Download Tips on Youth Orchestra Auditions: The Adjudicator`s Viewpoint

Tips on Youth Orchestra Auditions: The Adjudicator’s Viewpoint
By George Ogata, Conductor, Senior Orchestra, Massachusetts Youth Symphony Project (MYSP)
Over the past 17 years, George Ogata, Conductor of the Senior Orchestra of the Massachusetts Youth
Symphony Project, has adjudicated thousands of children in youth orchestra auditions. He’s compiled a
few words of frank advice below to help future auditioners to be as prepared as possible with a
particular focus on the adjudicator’s mindset during the audition process.
1. Study – not glance at – the audition requirements. Make sure you register every word.
You don't how many times I've expected scales of a certain sort that are clearly spelled
out in the audition requirements, and the child says, "I didn't know about that."
Automatic deduction.
2. Practice the auditioning process. You should do a mock audition for the family. For
friends. Simulate the pressure. People don't normally do this. Why not? Preparedness
is all.
3. Get lots of sleep the night before!
4. You should dress decently. Not a prom dress. Not tattered jeans. Decent, “business
casual” clothes. Clothes are part of the presentation, too. Your dress shows respect to
the adjudicators. So many kids have come into my audition looking terrible. They
played “terrible”, too.
5. Get to the audition location early, early, early. You don't want to arrive at the last
second or even late – that'll throw you off and irk the adjudicators. Your tardiness is a
telling indicator of your lack of responsibility. I need responsible musicians in my
orchestra.
6. By arriving at the audition location early, you can get a feel for the environment. That's
important to calm your nerves. You can also have an opportunity to warm up. THAT'S
REALLY IMPORTANT. Going in cold is one of the worst things you can do.
7. Tune at the beginning of the warm-up. Last part of warm-up: TUNE.
8. Walk into the audition room with modest confidence. Smile. The show begins from the
moment you walk in. Greet and acknowledge each one of the adjudicators by looking
him or her in the eye and say with an audible, assured voice, "Hello". Establish that
connection. Don't establish "disconnection"!
9. Take a deep breath before playing, which actually helps to slow the heart down. The
deep breath tells your brain that you're calm, consequently affecting your heart rate.
10. First, scales…..
11. Make sure you know what kind of scales are expected of you for the level you’re at. Are
you to bring a scale of your own choice? Will you be asked for a scale up to 4 sharps or
flats – or any random key? Melodic minor or harmonic minor or natural minor? Don’t
expect that you’ll get away with only knowing a few scale keys when all keys are
requested.
12. Know scales solid. Usually scales are asked for FIRST. It's therefore the first impression
that you would give to these adjudicators.
13. Adjudicators may ask for a variety of styles. Short notes up, slurred down. Be prepared.
14. Now your piece.....
15. Play with confidence.
16. Play with good dynamic contrast. Don't play one dynamic throughout the whole piece.
17. Play with articulation. Whatever's marked in the score, do it! SHOW THE SCORE. Show
that tonguing, that slurring – don't gloss over articulation where needed.
18. Play with rich tone. Search for the best sound at any given moment whether it be
ethereal or robust.
19. Above all, play musically. Find the phrase, play the phrase, show the phrase. Find the
theater in the piece. Adjudicators LOVE kids who DARE to show musicality. Too often, a
musician will play like a robot instead of a thoughtful human being.
20. Now if orchestral excerpts are requested for you to prepare and perform.....
21. Same as above in terms of performance.
22. In addition, I recommend listening to recordings! You should know what the general
interpretation is like. The recordings will be your guide. You can also know what the
accompaniment is at any given moment.
23. Finally, sight-reading.....
24. Ah, sight-reading. It's about attitude. You have to think that you LOVE sight-reading. I
heard tons of kids mutter that they hate sight-reading. Wrong comment.
25. By loving to sight-read, you'll embrace the notes that much more easily. Kids often
don't practice sight-reading, which is illogical. You practice scales, you practice your
pieces, you practice excerpts, but not the ability to sight-read? It's important. It tells
the adjudicators how quickly this student will grasp music.
26. You can take an etude book, flip to a random page, and start playing. Or any literature
book.
27. First, figure out what the piece is, who the composer is. If it's not written on the music,
you should ask. That information will help with what style you should apply.
28. Look at the meter. Look at the key signature. Look at the tempo marking (is it fast or
slow?). Ask the adjudicators for a general tempo.
29. Ask for where to begin and where to end. Then glance at the passage briefly, 5 - 10
seconds, to know what's coming. More than 10 seconds becomes a bit irritating for the
adjudicators.
30. Play articulations and dynamics where indicated.
31. If you make a mistake on a note, FORGET IT. Don't hiccup on it and try to get it right
before moving on. Just go. Time doesn't wait for mistakes. It irritates me when
students hover around a note they can't quite get.
32. PLAY MUSICALLY AND WITH CONFIDENCE!
33. Once the audition is done, smile, look all the adjudicators in the eye, and thank them for
their time. Courtesy goes a long way.
34. CELEBRATE AFTER THE AUDITION! It's important to acknowledge how much work you
put into getting this far.
To learn more about the Massachusetts Youth Symphony Project, visit:
http://www.powersmusic.org/orchestra.