The Patriots
Auditions Page...
Audition Requirements
THE FOLLOWING APPLIES TO ALL THOSE AUDITIONING FOR Concert Junior, Concert Senior, or Symphonic Band
Beginners (known as Cadets) need not audition. Click on Cadet Requirements at the bottom of this page.
WSHSB Patriot Marching Band
For marching, the WSHSB is also known as "The Patriots." Patriots attend marching camp in June and average five parades in the summer.
WSHSB Winter Concert
With two concerts per year, our winter concert is usually held at the end of January. Concerts are FREE admission with open seating. Check our Music Resource page to listen to past concerts.
WSHSB Patriot Marching Band
Marching trimester is voluntary and open to current WSHSB members and NON-members. This includes experienced musicians who are welcome to join us for the summer marching trimester. For more details see our Summer Marching page.
WSHSB Spring Concert
Our second concert of the year is generally held mid to late May. Come hear our Junior, Senior, and Symphonic bands separately and combined.
West Suburban Home School Band
About WSHSB
The West Suburban Home School Band, or WSHSB in short, follows the model of a community band and includes all wind instruments, woodwinds and brass, as well as a full percussion section. There are no stringed instruments ...more
WSHSB Member's News
Member's News has the link to the weekly Rehearsal Notes PDF and for quick reference, Important Dates and Deadlines and the Sectional Chart are included. Download the weekly Rehearsal Notes for the week's practice assignments and more.
Join WSHSB
To join the WSHSB a student must be home schooled. Those interested in joining the WSHSB, at any level but Cadet, must submit an audition video. Recommended minimum age for any level is nine. There are four skill levels to consider...more
NOTE: In order to keep life simpler, with fewer interruptions for the director and her family, there are rules for picking up audition music as well as a firm deadline for submitting auditions. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RESOURCE FROM THE DIRECTOR Link to Suggested Strategy for Auditioning ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MUSIC RELEASE Wednesday, July 5, 2023, 9AM – 9PM, is the date Concert Senior and Symphonic audition sheet music is released. It must be picked up this day. (Juniors do not need to come on 7/5 since Junior auditions DO NOT require any sheet music. Rather, their audition comes completely from the gold Essential Elements 1 book. REMINDER for Adult Helpers – no audition required for Cadet or Junior band. Only adult helpers wishing to move up a band level to Senior or Symphonic need to produce a one-time, acceptable audition for that band.) Senior and Symphonic sheet music will be available at the director’s home in Winfield, not far from the intersection of Roosevelt and Winfield Roads. Contact the director if you need the address and/or directions. Under no circumstances will audition sheet music be mailed or released early to accommodate vacation schedules. Plan ahead if you will be gone for the holiday. There is NO EARLY RELEASE. Have a friend pick-up your audition if you are unable to get it on July 5.
IMPORTANT:
There is
NO EARLY RELEASE.
If you are not able to come on July 5 it is your
responsibility to make arrangements with another band
member, (not the Borows) to pick-up your music on July
5. All audition music pick-ups are to be completed on
July 5. ****RETURNING AUDITIONS**** AUDITION VIDEOS MUST BE AT THE DIRECTOR’S HOME BY 5PM, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2023 or they will be considered late. LATE AUDITION CONSEQUENCE - In order to be considered for a ranked chair position your audition must be turned in on time, by the deadline. If you fail to do so, there will be penalties at the director’s discretion. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ August 2 is also the 2023-2024 Winter REGISTRATION DEADLINE Return it anytime after Booster jobs are released on 7/24 and by the August 2 deadline. No auditions will be accepted without fully completing and returning - 1. A 2023-2024 WINTER Registration including online sign–up for Booster Hours and indicating those hours on the registration. Booster Jobs will be released Monday, July 24 at 7pm, first come first served. Adult members with no students must also submit a completed registration form so we have the most current contact information, etc. 2. A completed and signed Commitment Page and signed Handbook Agreement 3. REGISTRATION fees and any applicable RENTAL forms and RENTAL fee(s) for students AND adults alike. Late fee will be applicable after August 2. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JUNIOR, SENIOR AND
SYMPHONIC Desire to
move up a band level? In
order to be considered for a band level promotion,
members need to prepare and perform BOTH
the audition for the band they are in as well as the one
to which they are aspiring.
