Music - Recital and Audition preparation

QCGU Alumni, Grammy Award winner http://www.timothymunro.com/

Audition experiences and preparation

I did about 15 orchestral flute auditions. In my first audition I almost won the job, and after that I never advanced past the semi-finals of any audition. In retrospect, my preparation was driven totally by fear: I hid from fellow musicians (instead of doing lots of mock auditions, seeking advice), I had no structure (obsessing over or avoiding the excerpts that I most feared, rarely using a tuner), I almost never recorded myself (fearing the very thing that I should have been embracing), and I second-guessed myself constantly (instead of understanding and accepting my own unique qualities, and trying to put those forward). Sigh.

Essential audition tips

• After an unsuccessful audition, cry a lot. Understand that this step, openly and passionately weeping, is a natural and important one. 
• Then try to accept that an unsuccessful audition is not a referendum on your quality as a player and a person. You and they were simply not a good fit.
• Recapture joy as a musician in whatever way you can (schedule a sight-reading party, do karaoke, play for a supportive audience)