Sunday Check-In and Placements

July 6th, 2025

2:00pm – Resident students check into Voorhees Residence Hall (34 Biel Road West, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8502. See map)
3:00pm – Daytime Commuters check in directly at Nicholas Music Center (“NMC“, 85 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. See map)
- Note: Parents/Guardians are welcome to stay on site during all Sunday activities, if desired
3:30pm – All-Student Orientation in Rehearsal Hall 104 (next to NMC). Students will receive their folder and RSJI Tunebook.
4:00-6:00pm – Placement Screenings and group activity (SEE DETAILS BELOW). Warm up/Hang Out Room: RHL104
5:00-6:00pm – Pizza dinner for all students!
6:15pm – Counselor Tunebook demonstrations and group activity in Nicholas Music Center
7:15-7:30pm – Residents return to the Dorms. Commuters depart for the day (may be picked up from Bettenbender Circle in front of NMC)

Contacts

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Tim Hayward: th833@mgsa.rutgers.edu
Joe Verderese: joseph.verderese@rutgers.edu

How to Prepare for 4:00pm Placement Screenings

Read carefully!

Winds

Make sure that you bring everything you need: mouthpiece, reeds, neck straps, mutes

Saxes

Bring your main instrument on Placement day. If you are proficient on multiple saxophones & they are available to play during the week, please tell us at the screening.

Guitar

¼ inch patch cable
Amps are provided for rehearsals, but guitarists may want to optionally bring a small practice amp for personal use.

Piano

Bassists

Acoustic bassists should bring a bow
¼ inch patch cable
Amps are provided for rehearsals, but electric bassists may want to optionally bring a small practice amp for personal use.

Drummers

Bring your own cymbals (including hi-hat cymbals)
Bring your own hi-hat clutch!!
Vibraphone mallets if you’d like to try to utilize the 1 vibraphone that we’ll have on site.
Congas are available on site
Bring small Miscellaneous Percussion (if you like).

NMC = Nicholas Music Center
RHL = Rehearsal Hall
RHL followed by a number 1 is first floor
RHL followed by a number 2 is second floor
Shindell = Shindell Hall located inside tje Mortenson Building

Note: Counselors will be available to assist in finding audition rooms. Also remember to bring your Audition Rubric Form with you to the audition and hand it to the teacher when you arrive.

4:00-6:00pm – Auditions

Warm up/Hang Out/Activity Room: RHL104

This is the room you are in now. You can wait here until your audition. Feel free to warm up, hang out, and relax.

Trombone & Trumpet – RHL201

Exit through the door on your right and go up stairs (Stairway is through a blue door on your left)

Piano & Guitar – RHL209

Exit through the door on your right and go up stairs (Stairway is through a blue door on your left)

Bass & Drums – NMC

Exit through the door on your left and go across hall to the blue double doors

Saxophone, Clarinet & Flute – Shindell

This is in Mortenson Hall. A counselor will bring you over there 5 at a time

Big Band Literature

Click links below to open music. There are 2 excerpts available for each instrument. One (1) Intermediate/Beginner Level piece, and One (1) Advanced Level piece. You may choose to play the excerpt that you feel the most comfortable with. **Please note that you will need to play the advanced piece in order to be eligible for the top big band or combo groups**

Flute

Alto Sax

Tenor Sax

Bari Sax

Trumpet & Clarinet

Trombone

Bb Blues

Click links below to open music. Choose one of the Bb Blues melodies provided. Please play the melody 1 time, and 2 choruses of Improvisation. Improv is not required, but highly recommended. This will help us assess which Improv class and combo you will be placed in. Accompaniment tracks will be provided at placement screenings. The playalongs we will use are in the folder linked below as well. Notated tempos are based on the playalong recordings. **Please note that improvisation is required in order to be eligible for the most advanced combo groups**

Sight-Reading

This will be a short jazz excerpt of music you have not prepared or seen in the past that will be first shown to you at placements.

Big Band Literature

CLICK HERE to open music. Please play the entire page.

Bb Blues

CLICK HERE to open music. Choose one of the Bb Blues melodies provided. Please play the following:

Melody 1 time
1 chorus of comping based on the chords provided
2 choruses of Improvisation.
- Improv is not required, but highly recommended. This will help us assess which Improv class and combo you will be placed in. We will provide an accompaniment track at placements. The playalongs we will use are in the folder linked below as well. Notated tempos are based on the playalong recordings. **Please note that improvisation is required in order to be eligible for the most advanced combo groups**

Play Alongs Folder: Click on this link to find playalong recordings that we will use as backing tracks for the Bb Blues portion of your placement screening.

Sight-Reading

This will be a short jazz excerpt of music you have not prepared or seen in the past that will be first shown to you at placements.

Big Band Literature

CLICK HERE to open music.

Page 1: Play the chart as written.
Page 2: Comp using the chords provided for 2 choruses from 41-52. There is no need to play from 53-end.

Bb Blues

CLICK HERE to open music. Choose one of the Bb Blues melodies provided. Please play the following:

Melody 1 time
1 chorus of comping chords
2 choruses of Improvisation.
- Improv is not required, but highly recommended. This will help us assess which Improv class and combo you will be placed in. Don’t be shy, give it a shot! We will provide an accompaniment track at placements. The playalongs we will use are in the folder linked below as well. Tempos are based on the playalong recordings. **Please note that improvisation is required in order to be eligible for the most advanced combo groups**

Play Alongs Folder: Click on this link to find playalong recordings that we wil use as backing tracks for the Bb Blues portion of your placement screening.

Sight-Reading

This will be a short jazz excerpt of music you have not prepared or seen in the past that will be first shown to you at placements.

Big Band Literature

Excerpt 1: CLICK HERE – Play the first 8 measures as written. For 9-17, read the notes as written or improvise your own walking bass line based on the chords provided.
Excerpt 2: CLICK HERE – Play the entire page, without the 1st ending and repeat. Play the written notes as notated and improvise a walking bass line based on the chords provided. If you do excerpt 2, you are free to omit excerpt 1. If you do not understand how to play this one, you may omit it. **Please note that excerpt 2 is required in order to be eligible for the most advanced combo groups**

Bb Blues

CLICK HERE to open music. Choose one of the Bb Blues melodies provided. Please play the following:

Melody 1 time
1 chorus of creating a walking bass line based on the chords provided
1 chorus of an improvised solo based on the chords provided
- Improv is not required, but highly recommended. This will help us assess which Improv class and combo you will be placed in. Don’t be shy, give it a shot! We will provide an accompaniment track or a live musician to play along with at placements. The playalongs we will use are in the folder linked below as well. Tempos are based on the playalong recordings. **Please note that improvisation is required in order to be eligible for the most advanced combo groups**

Play Alongs Folder: Click on this link to find playalong recordings that we will use as backing tracks for the Bb Blues portion of your placement screening.

Sight-Reading

This will be a short jazz excerpt of music you have not prepared or seen in the past that will be first shown to you at placements.

Big Band Literature

Excerpt 1: CLICK HERE. Play the entire page. CLICK HERE for reference recording
Excerpt 2: CLICK HERE. Play the entire page. CLICK HERE for reference recording

Bb Blues

CLICK HERE to open music. Choose one of the Bb Blues melodies provided. Please play the following:

Comp the melody for 1 chorus
Comp for 2 choruses as you would play behind a soloist.
Optional: 12 measure drum solo

Sight-Reading

This will be a short jazz excerpt of music you have not prepared or seen in the past that will be first shown to you at placements.