So you have a singing audition that’s on its way? That’s great! I really hope that you are able to get the gig or pass with flying colors but what does it take to get through an audition?
Practicing in advance and knowing the specifics about your audition is going to help you best to prepare for it. Beyond this, planning and getting some performing experience will greatly aid you in your audition. The more you’ve practiced before the better you’ll sing.
Practice is really going to be the biggest factor of success in this for you. So, if you’ve never shown the discipline to practice singing seriously before, now’s the time, and if you have, amazing. Half the work is already done.
Practice
The most helpful advice that I am going to give for practicing for your audition is this, don’t leave it for the last second.
You have to practice well in advance.
So when you are practicing for an audition make sure you have ample time to prepare for it. Because against the regular everyday practice, we have to alter your practice to fit the needs of the audition.
Given the degree of importance of the audition, you will have to alter your needs and mold your practice around what is expected of you in the audition.
Another reason why you need ample time is that you can’t burn and over-practice and end up with a sore throat. I have written about how 30 minutes of practice can help you become better.
So, knowing how much you can practice in a day and how productive you can be will come in very handy when you’re practicing for your audition, and try not to exceed it now.
So if you’ve never practiced 3-4 hours a day now is not the time to pump those numbers up. They need to come up naturally and with time. You will not make a great amount of progress if you suddenly just start practicing those long hours if all you’ve done is 15-30 minutes of practice on a daily basis.
Attempting these things the closer you are to the audition will not help.
The other half you need to keep in advance as I say this for even regular practice, keep the things you ought to practice ready to go. Because you do not want to sit idly, thinking and guesswork shouldn’t be a thing that you ought to do when the time for practice has arrived.
Because you need to be there in the moment just grinding out the practice material that has been pre-planned for this particular session. We do this so that every second of this practice is effective for not just you to become better but for you to give a successful audition as well.
Know The Specifics
I cannot even tell you how important it is to just know what kind of details are required from you to be aware of, while you are performing at the audition.
Leave no stone unturned. None.
There shouldn’t be anything that ought to surprise you during the audition. By that I mean if the information was provided online then you should know about it.
If the guidelines specifically mention that you can only perform for a certain amount of time then practicing for multiple songs may not be the best move.
That’s just one example, are you limited to a specific genre? Experience? Are theta skiing you to prepare a specific song? Will they provide a backing track?
So, be prepared and very well in advance.
Get Some Performing Experience
If you’ve never performed in front of anyone else, I suggest that you start doing it.
Practice something regardless of how good or bad it may be. Perform in front of your friends and family. Doesn’t matter if it’s in person, via Zoom, or even Gmeet.
You do this so you are not caught off-guard by anxiety or any last-moment jitters you may feel during the audition.
Plus, think about it like this, getting a little bit of performance experience will go a very long way and might even boost your confidence. So, it doesn’t hurt to get a little bit of performance experience as it won’t take away anything from you.
Very rarely you’ll walk into an audition and nail it without having prior performance experience.
Maybe a Band?
To aid your end goal of getting performing experience I suggest that you join a band that will either let you perform with them or help you get that experience.
Of course, if you’re close to the deadline this may not be possible but it’s always an option.
Hopefully, the band that you’re associated with helps you with your audition as well. In some cases of auditions, they allow you to perform with a band.
If You’re Planning for College
If you’re planning to do an audition for a college then I would highly suggest you show a variety of genres in your audition. This shows your understanding and competency as a musician.
The more you can do within the music the more your chances of getting in. If you show them three pieces of a similar thing that doesn’t allow you to have your best foot forward.
You should and most definitely work on your improvisation as well. You never know how the direction these college auditions will end up taking.
If you make a mistake, keep on going. They’ve already heard the part that you made a mistake on and so you should focus on going forward and not stopping.
Music Theory and Other Subjects
If you are truly planning to go to college then it is time to tell you that you will need music theory. The better you are at it, the more chances you have of having an easier time in music college.
That goes for other subjects as well, knowing how to produce music and being a good composer will always help. So if you’ve never delved into such subjects I suggest it’s time to do so.
The Better You Are
Whether you’re going in for a band audition or a music college, the better you are the better your chances of getting in.
The best way to know if you’re going to get in and have confidence in yourself is to truly know that you are a good singer. They ought to look for your singing skills.
I have written extensively about whether singers should go to college. Please make sure you read it before you join a music college.
The best thing you can do for yourself regardless of why you might be giving an audition is to be good for yourself first. At the end of the audition, you’re at the mercy of your competition and the people who are going to decide things for you.
I have written another article that talks about how you can get better at a rapid pace. Spoilers, you need to have a system. You can read more about it here.
The other side of everything that we’re talking about is having a strong discipline for practice, even if it is just 30 minutes of practice a day for five days a week.