Sample

C: Thank you for agreeing to meet with me today. As a reminder, I’ve asked to
interview you because you’re a conservatory student, and I’m interested in how you
prepare for auditions. I’d like you to know this interview will be taken anonymously.
If you change your mind, and would like to stop the interview at any time, for any
reason, that’s completely alright, and I’d also like to ask your permission to record
this interview, so I can transcribe it for my research. If that’s all great with you, do
you consent to go ahead with the interview?

Z: Yeah. Yes.

Transcript
C: Great, thank you. So, let’s start by talking about auditions in general. If I say the
word ‘audition’, what does that bring up or evoke for you, if anything?

Z: I think the first thing come to my mind is, it’s very, a little brutal, just, you have
only one chance for going on stage and present yourself. And second is, it… it
requires a lot of preparation.

C: Great, thank you. Could you tell me about the fist audition you remember taking?

Z: You mean live audition, or … live?

C: Live, or what other kind are you thinking?

Z: Recording?

C: Either one; whichever is the first one.

Z: Ok. I can speak for both.

C: Sure!

Cobi
Z: The first live audition I’ve done is for my master audition, uh, master, audition for
my master program… Sorry…

C: No, take your time.

Z: Oh, yes, I remember. My first ever, ever audition is at USC.

C: Ok!

Z: Thornton school of music, for my master program, and I was, but, I was very

Ashkenazi
nervous right before I got on stage, but then I’m fine. ‘Cuz I think it’s a lot due to
uncertainty, ‘cuz I don’t know what will really happen, although I’ve been mimicking,
the stage, the situations in my brain. But right before the audition, I’m pretty
nervous. My first recorded audition is for a summer festival in New York, for the NYU
summer piano intensive. And that happened a lot earlier than my first real audition,
and I didn’t feel a lot of pressure because I only need to record that.

C: I see. Did that happen before you’re a conservatory student?

Z: Yeah.
 Sample
C: I see. How old were you?

Z: I was, I believe, nineteen.

C: Ok. Great. So, I’d also like to know, do you remember anything about how you
prepared for those two auditions you mentioned?

Z: Yes, umm, I think I have a timeline for auditions. Um, I would want to, ideally, two
weeks before my audition, all my pieces are in really good shape, and I can play
them any time I want, and, so I’ll do a lot of detailed work, in that, um, before two

Transcript
weeks before audition. And, within that two weeks before my audition, I would start
over without changing a lot of things, but just to get everything in my brain, every
step, like, um, for instance, I will use this particular day to practice just left hand, or
practice a certain way, without, um, and I would only run the whole, I will try to learn
- run the whole program for one time, every day, and then I’ll practiced detailed
things. But I wouldn’t try to run it too much. But I, in my brain, I have to, for my own
sake, run it once a day, so, just to make sure, you know, I know the orders and
things like that.

C: I see. And was that true for both of those auditions, that kind of preparation?

Z: Um, I think it’s more for the live audition. ‘Cuz, um, yeah. For the recorded one, I
feel less pressure from the uncontrolled situation.

C: So how did your preparation differ, for that recorded audition?

Z: … Oh, the one thing I forgot to mention, is that for that live audition, I’ll try to run
at least once in front of people, in a mimicking situation, but that, uh, did not really
happen when I recorded.

Cobi
C: That makes sense to me.

Z: But I would say I prepared pieces in their, what I perceived them to be, should be.
I don’t prepare them differently.

C: Ok, um, great. So, let’s focus on any auditions that you remember most
positively. Um, could you describe what kind of auditions these were?

Z: Most positively… Ok. Um, I had a - a pleasant experience in Indiana University

when I auditioned there, mainly because of two reasons. One is, that’s my last
audition of the season, and the other is that, I was feeling very - it’s a studio

Ashkenazi
audition, so basically I play in the studio, and I was surrounded by five faculty of the
school sit rather close to me, like in a close, close social settings. So I feel very, I
was very interested by this format, and I feel a closer connection with them
immediately when I walked in. And, I guess that’s also partially my personality at
work, so I feel very comfortable playing to them in that setting, so I feel relaxed,
since I’ve been through a lot of auditions before that, so I don’t really feel that
nervous.

