BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
A live audition can be one of the most anxiety-inducing experiences of a musician’s career. A panel of industry experts may watch your every move, their ears alert to your every breath — all in real time.
Not only do you need to perform in front of this intimidating audience: you need to convince them you’re the best one for the role.
So the idea of performing in a pre-recorded audition, submitted online, might evoke a sigh of relief. After all, you can perform your audition as many times as you like, before sending off your final take to be assessed.
Nevertheless, there’s an art to the online audition. It’s an art you should learn and practise before you even think about hitting ‘record’.
Tim White knows a thing or two about auditions — from presenting to assessing. Beyond his 30-year performance career, the Perth percussionist is also a senior lecturer and the coordinator of classical music at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. And he’s an experienced panellist for the Australian Youth Orchestra, having watched many a young musician’s chance to take that next big step in their performance career.
Naturally, we decided sit down and ask Tim everything he knows, so we can share this knowledge and help you in your next online audition, too.
Hi Tim, thanks so much for the conversation. I’d like to start with an ice-breaker: what was your weirdest audition experience?
My first orchestral audition was a bizarre experience.
The ABC was booked to record it, but the early morning attempt bombed because the Sydney Symphony Orchestra removalists had already taken the percussion instruments to the Sydney Opera House.
The afternoon attempt crashed out when the SOH stepped in mid-audition to say that the Concert Hall had been double-booked.
The recording finally happened that evening after midnight, on unfamiliar instruments in a darkened ABC studio in Chatswood. By then, I was exhausted and assumed that everything had turned to mud.
To my astonishment, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra offered me the job.
Let’s work back from here, now. An audition will tell us two core things about a performer: their musicality, and their ability to perform under pressure. How much lenience do you feel is given to musicians in an audition environment?
Audition panels sure know what it’s like to play under pressure, and they certainly understand those feelings of nervousness — so yes, they’ll be sympathetic and supportive.
They also know that quality always shines through in an audition, despite the nerves.
If you’ve prepared well, and worked on performance psychology strategies as well as practising your music, then you can be confident that your quality will shine bright.
You’ve been an AYO panellist in the past. What are some of the most common errors or pitfalls you see in a live audition, which you anticipate will be replicated in an online audition?
When playing excerpts, it’s vital to know how the music goes. Listen to recordings and research the music so that you know what the typical tempos are, what style is appropriate, and what nuances should be brought to the part. The best ways to learn all this are by listening to recordings and by getting advice from your teacher.
Prepare well. Don’t let the panel think, ‘This person hasn’t listened to the music’!
When we hear the words “online audition”, we might think of a performance space that is less intimidating: the artist is performing from a physical place in which they feel comfortable, and the audition itself might be pre-recorded. How can musicians take advantage of this opportunity to provide an online audition?
A recording is much less daunting than a live audition, because you can choose a familiar venue and a comfortable time of day for your audition, and there’s not so much time pressure on you. And the panel isn’t there in the room looking at you!
Remember that you can take your time and make multiple takes — so if you’re not happy with your first attempt at the audition, you can record it again and again, and choose the best version. So make use of the less intimidating situation.
But at what point should the applicant decide enough is enough? How would you advise they stop themselves from obsessing or recording too many takes, and understand it’ll never be perfect — but can certainly be enough?
Do not seek perfection: it doesn’t exist in music, and searching for it usually results in blandness.
Instead, prepare well, and then focus on bringing your music to life. Fill your performances with passion, meaning, energy and love. That’s what music is ultimately about.
So what are some of the best ways to prepare for an online audition, as opposed to a live audition?
Test your video and audio recording over several days! Test and adjust, test and adjust.
Many musicians will be totally focused on their performance, and won’t put much time into making sure that their recording sounds and looks good. There’s no point in playing beautifully if the quality of your recording is poor — because the panel won’t be able to hear you properly. So make sure that the audio quality is beautiful, that your sound is rich and full, and that your articulations and the audio details come through clearly.
Also, check that your video looks classy — with good lighting on you — and that the panel can see you clearly.
There is one added challenge there: recording gear. How can a musician make the most of their sound, and convey it in its truest form, if they’re on a low budget? For instance, for AYO auditions, applicants are allowed to submit with a mobile phone recording.
You can produce an excellent recording from a phone, as long as you spend plenty of time testing and adjusting the video and audio. Do this over a few days — not at the last minute! If your phone mic sounds poor, you can buy a separate mic that plugs directly into your phone and produces a better result.
Hot tip: Make sure that your audio is not ‘compressed’. This is when the recording app amplifies your soft playing, and quietens loud volumes, so that everything sounds at the same volume. Turn off this feature — or use a recording app that lets you choose an ‘original sound’ setting.
If this sounds confusing, ask a tech friend for help — they’ll know what to do.
Before we sign off, can you give us any hints when it comes to some of the more unpredictable elements a panellist will be looking out for?
There are a lot of measurable things in an audition: things like tempo, dynamics, articulation, phrasing. But there are also some intangible things that panels love to hear: conviction, a sense of style, rhythmic security, energy, passion, drive, projection.
Any final words of advice for emerging musicians doing their online applications?
The ultimate achievement in an audition is to play so persuasively that the audition panel somehow hears the orchestra playing along with you. Strive for this — and have fun in the process!
To find out more about online auditions and how to produce your recording for Australian Youth Orchestra programs, visit the website before applications close (from 27 October).
Images supplied. AYO photo by Sam Jozeps.
