Helpful Audition Hints

The following tips are meant to help students have a positive Youth Orchestra audition:

• If you study privately, ask your teacher for help with your audition materials and orchestra music.
• Listen to recordings to help learn excerpts and how they fit into the rest of the piece. More than 18,000 recordings are available at the Sarasota Orchestra music archives in the Selby Library, or you can purchase recordings from online music sources or local music stores.
• Perform before various people such as friends and family prior to your audition.
• Remember that the audition committee will be listening for the correct notes and rhythms, intonation, tone quality, articulation, expression, musical style and consistency among other things. Pay close attention to detail. Music is a lifelong learning experience, perfection takes a lot of work and time.
• Try to relax before your audition. Focusing on your breath is a technique that helps some people calm their nerves. Another technique is to find a quiet place and imagine yourself playing your audition materials with confidence. Nerves are natural, but remember the purpose of an audition is to show what you already know.

The person who is well prepared has the greatest chance of performing well!