Video Audition Information

For all students attending High School Honor Band 2025


All students who have been invited to, and plan to attend, the Ohio State Honor Band Weekend (Jan. 31–Feb. 2, 2025) are required to create and upload a video audition for placement into one of the three honor bands — Honors Wind Symphony, Scarlet Symphonic Band or Gray Symphonic Band.

Read the instructions below thoughtfully.

If you have questions about the bands or the process, contact the Honor Band Administrator, Christopher Dent, at HSHonorBand@osu.edu.


Audition Protocol

  • Each attendee must video record an audition and submit for evaluation according to the procedures outlined below.
  • The video will be uploaded as "unlisted" to YouTube.
  • Auditions will be evaluated by School of Music faculty members.
  • Recordings are due no later than FRIDAY, DEC. 20.


Required Musical Excerpts

The required audition materials/excerpts for all woodwind, brass and percussion instruments can be found below. Be sure to read all of the instructions on this page first. Download the PDF for your instrument to prepare for your audition.


Audition Recording and Technical Information

BEFORE you begin — Equipment Check

  1. Use whatever video recording device you have at your disposal (video camera, phone, tablet, computer, etc.), but select a device that captures the highest quality audio.
     
  2. Check with your director to borrow a USB microphone if you do not have one.
  3. When positioning the camera, be sure that you can be seen clearly in the video.
  4. Before recording, test the audio level and picture quality of both the device and microphone.


The Actual Recording

  1. The audition video recording is to be one continuous take, with no pauses or edits in any way.
  2. Begin the video with a short personal introduction. State:
  • Your first and last name
  • Your grade level (e.g. 9th grade, 10th grade)
  • Full name of your high school
  • Your home town (e.g. “Columbus, OH,” “Moorhead, MN,” etc.)
  1. Following your personal introduction, proceed to the excerpts, performing all of them in the order in which they appear in the PDF document for your instrument. You may take some time between excerpts, but do not stop or pause the recording. Allow the recorder to capture the time you take between excerpts.


Finalizing and Uploading Your Video

  1. View your completed video in its entirety to ensure that it includes all of the required components and your finest quality performance of the required excerpts.
  2. Audition should be posted as an unlisted video on YouTube. The instructional video below can help with the process.

Uploading videos to YouTube


Sending your Video Link

  1. Send an email to the Honor Band Administrator at HSHonorBand@osu.edu. Please type “Ensembles Audition” in the subject line of the email and include the following information in the body of the email:
  • First and last name
  • Instrument
  • The working YouTube link to the finalized audition video
  1. The link to your audition video must be received by FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20.


Audition Results and Questions

All students who complete and submit an audition will be notified of their band placement following the Friday evening opening concert of Honor Band Weekend.

QUESTIONS? Contact the Honor Band Administrator at HSHonorBand@osu.edu.


Musical excerpts for preparing your audition video

 

[pdf] — Some links on this page are to Adobe PDF files requiring Adobe Reader. Should you need them in a more accessible format, contact us.