Instrumental Music

NOTE: If your 8th grade student is accepted to All-State or Pinellas All-County Band or Orchestra, they will be offered acceptance to PCCA without an interview!

Recommended material to prepare for your interview:

Band & String Instruments

All wind and percussion instruments should prepare the Pinellas Middle School All-County Band audition material, found at http://www.pcmea-fl.org/ms-band-all-county.html.  (Be sure to locate your instrument.)

String instruments should prepare the Pinellas Middle School All-County Orchestra audition material, found here.  Scales- String Scales   Excerpt- String Excerpt   (Scroll through the file to find your instrument.)

Piano

There are three components:

            • Scales and Skills

You will be asked to play two scales from the following keys: C, G, D, F and B-flat.  Play your scales hands together or separately in two octaves with the corresponding major arpeggio (LH cross-over or individual hands with thumb under).

            • Sight-Reading

We will provide a short piece for you to sight-read.

            • Performance

Prepare two contrasting selections from memory. Pieces should be from the four major periods of piano literature (Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary).  Pieces can be chosen from these collections: “First Lesson in Bach” – Schirmer Edition, “Sonatina Album” – Schirmer Ed., “Preludes” by Chopin, “Album for the Young” by Schumann, “24 Pieces for Children” Opus 39 by Kabalevsky, or “Progressive Pieces, Op. 100” by Burgmüller.  More advanced pieces are also welcome. Bring your sheet music with measures numbered.  

If you have any questions about the PCCA instrumental audition, please contact Ann Adair at adaira@pcsb.org. 

Guitar

Major scales in G, A, and D

Prepared pieces:

Any beginning classical guitar piece from composers such as Carulli, Giuliani, Mertz, et al., or any prominent anonymous or traditional piece such as Greensleeves, Packington’s Pound or Spanish Pavin. 

(A great selection of suitable grade 1-3 pieces can be found at http://thisisclassicalguitar.com/sheet-music-for-classical-guitar )

Any jazz standard as appearing in irealpro or the real book. Student will play the chord progressions and separately demonstrate the melody either solo or along with a track (recording or irealpro is acceptable).

Chord-melody interpretations are also welcome.

Any pop or rock song or piece of music that demonstrates two of the following:

Knowledge of fretboard position (barred and closed position chords, inversions, or funk-style triads, etc.)

Competent soloing/phrasing ability

Competent fingerpicking ability

Competency playing melodic patterns

Suggested List of pop/rock

Stairway to Heaven-Led Zeppelin

Over the Hills and Far Away-Led Zeppelin

Michelle-Beatles

Blackbird-Beatles

Yesterday-Beatles

Landslide-Fleetwood Mac

Under the Bridge-Red Hot Chili Peppers

I’m Coming Out-Diana Ross w/Chic

Super Bad-James Brown and the JBs

Icky Thump-White Stripes

Gravity-John Mayer

Stop this Train-John Mayer

Street Spirit (Fade Out)-Radiohead

Black Magic Woman-Santana

Purple Rain-Prince

Prospective students are encouraged to contact Mr. Martin at martinmichae@pcsb.org for more information or clarification.