College auditions.
If you want to go to a college as a music or performance art major, these two words will probably make you cringe, cry and/or have an existential breakdown- but college auditions don't have to be stressful, in fact, they could even be fun! Here are five cliche pieces of advice you'll hear about the process, broken down so that they're actually useful.
1) "Just be yourself!"
The most obvious but also the most difficult part of the process to master is simply being confident in your abilities. Walk into that room thinking of the judges not as adversaries searching for your every flaw- but as the people they really are, just as human as you. Seeing that you're comfortable in such an environment not only makes a great first impression, but it also makes getting to know you a lot easier, which is a huge part of what these people are trying to do.
2) "Just practice and it'll be fine!"
Don't be lazy about preparing your pieces, in addition to a headshot, resume and organized black sheet music binder! Make sure you have a list of every college and all of their individual audition requirements. Oftentimes the audition process varies from school to school- in my experience as a music education major, you may be asked to prepare 3-5 different pieces (typically art songs and/or arias) as well as being expected to complete an interview, one or more essays, and sometimes written or verbal music theory exams. Most conservatories even have prescreen videotape auditions due early on in the fall- and knowing every deadline is essential. All this probably sounds overwhelming and terrifying- but as long as you give yourself plenty of time to prepare for anything they are going to ask of you it's honestly hard to go wrong.
Not to mention, good preparation will help to ease you nerves, making mistakes less likely and step 1 a lot less difficult to conquer!
3) "Just talk to your guidance counselor!"
If you're unclear on an aspect of the audition process, ask questions! Seeing a guidance counselor is indeed preferable but I know for some in large high schools, guidance counselors could be difficult to access. Even if a counselor is accessible to you, don't stop there. Talk to someone who's been through it before about your concerns. Learning the process is half the battle, and not being afraid to ask questions or even reach out to university representatives themselves, if necessary, is the first step in winning it. In addition, having these conversations shows that you're serious about the college process and independent in completing it. Seeing this will not only help the aforementioned unhelpful guidance counselors write excellent and detailed recommendation letters, but it will also show these desirable qualities to your admissions counselors.
3) "Just ask your favorite teacher [for a recommendation letter]!"
Colleges and conservatories typically want letters from teachers in specific subject areas (for example, Juilliard wanted me to submit a letter from a math teacher) in addition to your music teachers. First of all, make sure that you ask for recommendations at least three months in advance of the application due date (the earlier, the better), second of all make sure the teachers you ask don't only know you well enough to write a personalized letter, but also are reliable enough to get the letter in by the deadline. If your chemistry teacher loves you but can never remember when she assigns homework, you may end up without a letter on submission day and therefore a void application- a ridiculously unfair situation you want to avoid at all costs.
4) "Dress for Success!"
This one is actually self-explanatory. I know you don't want to wear stockings, and I know that your heels will give you blisters. Just do it, and don't forget to pull your hair back and away from your face!
In all honesty- putting yourself through this months long process will often make you doubt yourself, or wonder if you're even cut out for for the arts on a college level. Let's face it though, no matter how much time we spend tediously practicing, and no matter how unappreciated we may feel by those who don't understand why we're putting in the effort- we as artists love what we do, and we wouldn't be who we are if we didn't do it! Break legs, class of 2021 and beyond!
