A few weeks ago, we talked about how parents can help students prepare for upcoming auditions. This week, it's time for tips for students!
Focus on rhythm, dynamics, and articulation! Virtually every student preparing for an audition will try to learn the pitches. Students who can play with the correct rhythm and musical phrasing demonstrate their maturity as musicians, and stand out from the other auditionees. Use a metronome!
Listen to recordings! YouTube is your friend! Recordings help musicians hear what they should sound like. This helps students recognize and fix mistakes quickly when they are practicing.
Practice performing: pretend like it’s an actual performance, and play from beginning to end without stopping for anything!
Play your audition music for an audience! Usually parents are more than willing to listen. If you don’t want to play for a parent, play for a friend or even a family pet!
Dress nicely and comfortably on the day of the performance. Performers should dress nicely enough to show that they respect the music, themselves, and the audition judge, but comfortably enough that they aren’t worried by too-tight collars or shoes that are too tight or too high. Pianists should remember to wear shoes that make it easy to work the pedals.
Auditioning takes practice, too, so don't be discouraged if your first couple auditions aren't as good as you hoped. You'll improve with experience!
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.
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