Is the All-Virginia audition live or recorded?

The concert audition is live. The District 7 calendar lists All-Virginia auditions February 27, 2027 at James Madison University. The student page still prints February 28 with no year. Audition numbers are withheld until check-in. Jazz is recorded: directors registered and paid $25 in OpusEvent September 1-October 1, 2026, a link was sent, and students recorded and confirmed the upload in the October 2-5, 2026 window. One instrument. Rotation B. File format, length and filename are not on the public pages.

Is there sight-reading on the All-Virginia audition, and how long do I get?

Yes. The 2026 packet scores sight-reading 30%, with 30 seconds to study the exercise. Length and level of the sight-reading are not published. Jazz includes sight-reading; its preparation time is not published.

When will I find out if I made All-Virginia?

Jazz results come as soon as possible following the closing of the audition window. VBODA's public pages do not give a concert results date. Ask your director.

How do district band auditions work in Virginia?

District and region honor bands in Virginia run under VBODA but are posted separately from the state All-Virginia materials. Each district manages its own honor band auditions, so your band director and your district's own posting are the source for those dates and requirements.

Is there an All-Virginia jazz ensemble?

Yes. The separate 2026-27 All-Virginia Jazz registration window was September 1-October 1, 2026, with OpusEvent recordings October 2-5, 2026. The materials use Rotation B. Rehearsals are November 17-19, 2026 in Richmond, with the concert November 19, 2026.

How should I start preparing?

Start with scales. In the words of Virtunity's founder, a band director and private lesson teacher: Your first notes set the tone for the whole audition. Build them slowly with a metronome so accuracy and a beautiful sound never break, then layer in the etudes once they are posted.

All-State posting

Virginia All-State band audition requirements

The live etudes page covers the 2026 auditions and states the etudes are currently available.

VBODA | District band

Start with one passage

Check VBODA's District band requirements for your instrument. Audition date: confirm with your director.

Begin your etude with a short passage. Confirm the official packet with your director.

Plan with Virtunity

First month free for eligible new subscribers.

Available on iPhone. The browser version is in early testing.

Last checked October 6, 2026 | Official source: https://vboda.org/index.php/audition-information-student.html

What to work on this week

Use this plan for your next round, a solo, or next season. Not taking another audition? Choose music with your director and use the same steps.

5 minutes - Read before playing. Find the required passage in the official packet. Mark its start and end. Count through a rhythm that needs attention.
10 minutes - Work on one small chunk. Choose a few notes or a short phrase. Play slowly enough to follow the notes and rhythm.
10 minutes - Connect two chunks. Practice the next small section. Then join the sections, paying attention to the connection.
5 minutes - Record and listen. Record the joined passage. Follow the score while listening. Write down one thing to revisit.

Dated tryouts

District 7 lists All-District auditions December 12, 2026 at John S. Battle High School, All-Virginia auditions February 27, 2027 at James Madison University, and the All-State Event April 22-24, 2027 in Richmond.
Source Read September 23, 2026.
The separate 2026-27 All-Virginia Jazz registration window was September 1-October 1, 2026; directors registered and paid $25 in OpusEvent. A link was sent, and the student recorded and confirmed the upload in the October 2-5, 2026 window. One instrument. Rotation B. Rehearsals are November 17-19, 2026 in Richmond; the concert is November 19, 2026.
Source Read September 23, 2026.

Published scoring rubric

Document season: 2026 (2025-26 cycle; the PDF retains a January 1, 2025 etude-posting date).

VBODA All-Virginia wind requirements, score percentages

This page reports what the official organization posted. Virtunity does not write audition requirements.

Confirm every date and requirement with your director. Organizations update packets.

Back to all states

VBODA

Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA)

We could not find 2026-27 materials posted publicly yet.

The organization's page still shows last season (2025-26).

The full requirements were not readable from a public official source.

Ensembles: All-Virginia Band, All-Virginia Orchestra
Season: 2025-26
Audition window: The student-information page still lists February 28 for the prior 2026 cycle, with registration at the Forbes Center and Grafton-Stovall Theater. The District 7 calendar lists All-Virginia auditions February 27, 2027 at James Madison University; see the dated tryouts below.
Instruments: winds and percussion (strings audition the same day for the orchestra)

What the current page describes

The live etudes page covers the 2026 auditions and states the etudes are currently available. It specifies that wind and percussion etudes are selected from published etude books students must purchase - VBODA does not supply copies, and none are available in the audition room on the day. The documents posted are '2026 All-VA Wind Audition Requirements', a January 15 revision of the 2026 winds prepared-selections list, and a 'Major Scale Pairings' sheet. The 2026 packet scores major scales 20% (memorized, key named, MM = 100), chromatic 20%, etude 30%, and sight-reading 30%, with 30 seconds to study the exercise. The per-instrument scale keys and etude numbers live inside those PDFs.

Notes

The concert etudes page still covers the 2026 auditions; 2027 concert etudes and a posting date were not found. The separate 2026-27 All-Virginia Jazz posting gives registration September 1-October 1, 2026 and OpusEvent recordings October 2-5, 2026. Jazz rehearsals are November 17-19, 2026 in Richmond, with the concert November 19, 2026. Jazz resources use Rotation B, including Tenor Sax - REV 9-1-26, with rhythm-section style guides and sample sight-reading. District and region honor bands are separate from the state posting. Source: https://www.vboda.org/index.php/audition-information-student.html. Source: https://www.vboda.org/index.php/audition-etudes-and-recordings.html. Source: https://www.vboda.org/index.php/audition-info-jazz.html.

