Kim Collins, Flutist - Teaching Artist
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Thoughts, information, and inspiration about playing and learning for students and parents.  

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Tips for Surviving Regional and All State Auditions

11/6/2017

4 Comments

 
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It's that time of year for Connecticut's high school and middle school instrumentalists:  festival auditions are here!  Hopefully all the work is now done, and it's time to get ready to take the audition.  Here are some tips I share with my own students regarding navigating the actual auditions:
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The Week of the Audition:
  1. Accept that most of the work you can do has been done and work only on maintaining what you have already done.  This means lots of slow practice of sections that are of concern, mixed with some run-throughs.  Don't go for any major changes.  Just maintain what you know already.
  2. Play for others.  Schedule a few "performances" of your piece for your friends, family, or your band members.  Playing in front of everyone you know in the band is way more intimidating than playing for a judge or two at auditions, so enjoy the experience of that once.  That will make the audition feel so much more intimate and fun.
  3. Avoid what I call the "vortex of despair."  Remember, what's done is done.  You are now ready for the audition step.  If for some reason you feel you don't know your piece well enough, take note of that for a future audition and let the chips fall where they may this time around.  You cannot change the past, but you can change how you react today (and for future preparation).  Go into this with a feeling of acceptance.    Accept where you are and how far you have come.  Save the "could have/should have" stuff for helping you to decide what to do better the next time around.
  4. Play other music to keep your mind fresh.  ​Enjoy yourself a little.  Distract yourself a little.  You deserve it.​
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Audition Day:
  1. Eat breakfast, bring a snack, and hydrate.  Be sure to drink lots of water.  It's OK to bring a water bottle into your audition too if you need a sip to wet your mouth before you play.
  2. Treat yourself to a thorough warm-up.  If you play anything on audition day, this is the top priority!  Be sure to warm up slowly, completely and thoroughly.  Play down into the low register.  Play slowly up into the high register.  Play octaves.  Work at finding the beauty of your tone.  They usually put students into a large auditorium or cafeteria to warm up at these events, and this can be total mayhem as people frantically (and loudly) play their scales and their piece.  Ignore this and quietly stand facing directly into a wall or a corner of the room where your sound can be reflected back to you, and do a pre-flight check on your tone, tonguing, embouchure, vibrato, and anything else that you usually work to maintain.  That you find the sound (and control) that you know and love is more important than anything else.
  3. If you can stand it, don't play your piece at all in the warm up room!  You will hear lots of people playing fast and loud.  Most people play the parts they know best over and over in these rooms.  Don't fall into this trap.  Either don't play your piece at all, or if you must, practice starting and ending it, and play slowly and carefully through any passages that require extra concentration.  Save the "performing" for the performance.  The goal here is to leave your mind with the feeling that you are ready, and that the last memory you have of playing before you walk into the room is of being in control of what you are doing.
  4. If socializing makes you nervous, then...don't!  Bring earbuds or headphones.  Listen to music.  Read a book in a corner.  Keep to yourself if you must.  Just politely tell people you need to de-stress.  You can socialize afterwards.
  5. While waiting outside the audition room, remember that everyone sounds better through the door.  Really.  It's true.  Make no comparisons.  Close your eyes, ignore it, and accept who you are.​
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In the Audition Room:
  1. Don't expect miracles.  One reason why people sometimes get nervous is because they are hoping that they will miraculously play better than how they usually play.  Let go of this thought in your mind.  Expect to play how you usually play, and it will free you from the burden of hoping to produce a miraculous performance.  This leads me to #2:
  2. Be YOURSELF.  Don't try to be what anyone might want you to be.  Don't try to be some other flutist you just heard.  There's no point in trying to guess what might impress the judges.  Impress yourself!  Be your truest self and you will play your best when it's coming from your heart.
  3. Take your time.  There is no need to rush.  Take a moment to breathe deeply, maybe 3-5 deep slow breaths, before playing.  You don't need to launch into anything immediately.  Clear your thoughts.  Hear the tempo in your head before you play.  Be in position for a moment and feel what it feels like in your mind to start well before your start.  Imagining the feeling of it being right and trusting that will happen goes a long way.
  4. Use keywords.  This should be figured out in advance but have one or two special words you use to remind yourself of the general feeling you want to have or convey with each selection you play.
  5. Live in the moment.  Nothing can be done about what happened in the past, so allow any mistakes to slide away without judgement.  Nothing can really be done about that tricky part halfway down the page either (until you get there) so pool all of your mental resources into thinking about what you are doing now.  Just keep thinking, now, now, now.  Bring your mind back to now.
  6. Find something to love.  This one is probably the most important aspect of performing for others.  Go within the protective shell of your own self, and find what you love about your playing or the piece. The biggest gift a listener can receive is feeling your own love, joy and enthusiasm coming out in your playing.  Mistakes dim in comparison to playing with feeling and conviction.  
  7. Slow down.  Often, we play a bit too fast in exciting situations like auditions.  Better to play more slowly and well in control than to take off like a shot and realize you are too fast.  I personally would rather have a slight deduction for tempo but get full credit for every other factor.
  8. For sight reading, take your time.  Really scan the music before playing.  Look at the key signature and time signature first, and then scan with your eyes for anything that looks tricky (rhythms, technical passages, notes) and spend a moment reviewing those parts in your mind.  If you are taking too long, they'll let you know it's time to play.​  My personal order of priorities that I teach my students for sight reading is:  rhythm first (even if you play made up notes during certain passages), notes second, and then all the rest  (articulation/phrasing/dynamics/expression).  Playing in rhythm proves you won't get lost in a group, so be sure that is your focus.  Be ok with faking it and have fun releasing yourself from the obligation of perfection!  This release will actually allow you to be more musical.​
  9. Smile and thank the audition committee.  They have to sit there all day listening to people play.  A little thanks goes a long way.
 
