In just a few weeks, audition recordings are due for nearly all BMUS applicants. As you prepare your audition videos, we’ve got more sage advice from our faculty and some answers to common questions from applicants about “what they want to hear”!
Dr. Robert Taylor
From Dr. Robert Taylor, Chair of the Wind, Brass and Percussion Division:
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Prepare diligently! Your audition is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your musical strengths.
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Read the audition requirements carefully and prepare all of the required selections. Whenever possible, listen to multiple recordings of the required pieces so that you understand the context of each passage.
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Be professional and make a good first impression. Dress appropriately.
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If you are recording in a venue other than your home, arrive early with enough time to warm up comfortably.
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Sight reading is not required for the recorded audition process.
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Take some risks, communicate your interpretive intent, and remember that making a recording is a different skill than taking an audition or performing a live concert. Recording is an important educational experience. When you upload your recording, remember that all the faculty who will listen to it want you to do well. Break a leg!
Prof. Nancy Hermiston
From Prof. Nancy Hermiston, Chair of the Voice/Opera Program:
For the singers, we want you to know that we are very happy that you have decided to audition for us and we are looking forward to hearing your audition recordings! Please don’t be nervous — we are singers too and we are going to be a positive, friendly audience! You should sing whatever pieces that show your own individual voice at its best.
We are looking for singers who can communicate the song to the audience, no matter what language it is in, and move the audience with their performance. We are looking for students who have good potential for future development; who love performing and love being part of a program that challenges them musically, intellectually and encourages them to be socially responsible individuals who give back to their community and will become global citizens.
Our program is diverse, interesting and large enough to challenge our students but small enough so that the student will not feel lost. Students receive the individual attention required to help them be the best that they can be and to achieve their goals. We offer our students a very high standard in their performance and academic subjects and give them many opportunities for international performance experience during their undergraduate degrees!
Prof. Terence Dawson
From Prof. Terence Dawson, Keyboard faculty:
“What will those who listen to me look for in my audition?” This is a common concern amongst all applicants who audition for anything!
The answer could be a lengthy one. However, perhaps the best answer starts with what we are not looking for. We do not necessarily base our decisions solely on the number of right notes you play, and something you might think of as being “note perfect.”
We are looking for students who are enthusiastic! Enthusiasm that we can hear in your performances, and enthusiasm in the brief interview that may be asked of you after the faculty listen to your recorded audition. Each student brings their own unique set of personal qualities and performance levels to their instrument. It is often the students that demonstrate potential that excite us the most. Preparation is key to a confident audition. If you have practiced thoughtfully and carefully, you have every right to play well, and enjoy recording your repertoire. You will present a confidence that shows that you are involved and committed to the music, and to the audition process.
We want to know what excites you about the possibilities of being a student in a university music program. We offer you the chance to take your ears to places they have never been – exploring new repertoire, challenging your technique, collaborating with other musicians in both small and large ensembles; two up to – we hope post-COVID – to two hundred musicians singing and playing together!
We look forward very much to hearing you play, and to hearing some of the story that has led you to apply for a music degree at the UBC School of Music.
Prof. Marina Thibeault
From Marina Thibeault, Assistant Professor of Viola, Strings Division:
The audition recording deadline is around the corner and you have been practicing for months. Your priority should be to recharge your energy levels so you can perform at your full potential on the day you record. Most students overlook this step and will get sick a couple of days prior or feel physically fatigued the day of, due to over-practicing at the last minute. What are some concrete steps to bring your preparation to the next level?
Imagining your best performance
Now is a good time to start visualizing your dream performance, in front of the impartial camera recording your audition. Did you ever experience a performance where things just fell all in the right places? You felt calm yet energized, relaxed and powerful and overall played at your best. Without the possibility of the live concert magic, you can feel just as amazing about your recorded audition tracks if you set yourself up for experiencing such a great performance. In your practice breaks, turn off the light, sit down and revive these happy performance memories. Use this as a template to visualize your upcoming audition.
As most of our performances don’t exactly go according to plan (because we are human!), strive for excellence, versus perfection. If something happens, here are a few acronyms which you can use to recover:
What’s
Important
Now
Come
Back
Strong
These acronyms will help you get back into the zone and continue recording according to your initial plan!
Sweet dreams
Two nights prior to the event is when you should go to bed a little earlier than you normally do. It takes that much time for your body to process sleep! You can go to a normal bedtime the night before. Swap screen time for any Don Greene’s book on Sports Psychology applied to musicians. You can practice meditation by simply bringing awareness to each inhale and exhale, and use body scanning techniques to mentally relax every part of your body, from the toes and up. Sweet dreams guaranteed!
Mood check
In the week leading up to your recording, you might feel under more pressure than usual. You might feel more sensitive to criticism, experience ups and downs, and even take yourself a bit too seriously. My biggest wish for you at this stage is that you do everything that you can so you are in a good mood! Watch inspirational movies (I recommend Jiro Dreams of Sushi), or TV shows who make you laugh (always “The Office” for me personally). Get some light exercises to release endorphins and to get your blood flow moving. I practice yoga, and walk or bike to work. I would recommend any physical activity that your body is used to. Now is not the time to start CrossFit if this is not already part of your routine. Starting the day with a walk outside is an amazing tool to uplift your mood while getting some fresh air and exercise.
It’s all about character
My last tip for you is to write on a post-it note three keywords for each work (and movements) that you are playing at your audition.
Here are the three questions you will need to answer:
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What is the character (e.g festive)
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What kind of sound do you need to achieve this character? (e.g resonant)
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How do you make that sound? (e.g bow contact + speed)
Leading to the audition recording, you should do a few mock auditions in front of friends and family, and practice taking the time before each piece or movement to read these keywords. This will make your music making clear and convincing.
You are now genuinely and wholeheartedly ready! We are very much looking forward to hearing you soon and potentially working together next year!
As always, please direct any questions to Katherine Evans, Admissions Manager, at katherine.evans@ubc.ca.
Updated from Feb. 27th, 2020
