So, to the third part of our Mental Game discussion.......
C. The "aftermath" - how do you deal with those feelings that occur, both good and bad, after an audition, and how do use this to build an even stronger platform for the next audition and the performances that may follow.
In some ways, this is a culmination, or summation of the first two. In any case, when you get done auditioning, assess how you feel - euphoric? Just ok? miserable? Right off the bat, own whatever feelings you may have, and know they are ok. Once you've done that, then realize that anyone of those feelings may be an accurate appraisal of how you think you did, but not how they think you did. And of course, there is all sorts of evidence to support this paradox. A seemingly lousy audition leads to a job or the best audition one has ever done leads nowhere! Since this is a reality, it leads me back to one of my original points - only worry about your assessment of how you did, and let the rest take care of itself. If you don't do that, you may miss the opportunity to grow each time you audition.
Go through your own personal checklist of how you did, and then give yourself a personal report card. You will find that this increased self awareness lets you keep your positive energy moving forward. The jobs will come as they may, and again, remember - the "results" (you getting hired or not) many times have nothing to do with how you sang anyway, so don't let that dictate how you feel about it!
I hope my own "mental" scenario for auditioning has been some help, and as I said, I would love to hear what some of you may do in this regard.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Wonderful day at the Lyric
The folks at the Lyric Opera were nice enough to include me in a group of people they invite to hear the onstage finals for the Ryan Center there. I had a most enjoyable day hearing some wonderful young singers - both those that were selected and those that weren't. I really enjoy their format for this, and this along with the Santa Fe auditions this summer, afforded me most enjoyable opportunities to hear some of some up and coming young artists.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The Mental Game continued......
Moving on to the second part of the mental game that I covered:
B. The audition itself - how do you achieve the most focused mental state that will allow you to show your best stuff.
This is somewhat more difficult than the first part we covered. The first part of mental preparation takes place before the audition, and you don't have to feel any outside pressure (i.e. adjudicators staring down your tonsils while you sing!). You can do mental preparation in the quiet of your practice room or bedroom.
Achieving the mental focus and calm that you need during an audition is trickier because you are attempting to, in some ways, trick yourself, into having the right type of mental focus and energy. Nonetheless, I think it's doable!!
So, how?
When I was "coming up" the stock answer to "how do I make my self less self conscious, and more confident in an audition?" was - Picture the auditioners in their underwear!! Well, maybe it's because I'm the auditioner now, but I think there are better ways to get your mind focused in the right way during an audition!
First, the assumption here is that you are completely prepared for the audition under consideration - technique, memorization, dramatic intent and execution, all must be there - if you are nervous because any one of these is not ready, no mental trickery will fix the problem, and you probably shouldn't be in the audition in the first place.
Assuming all of your ducks are in a row, I think the key to having the right mental focus during your audition comes down to one word - intent. What is your intention during this audition? Start with communication - text and character - moving your listener. Since you can only control what leaves you, and not how it is received (and this is of course true in any circumstance), this can free you up considerably. A general director or other person in a position to hire you, or give you money, is really just another version of your Aunt Jinny, who might be just as hard on you or harder as any GD anyway!!
Humor aside, the point is, you can't control others perceptions of what you do, and wasting mental energy on worrying about it will undoubtedly detract from what you do.
When you sing the Habanera, only worry about being Carmen and focus on what you as that character are thinking and being. This will create a successful audition for you. You getting hired or winning $10,000 was never in your hands anyway, so concentrate on being successful on your terms.
B. The audition itself - how do you achieve the most focused mental state that will allow you to show your best stuff.
This is somewhat more difficult than the first part we covered. The first part of mental preparation takes place before the audition, and you don't have to feel any outside pressure (i.e. adjudicators staring down your tonsils while you sing!). You can do mental preparation in the quiet of your practice room or bedroom.
Achieving the mental focus and calm that you need during an audition is trickier because you are attempting to, in some ways, trick yourself, into having the right type of mental focus and energy. Nonetheless, I think it's doable!!
So, how?
When I was "coming up" the stock answer to "how do I make my self less self conscious, and more confident in an audition?" was - Picture the auditioners in their underwear!! Well, maybe it's because I'm the auditioner now, but I think there are better ways to get your mind focused in the right way during an audition!
First, the assumption here is that you are completely prepared for the audition under consideration - technique, memorization, dramatic intent and execution, all must be there - if you are nervous because any one of these is not ready, no mental trickery will fix the problem, and you probably shouldn't be in the audition in the first place.
Assuming all of your ducks are in a row, I think the key to having the right mental focus during your audition comes down to one word - intent. What is your intention during this audition? Start with communication - text and character - moving your listener. Since you can only control what leaves you, and not how it is received (and this is of course true in any circumstance), this can free you up considerably. A general director or other person in a position to hire you, or give you money, is really just another version of your Aunt Jinny, who might be just as hard on you or harder as any GD anyway!!
Humor aside, the point is, you can't control others perceptions of what you do, and wasting mental energy on worrying about it will undoubtedly detract from what you do.
When you sing the Habanera, only worry about being Carmen and focus on what you as that character are thinking and being. This will create a successful audition for you. You getting hired or winning $10,000 was never in your hands anyway, so concentrate on being successful on your terms.
