Auditions & placement

The right players in the right seats.

Beginner testing, mock auditions, and running the real thing. All three come down to the same skill — hearing where a student actually is, and making a call that holds up when someone asks you why.

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Three things I'm asked for

Beginner placement testing

More kids want percussion than any program can take, and the ones you pick are your section for the next six years. I test your incoming beginners and give you a recommendation you can explain to a parent.

Mock auditions

Students play the material under real audition conditions and get the kind of feedback a panel actually gives — while there's still time to use it. Most of what costs kids a chair is fixable in two weeks.

Running live auditions

Chair placements and region-style panels. I coordinate percussion for TMEA Regions 2 and 30 and ATSSB Region 5/30, so this is the same work I do for the region, run for your program.

Why bring in someone from outside

Two reasons, and neither is about your ability to judge.

You already know these kids. That's usually an advantage and occasionally a problem. You know who practices, who had a rough year, whose sibling was great. An outside ear hears only what's in the room, which is what a region panel will hear too.

It takes the decision off you. When a parent asks why their child didn't get percussion, or why a student sits second chair, "here's what the evaluator found" is a much easier conversation than "here's what I decided." You keep the relationship. I take the call.

For beginners especially, this is the cheapest thing you can do for the health of your program. A section chosen well plays better for six years. A section chosen badly is something you manage for six years.

Booking

Tell me which of the three you need, roughly how many students, and the window you're working in. I'll come back with a plan, a length, and a number.

Beginner testing is seasonal and books up — if you know your instrument selection dates, get in touch early rather than late.

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