Fall Auditions

The fall festival includes the following ensembles: MS Chorus, MS Jazz Band, HS A Capella Choir, and HS Concert Band. The audition process for the middle school students will be different than that of high school students. The middle school students auditions will be held at their own schools. For high school students, they will need to be registered using the 2020 Fall Registration Form. For more information about the fall audition process, scroll down and look for each ensembles' requirements.

All fall audition fees, which is $5 per student, will need to be mailed to the treasurer no later than Monday, October 5, 2020 for high school students. Late registrations/payments will incur a $25 fine. The middle school student fees will be due at the MS Chorus/MS Jazz Band selection meeting on Thursday, October 15, 2020. If unable to attend the middle school selection meeting, please let the selection meeting host know via email and send all fall audition fees no later than Monday, October 5, 2020. All checks should be made to "CVMFA District VI".

Fall Audition Location (HS A Capella Choir and HS Jazz Band Only)

The 2020 fall auditions will be held at Brattleboro Union High School. Soon after filling out the registration form, the audition host will coordinate all of the audition times and will send them out.

Ensemble-Specific Guidelines

MS Chorus

  • 6th graders are welcome to audition.

  • Teachers will audition their students at their schools using the MS Chorus Audition Ballot

  • When auditioning, teachers should choose the following scales for the following voices: Soprano- F major, Alto- D major, and Baritone- within a minor third of F major

  • Students audition on selections from a two-year rotation. To see which piece is in the rotation for 2020, click here.


MS Jazz Band

  • 6th graders are welcome to audition.

  • Teachers will audition their students at their schools using the MS Jazz Band Audition Ballot

  • All instruments are now welcome to audition. To see which piece is in the rotation for 2020, click here.

  • Students should be able to play the following scales: Concert Eb (memorized) and the Bb Blues Scale (improvisation is encouraged, but not required)

  • Drummers must demonstrate Rock and Latin beats in addition to the prepared piece.


HS A Cappella Choir



HS Concert Band

  • All students should be familiar with the following meters: 2/4 3/4 4/4 5/4 3/8 6/8

  • WIND PLAYERS Auditions are comprised of the following:

    • Prepared piece- to see which piece is in the rotation for 2020, click here.

    • Major scales- see HS Scales Sheet

      • Up to and including 3 sharps and 3 flats (not concert pitch)

      • Memorized

      • Tongued (articulated)

    • Chromatic scale

      • play one continuous slur in eighth note triplets in regards to the range of the instrument

    • Sight Reading

      • Short selection from exercise including key, meter, dynamics, articulation, and rhythms

      • Student will be provided ample time to look through the piece before attempting sight reading

  • PERCUSSIONIST Auditions are comprised of the following:

    • Specialty instrument performance: Snare Drum, Timpani, or Mallets

      • Prepared piece- to see which piece is in the rotation for 2020, click here.

      • Technique specific to that instrument (click here for examples of rudiments)

        • Snare Drum: flam, ruff, paradiddle, 5 and 9 stroke rolls, long roll (closed)

        • Timpani: long roll with/without accented entrance, long roll showing range of dynamics, tuning to stated pitch from give pitch, tuning to give pitch from undetermined starting pitch. (tone matching)

      • Sight Reading

      • Mallet players perform all wind scales in two octaves- see HS Scales Sheet

    • Auxiliary percussion instruments- see HS Scales Sheet

Given that players of each specialty instrument can earn acceptable scores, the top scoring player of each will be the first selected for the ensembles. The remainder of the positions will be filled by the highest scoring players regardless of specialty instrument.