Hey! I`m new to band and sax, if been playing for less than a year, and i just joined band, anyway, i have a major sight reading test coming up, and i`m horrible at sight reading, any advice?

sight reading comes with practice. Practice your scales. It helps. You need to get familiar with the sax before you can become a good sight reader. Eventually you wont even think about the notes they will just come out.

This will sound very stupid but it works.
Find yourself a seriously easy music book. When i say easy i mean quarter notes and eighth note easy. read through them on a dialy basis. and check yourself off. "ok, i played number 1 through 5 perfectly but messed up on 6. I`ll work on 6-10 tomarrow" then the next day u do 1-10
1-15. and so on. trust me it helps.

I know this also sounds really stupid, but if I can`t read a bar i sing it out. If you can get some time to revise the music before you play it, i would advise you to do that...or if there are lots of people around, just finger the notes on your sax and remember note values

~scarlett

A good Idea is going with what Scarlett said and sing the note, (don`t be embaressed if you cannot sing, that is not the point) you can purchase a sight singing book that will help you with that. It also has rhythm section work outs that you can clap with. Also as stated get to know your horn, learn every note till you feel comfortable with it, don`t fall into the trap of learning just C to C, it will end up hurting you later.

Later

I`ve just had a sight reading test ~ and it was awful ...

something in A flat(Ab)~ I went straight numb~ haha~~~

oooh Ab........you just gotta remember B,E,A,D for the key signature (all flats of course), and note values, articulation and timing.....you may have done well,

I hope you did!!!

I went numb because I saw several "Decorate notes" hanging beside the 8th notes ~..~~ But it`s not so hard indeed ~ Only if I could be more calm ....

Sorry ..~I mean "Grace notes" la ~....... (After checking out in a dictionary ...But I`m quite sure ,somewhere and someday I saw a "Decorate note" or something like this ~...)

~ is called a turn, in almost all cases you play the note indicated and one above the note back to the note and one below it. The term for things like these are ornaments.

Later

yeah grace notes are a little tricky, i like them though because they`re hell funky