Record Your Practice Audition with Ease

Recording yourself before your audition is a crucial step for success. There are lots of articles on how to record so we will focus on the less known guidelines.

1.     Do not stress over what device to buy

a.     Technology is so good these days that you probably already have a “good enough” phone to record with. In my career, I’ve both recorded AND edited albums with Grammy Award-winning artists in the most expensive studios in the world and the quality is amazing! However, it is totally unnecessary for audition preparation. Therefore, save time, energy, and money because remember, the purpose of recording is to get quick and easy feedback on what you practiced.

2.      Choose the right room

a.     Most people suggest recording in a dry room. However, it really depends on what venue you will be auditioning or performing at. For example, if you recorded in a dry room but the audition is in a hall (like Juilliard’s audition), then you are making the wrong adjustments to your articulations. To determine the liveliness of the room, clap and listen for the echo.

3.     Determine if you should record video or just audio

a.     Will there be a screen or will the judges be able to see you? This is important because if they can’t see you, then you should record just audio so you aren’t influenced by how you look when analyzing your mock audition. If they are able to see you, make sure to record a video so you can see how you look.

4.     Place the recording device where the judges would sit

a.     When we receive video submissions, the tendency is to simply put the phone on the stand. However, the stand is like one foot away from you. How you sound one foot away vs. where the judges would be sitting is a different experience.

5.     Place the recording device at the right height

a.     Again, if you put the camera on the floor because it’s easy, it won’t give you an accurate view or sound of your audition. Ask yourself, how will the judges see you during the audition?

6.     Sound Check

a.     We are almost ready to actually record, but we first must do a simple sound check. Press record, play, and then playback the video or audio to see if it distorts the sound. Most likely if you are recording with a phone, it will automatically prevent it from distorting. However, from the videos we have reviewed, most distortion happens from brass instruments pointing their horn directly at the phone. To offset this, try slightly angling the instrument away. Another point about checking the sound is being aware of where the microphone is. For example, is it better when you have the phone face forward or backward from you?

7.     Record and simulate the audition or performance

a.     How can you replicate the audition or performance as much as possible? To get your ideas flowing, let’s imagine we are doing an orchestra audition. We will have a short amount of time to warm up, not exactly know when we will be called in, may have a couple of personal questions from the judges, may be asked what excerpt we want to start with, may be asked to perform a random order of excerpts, may be asked to repeat excerpts with different articulations, and then play part of a solo piece. You get the idea.

8.     Analyze your recording, but not in an unfocused way!

a.     When I was younger, I would just listen to the recording and learn one or two things from it. That was fine, but I missed a whole bunch of things. Therefore, it is important to focus on certain aspects of your recording like intonation, tempo, etc. With this focused listening, you can find more things to add to your practice list! Yay!

9.     Do NOT rely on recordings

a.     Recordings are important but do not to be obsessive about them because ultimately, it is about developing your EAR. When we prepare performers for auditions and concerts, many of the steps are about developing the ear so when we do record, we are NOT surprised by how we sound. Avoid my mistake of first discovering the power of recording your repertoire and then relying too much on it for feedback. We should HEAR our mistakes and use recordings to CHECK our progress.

10.  File Management

a.     Keep your files organized. Name them, date them, and delete them when they are not needed. Your life will be much easier.

How To Warm Up Properly

 If you have a great warm up system, pass on this article. However, if your warm up is not helping you perform your best, or you’re somewhere in between a half effective warm up routine and decent warm up routine, hopefully this article will give you some direction to fine tune it.

 The first concept is to know that every warm up routine should be highly customized towards your performance art. You cannot just copy and paste from other routines so in this article we will focus on the principles to guide your thinking.

Let’s start with warming up the category that is most neglected

Warm up your mind

Performance mode

We must get into performance mode. Performance mode is where we are focused on our task, our brain is sharp and active artistically, feeling confident to be vulnerable, and mentally ready for anything that happens on stage. This is far from just our normal state of mind in life where we are typically more passive, focused on other tasks besides performance, feeling neutral, and going with the flow. This is why we must make a clear transition from normal life mode to performance mode

Warm up your body 

Body warm ups can be divided up into two general categories- gross motor skills and fine motor skills.

Gross motor skills are your larger movements such as moving your legs and arms.

 1.     Arm twists can get the blood flowing to your hands, especially if nerves take over and you get cold hands. Also, it’s great if you don’t have a chance to warm up at all. The least you can do are some body warm ups.

2.     Michael Phelps arm flaps get the blood flowing as well. It’s also gold medal proven- lots of times.

3.     Stretches are good once you get the blood flowing. You can open up your body and partially counter any inward posture you may subconsciously make because of nerves.

4.     Massages are also good at this time. If you have tension, gently release the tension.

Fine motor skills  are intricate movements like moving your fingers.

