Nowadays young players face a number of tests. We have school auditions, frequent playing tests, honor ensemble recorded and live auditions. Playing these is quite different than playing a concert for the public, as the audiences have different reasons for listening!
You'll do better on these if you understand what these differences are and what the judges are looking for. Everything you do that makes it easy for the judges to like your playing gives you an advantage over those who don't.
To Prepare Music for a Judged Performance
Play what's on the page
What do traffic cops give most of their tickets for? Speeding, going through red lights or stop signs, not having current registration, unsafe lane changes. What do these all have in common?
They are easy to see! It's pretty easy to see if someone didn't stop completely. It's not so easy to tell if you made an unsafe lane change - unless you crash!
Audition judges are the same. It's easy to tell if a player doesn't play the articulations as written. Or if the music is marked mm = 120 and you play it at mm = 72.
If you are required to play a specific piece or edition you must play what is on the page. If you can select your own solo and have to hand a copy to the judges, you can change articulations, dynamics etc. if you mark it clearly on the part you hand to the judges. Then you have to play the piece as you have edited it.
Play the articulations as marked on the page. It's pretty easy to tell if you slur something that's marked tongued or vice-versa.
Understand and play the correct rhythms
Consider this snippet of the Beethoven Sonata:
Virtually all high school age and amateur players will play a triplet instead of the opening dotted eighth rhythm. To insure you don't play a sloppy rhythm practice the excerpt this way:
Use a metronome set to sixteenth notes. Glow slowly enough to get it right. Be sure that you count and subdivide.
Once you have that rhythm working put accents in where you actually would be tonguing notes like this:
Then practice the snippet as written, still subdividing in your head. Make sure the last sixteenths get a lot of air and a nice sound.
Know something about the history and style of the music
If you play the Beethoven Sonata like it was a Mahler fanfare or a Debussy tone poem describing an amorous satyr waking in the forest then you will have it wrong.
The judges may be trying to imagine you playing in the ensemble. If the style is all wrong you won't score strongly.
If you are playing a solo, sound like a soloist. If you are playing ensemble music sound like you fit into the ensemble
If the judges are trying to imagine you playing your concerto in front of their ensemble and you are playing too timidly it just won't feel right to them. If you are playing a tutti part and it sounds like you are trying to outblow the universe that won't seem right either. Try to imagine what is actually happening and play to match.
Focus on the opening salvo
Your first impression is the strongest. Use it to make a statement about your playing! Take the time and care to get the rhythms right, match the style and sound like you know what you are doing. If you play the first phrase of your audition properly the listener will be predisposed to ignore little mistakes and give you the benefit of the doubt.
If you first phrase sounds sloppy, unprepared and unmusical the judges will spend the rest of your audition listening for clues that you are generally sloppy, unprepared and unmusical.
Master the parts others will mess up
Talk about getting an advantage! You can tell where the hard, tricky treacherous places are in an audition. Slam them! Learn them cold. Be the one player who hits the high note, plays the fast part cleanly or plays the low phrase tastefully. Even if you mess up other parts you will stick out as the player who got the hard parts right and that's gold!
Play as if you know the music down cold
Funny as it sounds it is very impressive to hear a player who sounds bored! Who would you want to have an important position in your ensemble, some one who sounds as if they are constantly struggling or someone who sounds like it's so easy you can do it in your sleep?
You'll do better on these if you understand what these differences are and what the judges are looking for. Everything you do that makes it easy for the judges to like your playing gives you an advantage over those who don't.
To Prepare Music for a Judged Performance
- Play exactly what is on the page. Get the articulations, dynamics, etc. as they are on the page
- Understand and play the correct rhythms
- Know about the history and style of the music
- If you are playing a solo, sound like a soloist
- If you are playing excerpts from ensemble music (like orchestral excerpts or selections from a band piece) sound like you are sitting in the ensemble
- Don't be boring
- Get the opening salvo right
- Master what others will not
- Play as if you know the music down cold
Play what's on the page
What do traffic cops give most of their tickets for? Speeding, going through red lights or stop signs, not having current registration, unsafe lane changes. What do these all have in common?
They are easy to see! It's pretty easy to see if someone didn't stop completely. It's not so easy to tell if you made an unsafe lane change - unless you crash!
Audition judges are the same. It's easy to tell if a player doesn't play the articulations as written. Or if the music is marked mm = 120 and you play it at mm = 72.
If you are required to play a specific piece or edition you must play what is on the page. If you can select your own solo and have to hand a copy to the judges, you can change articulations, dynamics etc. if you mark it clearly on the part you hand to the judges. Then you have to play the piece as you have edited it.
Play the articulations as marked on the page. It's pretty easy to tell if you slur something that's marked tongued or vice-versa.
Understand and play the correct rhythms
Consider this snippet of the Beethoven Sonata:
Use a metronome set to sixteenth notes. Glow slowly enough to get it right. Be sure that you count and subdivide.
Once you have that rhythm working put accents in where you actually would be tonguing notes like this:
Then practice the snippet as written, still subdividing in your head. Make sure the last sixteenths get a lot of air and a nice sound.
Know something about the history and style of the music
If you play the Beethoven Sonata like it was a Mahler fanfare or a Debussy tone poem describing an amorous satyr waking in the forest then you will have it wrong.
The judges may be trying to imagine you playing in the ensemble. If the style is all wrong you won't score strongly.
If you are playing a solo, sound like a soloist. If you are playing ensemble music sound like you fit into the ensemble
If the judges are trying to imagine you playing your concerto in front of their ensemble and you are playing too timidly it just won't feel right to them. If you are playing a tutti part and it sounds like you are trying to outblow the universe that won't seem right either. Try to imagine what is actually happening and play to match.
Focus on the opening salvo
Your first impression is the strongest. Use it to make a statement about your playing! Take the time and care to get the rhythms right, match the style and sound like you know what you are doing. If you play the first phrase of your audition properly the listener will be predisposed to ignore little mistakes and give you the benefit of the doubt.
If you first phrase sounds sloppy, unprepared and unmusical the judges will spend the rest of your audition listening for clues that you are generally sloppy, unprepared and unmusical.
Master the parts others will mess up
Talk about getting an advantage! You can tell where the hard, tricky treacherous places are in an audition. Slam them! Learn them cold. Be the one player who hits the high note, plays the fast part cleanly or plays the low phrase tastefully. Even if you mess up other parts you will stick out as the player who got the hard parts right and that's gold!
Play as if you know the music down cold
Funny as it sounds it is very impressive to hear a player who sounds bored! Who would you want to have an important position in your ensemble, some one who sounds as if they are constantly struggling or someone who sounds like it's so easy you can do it in your sleep?
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