Commitment for Concert Season - We would also like to impress upon you that the band(s) for which you choose to audition has a direct effect on planning for our next concert season. The balance and number of instruments affects the composition of each band as well as the selection of music. We will not be able to accommodate changes once you choose an instrument and band level. Any requests of this nature will be considered for the following concert year. No member has the authority to bypass the audition process by acquiring another band’s/instrument’s music or inserting themselves into a band they never auditioned for. This is different from being a (director-approved) helper on your primary instrument in another band, which does not require an extra audition to fulfill that role. There are also times when the director may request a member's help, crossing the band lines, but these kinds of situations always require the director’s knowledge and approval.
RECORDING AUDITIONS Recording their audition in the comfort of their own home allows students to record their best playing or go back and re-record something with which they are not happy. Even if you feel that your video is not very good, submit it anyway - you have nothing to lose. Having a video allows the director to go back and re-listen to a student. Know that YouTube auditions are much preferred, but you may submit a DVD. If you do not own a DVD recorder, many libraries offer this option. The director is not able to assist in making your recording.
AUDITION VIDEO FORMATS No auditions will be accepted on flash drives, or SD cards, as used in video cameras. YouTube Auditions are PREFERRED
DVD-R formats are still acceptable. (Use DVD-R format only, do not use DVD+R or DVD+/-RW for recording.) Because of the large number of auditions, it is too cumbersome to have more than one audition on a tape or DVD. Each COMPLETE audition must be on ONE separate, brand-new DVD-R. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO UPLOAD TO YouTube OR RECORD & FINALIZE YOUR DVD! We are aware YouTube uploading can take as much as a few hours or more, depending on internet speed, etc. Additionally, there may be power outages, computer failures, equipment issues or other unforeseen problems. To avoid missing the deadline, do not wait until the last moment to upload to YouTube or record and finalize your DVD.
RECORDING Stand on the floor or sit on a solid chair and use a music stand. Do not set the music on a table, in your case, or have another person hold it while you perform. Do not sit on a sofa, soft chair or bed. Record your audition from the side and NOT from the front. Playing directly into the microphone can distort the sound. We also want to be able to see your embouchure and finger or hand technique. Tubas, be sure to film on the side that we can see your face. Use a new DVD-R for each individual audition.
TEST DVD BEFORE SUBMITTING For various reasons we have had considerable problems with DVD's that will not play on a commercial (for home use) DVD player. In order to be sure your DVD will play properly it must be "finalized" when created. Before submitting your video you need to give it a test run on a commercial (for home use) DVD player, NOT on a computer DVD drive.
LABEL THE VIDEO Clearly label the DVD and its case with the student's name, instrument, and the band for which the student is auditioning.
For Recording (The following steps are also included within each band's audition requirements.)
ROSTER
PLACEMENT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AUDITION REQUIREMENTS NOTE: Audition requirements are subject to change to a greater or lesser degree every year. In the past, Junior and Senior audition requirements have changed only slightly from year to year. Know that we are always considering new options. Senior and Symphonic audition music, which is required in addition to the exercises, is released about a month before the audition video deadliine. Musical skills are not best
built separately over the summer, or even worse, in just
a few days before an audition recording is due. They are
built with diligent, consistent daily practice.
Click here for the 2023-2024 CONCERT JUNIOR AUDITION REQUIREMENTS Click here for the 2023-2024 CONCERT SENIOR AUDITION REQUIREMENTS Click here for the 2023-2024 SYMPHONIC AUDITION REQUIREMENTS Click here for the 2023-2024 CADET (beginner) REQUIREMENTS
Rev. May 1, 2023
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