Inside the Holding Pen: A Guide to Sanity

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!!

Did Ya Miss Me?!

Well it has been a LONG few months since I last posted on this blog! I knew going into my summer I was going to be taking a month away but as fate would have it (and a bit of laziness I must confess) that turned into 3. I am back and will (hopefully) be posting regularly again soon for the few loyal followers I might have!

Shall we talk a bit about my summer? As a flutist who is no longer a student but still much younger than many professionals and others in school I had a very mixed bag kind of summer that was 3 parts exciting 2 parts stressful. In the month of June I attended the National Orchestral Institute and Festival and had an absolute BLAST! I played an average of 10 - 12 hours a day, made a ton of new friends, worked with some amazing coaches and conductors, performed a TON of repertoire, and learned a lot of things about the nature of the business that I have gotten myself into. After five big concerts, a community engagement appearance, and a chamber marathon I was ready to take some time off and enjoy summer. I don't do well with just sitting around doing nothing though so I had a few performances here and there sprinkled throughout July and August but mostly I started working up excerpts for the slew of auditions that I have coming up. And that pretty much wraps up summer without going into a long drawn out version.

Performing as Principal on Holst's "The Planets"

Presenting to a Middle School in Maryland

Shostakovich's 5th Symphony

Having taken a few months away I was able to refocus on my career and come up with a few new tricks that I will be presenting in the coming months. The focus of this blog will remain about how I am trying to piece my musical life together in order to help those just embarking on this journey to have an idea of what works, what doesn't, what major problems I run into, and also to see if anyone has suggestions for me to make things easier. I might veer off from that path from time to time but in general that is what I am committed to doing on here.

In the coming weeks look out for posts concerning (in no particular order):

Creating a Concert Series!

Inside the audition holding pen: things we aren't warned about.

How to get asked back.

What you wear matters!

Tenure and other small updates

The end of most smaller orchestras "regular season" has come which means that many of us are getting ready to throw ourselves into "summer mode". I hope to do a blog about how to string together a lucrative summer as a freelance musician but probably will not do so until I am sure I know how. 

In other news I have gotten the official word and have been offered both tenure and a new contract with the Lansing Symphony for next season! It has been a great year and I am so thankful that things have worked out so well for me. The only downside right now is that it looks like next season will not be using very much piccolo and that means that the number of services I am being offered is less than I had anticipated...More than anything else though, I am happy to have a job (no matter how small). It also looks like I will be featured on an LSO Chamber Series concert in February! Fingers crossed that enough sub gigs come my way to supplement the rest of my concert year.

My own concert series is starting to really shape itself into something I can be very proud of! I already have one group lined up for next season and am in talks with a solo artist for the second concert. This summer will also hopefully be bringing a reunion of my wind quintet the Sparta Winds and we are planning on presenting a program of American composers in July (possibly on the 27th...more info to come soon). I am still trying to figure out a way to guarantee a small fee for the musicians on top of the donations collected at each concert. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

In two weeks I leave for NOI!!!! I am expecting not to blog weekly over the summer but that may change depending on topics that might come up...we shall see.

Until next time!

Happy Practicing!!!!

Auditions and old friends!

It has been and will continue to be a whirlwind few months for me! Sunday through Wednesday I was in Lansing for my last Lansing Symphony concert of the season. I had a great time and have really enjoyed my time with them this past year. Now I wait...hopefully I get good news and tenure is in my near future!!

Thursday one of my best friends Heather graduated form her Master's program at the University of Michigan (I am SOSOSO proud of her!) and Friday was spent at my friend Matt's high school for their production of Carrie. The musical was intense, dark and included death, blood and dancing. It was like an opera only not at all!

Saturday I spent the day driving to Des Moines for the Principal, Second and Piccolo auditions that will be happening the day this blog gets posted. I'm nervous and excited! Possibly I will post a blog about audition processes soon... The preparation time was severely limited so at this point what happens happens and all else is up to fate. This brings me to the exciting part; I get to see my friend Jason!

Jason spent some time with me at the San Francisco Conservatory and was in the Bay Quintet with me when we gave a special featured performance of Mario LaVista's "Cinco Danzas Brevas" as a part of the BluePrint New Music Concert Series. He's such an amazing person and it is so nice of him to put me up so last min. Take a look at the pictures I took below!

Until next week (cross your fingers for good news!) Happy Practicing!!

Up for Elimination

Wednesday marks the end of my trial period with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra as well as the end of the 2013/2014 concert season. I feel so honored to have been able to spend this past year with such a wonderful and fun group of musicians! For me, though, the stress is really on now. The end of the season and my trial also means that I am up for tenure and possible elimination. In all honesty I will be surprised if I am not offered core membership but you never really know. Did those couple out of tune notes or slightly off entrances make a big impact on how the conductor or my section mates viewed me? Maybe I am too eager. Maybe they don't like the way I dress. Maybe I don't engage with them enough in conversation. I didn't laugh at that one joke...the list goes on and on.

