Army Musician Proficiency Assessment (AMPA)

Welcome to the 36th Infantry Division Band AMPA prep portal. Select your instrument below for specific requirements and performance tips.

US Army School of Music AMPA Regulations: USASOM Regulation 350-70-4 (AMPA).pdf

Most Important Stuff

Part 1 of the AMPA is prepared music - you decide what to play.
Part 2 of the AMPA is "quickly prepared" music, which will be given to you 24 hours before the assessment.
The Rubric has six sections:
- Part 1
  1. Technique/Mechanics
  2. Musicality/Phrasing/Dynamics
  3. Tone/Intonation/Range
  4. Style/Articulation/Note Shapes
  5. Time/Rhythm
- Part 2
  1. Music Preparation
For Part 2, you will receive 6 selections to prepare, from a variety of styles. See your instrument's section for more details.
You can score 0 - 6 in each category, so the max score is 36.
The minimum score to attend a school is 18.
You must score at least 2 in each category, regardless of the overall final score (e.g. you score a 19 overall, but received 1 in Time/Rhythm - you failed the AMPA).
The score to earn a "Charlie" (and get your picture on the wall) is 30.
- Criteria to score a "Charlie" (all 5s from rubric):
  - Excellent technique. Rarely misses notes, although still has difficulty with hardest literature. (I think this one is misleading. If you "miss notes", a School of Music assessor is not going to give you a 5.)
  - Applies appropriate dynamics. Attentive to phrasing throughout performance.
  - Sound is resonant through entire range.
  - Able to change color/timbre as needed.
  - Rare intonation errors.
  - Consistently demonstrates stylistic differences.
  - Uses appropriate articulations.
  - Tempi are musical and well thought out. Has no trouble with mixed or complex meters except at faster tempos. (As above, if you "have trouble with mixed meter at faster tempos", don't expect a 5.)
  - Capable of playing most 1st chair parts and some soloistic material.
Earning a score of 30 is very rare with the recorded video AMPA. Don't get discouraged by your score. The purpose of the video AMPA is to get you to school.

Taking the AMPA

The instructor will read this statement before you begin:
- " You are about to take the Army Musician Proficiency Assessment, also known as the This test will assess your capabilities and technical skill level on your primary instrument and your ability to perform vocationally-specific music. The AMPA was designed to reflect the diversity of music and styles performed by modern Army Bands. This is a hands-on, performance-based assessment. The result of this assessment will give us a composite score based on the rubric for your instrument and could be used by you and your leaders to identify your strengths as a musician. The residual risk level is low. Do the best you can. What are your questions?"
You have time to change music, change mouthpieces, instruments, equipment, etc. Don't rush!
For Part 2, the assessor will start a metronome and count off each selection. The metronome is turned off after you start playing.
- Practice this with a friend before your audition!
For the recorded video AMPA, you will record everything in one take. You can't edit together different takes.

Music Selections

Three Selections
Contrasting Stylistic Capabilities
- Don't choose 3 "classical" selections.
- If pop/jazz is outside of your comfort zone, this is a good opportunity to grow as a musician. There are easy to approach rock/funk options.
The TOTAL time of the prepared music performance (Part 1), including equipment changes, should be under 5 minutes. If your selection is 1 minute long, it's probably too long. Aim for 30-45 seconds.
Your score is directly related to the difficulty of the selection. You won't get a high score by playing easy selections really well (although this might be enough to get your 18 to get to school).

