<p>Does anyone have any good advice on how to deal with the nerves that seem to set in at audition time? It is so easy for someone to say, "don't be nervous". How can one not be nervous when what happens at an audition can determine the next 4 years of his/her life....maybe even longer. Auditions can be life changing. I would love some tips on how to calm down and work through those nerves.
Thanks!</p>
<p>The only antidote is focusing on the task at hand. Nerves are a part of the stage, and a good portion of stage training (I thought it was too much at the time) is in relaxation. What works for some people doesn't work at all for others. I used to open my arms wide and pretend that I was absorbing everything around me, then I'd close my eyes and sink down using a self-hypnosis technique. After that, I tended to be calm and focused, but that's me.</p>
<p>Here's one suggestion that seems to work for just about everybody. Do your pieces over and over again for anyone who will listen, anytime they will listen. The sheer repetition will make it so old hat by the time the money audition comes around that your nerves should be under fair control. It's time intensive, but it pays off.</p>
<p>I have heard performers say that some nerves are healthy and can actually serve as fuel for a good, powerful performance. But that certainly is a matter of degree.</p>
<p>Yeah NMR, it is both a matter of degree and the ability to channel the excess adrenaline into on-stage energy. Everyone is nervous opening night, even if it's only to be nervous about how the audience will receive the show or how the critics will respond to some choices one made in a role.</p>
<p>Having said that, I'll agree with Frank Herbert that fear is the little mind killer. If you can channel a bit of it into better concentration, then great! But even a little bit too much will degrade a performance.</p>
<p>I read a book a while ago that suggested you visualize the audition going perfectly from start to finish.... then enter the room... at first I thought this was silly, but have done it and found that it focuses and relaxes me. </p>
<p>I know it is hard to believe this, but every school for which you are auditioning wants you to do your best. You won't do your best if you are incredibly nervous. </p>
<p>It does feel like so much is riding on a college audition, and there is... but in the end all you can do is be your best you. You have no control over whether or not the school will admit you to the program. Worrying about this does not help you, it can only get in the way of you doing your best. In the end everything happens for a reason,and if a school doesn't admit you to their program, you wouldn't want to be there anyway because they do not appreciate what is special about what you have to offer. There are many paths to a career in the arts, and a school in which each individual will grow and thrive. </p>
<p>Take a deep breath, good luck... and most of all have fun... you will audition better :)!</p>
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In the end everything happens for a reason,and if a school doesn't admit you to their program, you wouldn't want to be there anyway because they do not appreciate what is special about what you have to offer. There are many paths to a career in the arts, and a school in which each individual will grow and thrive.
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<p>This is exactly what I told my D when she was going through her college auditions. I think every senior auditioning this year should repeat this as needed. :)</p>
<p>Mary C,</p>
<p>I'm not a professional, but my children do have training. Hopefully, you've been given some breathing exercises and even vocal exercises that can "stabilize" you. Just the focus on the specific task of an exercise might take your mind off the anxiety and use up some of that excess energy. You must be careful not to overdo it. Otherwise, a positive imaging exercise in your mind, similar to athletes, picturing yourself from start to finish for the audition process, (how you enter the room, what might be seen, said, your singing, speaking (conjuring up times you remember yourself doing very well, what parts were sung very well, how it sounded, how you felt), how you might leave the room, etc. One of my children has almost never auditioned even close to what his actual performance is like. These types of things have been helpful to him, and he's gotten better at the audition process. Perhaps they'll work for you. I don't believe any audition is perfect.<br>
That's why it's an audition. Know that you've prepared, done what you can do, and go out and do your best for that moment in time. Enjoy it, learn from it, and, of course, break a leg!</p>
<p>Practice every part of the audition you can. This includes turning on a cd player and cueing up the right accompaniment.
