Each and every audition has its own set of rules and regulations in regards to what time you need to show up to draw numbers, if you are pre-assigned an audition time, when the screen comes down, the list goes on. One thing that they all have in common, however, is a general "warm up" room that you will most likely go into before you are (hopefully) given your own private space before you play. Now we are somewhat prepared for this "circud" of an event but after having taken a few auditions I can safely say that no one has ever really been able to warn or prepare me for what being in this space actually means for my well being at an audition. We have all heard stories of the "fast noters", and the "loud ones", and the "death starers", and I want to go on record that...they all do indeed exist. The question is how to be prepared for this event and how to keep your mind focused on the task at hand and how you will perform that day? For this I offer a small guide to sanity in such instances.
1) Head Phones. I wasn't sure if I wanted to lead with this one or not but in terms of being the most helpful tool to have I NEVER go to an audition without my headphones and music player. I recommend that you choose music that will help you to focus but will also partly drown out what is happening around you. I am an avid pop music lover and choose to listen to some sort of Kesha Spears-Lopez thing to transport me away. I also choose not to listen to the audition music since I am already over thinking what I am about to do and I want to keep the second-guessing of myself to a minimum. It is also a polite way to let others know you don't want to converse too much before you play so as to keep the focus on yourself.
2) Change NOTHING! There will be someone playing the Mendelssohn Scherzo as fast as they possibly can and you will think "should I play it that fast?". There will be someone playing Brahms IV at a tempo that could make turtles seem to run at light speed and you will think to yourself "should I take that a bit slower?". The answer to these questions is: "NO!". "But why?" you ask "they can do it like that so maybe I should too!". I have two answers to that. First, you have prepared and practiced and decided how these excerpts should be played based on your own taste and musical intuition. Take comfort in constancy. Constancy (especially in a first and second round) is worth its weight in gold at an audition. The second answer is: perhaps the way they are doing it is just flat out wrong! Mendelssohn Scherzo is not meant to be played much above 92. Brahms IV is not a dirge in context. Leonore is not actually as fast as you think and should sound heroic not hurried. Daphnis is meant to be supple not garishly loud. All of these details matter more than sheer finger velocity or tonal control at a slow tempo (although don't skip those when appropriate) and knowing the context is important. Once you have accepted that you have a knowledge of the excerpts that others have glossed over, hearing these "fast noters" or "loud players" will give you comfort because you have prepared to a level that they forgot existed. You have the style. And at the end of the day style is EVERYTHING.
3) Do not take group warm up interactions at face value. You are all stressed and competing against each other for one spot that you have all been practicing your booty's off for! You don't know why someone is staring at you...or if they even see you! Maybe they see the music and you happen to be standing behind it. You don't know what they're thinking while listening to you. Maybe they're intimidated. Maybe they think they're way better. At the end of the day though, you will all play and then the claws retract and you can grab lunch and get to know those around you. I have made many friends at auditions and each time we enter a first round we might say hello when we see each other but mutually understand that until we have actually played; business before conversation. Save your judgement of a person until after the round is complete. In this business we need to band together so don't write someone off until you have given them a fair and untarnished chance.
4) Get there early and be prepared to tune. This is the last point I want to stress. I recently took an audition with no individual warm up room option. We were in the group room until right before we played and then were taken to a room where we could not play a note because it would have been heard while the applicant before you auditioned. I am so glad that I arrived early enough that there was no one from my round in the group room. I was able to tune and hear myself . It always strikes me as odd when applicants show up, put their flutes together, and then go to town without tuning! Don't you want to make sure? I do! If you arrive late or find that there are too many people, simply step into the hall (if possible) or find a bathroom. The moment of obnoxiousness others may experience will be worth your sanity knowing you are in tune and sound like you always do.
I could go on and on with other scenarios (don't overplay, don't play the same things as others), etc but I am going to leave it here for now. If you want me to go over how I react to a situation please do not hesitate to message me and I will either write another posting with several other scenarios or reply directly with whatever advice I have.
Until next week!
Happy Practicing!!
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