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You have been practicing your scales, chords, and taking notes during your online music lessons. An opportunity has presented itself to play with a band, but naturally, you feel a little nervous and wonder how to prepare for a music audition. There are several things to consider before the audition to be ready physically as well as mentally. Let’s go over some of these things in this blog to make sure you are in the right frame of mind to nail the audition and land the gig.

Know Your Stuff, Practice Makes Prepared

Besides the technical ability of your instrument, knowing the material that you are expected to audition is of course the second most important aspect when it comes to preparing for the actual audition. If there is a track provided, do some active and passive listening to the song (check out our blog How To Listen To Music). Internalizing the music before getting to the instrument is a great way to help mentally prepare and train you.

Next, it’s important to be able to play through the song on your instrument. Come up with a strategy that makes sense for you, perhaps learning how to play 8 bars a day. Breaking down the song like this will help you achieve smaller milestones and really dive into the song, making you feel good and motivated as you learn one piece at a time. When you practice, make sure you can play the section or song as perfectly as possible three times in a row. 

The Day Before Your Music Audition

The day before the audition is extremely important. There are some definite do’s and don’ts that will help you get in the right frame of mind the next day. If you’ve followed your practice plan, there shouldn’t be a need to cram any last-minute memorization or preparation for learning the song(s). You should plan on doing a light warm-up, run through a routine and the song(s), and then do some more passive listening throughout the day. Make sure you drink lots of water and get a good night of sleep. 

Being nervous is an ingredient of success, so if you feel that you are nervous, think about how prepared you are. You have made and actioned your plan. You know all the parts of the song and now you just need to execute it in front of the band, some of whom you might not know yet. At the end of the day, you have put your best foot forward, feel proud of yourself and know that tomorrow when you are at the audition, no matter what happens, it will be up to the universe and you’ve done your part in being as prepared as you can. Good night!

The Day Of Your Audition, Time To Hit The Stage

Ideally, you wake up from a restful night of sleep. Grab your morning coffee, do a warm-up, run through the song once, and then go about your day until it’s time for the audition. In reality, you may have had a restless night of sleep fueled by worry and excitement. Again, it is important not to get into a panic and practice hours before the audition. Believe that you have done the best you can to prepare. Realize that playing a musical instrument or singing is a physical activity that requires your body to be ready for peak performance and not be exhausted due to practicing before the big game. You’ve got this! 

Make sure you know where the venue is and show up early. Give your mind the time to observe the space you’ll be playing in. New surroundings can contribute to nervousness, so we want to give our body and mind the time it needs to settle in. You also don’t want to warm up shredding the sickest licks trying to impress those around you. Plugin (if you have an instrument that requires doing that), and play a few notes. Get used to the acoustics in the space. Focus on your part, believe in yourself and the preparation you have done. Now it’s time to play and have fun. If you trip up, don’t worry. Try to recover as quickly as possible. Don’t let one mistake trip you up. 

At the end of the audition, say thank you for the opportunity. Leave with a good impression both playing the instrument and being a person that is humble. Being in a band is more about being a team player than it is about having the best technical or musical skills. Also, don’t forget to make notes of your potential bandmates. Are they people you can see yourself getting along with? Do you like the music that is being played? The audition is as much for you as it is for the band.

Now that you are aware of these tools and strategies, what else can you do to help your journey to becoming the musician you want to be? Check out THIS BLOG if you are an Adult Learning to Play Music and CONTACT US for private online music lessons to fast charge your progress on any instrument.