<p>Does anyone have any experience with the actual preparatory conservatory high school of Idyllwild or Interlochen or Walnut Hill?
I’m trying to put together an audition for these schools and am curious on what I should do -something easier played very well or something considerably more difficult that is played decently?
And does anyone know what the bassists of the past few years have been auditioning on?
For example (slight hyperbole here) I don’t want to prepare the Elephant when they’re expecting Bottesini No. 2 (although I’m considerably past the Elephant but not quite up to Bottesini 2 you get the point.)
I see the recommended material for the summer program but I am wondering whether they have a higher standard for the summer programs (because it is more realistic for most people to go a summer or two rather than several years of high school at many thousands of dollars per year.)
Thanks all!</p>
<p>On the website they have the emails of each teacher, you should email one of the Bass teachers and ask their advice! They’re very kind and willing to help.</p>
<p>Your audition will include several selections, so go for a balance of works. One of the things that’s essential is at least one piece that sounds very polished and musical, allowing you to display attention to the weight of the sound, phrase endings, note lengths, entrances and “attacks”, releases, etc, instead of just sweating through a piece and saying “whew” at the end. </p>
<p>BassDad will be able to fill you in on the “standard” intermediate bass player’s repertoire, but if you can bring in a polished Saint-Saens AND a competent Bottesini, you’re certainly in the ball park.</p>
<p>I sort of know two bassists from one of these schools. I just PMed you the youtube channel of one. I don’t know the repertoire you should play at all but in my opinion, the Elephant played in tone, with appropriate attacks, equal legato and good detach</p>
<p>My advice would be to get your teacher to help out with choice of repertoire, particularly if he or she has sent students in recent years to programs similar to the ones that you mention. Suggestions made by someone who does not know your playing are guesswork at best.</p>
<p>I fully agree with N8Ma that you need something that you can play every time in a highly polished and very musical manner with near perfect intonation throughout. Bear in mind that the compliment you want to receive is not, “How can you possibly play something that is that difficult?” but rather, “How did you manage to make that look so easy?” Don’t spend so much time on a piece at the bleeding edge of your technique that you neglect to bring something a bit easier up to performance standards.</p>