Do not just go to Youtube and listen to the first hit on your search. Below a NYSSMA Level IV, this may not be an option, but many Level IV and most Level V and VI pieces are significant enough within the repertoire to have been recorded by top professionals. Unless you are a prodigiously gifted and unusually experienced young musician, start by listening to several recordings of the piece. Here, I will provide some pointers for effectively learning the piece you have chosen. Therefore, I would recommend consulting my previous two “Audition Tips” blog entries, particularly Part I, which addresses mindset and selection of repertoire. Likewise, there is a lot in common between an adjudicated performance of this type and any other audition. In most ways, preparing a solo for this kind of event is no different from preparing a solo for any other performance setting. Since then, I have prepared a number of my own private trumpet students for their own NYSSMA Solo Festival performances.
Having participated in this tradition myself three times between the ages of 11 and 16, and having enjoyed the resulting opportunities to play with All-State and Area All-State ensembles, I know the experience as a participant, for better and worse. Other states’ music education associations sponsor similar events all across the country. In New York State, preparing and performing pieces at NYSSMA Solo Festivals is a rite of passage for many young trumpet players.