This is what you already probably incorporate, but let us quickly go through them.

Warm up your Technique and Basics

Warm up aspects like articulations, tone, intonation, or different speeds of scales.

Question: For your art form, what technique and basics do you need to warm up? 

Target Practice 

Warm up any difficult technical passages. 

Question: In your repertoire, What difficult technical passages do you need to warm up? 

Warm up Artistic Ideas 

To warm up your artistic ideas, you can use mental practice to go through repertoire to hear phrasings and timings etc. You can also physically practice artistic ideas as well. If you are physically tired, it’s probably good to use mental practice instead of further tiring out your body.

Now the last way to warm up artistically is to combine technique and artistry. What I mean by this is that it is not enough to just warm up technique and artistic ideas on their own. We must strive to create the connection between both. For example, I would simultaneously warm up the phrasing but also see if I’m using technique to translate my idea. Once I warm up this connection, I’ll be ready to perform.

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Lastly, we have already begun creating or fine tuning your pre-performance routine. Routines are great to provide consistency. If you need help with them, I introduce the two levels of pre-performance routines in other videos and articles. Another important point is to allow plenty of time to warm up if you have it. Lastly, from this article, I hope you can see that a focused warm up session is just as powerful as a focused practice session. The results should reinforce the importance of solidifying and adjusting your warm up routine.

The Science of Performance Anxiety (For Performers and Teachers)

So far, this is the most in-depth article on the internet for understanding the core questions of performance anxiety. We will answer the questions of what happens, who it happens to, and why does it happen to performers.

Also, if you are serious about understanding music performance anxiety, you must read Dr. Dianna Kenny’s The Psychology of Music Performance Anxiety. As a performance coach, it is my obligation to read every source out there and she and her team are hands down the leading psychologists on this topic. With that said, let’s begin with her definition of music performance anxiety because defining it as “just getting nervous” is not enough.

 She states: 

“Music performance anxiety is the experience of marked and persistent anxious apprehension related to musical performance that has arisen through underlying biological and or psychological vulnerabilities and or specific anxiety conditioning experiences. It is manifested through combinations of affective (moods feelings attitudes), cognitive (debilitating thoughts), somatic (physical manifestations), and behavioral symptoms (learned responses to performance situations). It may occur in a range of performance settings, but is usually more severe in settings involving high ego investment, evaluative threat, and fear of failure. It may be focal or occur comorbidly (in combination) with other anxiety disorders, in particular, social phobia. It affects musicians across the lifespan and is at least partially independent of years of training, practice, and level of musical accomplishment. It may or may not impair the quality of the musical performance (Kenny 2009b, p 433).” 

 -Dianna Kenny, Professor of Psychology and Music, University of Sydney, PHD. 

 OK. That was a lot. If you didn’t understand some of it, don’t worry. I guarantee as you go through this article, you’ll re-read the definition and everything will become clearer.

 1. WHAT happens when you experience performance anxiety?

Take a moment to reflect on what happens when you experience performance anxiety. You’ll probably list things like self-doubt, muscle tension, increased heart rate, or lack of confidence. Whatever you came up with, is right for you. Let’s also take a look at other symptoms.

 Physical: Increased heart rate, shakiness and trembling, tense muscles, dry mouth, sweatiness 

Cognitive: Moods and feelings, negative self-talk, lack of confidence, self-doubt 

 Notice how the manifestations are divided into two groups; Physical and Cognitive. This is to help organize what is happening to you so we can address each one. This isn’t to say they aren’t related, but for clearer goals, let’s keep them separated.

 Now I want to ask you a question. When you shake, do you see it as a negative thing? Most likely. However, we want to persuade ourselves to see their manifestations as merely DATA. So, when we shake on stage, it is simply DATA telling us we need to adjust our preparation process. Also, when we implement a strategy and experience LESS shaking, it is simply DATA saying that the strategy is helping! This neutral perspective of a negative experience shifts the focus from the problem, to finding a solution.  

2.   WHO experiences performance anxiety? 

Turns out...a lot of people.  

Let’s start with a list of celebrities that publicly acknowledge their moderate to severe performance anxiety. This includes Renee Fleming, Pablo Casals, Luciano Pavarotti, Glenn Gould, and Barbara Streisand. 

Those names should already tell you a lot about performance anxiety. If they can get nervous, so can the rest of us, and that’s exactly what has been confirmed through multiple studies. Other top professionals, conservatory students, teenagers, children, and toddlers can all experience performance anxiety.

 What do these studies reveal about performance anxiety? Well, it’s that ALL ages, genders, races, career stages, and other professions besides music may experience performance anxiety. Performance anxiety is a very personal experience and is often neglected and suppressed. However, we must realize we are NOT ALONE and that it is completely NATURAL.  

