How to Prepare Mentally for an Orchestra Audition
Have you ever stepped on stage, only to have your instrument suddenly feel completely foreign in your hands?
“Do I even play this instrument?!?”
Or maybe you start a piece, and before you know it, you're having an out-of-body experience? You recognize that you're playing, but you have no connection whatsoever to the music?
Worse yet, all you can think of while you’re playing is the scary passage on the next page. And when you get to it, you blow it.
As bewildering as all of this seems, there's a way to prevent it from happening to you—you have to work on your mental game. Because no matter how well you practice, if you haven't taken the time to understand the mental aspects of performance stress, you risk having all of your hard work hijacked on stage by destructive thoughts and emotions.
This is part four in a five-part series. To catch up on this series, check out the four most recent posts on my blog here.
Part IV of my audition preparation series is about the mental game of auditioning.
BE NICE TO YOURSELF
Mental preparation is mostly about what you say to yourself when you're practicing. Does any of this sound familiar?
“You sound terrible! You’ll never get that job.”
“What a loser! You can’t even play in tune.”
“Why bother? Face it—you’re not very good.”
You would never say these things to a student, would you? Then don’t say them to yourself! Studies have shown that for every negative comment or thought, you need to hear five positive ones to counteract it.
Instead try:
"That was okay, but I can do better."
"Maybe that was slightly out of tune; let me play that slower."
"Let’s try that again. I know I can make it sound better."
"This is going great! I’ll get there for sure!"
Auditions are hard and you need to be your own cheerleader. And the more you give yourself positive reinforcement while you practice, the more likely you'll hear a positive voice when you're playing something stressful.
INSIDE TIP: If I’m working on a particularly challenging spot, I always pair it with a positive thought or image. I do this consistently when I practice to make sure that the two aspects are linked so that when I play it in performance, there's a good chance the positive thoughts will be "louder" in my head than the nerves.
BREATHE
We also want to be as calm and centered as possible while playing an audition. One of the best ways to achieve that is 4-7-8 breathing. Here's how it works:
Breathe in through your nose for 4 counts.
Hold for 7 counts.
Breathe out through your mouth for 8 counts.
This will slow your heart rate and your breathing and help you focus and calm your nerves. Again, practice often to ensure that it is a tool you can rely upon when you need it.
VISUALIZATION
Did you know that your brain often cannot tell the difference between imagined and actual situations? If you imagine disaster, your brain assumes that disaster is a real threat. And if you imagine a great audition that goes your way, your brain is much more likely to help you achieve that scenario.
So visualize an audition where you are calm, focused, and delivering your very best playing. Do this often (and away from the instrument) until it feels easy and familiar to you. If you do this enough, your brain starts to expect you to play well, making it more likely you'll find yourself playing your best at the audition.
AFFIRMATIONS
Finding phrases that help you feel positive, confident, and excited when going into an audition can help you counteract performance nerves. These phrases are just for you (no one else needs to hear them, so don't worry about sounding cheesy). They're designed to give yourself a boost, calm your nerves, or remind yourself why you are a musician. Try out different ones and see if they help when you play your mock auditions.
MOCK AUDITIONS
This is one of the most important aspects of audition preparation. You need to put yourself in as many nerve-wracking situations as possible before playing the real audition. This is where you test out all the work you’ve done—technical, mental, and artistic—to see how well-prepared you really are.
Mock auditions are a chance for you to experiment with different techniques to get yourself accustomed to playing under pressure. The more, the better! Have your friends throw you as many curve balls as possible. You want to be flexible and able to respond to any and all requests (faster, slower, more staccato, etc.)
If this list seems like a lot, it's because it is! Developing a strong mind for performances takes time and work. Don't leave this until just before your audition (although it's better to do a little at the last minute rather than nothing at all).
These mental strategies should be practiced even when you aren’t preparing for an audition. This makes you stronger, more resilient, and hopefully more successful!
Happy practicing! (And don't forget to be nice to yourself!)
gloria