<p>As a graduating senior, I took 9 auditions, one of them regional. I figured I could relay my experiences here. Some of this may seem obvious, but oh well lol.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Don't wait up to the last minute for intense practicing. As a brass player, it could kill your chops.
Start upping your practice time way in advance. Doing this got me into my top choice- cliche but true</p></li>
<li><p>Stay hydrated a few days before</p></li>
<li><p>Do not plan auditions around major events (i.e. finals week or concerts etc) I flew out to Michigan after going without sleep for two days after finals week. Needless to say, I didn't do so well.</p></li>
<li><p>Do not listen to other peoples auditions. Some rooms are not very good about keeping sound in and its nerve wracking to listen to other people. Bring an ipod, zune, whatever.</p></li>
<li><p>Do not over practice the night before (for brass mostly) </p></li>
<li><p>Regional auditions can sometimes not be such a bad thing. I got into my top choice on a regional audition just because i was so familiar with the audition room. Regionals can make it harder to get scholarship money though so keep that in mind.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I've got to go so feel free to add your own tips and we can make a master list of sorts</p>
<p>A few more tips:</p>
<p>Check out the school and meet the teacher before you apply. Check out the practice facilities. If they are completely empty, that can say a lot about the program (depending on what time of day it is, though)</p>
<p>If a teacher you wish to study with is giving a masterclass near you, go to it. It’s really helpful. Opportunities are rare but keep an eye out and even ask around.</p>
<p>Never be afraid to email the teachers. They like it when students take initiative and show interest in the school.</p>
<p>I agree with not listening to others audition. … its a sure way to psyche yourself out if you do</p>
<p>Also for the vocalists… I highly encourage meeting with the accompanist beforehand particularly for schools that provide the name of yours and their contact information ( done by most NY conservatories). Its generally really cheap ($20) and a way to really feel comfortable and not have to worry about if the tempo will be right etc.</p>
<p>Get there early for the audition. You never know how fast the auditions will be and you don’t want to be the one holding everyone up. ( I was the last person to go on my audition day at MSM, and was glad I showed up early. My slot was 7:30 and I ended up singing at 7.</p>
<p>Don’t sing your audition pieces more than a couple of times in the practice room, generally your voice sounds the best on the first couple of run throughs.</p>
<p>Tour the school with kids there, see how encouraging the are about prospects. See if they seem happy or stressed. </p>
<p>If you can try and get there a day or two beforehand. Removes travel stress. Also, it helps to get a tour ahead of time, its easier then to locate practice rooms the day of and find audition room.</p>
<p>^ If you get there early try to arrange a lesson with different teachers. See which one you like, or don’t like.</p>
<p>In general, don’t be alarmed if the voice profs. don’t ask you any interview questions.</p>
<p>Sleep,water,food. Most importantly</p>
<p>I definitely agree with getting to the school a few days early. Getting off the plane and going straight to an audition is not fun at all. Neither is going to be at 2am and having to wake up at 8</p>
<p>water is really important because your body will need to adjust to different climates and that makes it a lot easier</p>
<p>Even though you will prepare hours of music to audition with, you will most likely be asked to play the same solo and excerpts everywhere. Being over-prepared is better than being underprepared because its less stressful and gives you more material to work with the teachers when you have trial-lessons</p>