Tis the season for auditions in my studio, and as I’ve been helping students prepare to audition for college programs and various honors ensembles for years, I’ve gathered a few helpful tips to share!
Be VERY familiar with the requirements.
I know that sounds really obvious, but this can’t be stressed enough, because you don’t want to get to the audition, only to find out that you’ve prepared the wrong music or are otherwise unable to meet the requirements! Verify what the audition requires as far as scales, etudes, and literature, as well as sight-reading expectations. Finally, if the audition requirements specify specific editions of any music, make sure you have the correct ones.
Practice
Start practicing the material far enough in advance that you will have enough time to prepare it well! Practice slowly and thoroughly, so that you can make sure that your timing is clean and precise, particularly on the items that all candidates have to play, such as scales and etudes. One of the reasons they ask all candidates to play some of the same music is to help them recognize which people are bringing the strongest technical and musical ability. Often, candidates are asked to play the scales at their fastest controlled speed. If you have to sacrifice a little speed for better control, then do it! Slower is better than sloppy timing, and you want your performance to be memorable in a good way!
What about nervousness? 
Yes, you should plan on that. Isn’t it amazing that our bodies respond to a situation like an audition as if our very lives are in grave danger? Isn’t it great that there will be no physical danger at your audition? I hope that makes you feel better already, but if you’re not there yet, let’s consider changing our expectations about nervousness.
I used to get really nervous, and trying to stop the effects of physiological fear just made me more nervous. What works better for me now, is to expect that my body is going to react with nervousness, and then do the performance anyway!
Some of the physical symptoms of fear/stress you might experience are:
- Racing heart, shaking hands, fidgeting.
- Too little or too much saliva-this can be a real challenge if you are a wind player or a singer.
- Muscle Tension
- Shallow Breathing
If you are feeling nervous before your audition, try taking a few deep breaths and rolling your shoulders back. Deep breathing can help take the edge off of these symptoms and calm your body down. However, keep in mind that playing in front of a judge is going to feel very different than practicing at home, and you would be wise to expect some physical reactions to the stress of auditioning, but this doesn’t have to stop you from playing well. Just recognize what is happening, do your best to stay relaxed, and play well anyway!
The Big Day 
- Be sure to get plenty of rest, water and healthy nutrition in the days leading up to the audition.
- Creative visualization is very powerful–take a few minutes each day to imagine yourself being there any playing your best!
- Get there early, so that you won’t feel rushed, and will have plenty of time to warm up. You may also benefit from taking a walk around if you need to dispel some nervousness before your audition.
- Play as if being selected or not does not matter to you. Have fun with this-playing an instrument is supposed to be fun, after all!
What if it doesn’t go as well as it did at home?
Yes, mistakes might happen, and if they do, consider it an opportunity to show the judge(s) how flexible you are by just moving on with your performance as if it never happened. Being a good musician is not about playing everything perfectly at all times; it is about concealing the errors so well, and with such confidence (real or imagined-nobody else knows the difference), that the mistakes are not noticeable to the audience!
What if I am not selected?
It is perfectly understandable to feel disappointed if you are not selected following your audition. Performing leads us to be really hard on ourselves, because we spend months preparing for an event that takes 5 minutes. If you are bummed about not being selected, consider the following:
- Even if the audition didn’t go as well as you had hoped it would, just participating was a good experience. You got out of your comfort zone, you did something scary, you learned about yourself, and you are now a better musician for it.
- You now know what to expect from an audition, and just having completed one already helps you be more prepared for the next one. The more you do this, the easier it gets, and you get to take your experience with you into the next one!
- There will be more opportunities in the future, perhaps even better ones. The only way to take advantage of them is to pursue them, so keep playing!
What do you think about audition preparation? Please feel free to add comments below. Thank you!