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Important to Remember:

The result of an audition can be a bit subjective.  You cannot control the mood of the judges, their personal preferences, or anything else.  All you can be is your own awesome self and see what happens.  When it's over, no matter how it goes, you will still be the same amazing person you were before.  The result of one audition has no bearing on who you are as a person and a player.  The effort you put into your playing, and the love that you show for your music is more important than where you rank.

Happy Auditioning!!!  If you have any suggestions to add, or a question to ask, please comment below.
4 Comments

Juries:  How to Shine Your Brightest

5/10/2016

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After adjudicating auditions and applied lesson juries for many years, I have seen it all, both good and bad.  To be fair, I've mostly seen students doing a great job of showing the panel what they have achieved over the course of the semester.  I am always happy to hear people perform and do their best.  

There are plenty of articles out there about how to prepare your best for juries and auditions, so this won't be one of them.  However, I would like to offer a few extra details that would really brighten the experience for both the performer and the panel.  These are concepts I consider basic and mandatory but I am noticing that, over the last decade, many of these details have been increasingly less visible in students.  

I'd like to see a proud return of the following to every performance at auditions and juries:
  • Arrive early.  Sometimes auditions and juries run late, but sometimes they run ahead of schedule as well.  Be there, warmed up and ready to go, at least 15 minutes prior to your scheduled time.
  • Dress appropriately.  Even if you normally play your music in a club wearing ripped jeans and a leather jacket, you should not play your jury in this get-up.  This is about showing that you honor and respect the jury process and understand that this opportunity to perform and possibly receive feedback is meaningful to you.  This attitude of respect for every element of your presentation will serve you well in life, especially when it comes to times when you have to do something important like a job interview.  I do understand that artists are unique and deserve to have a unique form of expression that includes their attire, but reserve the time for that expression for your own personal performances.  Use your jury time to practice for future job interviews and networking experiences.
  • Make eye contact with the jury and greet them as you enter.  I really think most of the times this doesn't happen it is because of nerves, but once again, we are practicing here for life.  We are practicing how to make a connection with others.  Eye contact and a basic greeting are two biggies in this department.  You will need these skills for all future successes, not just for performance.
  • Bring copies of your music for the panel.  Even if the panel doesn't use the copies you provide, it's a basic courtesy to offer them a chance to read along.  They honestly aren't attempting to "find" mistakes by reading along; they may not all know the piece you are about to perform and seeing it helps some people understand it better.  Don't be intimidated by offering your music.  It actually lends an element of security to your performance, and an element of wanting to connect and share with the panel.
  • If scales are required of you, practice them with the same dedication you use when you practice your jury piece.  In times of stress it's easy to get caught up skipping basics in favor of the "big" piece.  But skipping over your basics does three things:  1.)  It sets you up for a moment of discomfort in your jury performance that you would probably rather not experience, 2.) It can lower your grade/result quite a bit if you tank on your scales, and 3.)  It sends a message to the panel that your practice and preparation are not all-encompassing.  Scales are the building blocks of your technique, and you should spend enough time on them that it's no sweat to toss one off for the jury.  It will serve you well in every respect to be covering all the bases.
  • Bring water onto the stage if you get a little nervous.  Really, it's OK!  We all want you to do your best and if swigging water helps, by all means swig away.  :)
  • Be sure that all technology needed (play-alongs, electronic accompaniment, amplification, etc.) is in place and functional.  Please test (and re-test) your technology before (and on) jury day!  Also unless you are told or have previously arranged otherwise, please assume that you need to bring everything needed including connection cables.  It can be so nerve-wracking to spend your jury time running around trying to make your technology work.  
  • If you receive any feedback or comments, receive them thankfully and with an open mind.  It's wonderful when the jury will reach out to make a suggestion or comment.  Consider it your luck that they care enough to offer some help.  Even if you don't agree with the comment, receive it as a gift of support and assistance, which is truly the spirit in which it is being given.   
  • Thanks all around.  It's hard sometimes when nerves may be getting in the way, but we need to remember to thank not only those who perform with us (accompanists, etc.) but also the people who have listened to us.  A quick and sincere thank you (remember to make that eye contact) will suffice.  

Teachers, please chime in if you have anything to add to this list.

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