For better or worse, admission to college, graduate schools, and employment in most full- and part-time ensembles rely on your performance in auditions. Consequently, it is worth spending some of your time considering how you can improve your audition-taking skills.
Taking auditions is a unique skill that should be considered separate, in some ways, from the skills you require to play your instrument. While it’s true that you cannot audition well if you don’t play your instrument well, it is also true that you can play your instrument very well, but audition poorly. It is sort of akin to taking a standardized test in a high pressure, timed environment. Some students feel that their results on standardized tests do not accurately represent their intelligence or their education, while other students excel at these exams, and have no complaints.
Below are 3 suggestions for improving your ability to take and excel in audition situations.