C: Ok, so, great. Let’s continue with that Indiana audition. Could you tell me more
 about how you prepared for that one?

Z: Mmm, for that one, actually there’s a one week - one week break, because all my
auditions were packed very closely before that audition. That audition happens one

Sample
week after all the other auditions have finished. So I was actually pretty nervous, I
was thinking that, to have this one week will give me weird mistakes, and I would
feel weird in that week, um… But I think I did the way I always did, you know, just
to… from two strategies, one is the overall memory, the other is every detail things,
so I would practice them every day with these two strategies.

C: Ok. So, memory, and details?

Z: No, it’s more like - yeah. Yeah.

Transcript
C. Mm. And when you said that this is, you prepared the same for this one as you
did for all the other ones, did you mean all the other ones at that time? Or was that
earlier audition, I think the one at USC, you said, was that also that kind of
preparation?

Z: Yes, I think I prepare things in relatively similar way. ‘Cuz I think one thing is very
important for me is, as I said before, two weeks before my audition, I want to make
sure it’s already in very good shape, so it give me more room to stick with a
particular regime for the audition.

C: Ok, thank you. Do you think there was anything you could’ve done differently
about preparing for those auditions?

Z: Yes. Um… I think back then, I didn’t really tape myself. So, that’s one thing I think
I can do, to tape myself to see my overall energy and my movements. But that also
works for non-audition things.

C: Sure.

Cobi
Z: Yeah so I didn’t do any of that, back then.

C: Is that something you would do now, to prepare?

Z: I think so, yeah.

C: And you said about your energy, and your movements, right?

Z: Yes.

Ashkenazi
C: Umm… What about those can you do better, when you record yourself?

Z: Hmm…

C: Is that clear?

Z: Yeah. I think for particular for movement, because I know for myself that I have
some movement can be sometimes unnecessary, and does not add to the music,
um, I think taping those can help me, not only better for audition, but also just
 musically, musical-wise. I think it has both benefits. Umm, so I can try to figure out
how can I eliminate those movement if they are really unnecessary, and you know,
unprofessional.

Sample
C: Ok. Um, How about - oh?

Z: I think energy is more like a situation kind of - ‘cuz I sometimes feel, especially
during the first, my audition round, I feel I can, my posture and my, how I act on
stage can be quite different from how I play in the practice room. I can suddenly, not
suddenly, but I can be more tense, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I just
want too see the level of it, and adjust, to see whether it’s too much, or you know,
too…

Transcript
C: Makes sense. So, what about things you did well, in preparing for those
auditions?

Z: Mm… Things I did well is… I think I rarely had a memory slip in the audition.
That’s partially because, oh, I think one thing I forgot to mention, also, I would
spend time reading scores every day before I go to sleep, at least three days before
my audition. And right before my audition, I always read scores, both during
breakfast on that day, and before I go to sleep. And… Another thing is, I think I
don’t appear to be too nervous.

C: While you’re preparing?

Z: I try to think of ways to tell, oh, no, I think of ways to try not to be nervous, and I
think all of that preparation is for me not to get that nervous too, but also to cope
with different kinds of situations that could happen that day. Mm.

C: Great. Um, I’m also curious to hear more about, um, looking at the score. What
does that do for you?

Z: Um, mainly when I look at the score, I envision my hand positions on the piano,
and I will just play in my brain, um, and remember all the details from the score - uh,

Cobi
it’s a reminder, it’s an assurance and a reminder of what’s happening in the score,
very detailed things. ‘Cuz otherwise, if I don’t look, when I’m playing, I could ignore
something, I wouldn’t, like, once every second, what’s happening, I could ignore
something, but when I look at the score, I could keep track of what’s happening
every 0.1 second, I could try to play better and see what I should do there. I think
it’s also a visual thing, that you technically like, see your score in your brain.

C: I see.

Z: And you envision your hand positions, and strengthening your memory, I think it’s

Ashkenazi
mostly about memory, about memorize notes and details, memorize your, remind
your muscle memory and also your intellectual memory.

C: Got it. So, that makes me wonder, with all these strategies you’re describing, do
you think there’s anything that’s unique to preparing for an audition, rather than a
recital, or a lesson?

