Scales
You should be playing these everyday; one, doing so makes them familiar and extremely easy to memorize and two, you should be playing scales as part of your everyday warm-up anyway... so, there's that. Furthermore, if you plan on auditioning on piccolo, don't wait to start playing the scales on your piccolo. There will be some surprises that would be better not being surprises. Work through them earlier on so that playing on your piccolo is second nature.
As for practicing each scale, I would practice at slower tempi (not quarter note = 88, maybe quarter note = 60) until you can play the scale perfectly (no wrong notes, even sixteenths, clean tonguing, etc.) a healthy number of times in a row. Slowly click your metronome up - because, of course, you are practicing your scales with a metronome, always - until you reach your desired tempo, which may or may not be faster than quarter note = 88. I would also like to recommend practicing your scales with more than the two required articulations (all slurred, all tongued). Try, slur two - tongue two, tongue two - slur two, or even tongue one - slur two - tongue one (note that doing this might mean you have to alter the rhythm to all sixteenths on the major and minor scales, which is also not a bad idea). If you plan on double tonguing, make sure you are working on lining the tonguing up with your fingers - I know, an obvious thing to say. Finally, if you find you are having issues with a scale, try and figure out where exactly you are having issues. Is it that your fingers aren't moving evenly? Then do some rhythm work: dotted eighth - sixteenth, sixteenth - dotted eighth, eighth - two sixteenths, reverse that, eighth - sixteenth triplets, and reversed, etc. Doing rhythms helps work the kinks out of your fingerings. You can also oscillate tricky passages like, oh, I don't know, the top of the c melodic minor scale. You would play the high F up to the high C and back down to the high F over and over again (see below, where I have also written out the rhythms).
Once you feel you have mastered playing the scales and you think you have them memorized, cut up some paper into small strips, write a scale on the strip (i.e. chromatic scale or f# minor), dump all the scale-labeled strips into a cup or a bowl, and start pulling scales out blindly. Switching up the order, as in not playing them in the order they appear on the sheet, will test how well you actually know each individual scale as opposed to memorizing a pattern. If you make a mistake, keep that scale strip out or make a note of it so that you can practice that scale further at a later time. The goal is to get through the bowl of scales in a timely fashion with minimal, if any, errors. Aim to create an overarching sound from the beginning of the scale to the end of the scale; basically, try not to sound like you hit an "accent" on every beat or on 1 and 3, the strong beats. I think the judges would like for it to be one long gesture.
Common Chord (Click me for the recording!)
As with your scales, you should try to make this one long gesture instead of 9 individual moments. Also like the scales, it even sort of looks like an arch - so make it happen. I think the fact that one of the worst notes on flute, in my opinion, is in this short excerpt is what makes it hard. You have to prepare for the F#'s well before you actually play them. The name of the game is air support (doesn't it always seem that way). You want all the tones to sound evenly and equally beautiful; you don't want the F# to sound strained and "all of a sudden" or unprepared because then it sounds like an unmusical accent.
I would practice this slowly, much slower than you might think necessary. Perhaps, instead of eighth notes, they are quarter notes or even half notes. Don't rush, treat it like a lyrical and melodic exercise. The goal is to have your high F#, and A for that matter, sound as easy and relaxed as your first and last low F#. Your air support should be solid and continuous so that by the time you get to the high F# it is no big deal. There shouldn't be a sudden spurt of air to get any of the notes out and your embouchure should not experience drastic, if any, change. If you are into whistle tones, this would be a fantastic time to use them. If you are unsure what your embouchure is doing, grab a mirror or go stand in the bathroom.
Scale in Thirds (Click for recording)
I'm going to say it again because I like being a broken record - long gestures here, although, I prefer the word phrase in this particular sense. The first line is one phrase and the second is a response. Other than getting a good-sounding low Db at the beginning, the true test of this little doodad is the last measure. Yay pinkie rolling!! At least it is tongued, making it easier to avoid hearing all the moving around your pinkie will be doing - sometimes slurs give it away. Honestly, the best thing to do here is to practice that last measure slowly. Make sure that your pinkie is curved and in a comfortable position. This may make you question your footjoint alignment. Now is as good a time as any to see if you actually have it in the best position for you. Unfortunately, you really have to be careful not to over-practice this measure (and rolling around the lowest notes of your flute in general) because it is very easy to strain your pinkie if you are too gung-ho about getting it right immediately and you aren't taking care of your little pinkie joints. Just take care of yourself; if you start to feel strain, stop for the day and come back tomorrow. Avoid the possibility of teaching your pinkie bad habits.
If you audition on piccolo and you haven't mastered the supposedly possible low Db/C# (by putting your right pinkie halfway-or-so over the hollow end of the piccolo) but you still want to play all the notes, I guess the best you can do is raise up the three low Db's and the low C up an octave. To me, there doesn't seem to be a suave way to play all the notes otherwise, but I am open to and interested in any suggestions!
Page 50 Number 3 (Click for recording)
If this isn't about articulation and playing even sixteenths, I don't know what is. I suppose figuring out where to breathe without interrupting the flow is also a bit tricky; although, I recommend breathing after the downbeat sixteenth in the fourth measure and the beat-three sixteenth in the following (fifth) measure. Then you are only playing 3 measures at a time. If you only need one of those breaths, more power to you!
Because the articulation is constantly changing, I would (unsurprisingly!) practice this slower than your goal tempo and slowly click up the metronome (that you are, of course, still/always practicing with) as you continually play it perfectly. There aren't really any tricky fingering maneuvers, but if you feel you need to apply rhythms, no one will judge you. Just play all the sixteenths evenly and you should be golden, technically speaking.
