How to Prevent an Audition from Going Wrong

If I had practiced more...

If I played for more people...

If I had two more weeks...

Any of those sound familiar?

These are not the thoughts we want to have going through our head when we sit down to play the big audition.

Why do these unhelpful thoughts crop up at the WORST time (like at the start of the Haydn D major or the beginning of Don Juan)?

I wasn't asking a rhetorical question. The answer involves planning, consistency, investment, and support.

Planning: if you haven’t taken the time to really plan your audition prep, you can bet that the parts you neglected will rear their heads when it's time to perform.

Consistency: without that plan, your practice won't be efficient or smart. Lack of consistency creates holes in your preparation.

Investment: if you haven’t invested the time and money to make sure you are staying on track and getting the right advice, then you are depriving yourself of the information and help you need to reach your goal.

Support: if you don’t have a community to provide encouragement and accountability, you simply can't go as far (not to mention, it makes for a lonely journey).

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Taking an audition is serious business. When you sit down on that stage for the first round, you want to feel

• Prepared

• Confident

• Excited to be there

So make a pledge to yourself now to be better prepared. To have practiced enough. To have jumped through all the hoops to make sure that your audition preparation is bulletproof.