Michelle
1. How was the general experience?
I think that it was a good experience to have as early as possible. When under no pressure to win, it can be very fun and educational.
2. Tell us about the warm up room and how you warmed up. At home, at the competition venue? Was it scary playing in front of other competitors?
I found that there were always multiple people in each warm-up room. Because I didn’t know that before, I felt glad I warmed up at home first. It was kind of nerve-wracking to play in front of other competitors, but after one person starts playing, everyone does. At the competition venue, I mostly practiced the hard spots, beginning, and ending. At home, I ran through the whole thing several times from beginning to end, including the introduction. I practiced bowing without hitting my stand and playing with a dress on.
3. How did you prepare for being nervous?
I did not really prepare for being nervous, but rather told myself that being nervous would not help me in any way. I practiced the hard spots A LOT before the actual competition, so I would have less trouble with them and be less nervous.
4. What was the audition room like? Anything unexpected?
The audition room was a big lecture hall. I expected it to be like our recital room, and it was pretty close. Nothing really unexpected, except maybe that there were desks instead of the usual rows of cushioned seats. Also, the lights are kept on during the audition, unlike the recital.
5. What was going through your mind while playing?
I always try to clear my mind before playing. I focused entirely on the music and let my mind control me. I was not thinking of how hard a spot was before playing it, but making sure the music was flowing smoothly and I was making the piece interesting.
6. How did you like receiving comments from the judge?
The judge’s comments were very useful to me, especially since this was my first competition. I learned about cueing the pianist, starting the piece and making my notes crisper. The first two, I felt, would help me a lot in future competitions.
7. Was it as scary as you thought it would be?
It was definitely scary, but not as much as I thought it would be. There were only 4 people in the room other than me and Kristine: Katherine, the judge, my mom, and the cue person.
8. What will you do next time to prepare for such an audition?
I would practice even more with the pianist on cueing and with my performance clothing on.
9. Do you feel like your preparation was sufficient, or are there things you'd do differently? Describe.
I feel that my preparation was sufficient, but mostly because this piece was really easy. I would have to do more if the piece was on my current level.
10. What advice do you have for other students who will be taking their first audition soon?
My advice would be to not worry. While it would be great to win, I usually set my expectations low so I will be pleasantly surprised later. Always over prepare so there are no “surprises” on the day of auditions. Practice in performance clothes and with the pianist to make sure you are in sync with each other (does brain-melding work? I haven’t tried it.) Warm-up extensively at home and leave small touchups for the audition venue. Since there are usually a lot of people in the practice rooms, you won’t be able to hear yourself very well. Don’t worry too much – the outcome does not matter as much as the experience; “What we discover is more important than what we win.” - FLL
Kevin
1. How was the general experience?
It was, overall, a great experience to have and I really enjoyed my time there. It’s always helpful to take comments from a person whose musical experience is above average (a judge) to make for improvements and become a better musician even though it’s slightly nerve-wracking.
2. Tell us about the warm up room and how you warmed up. At home, at the competition venue? Was it scary playing in front of other competitors?
The warm up room was a little empty classroom filled with empty chairs with individual table tops. A piano in the front for tuning as well. I warmed up by playing a few excerpts from my piece that exercised things needed for the piece to sound good (i.e. tone, articulation, etc.). It was extremely scary to play in front of other competitors, especially when the 1st place winner was playing in the same room as I.
3. How did you prepare for being nervous?
I tried to prepare for being nervous, but there’s no nervous like the nervousness experienced while playing for an audience of over a dozen as well as a judge.
4. What was the audition room like? Anything unexpected?
The audition room was roomy and had lots of space. Nothing I unexpected from what I thought it was going to be like.
5. What was going through your mind while playing?
What was going on in my head: “Don’t mess up…Don’t mess up…Don’t mess up…” Also irrational thoughts regarding nerves shaking my embouchure.
6. How did you like receiving comments from the judge?
I really liked getting comments from the judge and I thought her comments were helpful and truthful. It wasn’t too bad and I appreciate someone who offers constructive criticism.
7. Was it as scary as you thought it would be?
It was actually less scary than I thought it would be. I over thought the competition and resolved to believe that it was going to be extremely scary. It was much less scarier than I had anticipated.
8. What will you do next time to prepare for such an audition?
Try different ways to prepare for the nervousness and make sure that I have confidence in whatever piece I’m playing.
9. Do you feel like your preparation was sufficient, or are there things you'd do differently? Describe.
I think my preparation was sufficient, but I could’ve done more things and be even further prepared for the performance. I would practice and develop confidence in my piece and practice performance (moving would be one thing) as well.
10. What advice do you have for other students who will be taking their first audition soon?
Don’t get discouraged if you don’t make it in or win. Give your audition your best try and convince the judges that you’re worthy of participating in the competition.
Thanks, Kevin and Michelle for your thoughtful answers! You inspire us all to do our best and try things that may seem scary at first!
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