Nice job, wise guy.

So it's time again, THAT time, the time of concert band auditions. Groan--one more thing added to my life. We're all ecstatic about the fact that marching season is FINALLY over, but now that audition time is here none of us are really prepared.

At my school, we have two concert bands: Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony. They say that it's really not bad to be in Symphonic Band, but it's an unspoken understanding that being in Wind Symphony is waaay better than Symphonic Band. So what exactly does it take?

The audition process consists of two parts: scales and a prepared etude. It used to include sight reading as well, but that was taken off the list this year.  The scales are chosen at random, and everyone is expected to know all of their scales. Personally, I find scales really easy, but for some it doesn't come as naturally. The prepared etude is where I struggle the most; it's never an easy key signature. I practice and practice, yet I still can't get it up to desired speed. I guess we can't all be perfect at everything.

So it's the day of the audition, and just when you think you're prepared enough, you get that nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach. As you head down to the band hall to play for the director, you're thinking to yourself "B flat, C, D, E flat, F, G, A, B flat" in the form of your most forgotten scale. Not to mention your fear of skipping an entire three notes in your chromatic, and missing one of the 6 sharps in the key of your prepared etude. You finally reach the band room, and you stand in front of the director, barely able to hold your instrument because you are so nervous. There's no more time to practice, no more time to fix that one measure that screws you up every time, no more time to polish up your E flat scale or fix that screeching sound your sax makes when you try to play a high F. You now wish you had spent that extra hour last night practicing for your audition instead of watching the newest episode of Modern Family. You now silently scold yourself for not being the best you can be.

But hey, fourth chair isn't really that bad.