Look on the Bright Side

Part Five in a series of posts containing audition season advice submitted by Wolf Trap Opera alumni.

The Power of Positivity: The glass is way more than half full.

• Everyone behind that table desperately wants you to be AWESOME.  No one is judging you in the way you think.  Everyone that you will ever sing for wants to hire you.  They hope you’re the one.  So go in knowing that there is only good will aimed at you!
• Be kind to yourself and others throughout your audition process.
• Remember that the panelists are on your side…  They are wishing and hoping for the next brilliant singer to walk through the door.
• We have to remember why we sing. So often I get caught up in thinking that I have to present an appealing package on audition day and forget that I’m appealing enough by just doing what I love to do (singing, of course.) If I weren’t good at it, I wouldn’t have already come this far. As a textbook overthinker I have to remind myself to “Shut up and sing.”
• An audition is not the time to think about technique. An audition is a performance. Go out there and show ‘em why you’re the one they should hire.
• Be as happy as you can before your audition. Get in your ‘happy place’! do things that make you feel good!
• Have fun and sing your butt off. You are a singer for a reason, so don’t let auditions get the best of you.  Be in control of your voice and again HAVE FUN, it is what you do!
• The people sitting “behind the table” are actually on your side! They want you to do your best! Of course, they’re listening critically, it’s their job, but in essence a panel of adjudicators casting for a role or a young artist program want you to do well. It makes their job easier!
• Remember that they have something special to offer, and present it with CONFIDENCE!  Young Artist audition time is so competitive and stressful, and it will cause a person to doubt themselves and their abilities.   Put the stress and competition aside, and find joy and satisfaction in your daily practice, lessons/coachings, and in auditions.  Approaching auditions that way might just get you the job.

Next: What (Not) to Wear :)