what if you’ve tried mock auditions, but they don’t work?
yesterday we talked about the importance of doing mock auditions to prepare for an audition. but just doing mocks isn’t going to solve all your problems.
there might be 100 or more musicians applying to take an audition for one position in an orchestra. and mock auditions aren’t exactly a secret... most of those players will probably try to do some sort of mocks beforehand.
but the big difference in how those 100 musicians will benefit from their mock auditions is exactly how they carry out the mocks. each and every decision they make throughout the mock process will affect their overall level of preparedness.
how many mocks will you do? will you do them every day? how far in advance will you start?
who will you play for? your friends? people who play other instruments?
what are the exact steps you go through in your mock audition? what’s your process for before, during, and after?
if your mock auditions don’t seem to help you feel confident in the audition, it’s likely that you haven’t set them up effectively.
and it’s all in the details. the details of your mock audition process will decide how you train yourself for audition day. they’ll decide the quality of comments you’ll get from your listeners and how you incorporate those comments.
imprecise rhythm is something that can get you cut from an audition IMMEDIATELY (regardless of your instrument). and great rhythm is something that an audition committee can sense, both consciously and subconsciously. hearing someone play in the pocket just feels good.
well, i have a few tricks up my sleeve to straighten out my rhythm, and today i'm sharing one of the most effective strategies.
things i do on audition day:
warm up by playing on the hotel pillow,
watch vast amounts of tv shows on my phone, and
never drink coffee.
when i was in detroit in february i got to interview three great DSO musicians on how they approach audition day. pretty fascinating to see how their approaches are so different from each other.
i’m endlessly fascinated with how musicians practice (as you know). so i was fortunate to talk to augustin hadelich, international violin soloist, about how he gets ready to play a different concerto with a different orchestra every week.
one way that i keep myself sane is to make a practice schedule and keep it up to date. you can use paper and pencil, a word document, evernote, or a wall. in today’s video i explain how to get it set up.
i’ve been getting lots of messages from people having trouble finding motivation or direction now that they’re at home all day. i’ve been dealing with the same issues, but i’m finally out of the funk.
so i made a video about how to get motivated and set practice goals (during coronapause). check it out.
this is an interview with nathan hughes, principal oboist of the metropolitan opera and faculty at juilliard. he has to practice and make reeds… every day. anyone who wonders how to balance the artistry and the project management of being a musician should watch this.
some days i’ll feel good about my playing. but some days i'll walk into the opera pit and question whether i really deserve to be there.
i’ll think <with an extremely fred savage from the wonder years voice>, “i wonder how i ended up here. oh well, i guess i’ll pretend to be a professional musician and play the triangle again today.”
it’s called imposter syndrome.
but just because you experience imposter syndrome doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. problems are figureoutable. anything you’re lacking as a musician is something that can be analyzed, addressed, and eventually solved.
in today’s video i’d like to tell you about my experience with imposter syndrome, and how i’ve worked to overcome it.
i've worked with hundreds of musicians on audition preparation. and nothing - NOTHING - has been as effective and life-changing as when they start self-recording the right way.