For a lot of musicians, auditions are terrifying. You feel like you have to play your flute music flawlessly to get the job or position that you want.
If you have to prepare a solo piece for an upcoming audition, you should study and play it to the best of your ability. It doesn’t have to be flawless, but it should showcase you as a player.
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Why Do You Play Solo Flute Music in an Audition?
Flute music can be an essential part of any ensemble audition. Whether you’re auditioning for a professional ensemble or one in school, you can show off your skills.
Many auditions require you to play an orchestral excerpt or two. And while that can be great, those excerpts are just part of the flute music available to us.
Playing a solo, whether it’s chosen for you or not, can help you showcase yourself as a soloistic player.
How to Prepare Flute Music for Auditions
If you have to audition with a piece of solo flute music, you should consider what to play. In some cases, like professional auditions, the music will be chosen for you.
But in other cases, you get to decide what you want to play for your solo flute music requirement. Either way, consider how you can best prepare for your upcoming audition.
Choose wisely
If you do get some choice for the flute music section, don’t just choose anything. Think about what you can play well already or what you’re already working on.
Consider how well you can prepare that piece before the audition or if you should choose something else. You should also determine if there’s a minimum or maximum length or if you have to play a specific type of flute music.
For example, you may have to play a concerto, but you may get to choose which concerto to play.
Listen to the piece
When preparing flute music for an audition, listen to the piece as much as you can. Then, you can get a feel for how the piece goes and how the flute part fits into the accompaniment.
You can also make notes to yourself while listening if the accompaniment has any solo sections where you may need to back off.
Study the score
You should also try to study the score of the piece you’re playing. If you’re playing a solo that has a piano part, you can use that. And if you’re playing a concerto, you may want to look for that online on IMSLP or another website.
Review the score as you listen to the piece so that you can see and hear what’s happening. Score study can take practice, but it’s essential for understanding a piece.
Practice well
While you want to practice all of your audition materials, the solo flute music part is your chance to shine. Especially if you have some choice in the piece, you should make sure it sets you apart from other people.
When practicing, focus on the more difficult parts, and try to focus on the part that you will play in the audition. That way, you can make as much progress as possible on the music that matters the most.
Get feedback
As you start working on the flute music for your audition, don’t be afraid to get feedback. If you have a teacher, take the music to your lessons and play it for them.
You can also ask friends or colleagues for feedback. But if you want someone without any bias, consider someone who isn’t involved in the audition. I offer performance checks, which are recordings that I review. Click below to learn more and sign up.
Be unique
Before and during the audition, be yourself. Even if you can’t choose the piece to play and will play the same thing as other people, you can show what you can do.
Don’t be afraid to walk into the audition room with confidence! As long as you prepare your flute music and any other audition requirements, you will be able to do your best.
So…
Have you had to play solo flute music in an audition? How did it go? Share your thoughts in the comments!