Parent Survival Guide – Region Band Auditions

Region/Area/All-State Band

The Texas Music Educators Association sponsors individual competitions every fall that culminate in the selection of All-State Bands, Choirs, and Orchestras that perform at the TMEA convention in San Antonio each February. Selection to one of those organizations is a lifetime experience and a huge honor for the student and the school.  Less than 1% of the students who begin the All-State process actually make one of the All-State organizations.  It sounds nearly impossible, but with dedication, proper planning, and careful practice, it is very possible.

The first level of competition is Region Band. The state is divided into over 20 regions for music.  We happen to be in Region 17 which includes all CCISD schools, Alvin ISD, and all the way down to Galveston and Brazosport ISD.

All of the band directors in our region convene three times a year to discuss the audition process and the programs we can provide for our students.  In Region 17, we hold auditions for 9th Grade Region, Region Orchestra, and High School Region.  Each audition serves a different purpose.

9th Grade Region is open to only 9th graders.  The audition music is the same as High School Region and Region Orchestra, however the length of the music to be learned is lessened by approximately 50%.  The main purpose of the audition is to get the 9th graders acclimated to the high school process.  Students who place high enough will receive a patch in recognition, however there is no concert performance.

Region Orchestra is for those students who wish to be a member of the Region Full Orchestra that performs in November.  This is open to all four grade levels.  The entirety of the three etudes must be prepared.  Because they are not commonly used in orchestras, saxophones, euphoniums, and bass clarinets do not audition for orchestra unless that year’s literature requires one of those instruments.

High School Region is open to all students and all instruments.  As with Region Orchestra, the entirety of the three etudes must be prepared.  In some sections, as many as 100 students may audition for 30 chairs.  To provide a more fair and efficient process, the region’s directors have decided to divide the audition for these large sections into phases.  Phase 1 takes place during the week and Phase 2 takes place on the following Saturday.  Students who place high enough will then be named members of the region band and will perform a concert in mid-January.  Students who place in the top chairs will advance to the Area audition in early January.

Audition music is released at the annual Texas Bandmasters Association Convention in late-July.  The students have from then until early December to learn and perfect the music for auditions.  Students who place high enough at the December audition then advance to the Area audition in January.

Texas is divided into several areas. Our area includes schools from the aforementioned Region 17 as well as schools from Ft. Bend, Houston, and Katy.  Students who place high enough at this audition are selected to an All-State organization.

In conjunction with the TMEA convention in February, the students who advanced from area audition for placement in either of the two All-State Bands or All-State Orchestras. They then rehearse with their All-State ensemble for two days and perform a concert for their parents and convention-goers on Saturday.

Though participation in the region band auditions is not required it is strongly encouraged as the whole process is a very educationally beneficial one.  Also, students who wish to attempt to move up a band for second semester must participate in region auditions and students who do not want to be passed up by another student, and possibly moved down a band, should participate as well.  Placement at the region audition in December will be a factor in second semester placement.

TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association) has posted the etude lists for the 2016-2017 All-State & Region Band auditions which can be viewed on TMEA’s website by clicking here.  For your convenience, we have also created packets with the etudes and performance guides available for download from CHARMS. The Freshman cuts can be downloaded by clicking here or by visiting CHARMS.

We highly recommend that everyone purchase the etude books as the same book is often used every year and these books are excellent practice tools after All-State auditions have ended and before next year’s etudes are announced.  The list of etude books can be found by on TMEA’s website by clicking here.