JEFFREY C. REYNOLDS Bass Trombonist 9743 Pomering Road Downey, California 90240 THOUGHTS ON AUDITIONIN' GENERAL THOUGHTS Ben Franklin on the democratic form of government ~ “It’s the worst form of government, except for all the others.” A parallel can be drawn about auditions. Auditions do not show your relative skill in playing in an orchestra, only your relative Basically you find out who can perform at a certain time and under certain conditions. ‘As you progress as a player your style tends to develop in parallel to your own personality — You tend to play like you are. If you are a dull and noncommittal person, you tend to play that way. If you are a flamboyant, outgoing type, you tend to play in a like manner. ‘There is no substitute for talent. ‘The four essentials in getting the job: 1. Right place 2. Right time 3. Right stuf? 4. Know the right people ‘Take as many auditions as possible. You can’t duplicate the audi other way. Decide to be serious and give 100% or forget it. Most people are not defeated by others at an audition, but defeat themselves. Prepare yourself as early in life as possible; don’t put it off. Remember, when you go to bed tonight, some other player is up practicing. You are putting yourself personally on the line, You must admit and understand that fact. You are selling a commodity to the conductor and the auditions committee. They are not as interested in you as a person as they are in your commodity for the orchestra. If you understand this, it will help alleviate some personal anxiety about auditioning. mn experience in any PREPARATION (well before the audition) Mental/Psychological/Physical Your aim is to have your best stuff on the day of the audition. For brass players, it's important to have good chops on audition day. Taper your practicing the last week or so, so you don’t wind up with muscle-bound and stiff chops. You have to trust this and not fall into the natural inclination of having the horn on your face day and night a few days before the audition, practicing excerpts over and over, ‘Thorough preparation is not an accident. For instance, if you are a trumpet player and Petrouchka is on the audition list, learn all the parts, not just the first part. Also, don’tjust play the parts out of the excerpt books, but obtain the actual parts used in the orchestra. This way there will be no surprises with print that looks different or foreign. Play as many “dry run” auditions as possible with peers or teachers listening, even if those people don’t play your instrument. Nothing beats audition jitters like being well prepared. Set a flexible pattern for your audition. Play all pieces faster and slower, up and down / steps, softer and louder. Use a metronome and be able to play at any tempo. The excerpts should be so automatic as to be mindless. To develop the big sound needed for orchestra playing, practice in the largest room you can with the best acoustics possible, or~ my favorite and when conditions permit — outside and away from people and buildings. Be able to play in any conditions. The Week Before Taper your practicing the week before — especially brass players. You are going to hear rumors about who is coming to the audition and how great s/he is or that someone has the job sewed up from the inside. Ignore these rumors! ‘Make your travel arrangements so that you are not physically exhausted when you arrive, but don’t arrive too far ahead of the audition (2 days) because you will have too much anxiety time in a strange place. On the Day of the Audition Don't arrive too early to the audition site. If possible, warm up before you get to the audition site so as not to contract any contagious panic from other players or the environment. Do not hang around, talk to, warm up with, try mouthpieces/mutes/horns, generally BS, joke, or fraternize with any of the other contestants before your audition. Don’t listen to other people play (warm up or actual audition) because you will think that they all sound better than you. Also, don’t let them hear you play. ‘There is a certain energy communicated in a warm up room that could take its toll on the way you audition. You might try using an iPod {o close off the outside world; listen to something soothing to take your mind off of tension or other players” abilities Do tell the personnel manager where you can be found when it’s time for you to play. Disappear into a storeroom, closet, or restroom away from the crowd. Keep yourself at the ready by “pretend practicing” — not actually playing but fingering or simulating playing so as not to wear down your chops. For brass players: do a little bit of ‘mouthpiece and tube buzzing right up until the time you have to play on stage. Find an audition piece with variety. ‘Who is listening and what are they listening for? ‘The auditions committee hears: L How the player plays after only a few notes: tone, articulating, attack, bow control, posturing, etc. Ifyou know the orchestra parts or have played previously in an orchestra on those pieces via your style and tempi. ‘The players on the committce (usually 5-7) are elected from the orchestra with a certain quota of strings, winds, principals and section players. They have heard the excerpts hundreds of times in the orchestra setting and in context with theother parts being played, so they know what they want to hear, even if they don’t play in that particular section of the orchestra, 3. String players on the committee can hear if you are using the correct fingerings or bowings on a particular passage. Brass players know if your 5" harmonic is sharp from tension or if you use 3“ valve on sharp 1,2 combinations. 4, The committee hears with what intelligence and musical integrity you play a passage. 5. The committee wants to hear performances with good basics: rhytiim, pitch, tone, and style. The first things to go in an audition with wind players are air control and intonatio: 6. The committee will sometimes seem gruff and uninterested in you. Ignore this and keep projecting your musical image. ‘What the conductor wants to hear: 1. A captivating tone. 2. Amore abstract projection of musical personality and energy than the auditions committee. The conductor, in general, is less interested in the technique of your particular instrument. 3. The conductor wants to know how flexible you are with tempo and style so s/he can mold you to a particular image. 4, Sihe is interested in eye contact. If s/he conducts something on the au a chance to play with the orchestra, watch the conductor like a hawk! mn or you have Some final thoughts on auditioning: * Ifyou tend to get dry mouth, take some water in with you. + Ifyou tend to get a little jittery, don’t drink coffee. + Start the first piece a notch or two louder at the beginning to set yourself: * Don’t play full blast unless they ask for it. cers are defeated by themselves, not other applicants, by the manner in which they prepare, approach and execute the audition. Many thanks to my friends in the Los Angeles Philharmonic for their assistance in preparing this article.