2026 Audition Tour

Want to take part in one of the four amazing courses within NYJC’s Summer Programme? Then sign up for an audition by 11pm, Sunday 8 March 2026.

Delegates for the Vocal Jazz Camp, Improvisers’ Summer School, and Feeder Short Course are selected through our national audition tour, running 28 March–16 April 2026.

Click here to book your audition. However before you do, please read the information below about the audition process.

Please note, a separate process applies to join the Composition Summer School – click here.

Who can audition & what does it cost?

Every year, NYJC’s national audition tour welcomes hundreds of talented young jazz musicians from diverse backgrounds, styles, and instruments—and we’re excited to hit the road again in 2026! You don’t need any formal grades, and we welcome young musicians aged 14-18.

We believe jazz is for every instrument. Alongside trumpets, saxophones, drums, and double basses, we’ve worked with sitars, violins, French horns, bassoons, accordions, Indian flutes, singers, and are keen to work with more! Our music draws on a mix of influences from jazz, rock, rap, classical, world music, fusion, and folk. Whatever we play, we make it fresh, personal, and reflective of today’s young creatives.

Our multi-award-winning Founding Artistic Director, Issie Barratt, will guide you through the audition and provide positive, constructive feedback. If you’re not offered a place this year, we’ll always point you toward other NYJC or local opportunities to help you grow and prepare for next time.

Auditioning is completely free. There is a fee to attend the summer programme courses, but means-tested bursaries are available for audition travel, course travel and course fees.

About Auditioning

Please find below a video and general information about auditioning.

There is also a detailed section explaining the Improvisers’ Summer School audition process, and a section for the Vocal Jazz Camp audition process.

Please note that there isn’t a separate audition process for the Feeder Short Course. All applicants will be considered for the Improvisers’ Summer School, and those who aren’t offered a place may be signposted to the Feeder Short Course (an incredible opportunity to develop creative music skills in time for next year’s auditions), as well as other NYJC opportunities or creative activities we know of in your area.

Not yet ready to audition? Join us for one of our free taster workshops!

Watch the video below about NYJC’s audition process:

Audition Overview

When you arrive at your audition, you will be greeted by a member of our team who will support you through your audition day. They will take you to a warmup room before introducing you to the accompanist who will have 5 minutes to talk through your 3 pieces with you.

Three people will be with you during your audition: two adjudicators and a jazz pianist.

The jazz pianist will be accompanying you in your pieces and running some of the practical aural tests.

All three are keen to make sure your audition is as relaxed and creative as possible, so please do tell us if we can do anything to help you during your audition day (including any special access needs you might have).

Improvisers’ Summer School Audition Process

NYJC’s Summer School audition has 5 sections and will be approximately 20 minutes in duration. You can choose which order you want to do the first 4 sections in, but you will be asked to do all of the following:

1. A simple Blues

Perform a head (the main tune) and three improvised choruses of a mid tempo blues in F (from memory i.e. without using a lead sheet), which will be accompanied by the jazz pianist.

About the Blues (pdf)

2. Two contrasting pieces

Perform 2 contrasting pieces lasting no more than a total of 6 minutes. Both pieces should begin with an opening ‘head arrangement’ (i.e. a melody accompanied by a chord progression). This should then be followed by an improvised solo section, which is based on the same chord progression as accompanies the opening head. Candidates are invited to perform an original piece as one of their two selected pieces.

DRUM AUDITIONS: In both pieces, drummers will be expected to accompany the head, take a solo, and trade four, two and one bars with the pianist. Drummers will also be asked to play a variety of grooves and feels (using sticks, brushes and mallets) from a specific list of grooves.
PIANO AND GUITAR AUDITIONS: NYJC’s piano accompanist will take on the role of a jazz bass.
BASS AUDITIONS: In the audition we ask that somewhere in the set of three tunes (blues & 2 contrasting pieces):
- 1. The bass plays the head melody for up to two of the three tunes
  2. The bass underpins the piano playing the head for the remaining tune(s) of the three
  3. The bass accompanies piano solos in 2 of the three
  4. The bass offers up to two solos in the three tunes

We’d like to encourage all candidates, where possible, to play their two prepared pieces from memory, so that they can really focus on improvising over the chord changes and interacting with the accompanying pianist. However, this is not obligatory and use of a lead sheet for these two pieces will not influence the outcome of the audition.

See ‘Advice on repertoire’ and ‘NYJC graded tunes’ information sheet for more information.

All candidates will be expected to provide appropriate concert lead sheets for the accompanying jazz pianist.
Lead sheet example
Guidance on how to write a leadsheet

Advice on Repertoire (pdf)

NYJCs Graded Tunes (pdf)

3. Aural tests

You’ll be asked to listen to 2-3 short phrases, each played twice on the piano. You will then be asked to play them back on your instrument (or sing them back if your main instrument is voice or drums).

Aural tests example

NYJCs Aural Tests (pdf)

4. Improvisation and harmonic understanding

We ask you to improvise over two simple chord progressions written especially for the audition, using accessible, standard jazz harmony.

Progression 1 will use a simple progression of up to eight chords, which will be repeated by the pianist so that the candidate relies on their ears to work out the changes.

Progression 2 (not for drummers) will be a notated progression of up to eight chords using chord symbols.

Instead of Progression 2, drummers will be asked to play a variety of grooves and feels (using sticks, brushes and mallets) from this specific list of grooves.

5. Conversation

At the end of the audition the panel will invite you to take part in a short conversation, so we can hear about your individual interests, discuss things you’ve shared with us in your application form and answer any questions you may have for us.

Vocal Jazz Camp Audition Process

LIVE PERFORMANCE: Candidates will be asked to give a live performance accompanied by NYJC’s accompanist.

REPERTOIRE: In the audition, candidates will be asked to perform three tunes selected from the list below.

One of the following ballads: either “Moonlight in Vermont” or “The Nearness of You”
One of the following medium tempo swing numbers:
- But Not For Me
- Pennies From Heaven
- Triste
- Beautiful Love
A piece of your own choice which can be unaccompanied.

Feel free to practice the ballad and medium tempo swing numbers using the backing tracks provided on the vocal repertoire list on NYJC’s website

Applicants are not required to improvise (scat!) at their audition. They can if they want to – but paraphrasing the melody and communicating the lyrics is sufficient at this stage. We’re really keen to work with all enthusiastic vocalists who are looking to broaden their skillset and take their singing to the next level.

LEAD SHEETS FOR THE ACCOMPANIST: All candidates will be expected to provide appropriate piano accompaniments or concert lead sheets for the accompanying jazz pianist.
Lead sheet example
Guidance on how to write a lead sheet

Find backing tracks and lead sheets for the NYJC Vocal Camp auditions here

Book your audition now!

16 April
Manchester

Claremont Centre (Trafford Music Service)

apply

What happens next?

After submitting your application, we’ll be in touch between 11 – 18 March to confirm your audition time and information.

We will write to you two weeks after the end of the audition tour with your audition outcome. Please note, we do not have capacity to give specific feedback or discuss your marks/assessment from the day.

2026 Audition Tour