3.     WHY do we experience performance anxiety? 

Causes can be divided into three categories: Psychological Vulnerability, Specific Anxiety Conditioning Experiences, and Biological Basis of Anxiety. While each is a different cause, you’ll see they overlap and affect each other.  

Psychological vulnerability: 

How you were raised and what environment you grew up in significantly impacts your experience on stage. Take a moment to ask yourself about your childhood...What did your parents teach you about performing? How did they respond to pressure situations and stress? What did your teacher teach you? What did your friends and peers teach you about performing? How did they help form your identity? 

 Alongside how you were raised and what environment you grew up in, another key contributor to psychological vulnerability are anxiety disorders. Below is a list of anxiety disorders and their concise definition. It is important to know the anxiety disorders, but not in depth. Your responsibility as a teacher or performer is not to “cure” anxiety disorders like depression, even though it is part of performance anxiety. For this, either a student is already working with a therapist, or they can be referred to a therapist with a strong and successful artistic background such as Liberated Performer’s Tema Watstein (blatant ad but damn is she good.) 

a.     Depression

Persistent depressed mood or lost interest in activities

“I cannot appreciate the sunset, even though the sun is setting.” 

b.     Social Anxiety

Every day interactions cause anxiety, stress, and self-consciousness

“It doesn’t matter who I’m talking to, I may embarrass myself at any moment” 

c.      General Anxiety

Symptoms similar to other anxiety disorders can be triggered at any time

“Sometimes when I’m alone, I get this wave of anxiety” 

d.     Specific Anxiety

An object or situation that causes fear even though the object or situation is not dangerous. 

I get anxious before I go on stage even though I know I’ll survive no matter what” 

e.     Panic Disorder 

Sudden feelings of terror when there is no danger resulting in panic attacks 

.“I can be walking on the street then all of a sudden a panic attack occurs and my heart is beating really fast” 

f.      Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 

Thoughts and fears that lead to compulsive behaviors 

“Before every performance, I MUST take a shower, wash my hands, and wear clean clothes- otherwise, I cannot perform, at ALL.” 

g.     Comorbity 

           When a person has multiple anxiety disorders 

Specific Anxiety Conditioning Experiences: 

How do we learn about the stage? In particular, how do we learn that the stage is a place to get nervous? We learn through stimulus and association- or, conditioning. There are three types of conditioning: Classical, Observant, and Operant. 

a.     Let’s begin with Classical. You walk on stage, make a mistake, and walk off. You walk on stage, make a mistake, and walk off. You have now learned that a stage is a place to make mistakes, so the next time you go to the stage, you’re already thinking about those mistakes. 

b.     What about the observational way of learning? Let’s say you’re watching a performer ahead of you and they make a mistake. Uh oh...maybe I’ll make one too! Or, what if you heard the panel of judges are particularly detail oriented and tough on students? Uh oh, again right? Before you even walk into the audition room, your heart is pumping.  

c.      Now to my favorite way of learning about the stage. Let’s say you prepare well, walk on stage, and play your best. However, a week later you get a rejection letter. So, then you go back to the practice room, adjust some preparation techniques, go into your next performance or audition and play even BETTER. However, a week later you receive yet another rejection letter. All of a sudden, we are learning that we are NOT good enough. This is the operant way of learning and even the most confident performers start to doubt themselves. But what’s the difference between operant and classical? They both sound similar to each other. Well, one of the big differences is that with operant conditioning, there is usually a reward and punishment involved.  

Similar to the three types of conditioning, we must also look at the Culture of Classical Music, OR, whatever type of field the performer is in. 

Take a moment to ask yourself, how does your performance culture influence your experience on stage? Does it lower or raise your anxiety? Feel free to think about what you learned in both psychological vulnerability and specific anxiety conditioning experiences. List out different aspects that influence a performer. 

Biological Cause of Anxiety: 

There are three levels of understanding the biological basis of anxiety and I’m really excited to share them with you because this knowledge is leading knowledge that is never talked about.  

Let’s begin with the first level of understanding the biological cause of anxiety. Let's say a lion approached you. What would happen? That’s right, your adrenaline would increase and your muscles would get tense to prepare your body for either running away, or fighting it. This activation of your body is due to the sympathetic nervous system and is called the fight or flight response. The fight or flight response is our defense mechanism towards PERCEIVED threat. Take a moment to remember WHAT happens when you get performance anxiety. Increased adrenaline, increased muscle tension...Yep, it’s the same thing. Therefore, we may trigger our fight or flight response on stage. Now let’s say the lion loses interest in you and is now miles away from you. The threat is now gone and your body begins to calm down and get back to normal life thanks to your parasympathetic nervous system.  