What I do know is that I have spent the last few months trying to stay as true to myself and my musicianship as possible while also trying to be the best section member I can. I have tried to hone my blending and soloistic playing (I am piccolo after all) while also trying to make sure my intonation and reliability were both impeccable. If you can count on one person I want that one person to be me. I show up to every rehearsal early to tune/warm up and I do my best to always have a smile on my face. Those things hopefully do not go unnoticed.

Personal skills are more a part of the music industry than schools would give them credit for. We are tricked into thinking that flawless playing gets us jobs but in all reality although you might "win" with that type of musicianship, keeping the job is another story. Remember to keep a smile on your face and be the best team player possible.

Happy Practicing!!

Brandon's Audition Warm Up

Last week I wrote about my regular "stay in shape" routine but mentioned that when I get down to the wire for auditions I have a shortened warm up and technical routine so that I am ready to go with as much time as possible left over to prepare the excerpt list. Starting a month or so (4 weeks min.) before the audition I switch over to this routine exclusively and it is so short I am also able do it the morning of the audition allowing me to really solidify in advance what I will be doing before I have to perform behind the big scary screen. Without further ado I give you "Brandon's Audition Warm Up":

1) Long Tones!!!! Yes ladies and gentlemen I said it again. I really believe in them. They warm up my sound, body, and mind, and give me reassurance that I am in tune and sounding full, pure and beautiful. I do the same long tones I do every day and detailed in my last post. DONT FORGET THE TUNER!

2) Scales!!!! Here is where I deviate first. I go directly into Taffanel and Gaubert's (T&G) "Daily Exercises" and do no. 1 and 2 varying the articulations each day at either quarter note equals 120 or half note equals 60. I do all of the Major exorcises in the piano dynamic and the minor ones at Forte. On the morning of the audition I do them either slurred or tongued (no crazy articulations to try and keep me sane). I find this gets my blood pumping and further helps my sound to settle. Always have the tuner on your stand and as you finish each scale hold the note to make sure you're on the green.

3) "Excerpt Technique", Bach, "Tim's Specials"!!!! I've broken this portion down into three different sub categories. "Excerpt Technique" is the one that I do every day leading up to and including the day of the the audition in question.  

        "Excerpt Technique" refers to the technical passages in the excerpts that I have a particularly difficult time with (such as the last arpeggio in Peter and the Wolf or the 3rd measure of Firebird). I take the bits and pieces that I have a hard time with and do them 5 times each at a slower tempo all in a row. This forces me to play these passages every single day and solidify them into my technique. Don't be afraid to go way under tempo for this portion. Slow practice in this case is about muscle memory.

Bach refers to the "66 Studies" book that Richard Sherman swore by while I was at Michigan State. I refer to it as my Bible and have it on hand ALWAYS. They make me feel great to play and keep me from resenting the anal amount of attention to detail that excerpts require. I sometimes play them at the end of my warm up but often times use them to warm myself up after a short break before I dive back into the task at hand.

"Tim's Specials" refers to Anderson Op. 30 no. 1, 2, and 3. He made every single new student work on these with him and they really help me to ground myself and my sound (specifically across hard to do leaps) and have become so engrained in my body that I don't have to think too hard about the notes while I am playing them. Much like the Bach I keep it close at hand in case I need a mental break from the monotony of "excerpt hell".

Guess what? ...that's it!! You read correct the above takes anywhere from 15 - 45 min depending on how much you do and really gets me going in the morning. It is my perfect routine to keep me in shape while also allowing me to do it the morning of an audition without getting fatigued. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Until next week...Happy Practicing!!

Brandon's One Hour Catch all Guide (a daily regiment for the freelancing flute player on the go)

Once each of us reaches a certain point in our musical training we typically have devised our own specific routines for warming up, technique, general practice, etc. It is my experience, however, that many musicians do not easily make the transition from these ideas as "Music Students in Training" to "Professional Musician". As students, these things function not only to get us ready for our day but to improve us at an accelerated rate to be performing at the highest level possible by graduation. By no means do I think that the function of warm ups and technical exercises changes after school BUT often times the 2 - 3 hours a day that a student may spend only on sound and scales is no longer always a viable option considering things such as part time jobs, new time limitations placed on you by practice spaces in the home (aka living in an apartment that implements quiet hours) and the amount of music that often needs to be learned at an alarming rate to support a hopefully lucrative freelance career. This is why today I bring you "Brandon's One Hour Catch All Guide (a daily regiment for the freelancing flute player on the go)".