Practice walking into a big empty room with a desk and people watching you.</p>
<p>Try to channel the negative nervous jitters into a positive channel so you can feel EAGER to strut your stuff in front of the adjudicators, if that it possible. I am not a performer, but it seems to me that handling these nerves is a huge part of being able to do this in college and for a living. Performers have to audition over and over throughout their lives.</p>
<p>my teacher tells me to always always always focus on breathing. it's just like the gas to your car. when i start to get nervous, i really focus on not taking shallow breaths, but really getting good, deep breaths in.</p>
<p>I would agree with NotMamaRose, at my first audition at Ithaca, we all were waiting in the theatre to take turns going down to our audition, and a bunch of current theatre students sat on the stage and talked to us about Ithaca and the auditions etc.</p>
<p>One student said to us (and I'm sure he could sense how nervous we were), that for people who are in the performance arts, there will always be auditions, and the best way to handle that is to find a way to make the auditions be a positive experience. Partly because of the specific comment, and partly because of the supportive feeling of the Ithaca audition, by the time my name was called, my nerves had mostly turned into excitement. </p>
<p>I have been trying to look at my auditions as another chance to perform. For me, I get nervous about the process of the audition, when to do what etc. I try to let go of all of that once I start singing or acting or dancing because at that point, I try to let myself remember that the reason I'm auditioning in the first place is because of my love for these things! Now, I am totally not saying I am perfect and never nervous, because I am! I am just trying to learn how to use that to my advantage, and not to let it ruin my love of performing. Because thats what an audition really is, a performance!</p>
<p>These are all excellent ideas. Thanks for the input!</p>
<p>It is normal to be “nervous” prior to a big performance of any type, sports, business, politics and performing. The difference is that while everyone is nervous, some use it as positive energy and rise to the occasion and perform much better than in practice. For others it is the inverse. </p>
<p>So the question is not “are you nervous”, its “is your nervousness reducing the quality of your audition”. Some students on CC have recently commented that it has.</p>
<p>If that’s the case what can you do about it? “Just do your best and have a good time, break a leg, etc are fine well wishes yet top performers use a process. And while its true that you will be auditioning many times in your life it’s hard to imagine when they will be more pressure filled than these are. </p>
<p>1) Prepare, prepare, prepare. We will leave his personal life aside for now but the reason Michael Jackson is the “king of pop” is in addition to talent he put hundreds of hours of prep into his performances. </p>
<p>2) Purchase “The Psychology of Winning” by Denis Waitley on tape. He has been the psychologist to the US Olympic team many times, as well as to NASA. Here is part of his bio</p>
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Dr. Denis Waitley is recognized as a world authority on high-level achievement and personal excellence. With over 10 million of his motivational audiotapes sold in 14 languages, he is the most-listened-to voice on personal and professional development
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<p>He doesn’t just get you pumped up he gives you real world tools to perform better. Including exactly how to go about what others have described in terms of visualization prior to the event and post event. </p>
<p>3) Teach your body how to relax. There is not a “thing” called “stress.” You can’t buy “stress” at the store, not even on ebay! Stress is your reaction to external things. Otherwise known as a choice. You can teach your body how to not make that choice or undo the choice once it has made it. The technique is called “creative visualization”. It’s powerful and it works but you have to practice it. Go online and find a copy of
Dr. Emmit Millers tape, “Letting Go of Stress”</p>
<p>4) Exercise. It is proven that people who are regular exercisers handle stress better and generally have more confidence.</p>
<p>5) Have proper perspective. The world does not end if you don’t get “in” where you want to go.</p>
<p>When your done with the process you are; Prepared, have learned psychological tools to improve physical performance, you have trained yourself to manage mental stress, you are conditioned which improves blood flow and you are confident that you have done your part and if it is meant to be it will work out. </p>
<p>Time is short for many reading this so implementing a process like this may not be practical now. If you don’t get “in” to a program of your desire and you believe its because you did not perform at a level that properly showcased your abilities due to nerves’ then implement this process over the next year and you will be amazed at how much better you will be next year. </p>
<p>Lastly; Do not go into an audition begging “please choose me, please please pretty please attitude”. You have gifts and you are there to share them with the auditors.</p>
<p>Many performers use biofeedback (going through exercises to tense and relax parts of your body, taking slow deep breaths and visualizing somewhere calm) to calm nerves. Medications called beta blockers are also available from your doctor if nerves get the best of you. This is a medication that slows your heart rate slightly. It is NOT a tranquilizer and has been used for decades by many millions of performers.
Best of luck!</p>
<p>Thats very true and they are excellent tools. The tape I mentioned above by Emmitt Miller teaches you how to do that.</p>
<p>It may sound cheesy to some people, but I take a big breath, put on a big smile, and think, "These people are so lucky to get to hear me sing (or act or dance) today." And that's how you have to think of it- you're sharing your gifts with these auditors, and once you're done, its up to them to determine if the school is a good fit for you.</p>
<p>Also, I find it helpful to take a deep breath and then let it out very very slowly through pursed lips. My voice teacher told me to do this a few years ago, and I think it just calms your breathing and heart rate. Plus, it gives you something else to focus on!</p>
<p>-MikksMom's D</p>
<p>I always think that I do better when nervous...</p>
<p>I went to a master class at my state's Thespian Conference, and the instructor said that her friend, who is currently a working actor in NYC, tells everyone who asks about his profession that he's a "professional auditioner." That made my auditions seem a little less daunting for some reason, because it took the pressure off of the outcome of an audition. If your job is to simply go in there and do your thing, then whatever happens afterward isn't as important.</p>