OKMEA All-State Band Audition Tips from a Judge
I recently had the opportunity to serve as a judge for the OKMEA second-round All-State band auditions. In my room, I evaluated 52 tenor saxophonists as they played back-to-back. While the overall level of playing across the state was strong, hearing that many students in a row made one thing clear: when everyone plays the same music, individual performances can easily start to blend together. I wanted to share a few observations from behind the screen to help students prepare for future auditions, refine their preparation, and stand out to the judges.
Scale Preparation: Don’t Miss Easy Points
Scales account for roughly a third of your total score! By the time you reach the second round of All-State, you shouldn't have to worry about whether or not you know the note pattern. That comes down to prioritizing scale work in your daily private practice early on. When we don’t learn and memorize our scales, we effectively waste time having to continuously “re-learn” common musical elements when practicing new pieces. Once your scales are memorized, full range, you will find massive benefits in your sight-reading performance as well as your ability to learn new pieces much more rapidly.
Play Scales Musically
Many students play their scales in a heavy, vertical style with a harsh attack on the first note. Because scales are the building blocks of music, we want to play them with musical shape and direction:
Clean Attacks: Avoid slap-tonguing or popping the first note. Use a smooth legato release.
Shape the Phrase: Add a subtle crescendo as you go up the scale and a decrescendo on the way down. This also helps compensate for the saxophone’s conical bore and naturally uneven dynamic response.
Minimize Key Noise: On the chromatic scale, set your fingers on the keys before starting the first note (especially low C). Avoid popping the keys – the saxophone isn't a percussion instrument!
Use Correct Fingerings: Default to bis A♯/B♭, use side B♭only to avoid sliding to B-natural, and chromatic F♯ when appropriate to keep hand position stable and finger motion minimal.
When a student walks in and plays a scale with clean articulation and musical direction, the judge immediately knows that player understands music making.
Tone Quality: Full vs. Refined
Tone quality is one of the quickest areas to raise your score across your entire audition. During the auditions, we heard many students who could produce a big, full sound, but fullness alone is only the starting point for good tone production.
What judges are listening for is a concept of tone that is both full and refined: a great classical tone is centered, free of extraneous buzz, harsh edge, grit, or excess air breathiness, and homogenous across the range. When you walk into the room with a controlled, pure sound, it immediately sets a positive impression that elevates your score across the board, boosting not just the tone category, but your scale and etude scores as well.
Equipment Setup
If you are struggling to achieve a focused, centered tone, your equipment might be working against you. Here are a few reliable setups I often recommend:
| Category | Model Options | Design Details & Sound Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Reeds |
Vandoren Traditional (Blue Box) Strength 3 or 3.5 |
The reference standard. Features a very thin tip for maximum vibration paired with a solid spine (vertebral column) for an extremely pure, clear, and reliable classical sound. |
|
Vandoren V12 Strength 3 |
Slightly different feel and resistance. Designed with a thicker heel and longer palette, offering a rich, warm tone. The strength 3 sits comfortably right in between a Traditional 3 and 3.5. | |
|
D’Addario Reserve Strength 3, 3.0+, or 3.5 |
A strong competitive alternative. Premium filed reed with a heavy spine for dynamic flexibility, a long vamp profile, and traditional tip thickness for clean articulation across all registers. | |
|
Hemke by D’Addario Strength 3, 3.0+, or 3.5 |
Dark, responsive, and budget-friendly for testing. Features a shorter vamp, thinner tip, and French-filed cut for immediate response and a dark, warm tone quality. Conveniently sold in 5-packs, making it easy and affordable to experiment with different strengths before committing to a full box of 10. | |
| Mouthpieces | Selmer Paris S80 C* | The standard first upgrade. Built with a signature square chamber design, providing a warm, stable grain of sound, excellent focus, and ease of playability. |
| Vandoren Optimum AL3 | Exceptional roundness and ease of play. Features a round chamber design and comfortable beak profile, delivering a warm, rich timbre with effortless articulation at an accessible price point. | |
| Selmer Paris S90 190 | Similar to the S80 C*, with higher air capacity. Built on the same stable square chamber geometry, but accommodates more air volume for a higher dynamic ceiling while maintaining focus. | |
| Selmer Paris Density | Focused core with approachable playability. Combines the easy response of the Concept series with a refined, focused tone and projection. Built with precision internal throat and chamber contours and a 1.55 mm (C*) tip opening. |
Tip: If acquiring a new mouthpiece is a financial hurdle, talk with your band director to see if the school has spare mouthpieces, or reach out to local university professors. We want to help get good gear into your hands.
A Note on Vibrato
One thing that surprised me during the auditions was hearing far less vibrato than I expected. I like to think of vibrato as that final 5 to 10 percent to round off your score. If you come into the room with a beautiful sound and play straight tone, you can still get a very good score and be a strong candidate. However, if you have a great tone and combine it with a well-controlled vibrato used tastefully in the music, that is what gives you that extra edge and helps you stand out from everyone else in the room.
Vibrato is a very deep topic and not the sole focus of this article; ask your private teacher (if you have one) for more info. Also check out publications by Debra Richtmeyer (The Richtmeyer Method), Eugene Rousseau (Steps to Excellence), and Vincent David (Saxophone Sound Technique), to name just a few. Finally, Glen Gillis’s handout from his 2010 Midwest Clinic session “Sound Concepts for the Saxophonist” distills this topic very efficiently.
The Etudes: Fundamentals First
It is common for students to spend most of their time grinding through the etudes while neglecting basic scale and tone work. I recommend flipping that mindset. When your tone and scale technique are solid, the etudes become much easier to manage.
Smart Tempo Selection
Make sure to not only look up suggested metronome numbers for Italian tempo markings, but also translate what they mean; they are actually words!
Fast Etudes: Allegro describes a bright, dance-like character rather than just a specific metronome number. Playing an etude cleanly and lightly at 104 bpm with accurate dynamics will score better than pushing to 120 bpm and sounding heavy or rushed.
Slow Etudes: Use the slow etude to highlight your dynamic range (p to f), low register control, and tone quality. If you have a well-controlled vibrato, this is the place to use it to add that final touch of polish to your sustained notes.
Final Thoughts
Making an All-State ensemble comes down to consistency, control, and attention to detail. Prioritize your fundamentals, make musical phrases, and bring your best sound to the audition room.
If you have questions about audition preparation, equipment choices, or saxophone studies at Oklahoma City University, please feel free to leave a comment or reach out directly. Happy practicing!
