still give it a go?
Would the focus and purpose of the ensemble need to change?
Would we have to change the program?
Would we have to change the actual music?
Was this even worth doing if we ended up half the size we planned on being?
By the time we were done eating, we knew we were going to push onward. We had to. Because a handful of people fought the urge to simply say “no” to indoor brass. They took a risk on us. And after having spent weeks and months and in a roundabout way, years, planning for this moment, it became clear we needed to also take a risk: throwing those plans out the window and finding a way to make this work for these kids.
So over the course of the this past week, we talked about what needed to change in order to set these members up for success. I dropped the third trumpet, second mello, and tuba parts from the score. Our ensemble will now consist of trumpets, mellophones, and baritones only.
The turnout for second auditions was better than the first. Kenny held a visual rehearsal detailing the technique and posture to be used throughout the indoor brass season while I auditioned two of our three conductor candidates. We then moved from the band room to the gym so we could rehearse the first 35 seconds of show music.
We gave them some time to look over the music and work out some issues on their own before piecing it together: this music is probably more difficult than what many are used to, which is no coincidence. This ensemble is meant to stretch the limits of its members both musically and physically/visually. After a few minutes on their own, we began to chunk the pieces together. I’m happy to say that by the end of the audition, we were able to begin and end together. Everything in between is, well, not quite there yet…
In the end, we will be brilliant. And everything learned and fought for between now and then – the journey – is what this is really all about.
What a difference a week makes.
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Filed under: auditions
