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Region Chair Tests

Posted by Dave on 12/9/2025, 8:37 am

Just venting:
I really hate it when directors send their ENTIRE top band to region band for a grade or as a chair test. Or using it as a way for students to move up a band if they go to region auditions.
It's really frustrating wasting time waiting for those kids to get through the music and walking through the halls overhearing their students talking about just sightreading the music.
It happens every single year from the same people, and they have a solid chunk of the bottom chairs every year.
They also have some really good players who make the bands and thats great. I just wish people would stop doing this.

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Those on 12/14/2025, 9:06 am, in reply to "Region Chair Tests"

bottom chairs still count toward apportionment.

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Counterpoint on 12/11/2025, 5:14 pm, in reply to "Region Chair Tests"

I missed the point of your post, that you were venting. For sure it's frustrating to sit through it. Are you always on audition panels in your region/area?

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Counterpoint on 12/9/2025, 5:24 pm, in reply to "Region Chair Tests"

That's the sound of effort! The only last place is on the couch. Not everyone is great at auditions. Need to cut their teeth. Probably not a good look for us to look down on student auditions at any level, they're baby musicians wanting to run. Nerves will do crazy things. How long does an unprepared audition really take? We are already present so it's a sunk time cost. Do your region neighbor a favor and help seat their band, and let them know you helped! Everyone appreciates a hand. Maybe bring all your kids (and entry fees!) to the party next year!

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Eye Roll... on 12/11/2025, 8:05 am, in reply to "Re: Region Chair Tests"

When a kid is knowingly sightreading or woefully underprepared when they step in the room....that isn't nerves, that's being unprepared. Big difference, and one any director worth their baton can differentiate.

The kids can cut their teeth by preparing the material at home, and playing it for their director.

I'm not going to waste my budget money, or my Region Neighbor's time, by forcing students who might not have the extra time to prepare the material to show up and play poorly just so I can seat my own band back home.

If my Region Neighbor wants my help seating his band, he can call me and ask me to stop by his band hall and listen to the kids...and he can at least get me a hamburger in exchange for my time.

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by not at all on 12/11/2025, 8:05 am, in reply to "Re: Region Chair Tests"

That's not the sound of effort. There is a very discernable difference between nervous/not good at auditions and not prepared/forced to go. In our region this year, there was a good 30-40% that should not have been allowed to go.
We screen our kiddos. Not for first chair ability, but for not embarrass me ability. Not every kiddo will be first, but many will be respectful enough to make a band.
We do chair auditions aside from region auditions for our band. Region placement has no value on the auditions we do in our band hall. There are great kids that just don't prefer to do the region thing and we don't punish them for that.

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Dave on 12/10/2025, 8:13 am, in reply to "Re: Region Chair Tests"

I am not looking down on the student. I am looking down on the director. Each one takes an extra 2-3 minutes per student, per etude. Some of them play a few measures, then sit there for a LONG time, play a few more and then skip to the last few measures. And I said in my original post that I walk through the hallways and hear them (afterwards) talking about having to sightread etudes. That's not nerves. And I bring my own share of kids who do fine.

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Curious on 12/10/2025, 7:54 am, in reply to "Re: Region Chair Tests"

ATSSB guy here...

I'm going to have to somewhat disagree with you on this one. An audition is just that...an audition. We don't call it an all-region "chair test" or "assessment". The purpose of the event is to select students for the region band. Words have meanings. When you audition for something, you are demonstrating your preparedness and suitability for the role for which you are auditioning. Students should be prepared for it.

Regarding the sunk time cost...that point may fly in some regions, but other regions cover hundreds of miles. My region has had auditions that began at 10am and, even with cuts, I didn't get home until close to 1:00 in the morning.

I understand that kids get nervous during auditions. It happens, but if you can't tell the difference between a nervous students and one who isn't prepared, you probably shouldn't be a part of the judging process. I am all for time limits on auditions. At the middle school level, no student should take more than 5 minutes to audition. At the high school level, 2 minutes for scales is good. For the etudes, I would suggest calculating the required performance time of the piece at 75% of the slowest tempo suggested in the PAL, giving a little leniency if a student is close to finishing the cut when the time expires.

