How to prepare for an audition
An audition is just a few minutes of music in a quiet room — but it feels enormous when you're the one playing. The good news: great auditions are mostly about good preparation, and preparation is something you completely control. Here's a calm, step-by-step plan.
Most audition nerves come from one thing: uncertainty. When you're not sure you can play the part, your brain treats the moment as a threat. The fix isn't a magic confidence trick — it's preparing so thoroughly that, by the day itself, success feels expected. Let's build that certainty piece by piece.
Play your audition notes
Before you read on, fire up the arcade. Brass Blaster has you play real notes on your horn — a fun way to warm up and lock in pitch before any audition.
1. Know exactly what's being asked
Before you practice a single note, read the audition requirements twice. Most ask for some mix of: a prepared piece, scales, sight-reading, and sometimes a short technical excerpt. Write down each part so nothing surprises you later.
- What to play — the exact piece, edition, and any required cuts.
- How long — many auditions stop you after a minute or two, so know which section matters most.
- What's allowed — sheet music, accompanist, repeats, your own tempo.
Preparing for the real requirements is half the battle. Don't waste weeks polishing something the panel will never hear.
2. Choose the right piece (if you get to choose)
When repertoire is open, pick something you can play cleanly and musically, not the hardest thing you can barely survive. Panels are far more impressed by a simple piece played beautifully than a difficult one played nervously. A good rule: choose music you could play well even on a slightly off day.
3. Build a backward practice plan
Start from the audition date and work backward. A simple four-week shape:
- Weeks out: learn the notes and rhythms slowly and accurately. Speed comes later.
- Halfway: bring everything up to tempo and fix the two or three trouble spots — practice those the most.
- Final stretch: run the piece start to finish, focus on tone, dynamics, and steady tempo.
- Last days: light review and mock auditions only. No cramming.
Short daily sessions beat rare long ones. Twenty focused minutes a day will out-prepare a panicked three-hour session the night before.
4. Lock in intonation and rhythm
Two things give away a nervous player fastest: playing out of tune and rushing. Both are trainable. Practice slow with a tuner so your ear knows what "in tune" feels like, and use a steady beat (a metronome or a clear internal count) so your rhythm holds even when adrenaline tempts you to speed up. The more automatic these are, the more attention you'll have left for musicality on the day.
Tuner
Check your intonation note by note before you play your audition material. A quick warm-up with the tuner trains your ear and calms your start.
5. Do mock auditions
The single best nerve-buster is rehearsing the whole experience, not just the music. A week or two out, do full run-throughs exactly as they'll happen: walk into the room, introduce yourself, play with no restarts, and finish. Do this for family, friends, a teacher, or even a phone camera. Each mock audition makes the real one feel a little more ordinary — and ordinary is exactly what you want.
- Play cold, the way you will on the day — one shot, no second tries.
- Practice recovering from a slip without stopping. Panels expect small errors; they watch how you carry on.
- Record yourself and listen back honestly, then fix the one biggest thing.
6. Plan the day itself
Remove every decision you can from audition day so your only job is to play:
- Pack the night before — instrument, music, a pencil, water, a spare reed or valve oil, the address and time.
- Arrive early so you can warm up without rushing.
- Warm up gently — long tones and a few scales, not a full run of the piece.
- Breathe slow right before you go in: in for four, out for six, repeated a few times, lowers your heart rate fast.
When it's your turn, take one breath, set your tempo in your head, and start. Play to the music, not to the judges. You've already done the hard part — this is just the part where you get to show it.
The real edge: confident, automatic skills
Auditions reward players whose fundamentals are so solid they don't have to think about them. That's exactly what short, fun practice builds. BANDROOM.GAMES turns the boring drills — pitch, intonation, note reading, rhythm — into quick arcade games, so the reps add up without feeling like work:
- Brass Blaster — play the right note on your real horn (brass & saxes, transposition handled).
- Tuner — a free chromatic tuner for warm-ups and intonation.
- Echo — call-and-response ear training so your pitch stays true under pressure.
- Rhythm Match — keep your sense of note values sharp.
Play the arcade
No sign-up, no install. Build the automatic skills that make audition day feel easy.
Frequently asked questions
How early should I start preparing for an audition?
Aim for at least four to six weeks for a short audition, and longer for big repertoire. Starting early lets you fix problems calmly instead of cramming, and gives the music time to feel automatic under pressure.
Should I memorize my audition music?
Only if it's required or it genuinely helps you. Many auditions allow sheet music. If memorizing frees you to focus on tone and expression, do it — but keep the music as a safety net while it settles.
What should I do the day before an audition?
A short, gentle review — not a marathon. Play through your piece once or twice at a relaxed tempo, check tuning, pack everything you need, and sleep well. Cramming the night before usually hurts more than it helps.
How do I stop shaking during the audition?
Slow breathing before you walk in calms the body fast: in for four counts, out for six, a few times. Do plenty of mock run-throughs so the real thing feels familiar, and focus on the music rather than the judges.
Keep learning: Ear training · Instrument transposition · Note values & rests · all guides