Frequently Asked Questions (from USA SOM Reg. 350-70-4)

What are examples of contrasting styles/genres for the prepared music section?
- Prepared music solos should be as stylistically different across genres as your instrument allows (i.e., not three classical solos/etudes/transcriptions, etc.). Styles should be as varied as possible; do not limit yourself. Classical solos, orchestral excerpts, swing, be-bop, Dixieland, funk, jazz transcriptions, pop/rock, Latin, marches, woodwind quintet, characteristic studies/etudes, concert band literature, etc. are all acceptable.
What is meant by performing a jazz transcription?
- Performing a transcription means authentically reproducing a segment of an improvised solo or comparable selection in time with an original The auditionee must provide the reference recording at the time of the audition. The performance is evaluated using the rubric and the reference recording to assess how closely the performer matches the original. The reference recording should be trimmed to within a few seconds/measures of the beginning and end of the selection to be performed. The auditionee may use written notes but need not provide them for the board. Commercially or publicly available transcriptions are also permitted. The auditionee should provide copies of the notation without any recording. These are evaluated the same as an etude or solo based on the performance of the notation and appropriate stylistic conventions.
What is commercial music?
- It refers to any popular music that sells in diverse markets, performed by studio It could include radio, television, movies, or independent productions. The whole idea is that it is music for sale.
Can I change equipment for my prepared music?
- This can be either a change of mouthpiece and reed from a concert band setup to a jazz- oriented setup, or a change of instrument from alto to tenor or vice versa. You will be given time to retune. If you choose to play both alto and tenor, it is assumed that your mouthpiece setup will be appropriate to the selections you will play on each instrument.
What do I need to bring to the audition if I am playing a jazz standard or similar selection, or a transcription?
- You should provide a copy of the lead sheet, CD with backing tracks and/or the reference

The Saxophone AMPA

💡 Saxophone AMPA Music Recommendation

This PDF has a lot of recommendations for music from a variety of styles

Sax AMPA Recommendations.pdf

💡 Saxophone AMPA Assessment Form (ASOM Form 1-9L)

This is the form that your grader will use.

Saxophone Form 1-9L.pdf

Quickly Prepared Music

You will receive the following for your quickly prepared music:

2 from Concert Band rep
2 from March rep (one in simple time, one in compound)
2 from Commercial/Swing rep (one of each)

Sergeant Pollard's Tips

You can ONLY play alto or tenor sax. (No bari, soprano, C melody, etc.)
Choose a selection from each of these three styles:
- Classical Etude/Solo
- Swing/Bebop
- Rock/Funk
Don't use a backing track. Too much can go wrong with the tech, including balance on the recording.
- If you decide to use a backing track, you can only use one on one selection.
Rehearse playing through the entire AMPA from beginning to end. It's easy to fool yourself into thinking you've got a selection nailed, but it will feel different when you're playing the whole audition at once.
I tend to lean towards etudes over solo rep since it's easier to find a good 30-45 second selection to showcase your ability.
Watch out for "high risk/high reward" music, e.g. if your altissimo isn't 100%, don't go for it during the AMPA. Play to your strengths.
- Also avoid music that the instructor will have heard 1,000 times, e.g. Bird "Confirmation" transcription or the Ibert Concerto.
I recommend using one or two condenser mics, but don't put the mic too close to your horn (at least 3' away). You want some of the natural room reverb (since you can't edit the recording) and a high quality recording of your sound, but not the details of your key noise or other imperfections in your sound that will be picked up if the mic is too close. Ideally record and listen to a sample and adjust as needed.
See the doc above for recommended selections, but you don't have to choose from that list. Some of my favorites:
- Classical
  - Bozza: 12 Etudes-Caprices
  - Piazzolla: Tango Etudes
  - Caravan: Bach for the Saxophone (Cello Suites, etc)
  - Marcel Mule: Etudes Variees
- Swing/Bebop (According to the regs- if you play your own transcription, you must provide a reference recording. If yo play a commercially available transcription, you must provide the sheet music.)
  - Charlie Parker Omnibook
  - Brubeck Transcription
  - Saxophone Omnibook (Hal Leonard) transcription selection (lots of choices)
  - Fishman Jazz Etudes are good if you're less experienced/confident with swing style
- Rock/Funk
  - Mintzer Funk Etudes (variety of difficulties)
  - Funk Transcription, e.g. Grover Washington Jr
  - Brecker transcription if you're feeling bold