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Hey everyone. In less than nine days, I'll be auditioning for Peabody. From now til' March, I'll also be auditioning at USC, Eastman, NEC, MSM, and UCLA. My audition repertoire is:

Audition Repertoire:

Bach- Prelude and Fugue in C# Major, no. 3
Beethoven - Sonata No. 17 in D minor "Tempest"
Mendelssohn- Variation Serieuses
Dello Joio - Capriccio on an Interval of a 2nd
Chopin- Etude in C minor No. 24, "Ocean"

The thing is, I have absolutely no idea what to expect. Am I allowed to choose my first piece? If so, would starting with the Dello Joio be a bad decision? Do they try to hear snippets of ever freakin piece? I don't know, I'm just getting unbelievably nervous. I have only one shot to nail this thing, and I want to succeed more than anything. Any tips or words of encouragement, guys? Thanks anyways

I've never been to an audition, so I have no tips for you, but I WILL give you plenty of encouragement! Good luck! And I know this is really stupid and futile advice, but try to relax. Do something to distract yourself the day before (go see some movies or something) and don't stress out practicing.

Is there any way you can contact the people at Peabody and find out what the typical routine for an audition is? You can always try calling a secretary for the music program if you don't want to risk talking to the faculty. Or perhaps some of the current music students there?

Good luck, and please let us know how it went!

Don't overpractice!

Well, I didn't audition at any of the schools you listed, but at my auditions....

They give you some time to warm up / practice before your audition. At Cleveland, I actually only had 15 minutes, and I was assigned to a particular room. But the other schools gave me as much time as I wanted, as long as I could find a practice room.

There may be 3 or 4 professors at the audition, or there might be 7 or 8 or however many. But they'll probably greet you as you come in, and make the whole thing very comfortable for you.

I always started with Bach, which was my choice. (except for my last audition, I started with Grieg). Then they ask to hear a little bit of this, a little bit of that, etc. Remember, it's only a 10 minute audition (or 8 minutes or 15 minutes....), so there's no way they'll have you play all of the music, and they may not even ask for certain pieces at all. Just enough to help them make a decision.

Maybe there will be a theory exam? 3/4 schools I auditioned at had a theory exam. At Oberlin, there was additional aural testing at the audition, along with sightreading, and improvisation.


It's really fun. Trust me.

Get a good night's sleep, and don't worry too much. You've worked hard not only over the last several months or year putting together the audition program, but also over all of the years that you have been playing the piano. The point is that you are well-prepared, and if you go with confidence, then you'll do great.

Good luck.

Heh, no one really does. The conditions vary from school to school.



Yeah, and start with the one that you play the best.



See above, always put your best foot forward. Don't worry about chronoligical order or anything like that.



It depends on how much time you have for the audition (usually it's 10 minutes for undergrads), but have every measure of every piece up to standard. Some places are nasty and will make you start in recaps, codas, etc.

Don't worry about it. Think of it more as you're trying them out instead of them trying you out. It's your $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, find a place where you can at least enjoy going into debt and learn something in the process.

At my Peabody audition last year, they told me to start with what I like, so I began with the Chopin 4th Ballade and then played about 6 min of it. They cut me off, and asked for Beethoven, where I played up to the start of the development. After that, they heard Bach. The whole audition lasted about 13 min. If it's anything like it was a year ago, Slutsky will be the one calling out the pieces, and you will play onstage in their recital hall.....there will be about 6 jurors, and thy will all be sitting in the back of the hall.

Goodluck Punk!!!

at the ONE school i auditioned at (which i'm at now) there were no more practice rooms to warm up in, so i asked a professor and he led me to his wife's studio. she is now my piano teacher! just kinda funny. anyway, at my audition, all of the faculty members were there (7 profs) and i only played 2 pieces for them (on the Steinway in the recital hall! ). the chair asked me what i was playing and that was it. i played, then they all interviewed me and asked me questions about why i wanted to be there and what i wanted to do with music. after that (about 20 minutes in all) i had to take a theory placement test. Good Luck! wow....so many top schools!

Thanks a ton for the encouragement, guys! I've realized that stressing over something doesn't help the situation or better my chances. I know the repertoire and I've concertized everything, so I'll be going in with complete confidence. Wow, I really needed that!

As in all exams, whatever the discipline, if you have done your work, and are prepared, then there is nothing to worry about.

Als, the Jury aren't there to make you feel bad, but the contrary.

From what you have said, I think there is nothing to worry about. However, that is easier said than done.

Don't focus on who they are and what they represent. See it as a mini-recital to the people on the front row.

Best foot forward, self-belief and preparation.

My audition:

Started with my choice (Schubert a minor sonata), cut off at the development. They heard 30 seconds of a Bach prelude, then the first page of the fugue. Then Ravel Une Barque, none of the Haydn I'd prepared, then the first third of the Mephisto Waltz.

My advice - practice starting everything. Have friends listen and choose the pieces. Have them stop you in a variety of places and start something else. Also, try practicing your program in different places. At Rice and Kansas, I played in a faculty studio. At Michigan and Maryland, I was in the recital hall. At Eastman, I played in the smaller recital hall upstairs.

If you know the rep and have concertized everything, you're in great shape. Be a real person - say "hello" and "thank you." Feel free to ask them where you can warm-up. Check with the admissions officer and make sure all your paperwork is in.

Your rep also looks very good - it's a great program, one that the faculty will surely enjoy hearing. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

By the way, I've always wondered about what the jury is looking for in a student. Would they go for the lifeless, but technically superb applicant, or the rough around the edges, but extremely musically talented applicant?

The faculty just want to accept anybody that makes a strong impression on them; sometimes this is done through virtuosity, sometimes with musicality, often with imperfect but respectable degrees of both.

They do of course look for both, but my hunch is that they prefer technically superb. I believe this is because it's more difficult to develop technique at an older age and most faculty I know would rather spend time working on phrasing than on fixing bad habits.

(This is a gross generalization based on unscientific observation.)

on my audition, there were 3 proffesors as jury. i was 2nd. i started with Bach, then Beethoven sonate, then Moszkowski etude and Grieg wedding day at Troldhaugen.
I played whole pieces except the sonata where they stoped me at the repetition.
I had high temperature 39.5 degrees cels. and I was sick. Not because of the audition, but I got ill 3 days before.
hehe
that was truly an adventure. I am studying at that school.

After a couple of years of taking three hour finals in college twice a year, I learned an invaluble lesson: Stop all preparation *at least* half an hour before an exam ... do something relaxing (I liked to throw snowballs.)

In your case it will be necessary to insure you are properly warmed up, but otherwise, your task in the 24 - 48 hours preceding the exam is to maximize what you have already learned. Proper rest of course ... but also, avoid taking much food in the few hours before the jury, as the blood will then be in your stomach and not your brain.

And have a plan in case you mess up -- perhaps for the first sections of each piece, identify places you can restart from. One mistake of this sort ought not to be fatal, provided you recover nicely.

pianodevo :

"... the blood will ... be in your stomach ..."

Huh?

Bruce D,

Some years ago I was eating lunch with a friend -- we were playing in a chess tournament and the next game would begin in less than one hour.

My friend, a medical doctor and psychiatrist, told me, "Do not eat much ... blood goes from your brain to your stomach to help digest the food."

Certainly I have noticed a significant absence of energy following any meal, especially a substantial one.