Z: Oh, so, by you mean audition, you meant, like… Do I need to play… What if
 some auditions need to play all the, everything, or just auditions that we don’t need

Sample
to play the whole thing?

C: I think, probably, it’s not the whole thing, because otherwise it sounds like a
competition.

Z: Yeah, ok. That makes sense. Back then you asked me what I could’ve done
better, I think one thing is, I spend too much time on the whole piece. ‘Cuz I think I
have OCD, I think if I’m not comfortable playing the whole piece, then I don’t feel
comfortable from the beginning, so, that’s how I pace myself. But I know for sure,
for audition, like, college auditions, oh, conservatory auditions, we don’t need to

Transcript
play the whole thing, and, it’s a good strategy. It could - I can’t think if - I really try to
focus on those sections. Beginning sections, or some sections. Oh also, I think for
audition, you need to have very good energy for each piece, and get in the
character very fast, in and out very fast, for every piece. You know, quickly. ‘Cuz,
you already only have ten minutes, and in that ten minutes, you need to play
different pieces, and when you go on stage, people are already looking at you.
They’re already thinking about things, so it’s about precise delivery, more than
preparing the whole recital. I think it’s different, I guess my OCD does strike me a
little bit.

C: Ok. Um, so let’s change gears for a minute. Um, let’s imagine that you have a
student who’s beginning to prepare for their first audition. What would you advise
them to do?

Z: Mm, one good advice in terms about, in terms of how to distribute practicing
time, is to write down your timeframe for every piece to practice that day, so you

Cobi
don’t over focus on one piece, or, and ignoring other piece, you know, when you are
running out of time of preparation. So, you need to make sure a good quality of all
of them, so that’s a strategy, I think, good to let them know. Of course there are
other practicing things, I think is just for everybody, not just for auditions. And I think
it’s important to play for other people. Um, play in a, to mimic that environment,
stressful environment, so you don’t get caught in that environment.

C: Ok. And, …

Z: Oh, and you need to be confident, it’s very important.

Ashkenazi
C: The student?

Z: Yeah.

C: I see. And do you think there’s anything personal about that preparation? Um,
like, would you advise the student to prepare how you prepare, or not?

Z: …Um…

C: Or do you want me to rephrase that?

Z: Haha, yeah.

C: Ok, yeah. Um, would you teach the student to do what you do, to do it your way,
 when they’re preparing? Or not?

Sample
Z: I think I would advise them several things from my own practice, you know, from
my audition practice. But - I definitely would leave some room for them to figure
things out, ‘cuz, we are mentally different. Oh, and also, I need to see which stages
they’re at, at a particular time. Um, and their strength and weaknesses. So, we need
to think about how to cope with these during audition, some of things you can not
fix right now, so how do you impress people in your audition, you know? There’s
different ways. But I think some of the basis we can still agree upon, like, you know,
daily regime.

C: Ok. Um, so, I remember you told me about something you could’ve done better

Transcript
for one of your auditions. Um, have you had any auditions that were not as positive?

Z: Yes. Um, there was one very interesting audition actually, it’s mentally, it’s very
stressful for me. It’s also the second audition of my entire life, so right after USC. So
I actually had a good experience at USC, I practiced, I warmed up before, and the
only thing that will keep me, I’m struggling, is my nerve before that, which is normal
I realized later, but then there’s another audition at Berkeley university. Oh, no,
Berklee college of music?
C: In Boston?

Z: Yeah, that one. So, that one, that day, it was very cold, and I didn’t get to practice
a lot that day, for various reasons. First of all the piano I was assigned is not very
good to practice on, and I can’t, you know, and the second thing is they delayed the
audition time, so I was sitting out there for an hour before I can actually go in, and I
need to hear all the people before me. And another thing is, ‘cuz I was not
experienced with the audition, I was very mentally stressed, because all the people
before me are younger than me, they are auditioning for undergraduate program,
yet they are playing so many difficult pieces, much difficult than mine, and I am
applying for Master. And I immediately lost all my confidence. Also, I realized, I was

Cobi
the last one of that day, in the morning session, and just, everything makes me feel
hopeless, and my hands are super cold, and I went inside, and I played. I did pretty
well on the first two pieces, still, but I started fast. Um, I think that the reason I was,
I felt very bad about that audition, was really my confidence level, when I walked in,
and when I start everything, and after I play, I feel not well, because of how people
played before me. So, I cried immediately after that audition. I went back to my,
where I stayed, and I was crying. But, that audition result was actually fairly
pleasant. I received an email from a professor two days after, saying he’s impressed
with my audition, and I was like, “is that a miracle?”
C: Nice. Okay, so it sounds like that audition was part of the same series of

Ashkenazi
auditions as USC, right?