Retrieved from the organization's page on September 23, 2026.

All-Virginia Wind, Percussion, and String Etudes

Practice for VBODA with your audition tempo, tuner and drone on one screen

Virtunity is a practice app built by a band director. Set up each scale and excerpt, then work it up a step at a time.

Scan with your iPhone to get Virtunity

Practice now in your browser: free tuner, metronome and drone

How it fits each part of this audition

Scales: Set up each scale in Virtunity and practice it with the metronome at your audition tempo, with the tuner and drone in the same window. Scale Checker confirms scale notes on your iPhone. Notes only. Not tone, rhythm or a complete performance.
Prepared etudes: Keep the PDF in your Music Library and set the piece up in practice with the metronome, tuner and your notes beside it. Start under tempo: good reps in a row move the tempo up a step, and Keep lets you stay at the old tempo.
Sight-reading: Sight Reading Sprint in the Lab puts one note at a time on the staff for a 60-second round of fast note reading. It is not a full sight-reading excerpt, so read something new every day too, and keep your counting steady with the Lab's rhythm modules.
Tone and intonation: Every judge listens for these. The tuner shows your note and how sharp or flat it is, and the drone gives you a steady reference pitch for long tones.
Tempo: Tap tempo finds a marked tempo, and subdivision clicks keep your eighths, triplets and sixteenths even.

For students 13 and up. Virtunity helps you prepare. Your playing on audition day earns the chair.

How All-State band auditions work in Virginia

In Virginia, the state-level honor ensembles for band students are the All-Virginia Band and All-Virginia Orchestra, run by the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA). Winds and percussion audition for the band, and strings audition the same day for the orchestra. VBODA also runs a separate All-Virginia Jazz Ensemble audition with its own etudes, rhythm-section style guides, sample sight-reading, and an online recorded-audition procedure.

The 2026 packet scores four parts: major scales 20% (memorized, key named, MM = 100), chromatic 20%, prepared etudes from published books 30%, and sight-reading 30%, with 30 seconds to study the exercise. VBODA does not supply the books - students purchase their own copies, and no copies are available in the audition room. The per-instrument scale keys and etude assignments live in the official PDFs linked from the posting above.

District and region honor bands in Virginia also run under VBODA, but their auditions are posted separately from the state materials on this page. Your band director is the source for your district's honor band dates and requirements, and district results are how most students first get audition experience in the state.

The District 7 calendar lists All-Virginia auditions February 27, 2027 at James Madison University. The student-information page still lists February 28 for the prior 2026 cycle; the concert etudes page also still covers 2026. Confirm the current materials with your director.

Virginia audition questions, answered

When are All-Virginia (All-State) band auditions?: The District 7 calendar lists All-Virginia Band and Orchestra auditions February 27, 2027 at James Madison University. The student-information page still carries February 28 from the prior 2026 cycle. See the dated tryouts and confirm with your band director.
What is on the All-Virginia band audition?: The 2026 packet scores four parts: major scales 20% (memorized, key named, MM = 100), chromatic 20%, prepared etudes from published books 30%, and sight-reading 30%, with 30 seconds to study the exercise. Students must purchase the etude books themselves. The per-instrument scale keys and etude numbers are listed in the official VBODA PDFs.
Is the All-Virginia audition live or recorded?: The concert audition is live. The District 7 calendar lists All-Virginia auditions February 27, 2027 at James Madison University. The student page still prints February 28 with no year. Audition numbers are withheld until check-in. Jazz is recorded: directors registered and paid $25 in OpusEvent September 1-October 1, 2026, a link was sent, and students recorded and confirmed the upload in the October 2-5, 2026 window. One instrument. Rotation B. File format, length and filename are not on the public pages.
Is there sight-reading on the All-Virginia audition, and how long do I get?: Yes. The 2026 packet scores sight-reading 30%, with 30 seconds to study the exercise. Length and level of the sight-reading are not published. Jazz includes sight-reading; its preparation time is not published.
When will I find out if I made All-Virginia?: Jazz results come as soon as possible following the closing of the audition window. VBODA's public pages do not give a concert results date. Ask your director.
What if I miss a rehearsal after I make All-Virginia?: VBODA's public pages do not state a missed-rehearsal rule. Ask your director. Jazz rehearsals are November 17-19, 2026 in Richmond, with the concert November 19, 2026. The District 7 calendar lists the All-Virginia event April 22-24, 2027 in Richmond.
How do district band auditions work in Virginia?: District and region honor bands in Virginia run under VBODA but are posted separately from the state All-Virginia materials. Each district manages its own honor band auditions, so your band director and your district's own posting are the source for those dates and requirements.
Is there an All-Virginia jazz ensemble?: Yes. The separate 2026-27 All-Virginia Jazz registration window was September 1-October 1, 2026, with OpusEvent recordings October 2-5, 2026. The materials use Rotation B. Rehearsals are November 17-19, 2026 in Richmond, with the concert November 19, 2026.
How should I start preparing?: Start with scales. In the words of Virtunity's founder, a band director and private lesson teacher: Your first notes set the tone for the whole audition. Build them slowly with a metronome so accuracy and a beautiful sound never break, then layer in the etudes once they are posted.