LONG TONES!!!!  Did you think that because my time was limited I would skip this step? Because if you did you are wrong. Each and every day no matter my time constraints are or when I need to start practicing I start with a healthy dose (10 - 15 min) of long tones. I am partial to a mix of Moyse's boring half step exercises and an exercise prescribed by one of my Mentors Jeffry Zook of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Don't forget your tuner!! Always shoot to be on the green and if you're not...stop and fix it! On a typical day I start with the first line or so of the Moyse going in half steps (the rhythm being quarter to dotted half note once forte repeated piano) from B above the staff to G# in the staff. Jeff's exercise starts on the C above the staff and extends to the C inside the staff (pictures of this one below **I forgot to add slurs! You would slur from the starting C to the held note each time). The goal with these exercises is a relaxed, open embouchure and increased flexibility of the lips and airstream while still playing absolutely IN TUNE. I find that by really honing in on the middle register I am able to ground myself and my sound in a way that will last throughout the day and makes it so that I don't have to do long tones after each extended break I might have to take in my practice day.

As with Moyse you repeat each doing once Forte and once piano

SCALES!!!! I move immediately into my first round (yes first round) of scale work for the day and it takes about 10 min depending on tempo marking, etc. By this point most of my readers probably have their own favorite methods memorized and selected but just in case I will include what I am currently using in my first leg of technical work (this does change from time to time). While at Michigan State University, Richard Sherman gave me a great way to work scales on a weekly basis staying on one key for an entire week. Lets start with C Major and a minor. First you do the scales in sextuplets, two octaves once through slurred (including all three variations of minor) and then again through tongued. Since I will be spending a week on this I use the following metronome markings; M- 60, Tu - 72, W - 80, Th - 80, F - 92, S - 92, Su - 92/100. Broken chords follow (always in the same tempo as the scale) and pictured below are how I play them. The progression is; I, vii, iii, vi, IV V ii, V7, I. Strive for smoothness between notes. Lastly to complete this particular process I use Maquarre's "Daily Exercises for the Flute". You are to do every single exercise in the keys you are working on that week (all the C Major and a minor ones for example) and the chromatic exercise every single day. Metronome markings are (in eighth notes typically); M - 60, Tu - 72, W - 80, Th - 80, F - 92, S - 100, Su - 100.

Slur each group of 4, start on lowest note of chord but do full range.

ETUDES!!!! Guess what? Now that we have started our week in a general key area we have a pre-prescribed key to do etudes in for the week! This can be done however you choose but I tend to use one particular book at a time. Right now, for example, I am working out of Boehm's etudes since they are easy enough to work up in a week with minimal time. The metronome markings vary but each day the goal is to increase in time so that you are at performance tempo by Saturday or Sunday. I only do two actual etudes a week on this regiment but considering the amount of music I am preparing weekly I feel that so long as I am making an improvement off of them that is more than enough.

MORE LONG TONES!!!! That's right after a short couple min break I go into another leg of some kind of sound work. This could be two of the Moyse "Tone Development through Interpretation" exercises (done of course with the tuner on the stand) or any other tone and intonation specific exercise you like. Right now since I'm trying to really learn how to control my new flute and its tendencies I am obsessing over Moyse's low register exercises that start on p. 10 of De la Sonorite. Whatever you choose just make sure you hold yourself to the highest standard of intonation and general sound that you possibly can. Now that it is warmed up use it appropriately and do not give in to laziness!

MORE SCALES!!!! To finish out my regiment I make sure to hit all the scales so as to leave no stone unturned. Once again use whatever method you find most fulfilling but I prefer Taffanel and Gaubert's (T&G) fourth exercise from their infamous scale book. How I do this exercise varies but either I pick a tempo (often at the half note such as 66) and use a different articulation from the top each day OR I pick a tempo (often at the half note such as 72) and do them completely articulated. I also do the chromatic exercise (which I believe is the 10th) in between the flat keys and sharp keys and the articulation is opposite of whatever I am doing with the fourth exercise (meaning if I do all articulated on 4 than I do mixed articulations on the chromatic, etc). The key here is to make sure that you have no "halfed" notes or "cracks". If you make any kind of mistake, stop and fix it. This will help your technique to continue to grow in leaps and bounds and give you a great sense of consistency across the entire instrument.

And there you have it! This regiment takes me typically one hour (although sometimes the slower tempo Mondays may take a bit more) and as long as I take a nice break after (since this is very intense) I am totally warmed up and ready to tackle anything else that my day has to throw at me. This is not how I warm up for auditions but perhaps that deserves its own post another time.

If you have any suggestions on how I could edit the way I do things that you feel would benefit my playing please let me know! This regiment took me a few years to really figure out and solidify but it is ever changing and I think that variety and change is necessary to keep your playing fresh and constantly improving.

Until next week...Happy Practicing!!