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How to prepare for a concert, exam, competition or an orchestra audition

How to prepare for a concert, exam, competition or an orchestra audition

Posted in Play: August 2017

First of all, I would like to write a few words about each of these situations that you have surely met as a musician over the years. If you have not yet thought of the differences and similarities between a concert, exam, competition or an orchestra audition, we will now do it together.
All these experiences have in common that you have to be very well prepared and able to play at your maximum level in such important moments, but the difference is that all four of these situations require a different approach. Your expectations can not be the same before a concert or before an orchestra audition.
 
Let's start with the concert, one of the most beautiful experiences in my opinion. I say this because the result of a concert is most often in your hands. The audience usually has no big expectations and does not have to evaluate you or to compare you with another interpreter. Moreover, the audience is not composed of experts. People who came to listen to a concert want only one thing: to experience pleasant emotions and to disconnect from their everyday problems or worries. So, the expectations in terms of you, the interpreter, are not as big as you think. However, your role is simple but complex in the same time - to give the public everything you can and to open your soul to people willing to receive what you have to offer. It's the best place to be yourself without being judged or criticized because, as you well know, in an exam, contest, or audition you always have a jury to evaluate your performance, and in ideal cases as objective as possible.
As a conclusion, your both technical and mental training is an excellent basis for a successful concert, a concert in which you can be yourself on stage.
 
As you well know, in the exam, the result is largely in your hands, except that here you have to deal with a jury that has to evaluate your performance according to certain technical, and interpretative criteria. Usually, the examination is less rigorous than in a contest, although you may face less pleasant situations, subjectivism, or cases where the mark doesn’t reflect your level and training as a musician.
Again, what you can do is to be very well technically and mentally prepared and to offer your best performance which can reflect your level as a musician and to bring you the satisfaction that you did everything you could done better.

Winning a prize at an international competition is a great challenge for a musician. The level is very high due to competition, and the judging criteria are quite strict. Here is where your mistakes of any kind are "hunted" and you are listened very carefully, but not to get what you have to offer, but to understand if you are good enough to win a prize. The pressure is very high in such moments, and again, I think a very good training from all points of view is absolutely necessary to succeed in offering your best performance at such a contest. Of course, there are also other issues such as the number of participants, the members of the commission, the age category you fit in, etc. However, a very good technical and mental training is absolutely necessary.
 
And we have come to the most difficult experience: the orchestra audition. I say this because most of the time the choice is subjective (if a candidate is chosen) and the final result does not really have to do with the fact that you played at your maximum level. Most of the time, giving your best performance is not enough, the competition is very high, and sometimes is a matter of "taste" because the members of that orchestra prefer a certain type of sound, articulation, style of playing etc., which you can’t predict. The experience of winning an orchestra audition is similar to winning an international prize. Again, you face a lot of competition, and the final choice is based on certain criteria that you can not control completely. The difference is that there are more winners in competitions compared to orchestra auditions where there is only one winner - and this in the best case, because there are also situations (quite a lot in recent years) where the members of orchestra consider that no candidate meets the requirements and they are deciding to repeat the audition within a few months. Most of the time you will be rejected without receiving a constructive or clear feedback and this may affect you in the long run.
That's why it's very good to know how to get over a rejection, unfounded criticism or negative feedback.
 
As you see, all this experiences have similarities but also differences. I'd love to work together, and help you find the right goals for a concert, exam, contest, or orchestra audition. I would also love to help you prepare both technically and mentally for a successful performance when it matters most and to give you some suggestions to pass easier over a rejection or a negative feedback.
Would you like to try? Let's start working, without forgetting that the first coaching session is free!
 
 
 
 
 

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