The Premier United States Service Bands: A Clarinetist's Guide to the Audition Process and Literature

The eight premier United States service bands provide numerous job opportunities for the prospective professional clarinetist and offer financial stability, job security, and an outlet to perform at a superior level in a variety of settings. Although many published resources exist to prepare candidates for orchestral auditions, few published resources address the audition process and literature for the premier U.S. service bands. This study examines the audition process at these organizations through written correspondence with past and present audition coordinators. It addresses topics such as the system of rounds, the personnel that comprise committees, literature selection criteria, desirable traits of candidates, the role of sight-reading in the audition, and the relationship of each band's process to its mission. Fifteen of the most recurrent audition selections are excerpted and discussed from technical and stylistic standpoints. Appendices include sample audition lists from 2005-2010 and a discography of premier U.S. service band recordings of excerpted literature.