Z: Yeah.

C: So you probably prepared for those in the same way? Is that right?

Z: I prepared for them, and also they’re very packed with each other, so you know, I
have to keep high energy, every day, for that two weeks, ‘cuz I have three, four
auditions in two weeks.
 C: I see. Uh, are there any auditions, where you felt like you didn’t prepare as well
as you’d like? Or as you normally would?

Sample
Z: Mm… I think, one…

C: It’s okay if there aren’t any.

Z: I don’t think there are one where I didn’t prepare well, but I could prepare better
in terms of, you know, um, … Yeah, I think it’s all come to mental games at the end.
The one I was going to mention is the first audition for my DMA, in Boston
University. I think it’s just mentally not prepared. I was physically prepared, but
mentally, I was… I did not have that energy that day, the first ever audition. Also, I’m
nervous.

Transcript
C: Okay. Let’s turn to auditions in general now. Could you describe how the type of
an audition, or the purpose of an audition, changes how you prepare for it?

Z: The purpose changes? Oh, I see.

C: Or, maybe there’s no change?

Z: I think there’s no change. For me, I really like playing for people. Actually, I really
like playing on stage. For me, of course audition are so important ‘cuz of the result
they will give, but for me, I actually perceive each audition just as a performance. I
prepared them like I prepare my recitals. And I try to go on stage like I am
performing for them. I don’t really consider the purpose of audition. For me, it’s the
same, it’s just to deliver what I want to say with this music. I don’t think the
purpose, they will change how I play or how I prepare it.

C: Got it. Um, I’d also like to know, now that you’ve told me about some of your
auditions, I’d like to know if going to conservatory has affected how you prepare for
auditions. Has it helped? Has it not helped?

Cobi
Z: Going to conservatory… I think a certain aspect, it helped. The first aspect is,
umm, mentally I’m more prepared. Like, before, as I mentioned, before I was so
scared by the people before me, because they are younger than me and like, their
difficult pieces. And that time, I didn’t stay in a conservatory environment, and, I
don’t know how to compete with, you know, quote, “compete with them”, but you
know, um, after going to conservatory, I … I can feel, you know, I have a better
feeling of people’s level around, um, in the conservatory, so,

C: (yawning)

Ashkenazi
Z: Are you tired?

C: I’m good, just yawning. It’s not because of you!

Z: Okay. I think I know better of the level at the conservatory, so I know better what
to expect, in an audition environment. And also, I know more about the teacher’s
way. I think my goal is to become more and more professional, so I guess I know
more about the professional inside views about what makes me perform … what
 makes someone, you know, better than someone else. Of course, I will examine the
reasons, but yeah.

C: Okay. Great. Is there anything you think conservatories can do better to help their
students learn to prepare for auditions?

Z: Mm, I think one thing is important, I think the most important thing for me is to
prepare them psychologically and mentally. I mean, in this status quo of audition

Sample
environment, we can have, you know, specialist, and people come in regularly to
have seminars about stress, about mental health, about, the science, or science
behind it, or how do we cope with it, or, you know, how to mentally prepare.
Because I really feel, it’s really important aspect, that can either make or break
audition. But I don’t think I see a lot of conservatory have regular session on it. I
think, we don’t only have auditions now, some auditions are all over the year, so a
regular thing would be nice. In terms of ways of preparation, I think it’s our job,
because we do need to be independent like this, because it’s our job, but I think
mentally, there’s room for help from conservatories.

Transcript
C: Thank you. Is there anything else you’d like to share, that’s relevant to our
discussion?

Z: …

C: If not, that’s totally okay.

Z: Yeah.

C: Alright! I’d like to thank you again for having this interview with me today. It was
interesting to hear your experiences, and talking to you will definitely help me with
my research. So thank you!

Z: Thank you!

Cobi
Ashkenazi