High School Band
Audition Excerpts

2026-27

NCKMEA will use the KMEA All-State Winds and Percussion Audition Excerpts.

Audition Procedure for Wind Players

1. A chromatic scale slurred up and tongued down. Quarter Note MM= 60. Play the rhythm, articulation, and range as written on the scale sheet. Memorization is not required.
2. One major scale, as written on the scale sheet, with up to 4 sharps or 4 flats. Quarter Note MM= 60. Play the rhythm, articulation, and range as written on the scale sheet. Memorization is not required. All scales will start on the notes indicated on the scale sheet for their instrument. Each scale is non-transposed (i.e., if a trumpet player is asked to perform a C scale, they will be expected to perform a C scale on their instrument, not a C concert scale.) The major scale for each instrument will be posted by the band chairpersons on the morning of live auditions.
3. Sections of the required etudes/solos listed below.
4. Sight reading

Audition Procedure for Percussion

1. Play Snare Excerpt
2. Play Tambourine Excerpt
3. Play Marimba Excerpt
4. Play Timpani Excerpt
5. Sight read on Timpani

Excerpt Errata
Any changes indicated as errata on the KMEA All-State Winds and Percussion Audition Excerpts page will be observed for NCKMEA district auditions.

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Excerpts for District Auditions

Piccolo

• Lincolnshire Posy "Rufford Park Poachers" (Grainger)
• Variations on a Revolutionary Hymn (Smith)

Flute

• Petite Symphony, II (Gounod)
• Easter Monday on the White House Lawn (Sousa)
• 32 Romantic Etudes, No. 25 "Spanish Caprice" (Kohler)

Oboe

• Variations on a Shaker Melody (Copland)
• American Salute (Gould)
• Articulation Study No. 2 (Barret)

Bassoon

• Overture to Tannhauser (Wagner)
• American Salute (Gould)
• 50 Advanced Studies, No. 13 (Weissenborn)

Clarinet

• Symphony No. 3, II. Andante (Brahms)
• Symphony in Bb, II (Hindemith)
• 32 Etudes No. 1 (Rose)

B♭ Bass Clarinet
E♭ and B♭ Contra Bass Clarinet

• Angels in the Architecture (Ticheli)
• Lincolnshire Posy "The Brisk Young Sailor (Grainger)
• 21 Foundational Studies (Kummer)

Alto Sax

• Turandot, Act. 1, "Outside the Imperial Palace" (Puccini)
• Symphonic Dances from West Side Story "Mambo" (Bernstein)
• Selected Studies for Saxophone, E Minor (Voxman)

Tenor Sax

• Four Scottish Dances "Allegretto" (Arnold)
• Molly on the Shore (Grainger)
• Selected Studies for Saxophone, E Minor (Voxman)

Baritone Sax

• Second Suite, "Song Without Words" (Holst)
• Schwanda the Bagpiper, Fugue (Weinberger)
• Selected Studies for Saxophone, E Minor (Voxman)

Trumpet

• Colonial Song (Grainger)
• Variations on America, Var. V (Ives)
• Selected Studies for Trumpet, B Minor (Voxman)

Horn

• Lincolnshire Posy "Horkstow Grange" (Grainger)
• Festival Variations (Smith)
• 60 Selected Studies, No. 17 (Kopprasch)

Trombone

• The Quilting Party March (Sousa)
• Melodius Etudes No. 7(Rochut)
• 40 Progressive Etudes No. 3 (Tyrrell)

Euphonium

• Irish Tune from Country Derry (Grainger)
• Sea Songs, "Princess Royal" (Williams)
• Characteristic Study, No. 1 (Arban)

Tuba

• Symphony No. 2 (Mahler)
• Symphony in Bb (Hindemith)
• Etude No. 30 (Kopprasch)

Percussion

• Snare - Etude No. 4 (Smikahl)
• Bass Drum - Etude 1 (Wickersham)
• Marimba - Etude (Eichman)
• Timpani - Rotation No. 4 (Wickersham)
• Sight Read on Timpani