Audition Techniques for SE District, SEMSBA, and other music festivals!

Auditioning for something, especially a very selective honors chorus such as SE District or SEMSBA can be very nerve-wracking and challenging. Even if you feel like you have a good chance of making the cut, and see yourself as a good singer, you should still be prepared to possibly be rejected. In seventh grade I made neither districts or SEMSBA, but was still proud of myself for at least giving the auditions a try, as I knew that I could always possibly be rejected. The following year, I started taking voice lessons, and even asked my uncle, who is a musician, to help me with some audition techniques for next year, as I didn't want to give up, and was determined and encouraged to keep on auditioning. Something I already knew was to always get a good-nights sleep the night before, and eat a healthy breakfast (bananas in particular, they relieve stress and nerves) the day of the audition! My uncle taught me that when you walk into that room, ready to be critiqued on a piece of music and sight-read, always have confidence in what you are doing, but not too confident that you will be upset if you don't make it in! And practice, practice, practice! Even the morning of the audition, it wouldn't hurt to go over the piece a few times before you arrive, and make sure that you have down in your head those few notes that you don't understand. Finally, always have fun in what you are doing, you signed up to audition for this festival for a reason! If you make a mistake, so what? The show must go on! As Marina and the Diamonds (a favorite musician of mine) says, "I feel like I'm the worst, so I always act like I'm the best!" Never complain that you did bad in front of the judge (it will show that you lack confidence and positive energy in yourself, something they're looking for!) In eighth grade, I knew that if I followed all these steps on how to have a good audition, I could have a good chance of making or almost making SE District or SEMSBA. At the district audition, I knew my music by heart, as I had practiced it about a gazillion times, also working on scales and sight-reading! Before audtioning, I was placed in a warm-up room with my friends from chorus, and other students from different schools whom I didn't know. My friends and I supported each other the whole way through, as I also ran into an old friend I had met as a child, as we wished each other luck- and hoped for the best! It was now finally time for my audition- I walked into that room, being as smoothly conifident as I could, being the best alto singer I could possibly be. When it was all over, my friends and I went out to lunch at Wendy's to celebrate, just having fun, not worrying about tomorrow! On Monday, as I nervously walked into the halls of school- the announcements had said that I had made it! I was thrilled that all the hard work, effort, support from family and friends, and self-confidence had all paid off, and I was ready to experience a whole new choir experience I have never experienced in my lifetime! That same year, I also auditioned for SEMSBA, only being a few points off from making the cut. I wasn't that upset or mad, knowing that I could've done better on the scales, but I tried my best, and that's all that mattered- as I still had a fun time on the bus ride on the way there with my chorus friends! Experiencing Jr. district was so much fun- you got to work with a chorus twice the size of your own- with a whole new contductor, and way more challenging and different pieces than the ones you normally do in chorus! Along the way, I met some new friends that shared the same love of music as I do- which was great! I was ao lucky to be involved in a chorus that had so many talented kids (girls and boys) in it, and it was so much fun putting the songs together, that I never wanted it to end! On the car ride home from the festival, I thought to myself that all the hard work and effort that you put into one of these auditions really pays off to an outstanding festival experience! This year, as a freshman, I had the oppurtunity and experience of trying out for both Sr. And Jr. Districts, resulting that I made Jr. for the second year in a row, getting an even higher score than I did last year (as the sr. Audition was more of just a fun learning experience, usually freshmen never make it!) Now I feel proud that I was able to continue and keep up my audition techniques, and having the festival in March to look forward to- plus the SEMSBA auditions in February- and many more music and chorus experiences yet to come in my lifetime!