Summary: I agree with the OP in that region auditions should be treated as auditions. Screen your students before taking them. Listening to unprepared students isn't doing your region neighbor a favor, it's doing their job for them.

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Yep... on 12/10/2025, 12:13 pm, in reply to "Re: Region Chair Tests"

I wish we had a "like" button. I've got our auditions this weekend, and I know that I am going to listen to many students that will sound fantastic, some who are *almost* there, and some who won't know which end of the horn to blow through...but their director required them to show up. What does that teach them....that they can take a beating (metaphorically)?

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Yeah on 12/10/2025, 7:42 am, in reply to "Re: Region Chair Tests"

I like this mindset. I wish a lot of people that vented would hear that line more: "Not a good look for us to look down on student auditions at any level".

I wonder how many of these students that "always got the bottom chairs" actually improved over the years and made a band? How many students gained confidence after seeing what region was like? How many new friends did these students make after that day? How many kids lit up when they saw their name with a band next to it? How much of the culture in the band improves with more and more classmates getting used to the audition process?

It's always told to us that at the end we need to focus on our kids' growth instead of ratings and chasing trophies. How we react to the auditions can be really telling.

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Hmmmm..... on 12/10/2025, 6:31 pm, in reply to "Re: Region Chair Tests"

I'm willing to bet that for every one student that "always got the bottom chairs" and eventually made the band, 5 saw that they placed 86 out of 90 and said "forget it".

As far as "trophy chasing" is concerned...isn't there scholarship money at the end of the rainbow?

Like someone else said, this is an audition; a demonstration that you are the most deserving person for the position. Kind of like...I don't know...a job interview? How many of us applied for an open position where the school received 35 applications, and they brought in and interviewed all 35 applicants? A school that did that is either: 1. desperate, 2. crazy, or 3. has a lot of free time on their hands.

Think before you say, "that's different".

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Curios on 12/10/2025, 10:53 am, in reply to "Re: Region Chair Tests"

And how many played only three notes of the etude before throwing their sticks and mallets on the floor. In a room I judged this year, the answer is four. Screen your kids and don’t take them.

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Snerk on 12/10/2025, 7:25 am, in reply to "Re: Region Chair Tests"

If I have to listen to 70 clarinets, and 20 of them are wildly and obviously unprepared, I'd rather listen to 50 clarinets and save two hours, thanks. We're already there till after midnight on Friday auditions, and some of us have to drive home.

TMEA and ATSSB should allow the lead judge to cut off auditions.

"Your region neighbor" can do their own job, I'm not paid to do it for them.

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Counterpoint on 12/10/2025, 1:36 pm, in reply to "Re: Region Chair Tests"

That's the best part! We are NOT paid for it. So just help your community, students and peers, because we the other option is to sit in the director food room and complain about stuff or sit on your phone. Engage with your community in a positive way!

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Snerk on 12/15/2025, 12:12 pm, in reply to "Re: Region Chair Tests"

If I'm not getting paid to chair test your kids, I'm not chair testing your kids. You can do your own job.

Doing someone's job for them isn't engaging with the community, it's enabling laziness (at worst) or being taken advantage of (at best).

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Respectfully on 12/9/2025, 12:45 pm, in reply to "Region Chair Tests"

Call out the behavior (without naming names) at your February and Spring region meetings.

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by Former Region 15 Director on 12/10/2025, 9:34 pm, in reply to "Re: Region Chair Tests"

Maybe some schools are sending students that are unprepared to help boost numbers for apportionment purposes. Some areas are losing All State chairs left and right. Area G lost 16 chairs in 6A in the last round of apportionment.

Re: Region Chair Tests

Posted by OP on 12/12/2025, 3:39 pm, in reply to "Re: Region Chair Tests"

I know. I have lots of ties to people in that area. This is the same two schools year after year and we are NOT a competitive region, so I doubt thats the case.

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