There are no dynamics marked here so I would suggest you give that some thought. Even short passages like this are infinitely better when they are interesting to listen to. Remember, the judges will listen to every auditionee play this. Make yourself stand out. You can do the age-old "follow the line" practice or add in some contrast of your own. Just make sure it makes sense and that you are doing whatever it is you are doing convincingly. You may have ideas and think you are getting them across, but you might not. RECORD YOURSELF. No one likes listening to themselves play...at least no one I've ever met, but it does a world of good and can be eye-opening.
Page 56 Number 20 (Click for recording)
Forte, slurs, accents, staccatos and the best note ever on flute, an E, at the end. That is what I see in this exercise. Oh yeah, and the problem with breathing again. So breathing, just try not to interrupt the flow of a phrase or the continuous rhythmic feeling. A breath following the downbeat eighth note of any of the measures not starting with a slur seems safe. You are given a forte at the beginning so I would mostly stick to that - a full, beautiful forte sound that is even/equal throughout the registers.
Make sure you know when there is a slur three or slur two, otherwise, this seems fairly straightforward as well. There are a few accidentals to note, so do that. The last note is a quarter note, so make sure it is a full quarter note after you get in the zone of playing a bunch of eighth notes. The staccatos need to be separated, not short - think space, and the accents must sound different from all the other notes. Furthermore, when you get to the arpeggios from measures 17 to the end, don't accent the high notes...well, because they aren't accented. Musically, there are a lot of visual waves in the music, so I would let them be your guide.
F Major: Lento e cantabile (Click for recording)
Okay, this etude is a great time for you to play like the diva (or divo, as the case may be) you are. Treat this like an aria that any soprano would milk for all it is worth. Yes, you have to stay in tempo, for the most part, and you have to make it clear that you know the subdivisions of all the little notes; however, take your time and make sure that you don't rush the grace notes or any of the little note flourishes. If there is a tenuto (the line over the note), give it its due time to be. As an Italian professor or mine once said (with a slight alteration), "appreciate every note". He said syllable, but I mean, the point stands. The expression text at the top of the page says it all, "slow and singingly". See, I'm not crazy! Sing like a soprano on this one.
Like any good aria, there is a more intense section...the un poco animato. If you are thinking of this as an aria, make sure you portray a new emotion when you get here. To me, it is a little less lovey-dovey day dreaming and a lot more emotional action. A mood swing of sorts. Maybe I found out my lover is cheating on me or unattainable in some way...yes, I occasionally write myself a story to inspire my musical genius. Then in the last measure before the return of my "day dream" musical idea, I, for whatever reason - perhaps I think of a solution to my love problem - relax in my state of mind so I can be less intense and more whimsical. I'm not saying this is what you will be thinking, but it wouldn't be the worst idea to have something going on; even if there are just random words or visuals you place throughout the piece.
If you haven't guessed my feelings on this one yet, I will spell it out for you. This should be the definition of musicality and expression via your playing. Dynamics, articulations, and all the musical gestures - make them happen.
Food for thought: does the un poco animato mean a slightly faster tempo or just a different style in playing? Figure out what you believe and sell it to the judge.
Vivace (Click for recording)
Triple tonguing, anyone? You certainly don't have to, but it does make it easier. I think what is most important in this etude is not the tempo. What?! But it says "Vivace". Well, yes, good. You can read. However, anyone can play fast. Not everyone will be sticklers about rhythmic accuracy. What do I mean? Well, what might seem rather easy on the first go-through is actually a really, really mean test to see if you are differentiating the eighth note or sixteenth note pick-ups from the triplets they lead into. Don't be careless. This etude is NOT all triplets. There is a mix of duple and triple meter action going on simultaneously (because clearly the double sharps weren't bad enough). One of the first things, once you are past the notes stage, I would recommend you spend a good deal of time working on would be the rhythmic aspects of this etude. Why, because after the aria you just performed, this is the technical bit of the audition. Tip of the day: subdivide.
Of course, you can't ignore the dynamics - and there are a lot of contrasting dynamics that you must bring out - or the sforzandos, and the other various articulations. Work on all of those as well. Note that there is also a brief mood swing in this etude as well - starting in the pick-up to the seventh line you have a dolce section. It goes without saying that this should be drastically different stylistically from the rest of the etude. I would also like to point out, before concluding, that there are times in this etude where it sounds like you are having a conversation with yourself (i.e. the tongued vs. slurred threes in the second and third line, the half notes vs. the sixteenth pick-up to a quarter tied to an eighth in the seventh line, and the tongued idea from the beginning vs. the sixteenth pick-up to a quarter tied to an eighth in the eighth line). Maybe, think of this etude as a crazy person just rambling in a corner and you hear them seemingly having a conversation with themselves? I don't know, but it's an idea.
In Conclusion...
As you get closer to the audition date, start recording yourself running through the materials without stopping - you know, as though it were the audition. I would also recommend, from the beginning of working on these materials, that you practice them as you will audition - standing. Even if you normally play sitting, because that's usually how it works in band, you play differently sitting vs. standing and your body functions differently when you stand than it does when you are sitting. Think about it; your posture is different, which impacts your breathing and stamina. Going back to self-recordings: as I said earlier, it may make you aware of something going on in your playing that you otherwise would not notice. Make sure you have a steady tempo since you cannot audition with your metronome. You may hear that some of your pitches aren't quite where they need to be or that an idea you thought you were clearly presenting is half-baked or unclear to the listener.
I hope you found my thoughts and recordings helpful to you as you prepare these materials. Good luck on auditions later in the school year!
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