It’s that time of year when students are preparing for chair and placement auditions for honors ensembles, as well as their own school ensembles.
Auditions are stressful experiences even for seasoned musicians, and they can be even more so for young students who don’t have a lot of experience preparing and performing for them.
In today's blog post, we'll give you a few tips to help make the process just a *bit* easier on everyone! This week, we're focusing on how parents and adult family members can help support their student. Next week, we'll provide tips for students!
Let's get started!
Tip 1: Avoid suggesting stage fright to your child! If they share with you that they are feeling nervous or worried about their upcoming performance, be supportive and understanding. Some children, however, won’t think about being nervous until an adult suggests it. So wait for them to bring it up.
Tip 2: Help students schedule practice beforehand! Most children and teens are not great at time management. (I know, I know, shocking idea.) Help them set aside daily practice time before the audition, and perhaps offer prizes for reaching practice goals. (More time to play their favorite video game, a trip to a favorite restaurant, a movie, etc.)
Tip 3: Get your student to the venue early, but not too early! Arriving 20 to 30 minutes before the student is scheduled to perform is ideal. This gives them time to unpack and warm up before performing. In cold winter weather, being inside for at least 30 minutes before performing is critical for singers’ vocal chords, and for wind instruments. Arriving significantly before a student is scheduled to perform is not a good idea, as the student has too much time to sit around getting nervous. Arriving less than 20 minutes before an audition is also stressful, as the student will be anxiously rushing to unpack, assemble their instrument, and warm up.
We hope you find these tips helpful as you support your student's musical endeavors!
For more information or to sign up for lessons you can contact Marion Music Academy at 319-377-3343, or click here to sign up for a free trial lesson.