Florida All-State: What Judges Listen For by Instrument (Mini Checklists & Timelines)

Florida All-State auditions reward clarity and consistency more than flashy speed. Judges listen for:

1. Pulse (steady time, clean subdivisions)
2. Tone (centered, appropriate color)
3. Intonation (in tune with yourself, then the room)
4. Style/Articulation (period-correct phrasing, dynamics)
5. Accuracy (notes/rhythms/fingerings/slide/positions)
6. Scales (even tone across registers)
7. Sight-Reading (counting first, musical line second)

At B Amazing Music, we run in-home private lessons across Winter Garden, Windermere, Lake Buena Vista, Ocoee, Clermont, and Apopka. Below are mini checklists and timelines your judge would love to hear in action.

Quick answer (screenshot this)

• Count out loud before playing. Tap a foot quietly or subdivide with air.
• Lead with tone at slow tempo; speed comes last.
• Dynamics = points: exaggerate cresc/decresc and phrase ends.
• Sight-reading: Scan key → meter → traps → count two bars → play musically.

What judges reward (universal rubric cues)

• Downbeat confidence: Attacks are aligned to the grid, not late.
• Ends of notes: Releases are shaped (no “drop-offs”).
• Phrase direction: Lines move toward high points and cadence tones.
• Clean transitions: String crossings, register shifts, and breath points are quiet and intentional.
• Tempo integrity: If you slow for difficulty, slow the whole bar (not just the hard notes).

Mini Checklists by Instrument

Flute / Oboe / Clarinet / Saxophone

• Tone: Focused core (aim air across, not down); even color across registers.
• Intonation: Long tones with tuner → lip/air adjustments; throat tones (clarinet) stabilized.
• Technique: Smooth finger choreography (no “finger pops”); alt fingerings pre-planned.
• Articulation: Light “t”/“d” syllables; consistent staccato length at soft dynamics.
• Scales: Even tone at mf; no crescendo when crossing the break.
• Sight-reading: Count rhythm aloud, mark breath/break points.

Trumpet / Horn / Trombone / Euphonium / Tuba

• Breath plan: Marked intake spots; blow through slurs; no end-of-phrase sag.
• Intonation: Center partials; lip slur ladders daily; tuner + drone for thirds/leading tones.
• Articulation: Fronts of notes speak piano as cleanly as forte.
• Style: Marcato vs. legato clearly distinguished; printed accents are audible, not slammed.
• Scales: Even finger/slide timing; slide gliss minimized (bones).
• Sight-reading: Subdivide out loud, prioritize time over ornaments.

Violin / Viola / Cello / Bass

• Bow lanes: Parallel to bridge; consistent contact point; speed/weight matched to dynamic.
• Intonation: Drone practice on tonic/dominant; guide fingers for shifts.
• Articulation: Bow strokes differentiated (détaché, legato, staccato); quiet string crossings.
• Vibrato (if required): Narrow/controlled at soft dynamics; not over-wide.
• Scales: Rhythmic evenness; intonation at slow tempo first, then vary bowings.
• Sight-reading: Map positions, circle shifts, sing intervals quietly before playing.

Percussion (Snare / Mallets / Timpani)

• Snare: Even doubles, strict heights (e.g., 3" vs 9"); rolls = even, tone-matched.
• Mallets: Note grouping; no extra wrist on accidentals; dampening planned.
• Timpani: Clear pitch sets; clean strokes at pp; pedal moves silent; no over-ring.
• Time: Click-with-subdivisions first, then musical phrasing.
• Sight-reading: Stems first (rhythm map), then stickings/mallet path.

Chorus / Voice

• Breath: Low/silent intake; long-line support at piano.
• Diction: Tall vowels, crisp consonants that don’t clip rhythm.
• Intonation: Tune thirds and leading tones to piano/drone; unify vowel color on peaks.
• Musicianship: Phrasing shapes over the barline; dynamic contrast written and heard.
• Sight-singing: Count rhythm → solfege/intervals quietly → sing with steady tempo.

12-Week Audition Timeline

10–12 weeks out

• Select tempos you can play with beautiful tone today.
• Build a daily 15–20 min core: long tones → slow technique grid → excerpt #1.

8 weeks out

• Metronome ladders: +2–4 bpm per day if yesterday was 90% clean.
• Record one excerpt every other day; tag: pulse/tone/intonation/style.

6 weeks out

• Add excerpt #2; begin mock sight-reading daily (60–90 seconds: scan → count → play).
• Scales: two keys per day, slur + articulate versions.

4 weeks out

• Run-through sets: all required items in audition order with timed pauses.
• Dynamics audit: Overdo contrast by 10% (it reads normal in a judging room).

2 weeks out

• Stamina reps: Two full takes with 3–4 minutes rest between.
• Fix list capped to three items per day (depth > breadth).

1 week out

• Tempo lock: Freeze tempos you can deliver beautifully.
• Room sim: Practice in a drier/brighter room once (harder acoustics).

Day-before

• Light day: One clean take of everything at -2 bpm; hydrate; pack list.

10–15 Minute Daily Routine (band/orchestra)

1. Pulse primer (2 min)

   • Clap/tap the hardest rhythm with subdivided click; then without click.

2. Tone & intonation (3–4 min)

   • Long tones with crescendo→decrescendo on a drone; confirm tuner spots.

3. Technique grid (3–4 min)

   • Scales/arpeggios at mf, then one pp pass to test control.

4. Excerpt focus (3–4 min)

   • Two 4–8-bar windows, Two-Take Rule: Take 1 notes, Take 2 musical fix.

5. Sight-reading (60–90s)

   • Scan key/meter → count two bars → play no stops, shape phrases.

Common Point Deductions (and fixes)

• Rushing at crescendos → Practice cresc with slower bow/slower air, not faster tempo.
• Flat high notes → Aim “taller” vowel/air; shorten finger/slide travel.
• Clipped phrase ends → Write L.R. (lift/release) at bar ends; breathe through releases.
• Metronome dependency → Alternate with drone-only to keep pulse independent.
• Sight-reading freezes → If lost, stay in time with open strings/tonic drone, re-enter next bar.

Pack & Day-Of Checklist

• Printed music + photo backup, pencils, water, tuner/met app, spare reeds/valve oil/strings/rosin/mallets.
• Warm-up plan (10 min max): tone→scale→excerpt window→two quiet breaths.
• Room reset: Take 10 seconds to feel the tempo, hear the drone in your head, and see your first attack.

Want a judge-friendly plan tailored to your instrument?

We’ll build your tempo map, breath/bow plan, dynamics cues, and daily routine—in your home—and run mock auditions so your first try isn’t in the audition room.