How To Run a Mock Audition
This week I wanted to talk about mastering mock auditions. Preparing for auditions is a crucial aspect of our musical journey. So let’s talk about how to build as much stability and confidence as possible before you get out there and audition.
My favorite way - a mock audition. It’s basically a safe space where you can simulate the high-stakes pressure of actual auditions.
Now here’s a little personal anecdote:
One of the most high pressure situations that I have ever been in was when I competed in the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition. It was in the UK on the Isle of Man. I had prepared for this competition for four months. I had gone to great expense to get to the Isle of Man. I had prepared the required 3 full recital programs. I really wanted to represent myself well.
My wife and I had taught at a summer music camp in Massachusetts right before the competition. As we were saying goodbye in the Logan Airport, my wife grabbed both of my shoulders and said, "You have worked so hard for this. Don't let ANYTHING distract you from doing your best." They were such wise and prescient words. She had heard me play through my programs many times that summer. (mock auditions public service announcement)
Sure enough, in the final round of the Tertis Competition, as I was performing the entire Bach C Major Cello Suite from memory (and of course in the middle of the Sarabande), a door that led directly outside was flung open. I was blinded momentarily by the sunlight in the relative darkness of the concert hall. Because I had prepared with mock auditions and because of the wise words of my wife, I was able to bring my focus back to my instrument and back to what I was trying to create. I believe in the power of mock auditions.
So let’s start by creating the mock audition environment:
• Selecting Repertoire: Choose repertoire from the audition list that might be in the first round and get as close as you can to "guessing" what you might be asked to play. Think as if you are on your own audition committee. An example of a "first round" audition list might be, concerto, Don Juan, Shostakovich 5 and Mendelssohn Scherzo. Do the same for a mock second round and a mock final round.
• Setting the Stage: Create a performance space that mirrors the environment of an actual audition. For example, try to find a large space that mimics the concert hall where you will be performing.
• Recruiting Your Mock Committee: For your mock auditions, it makes so much sense to play for as many non-string players as string players. Audition committees are made up of only 50% string players. The rest of the committee is made up of brass players, wood wind players, percussion players etc. Also, non string players are much less forgiving of our idiosyncratic string player challenges; and some of the BEST insights have come to me from brass players.
• Simulating Audition Conditions: Mimic the conditions of a real audition as closely as possible. In your mock audition, play one of your solo pieces along with three or four excerpts. For the next mock audition, play your other solo piece along with three or four other excerpts. Remember that the time between each excerpt is very important. There should be between 5 to 10 seconds between each piece. This will give you AND the committee time to "shift gears" from one excerpt to the next. Strive to highlight the style and emotional content of each excerpt and create as much contrast as you can between each excerpt. The more regularly you can do mock auditions, the more prepared you will be. This will not only create muscle memory but will also create mental discipline which will protect you from distractions.
This is SUPER important! When you play for others in your mock auditions, provide each listener with a note pad and copies of the excerpts. I create a booklet of excerpts for each audition that I have taken and I make several copies for my mock committees. As you collect feedback, create a Venn diagram. Direct your focus on what is in the center of the diagram. Focus ONLY on what everyone is saying. This is where you find the "golden" comments.
Decide in your brain that you LOVE the opportunity to audition and slowly and surely, your brain will tell the rest of your body that the feelings inside of you are EXCITEMENT (rather than anxiety).
If you’d like to chat with me about my hopping on zoom and being your audience for a mock audition, just check my schedule and see when we can chat.