A 5 Day Audition Reboot

Hey! Are you: 

  • unsure if you're prepared to take an auditions
  • need help deciding which (of the many that have been announced) you want to take?
  • hoping to write a kick ass resumé or c.v. so you can get through to the live audition?
  • lost when it comes to making an audition book (what even is that) or a listening list?
  • in the dark about how to approach mental and physical training and preparation

If you're nodding your head at one or more of the above - we have just the thing for you: a 5-day program in partnership with our friend, Ralph Skiano of the Detroit Symphony.

Before we give you all the bullet points and links and such, let's come over to the corner for a little story time. There's nothing like pulling out the history books for a little dose of wisdom and laughter!  

Okay, Ixi first! 

My singular most memorable audition moment was from the second audition I ever took, Principal Clarinet of the Utah Symphony. I had landed in Salt Lake, took a taxi to the hotel, checked in and walked up to the room. Of course, as soon as I walk in I hear the sound of a clarinet from the room next door. Yay. Just what I needed

I listened for a few minutes, but it wasn't long before I wanted to turn right around and go straight back to Los Angeles. Because I knew. I wasn't anywhere NEAR ready. This person next door was playing excerpt after excerpt flawlessly and beautifully. Being a novice (and maybe more confident than I should've been), I realized then and there just what it means to be truly prepared. What an expensive lesson that was! Valuable, for sure. That experience made it SUPER clear how well one has to play and prepare - - and yes, you guessed it, the next door neighbor was, as I found out later, Tad Calcara, the winner of the audition! 

 

Tiffany's bass clarinet chair extravaganza 

It was one of the first auditions I ever took, for bass clarinet/utility of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. I was in my senior year of undergrad, and was still a little clueless about how all of this worked. I made it to the finals, and then we changed locations to this strange small chapel thing on the side of a church. (Great…!) When I sat down to play the last round, my chair was low. Like, head tilted up just enough to be annoying low. But, I was already a little flustered from the location change, and somehow in the moment, felt like it would be too inconvenient to say anything to the proctor about getting me a different chair/bench. I learned a SUPER important lesson that day: always ask for what you need. It’s not an inconvenience, and there is always more time to sort things out than you imagine. 

 

And now, here's why Ralph walks … ðŸš¶

Ralph once witnessed someone waiting for a taxi to get to an audition… but it came super late…  and all that well-timed planning came crashing down and ultimately really impacted that person's performance. 😢  (Yes this was before Uber and Lyft, so a solution wasn't quite as easy as it may be now!)  Click here to watch why Ralph still thinks you should always walk!

Most stories come from plans that went awry, things that would never cross your mind, usually from the realm of ‘you can’t make this stuff up’. There's so much you never would guess makes a difference. And, you don't know what you don't know! Hearing from new people about their experiences and how they strategized to overcome them can be a game-changer in your preparation.

 

Get the most fun, action-packed clarinet newsletter!

In the space of newsletters, who would think there would be a clarinet one? 😆  Well, there is! We send emails once a week, with some great insights, exercises, links, our favorite things and more. 

We hate SPAM. We will never give away your email. That's rude. And, unsubscribe at any time.

Welcome to DCA!

Co-directed by us, professional clarinetists Ixi Chen and Dr. Tiffany Valvo, the Digital Clarinet Academy has become the most trusted place to take your clarinet skills to the next level with world-class digital content and virtual training. Welcome to our virtual home!