Sparking Musical Excellence

Abstract: Is there a way to describe style, mood, meaning of an orchestral excerpt in one or two words? Can those describing words (adjectives) help to find the focus quicker in between the performances of different excerpts in an audition situation? Does the musical meaning of my performance get stronger if I formulate my musical ideas in words before? In my master project I worked with the five most commonly used orchestral excerpts in orchestra auditions for tenor trombone. I researched the historical and compositional backgrounds of the excerpts. Through adding thoughtful practice and recording analysis I found words to every excerpt which summarize the music of them and give immediately a clear imagination and focus to the performing musician in a stressed situation. This work gives not only a detailed introduction to five important orchestral excerpts for trombone, it also shows a way of setting the mind for a strong musical and meaningful performance.