High School Orchestra
Tips to Prepare for Auditions
Listen to many recordings of the excerpts several times to know the style, articulations, possible phrasing options, dynamics, tempos, etc.
Put aside time to go the Polish and Pizza event in October, where they go through the excerpts and help you break them down.
Get advice from your private teacher or school teacher about how you could improve
Start practicing the excerpts several months in advance and make it your goal to be very familiar with them by October 30. If you can play it slowly, you can play it quickly!
Practice sight-reading 8-16 measure excerpts at least 5 times. Look at the SCKMEA Audition material document to see possible things that might occur on your sight-reading.
Audition Day: warm-up at home and eat a healthy breakfast
- Your warm-up should consist of slow scales, plus something you highly enjoy playing (waking up relaxed in both hands).
- Hit spots from the excerpts or run one at full tempo.
- You have put in the hours of practice before this morning, so know it's just time to apply that practice in action.
- Know that nerves are normal. Even professionals get butterflies before performing.
- And finally, not everything will go perfectly the day of, but you have presented your best and that's the best you can do!