Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • September 2012
15
Audition Tips For Success
The Day-of Game Plan: From
Wake-up to Resul t Post ing
I. Waking Up!
a. Set your alarm and give
yourself plenty of time to complete
all of your morning activities and
necessities in a leisurely fashion.
b. Dress appropriately– although
at this particular audition the
judges may not see you, sometimes
looking good helps set the tone for
your day.
II. Breakfast and Hydration
a. Eat a balanced meal free of
fats and grease that will weigh you
down and perhaps add to your
uneasy feelings. It’s best to go with
cereals, fruits, and breads.
b. Water, Water, Water! Dry
mouth is one of the most common
ailments that many wind musicians
face when under pressure. The
best way to combat this is to be
100% hydrated. This is more
important than you will ever know!
Avoid caffeine or energy drinks
that proclaim to heighten your
performance. You will have plenty
of adrenaline and other endorphins
to keep you going through the
audition. Stimulants like caffeine
will put you overboard.
III. Pre-Departure, Departure,
and Arrival to the
Contest/Audition Site
a. Check, Check, and Re-check
to make sure you have all of
the necessary materials for a
successful audition—Music, Tuner,
Metronome, Instrument and Lucky
Rabbit’s Foot!
b. Give yourself plenty of drive
time to school to ride the bus. You
need to be calm and relaxed so
make sure all you do functions as a
means to this end.
c. Upon arrival at the contest
site, find your audition room
and check-in with the monitor if
possible. Next, find the warm-up
area and restroom facilities.
Things
not to do:
do not hang out in the
hallways, do not listen to others
play their etudes over and over, do
not play your etudes over and over.
Things to do:
find a quiet place (if
possible) and collect yourself, do
a simple warm-up that focuses on
the fundamentals while keeping
you loose and relaxed, frequently
check your room to make sure
things are running on schedule,
and be flexible, as most auditions
are not perfect.
IV. The Audition
a. This is not a life or death
situation, so don’t treat it as such!
Freaking out will only add to the
stress and tension of the situation.
We play best when we are relaxed,
so try and maintain your focus
and BREATHE. It is scientifically
proven that deep, through-the-nose
breathing calms and focuses the
mind.
b. Dry Mouth: As stated before,
this is one of the most common
reactions to nervousness. Other
than being as hydrated with water
as you can be, another quick and
effective way to provide almost
instant relief is to have some kind
of citrus beverage or citrus fruit
handy. A quick drink or quick bite
of a lemon will do wonders in this
situation. A bottle of water with
a squeeze or two of lemon in it is
probably a great idea.
c. Listening to competitors
audition can be deadly and can
cause you to deviate from your
game plan. Just because someone
can play his or her etude twice
as fast as you doesn’t mean you
should adjust your tempo.
d. You need a game plan!!! Sit
or stand? Stand height? One page
of music or two? These are things
that you can easily forget. Sing the
part in your head before your start
and remember that adrenaline can
sometimes influence your tempos
a bit. You get a one breath, one
note warm up on the first note of
the etude…please use this!!! Take a
deep relaxed breath and let all the
tension out before you begin. All
of this should take less than one
minute. How will you begin each
piece? What is your process for
determining the tempo you should
play? Generally, you should silently
count off a few bars in your head
before you begin playing, and the
most difficult technical section of
the etude should determine your
Cynthia Lansford, Ryan Johnstone, Taylor Whi te
From the 2012 TBA clinic “Tips for a Successful Region Band Experience From Start to Finish! Three Perspectives:
Student, Teacher, Clinician.” To view and print the complete handout from this and other TBA Clinics, go to:
www.texasbandmasters.org;
select the RESOURCES tab.