Monday, September 12, 2011
The Mental Game continued......
So, to pick up where we were on the last post....the first part of the mental game I referred to was:
A. The preparation of the audition - (those aspects outside of technique, languages, memorization, etc.) - in other words, getting yourself to the best state of mind for your audition or auditions.
I am sure that you can point out things that you do to prepare yourself for auditions, competitions, etc. and I would love to hear from you what some of those might be. In the meantime, here are some of mine:
1. Think of the audition as a performance, an end result in itself, not the means to an end. Too often, we treat auditions like sporting events, as though we're being judged in a diving competition. While to some extent this is true, the reality is that most of us do much better performing than auditioning (I know I did!) Therefore, get yourself to a frame of mind that equates to performance, and as an adjunct, think about preparing to please yourself, first and foremost.
2. Make a mental checklist of things that you want to accomplish in the upcoming audition. Often, all we think about in an audition is "am going to win/am I going to get hired? While, of course, this is true on one level, it is also true that you should have a list of things you want to do better each time you audition. Sing a particular phrase more expressively, have better breath control on a certain aria, use your body better to express character, etc. If you can leave an audition having checked some of those things off, you will feel successful, and feel mentally prepared for the next challenge.
3. Think like a baseball player. OK, I know this one sounds strange, but I always found it useful. A baseball player is considered highly successful if he bats .300. There are a number of players who have nicely successful careers who bat .250. What this means is that for every time ten times they go to home plate to bat they are only successful between 2 and 3 times. Imagine if it was defined the other way around - that they were defined by the 7 times they weren't successful. Yet, this is what we as singers do - feel like failures every time we don't succeed! Try this as you look at your next group of upcoming auditions - the average success rate for opera auditions is probably closer to 1 or 2 per 10 auditions. Think of your auditions in groups and realize that there will be some misses, but the successes will come, and that a .200 average is pretty darn good!
A. The preparation of the audition - (those aspects outside of technique, languages, memorization, etc.) - in other words, getting yourself to the best state of mind for your audition or auditions.
I am sure that you can point out things that you do to prepare yourself for auditions, competitions, etc. and I would love to hear from you what some of those might be. In the meantime, here are some of mine:
1. Think of the audition as a performance, an end result in itself, not the means to an end. Too often, we treat auditions like sporting events, as though we're being judged in a diving competition. While to some extent this is true, the reality is that most of us do much better performing than auditioning (I know I did!) Therefore, get yourself to a frame of mind that equates to performance, and as an adjunct, think about preparing to please yourself, first and foremost.
2. Make a mental checklist of things that you want to accomplish in the upcoming audition. Often, all we think about in an audition is "am going to win/am I going to get hired? While, of course, this is true on one level, it is also true that you should have a list of things you want to do better each time you audition. Sing a particular phrase more expressively, have better breath control on a certain aria, use your body better to express character, etc. If you can leave an audition having checked some of those things off, you will feel successful, and feel mentally prepared for the next challenge.
3. Think like a baseball player. OK, I know this one sounds strange, but I always found it useful. A baseball player is considered highly successful if he bats .300. There are a number of players who have nicely successful careers who bat .250. What this means is that for every time ten times they go to home plate to bat they are only successful between 2 and 3 times. Imagine if it was defined the other way around - that they were defined by the 7 times they weren't successful. Yet, this is what we as singers do - feel like failures every time we don't succeed! Try this as you look at your next group of upcoming auditions - the average success rate for opera auditions is probably closer to 1 or 2 per 10 auditions. Think of your auditions in groups and realize that there will be some misses, but the successes will come, and that a .200 average is pretty darn good!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Mental Game
I am just getting back to this after the holiday weekend. It's hard to believe the Fall season is here, and with it, new ideas and opportunities.
I want to take some time over the next several posts to delve in to the mental aspect of auditioning.
In my mind, the mental aspects of auditioning, break down into the following components (I have been pondering this since I have been rereading A Soprano on her head, the book I referenced in an earlier post):
A. The preparation of the audition - (those aspects outside of technique, languages, memorization, etc.) - in other words, getting yourself to the best state of mind for your audition or auditions.
B. The audition itself - how do you achieve the most focused mental state that will allow you to show your best stuff.
C. The "aftermath" - how do you deal with those feelings that occur, both good and bad, after an audition, and how do use this to build an even stronger platform for the next audition and the performances that may follow.
I will deal with each of these in separate posts, but feel free to weigh in with your own thoughts on this.
I want to take some time over the next several posts to delve in to the mental aspect of auditioning.
In my mind, the mental aspects of auditioning, break down into the following components (I have been pondering this since I have been rereading A Soprano on her head, the book I referenced in an earlier post):
A. The preparation of the audition - (those aspects outside of technique, languages, memorization, etc.) - in other words, getting yourself to the best state of mind for your audition or auditions.
B. The audition itself - how do you achieve the most focused mental state that will allow you to show your best stuff.
C. The "aftermath" - how do you deal with those feelings that occur, both good and bad, after an audition, and how do use this to build an even stronger platform for the next audition and the performances that may follow.
I will deal with each of these in separate posts, but feel free to weigh in with your own thoughts on this.
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