Great, now that we have a basic understanding, let’s go deeper. With this definition, we think that the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the manifestations of anxiety, while the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for calming you down. But what about those who freeze or faint in the midst of stress? Turns out our parasympathetic nervous system can also be triggered as it leads to immobility. Therefore, we must now say the biological cause of anxiety is due to the fight-flight-freeze-faint response.  

Great, we now have a super solid understanding of our threat response, but let’s take it to the top level. While the sympathetic nervous system stays the same throughout our understanding, the parasympathetic adds one more layer of influence besides the freeze-faint response. In Polyvagal Theory, the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the fight or flight response, the parasympathetic nervous system (dorsal system) is responsible for the freeze faint response, just like we previously learned, and the NEW parasympathetic nervous system (ventral system), or “Social Engagement System”, is responsible for both activation and calming in SAFE environments. Imagine being at home talking to your friend. Your friend tells you some amazing news. You get excited as you feel your heart pump a little faster. You then go back to normal conversation with your heart beating normally. While increased adrenaline is a common manifestation among the fight or flight response and the social engagement system, it is not the same feeling. Both the sympathetic fight or flight and parasympathetic freeze faint response help manage our life-threatening situations while the Social Engagement System manages our human relationships. It’s important to note that the triggering of the sympathetic nervous system takes seconds and the recovery from the stress response (parasympathetic dorsal system) takes 10-20 minutes. However, for the “Social Engagement System”, activation and calming takes milliseconds and does not involve chemical reactions. Biologically speaking, you can flow in and out of activation and calming when you function in the Social Engagement System. Question...which biological state would you want to be in when you perform? 

OK, that was a lot of information, but let’s recap with some more examples to clear up our ultimate understanding of the biological causes. Let’s say a performer walks on stage and is clearly trembling, cold hands, and all. They are probably triggering the sympathetic nervous system. Now let’s say a performer walks on stage and completely freezes in the moment and cannot remember a single thing. They are probably triggering the parasympathetic nervous system (dorsal system). Lastly, let’s say a performer has a great energy about them, excited, focused, and ready to perform. They walk up on stage feeling the audience's energy but downshifts to a great peaceful mind for the opening of a Bach chorale. The feelings of excitement and focus are intense, but they are not of the fight or flight behaviors. The performer feels safe to express themselves. They are probably operating from the Social Engagement System.   

So, there we go. An in-depth understanding of the biological basis of anxiety in three parts. Sympathetic fight or flight response, parasympathetic freeze and faint response, and parasympathetic “social engagement system”.  

With this knowledge, we can challenge common ideas. The first idea is that when you experience performance anxiety, you only trigger the fight or flight response. As we just learned, you actually can trigger the fight-flight-freeze-faint response. In fact, you can fluctuate among all the sympathetic and parasympathetic responses throughout a performance. For example, right before you perform you start getting tense, then during intermission you can calm down, then after intermission, you can feel safe to express yourself. Therefore, you need strategies that help direct you to your desired state of mind. 

The second idea is that popular approaches like breathing techniques and visualization help reduce performance anxiety. They do, and we use them too, but it only addresses the fight flight response. But what about the parasympathetic freeze faint response? How do we get into the Social Engagement System? How much breathing and visualization should we use? 

WOW! I hope you have enjoyed learning about the basics of anxiety. It was dense, but you are well on your way to becoming a more aware teacher or performer. But will we possess the same amount of knowledge as a therapist or someone who has studied anxiety for their career? Probably not. Again, that’s where the team of therapists comes into play. However, will we be better off when it comes to understanding, communicating, and relating to performers when it comes to performance anxiety? Absolutely. Not even professors of music or top-notch performers understand this depth of knowledge when it comes to performance anxiety. I hope this article begins to change that as information gets passed around. We all know the power of overcoming performance anxiety and what it translates to on and off the stage.

So now let’s wrap up by revisiting Dr. Dianna Kenny’s definition of performance anxiety.  

“Music performance anxiety is the experience of marked and persistent anxious apprehension related to musical performance that has arisen through underlying biological and or psychological vulnerabilities and or specific anxiety conditioning experiences. It is manifested through combinations of affective (moods feelings attitudes), cognitive (debilitating thoughts), somatic (physical manifestations), and behavioral symptoms (learned responses to performance situations). It may occur in a range of performance settings, but is usually more severe in settings involving high ego investment, evaluative threat, and fear of failure. It may be focal or occur comorbidly (in combination) with other anxiety disorders, in particular, social phobia. It affects musicians across the lifespan and is at least partially independent of years of training, practice, and level of musical accomplishment. It may or may not impair the quality of the musical performance (Kenny 2009b, p 433).” 

-Dianna Kenny, Professor of Psychology and Music, University of Sydney, PHD. 

Hopefully revisiting this definition gives you a bit more clarity on performance anxiety. Thank you for reading and feel free to reach out with questions.