[On 6 May, I republished an
article from Allegro, the member’s magazine of Local 802 of the American Federation of
Musicians, called “Eight Strategies
for Breaking Out of a Performance Slump” by Dr. Noa Kageyama, a sports
psychologist and musician. As the title
states, it lays out some strategies for musicians to break out of a streak of
poor performances. Reading the article,
I realized that Dr. Kageyama’s advice is valid for all performers, including
actors. So I posted her advice with
inserted commentary concerning my own experience as an actor or stories I heard
from colleagues in the biz.
[In the October 2019 issue of
Allegro (vol. 19, no. 9), Dr. Don Greene, sports
psychologist and stress coach, published an article with tips on succeeding at
auditions. Once again, the author is
writing for and about musicians—Allegro
is a musicians’ magazine, after all—but I can see that it’s applicable to
actors, dancers, and singers. (Dr.
Greene’s bio indicates that he’s worked with Olympic athletes as well as
musicians.) So I’m posting “The Secret
Weapon for Winning Auditions” on Rick On Theater
for actors (and other performers) to consider. We can all use help getting through auditions
and, as Dr. Greene puts it, “winning” them.]
Do you ever find yourself peaking for your audition too
early or too late? Do you feel yourself drained of energy before you even get
to the audition? Or are you feeling so mentally and physically fatigued that
you aren’t even motivated to prepare?
If so, you are reading the right article! There is a secret
weapon that I teach called periodization, and it has been a game changer for
all of my audition-winning clients. This periodization process involves
training cycles with four distinct phases: preparation, tapering, execution and
recovery. Periodization is designed to peak the performer’s energy at just the
right time (like during the finals) in order to win.
Preparation phase
There is a lot of great information on the internet about
various approaches to winning auditions. Most of the websites and blogs are by
musicians who have won orchestral auditions themselves. These authors are
emphasizing the physical, technical, organizational, and musical aspects of the
audition preparation and actual audition performance. They usually address only
the first phase of the periodization process: preparation.
Preparation involves both physical and mental work. The
physical includes the organization of practice, technical work, listening,
score study, mock-auditions, etc. The mental preparation includes centering
practice, mental rehearsal or visualization, and concentration exercises. Long
before their auditions, I have my clients complete a thorough assessment of
their mental performance skills. We measure their abilities in five main areas:
performance energy, confidence, courage, focus and resilience. After
determining their individual mental strengths and weaknesses they can begin
working specifically in the area(s) where they will make the most improvement
in the least amount of time.
The mental training, which can replace some of the physical
practice time, involves the centering process and positive affirmations.
Centering helps control and channel performance energy before and during the
audition process. The affirmations help to build self-confidence. Concentration
exercises help musicians to focus past distractions and quiet the mind. They
also learn how to become mentally tough and to recover quickly from inevitable
mistakes. I don’t believe in perfectionism, especially at auditions. The idea
is to continually strive for excellence which means doing your best under any
circumstance.
Tapering phase
A few days prior to an audition, it is time to begin the
second phase of the training cycle, which is the all-important tapering
process. At this point you need to spend less time physically practicing as you
increase your mental training even more, and begin to get more sleep and rest.
In the last week before the audition it’s too late to cram (although many
musicians do). If you don’t have all the excerpts or technical skills down by
now you’re probably not going to master them in the next few days. If you try
to do so, it will be counter-productive.
Instead of fretting over musical things or playing through
the excerpt list one more time, there are better things to do. Believe it or
not, I often recommend sleeping in, taking short power naps (20 minutes),
watching comedy, doing a mental rehearsal session, or having lunch with a good
friend (either a non-musician or a friend who promises there will be no
audition talk!). In the last few days, the idea is to stay positive and mellow
as you bide your time wisely and build up your energy. This is not easy for
most musicians who are used to years of constant physical practice. Although
you cannot win in the days leading up to an audition, you can lose!
In addition to maintaining the right mindset and conserving
energy, it’s important that you carefully manage your heightened emotions in
the final days before the audition. Due to the extra stress, many performers’
nerves get raw and they become testy or prickly, especially – and unfortunately
– with those closest to them. For many musicians, the looming audition can feel
as important as a matter of life or death. Keeping perspective and a sense of
humor can be an immense help. Remember that your audition performance is too
important to take too seriously.
The most important night of sleep is two nights before the
audition. In terms of energy, there’s a one-day delay with the effects of
sleep. So if the audition is on Saturday, you want to get a great night’s sleep
on Thursday. Try your best to go to bed early, or sleep in, or both. If you
feel very tired Friday afternoon, take a very short nap (10 to 15 minutes).
After waking up I recommend that you get up, move around and get some fresh
air.
The night before the audition, try to schedule dinner in the
late afternoon or early evening. It’s wise to eat something that’s easy to
digest, without a lot of spices. Wind down before going to bed (no exciting
action movies, musical events or recordings). Turn off all musical thoughts in
your head and get to bed at a reasonable time. Darken the room, lower the
temperature, get into bed and find a comfortable position. If sleep doesn’t
arrive within a few minutes, don’t worry. Just lie there and relax. Simply
lying still provides 70 percent of the rest benefit of sleeping. Hopefully you
will have been getting extra rest, naps, and had a good night’s sleep the
previous night. That’s the energy you’ll be using tomorrow at the audition.
Execution phase
The third phase in the cycle is the execution phase. The
first thing to do is to get up with plenty of time to get ready to do your
best. I recommend arriving at the audition site early, keeping your mind on the
process of what you need to do to execute a peak performance. Avoid thinking
about all the possible outcomes. When they come up, just imagine your audition
going well. Before walking in, summon up your courage, stay in the moment, and
focus only on the task at hand. Follow your performance routine. (I have
watched many clients throw their performance routine out the window the day of
the audition.) Trust the process and all of your hard work, talent and
training. Then go for it with everything you have!
Although many musicians try in vain to relax at auditions, I
train my clients to channel that extra energy to blow away their competitors as
well as the audition panel. In this process, they use a variety of peak
performance skills like centering and mental rehearsal techniques. These help
them do better in auditions because of the extra pressure and energy, not in
spite of it. While most of their fellow musicians are trying to calm down I
want my clients to get their energy up. My training teaches them how to
control, channel, and peak that powerful performance energy when it really
counts.
Recovery phase
After the audition, the final phase is recovery. Take some
much-needed physical and mental rest away from the instrument and repertoire
before you begin preparing for the next big performance or audition. Make sure
that you feel fresh, rested and recovered before starting your next training
cycle. Regardless of the final outcome, you need to reward yourself for the
efforts you put in and the improvements that have resulted from those efforts.
I suggest something tangible and permanent as a symbolic reminder of your
progress.
After you recover and want to get ready for an even better
performance, make good use of this four-phase cycle again. These four phases
are indeed the secret weapon that I call periodization. Begin the cycle again
with all the physical and mental work that needs to be done to prepare for the
audition or concert. This is followed by tapering in the last days before the
important event. Back off from the high level of training in order to build
your energy so that you reach a peak in the execution phase at the audition or
concert. Once again, you’ll deserve a few days off so you can recover – as well
as another reward.
Remember to ask yourself this question: which phase of
periodization do you struggle with the most when you’re getting ready for an
audition or important concert? Be honest. Remember, all of the four phases
affect each other and the final result. Tapering and recovery are just as
important as preparation and execution!
For your next training cycle before a big performance, plan
out your calendar, so you can schedule the four periodization phases.
Repeat the four phases until you begin to feel like each
cycle of the periodization process has improved, as well as the results. Go for
it!
[Dr. Don Greene, a peak performance psychologist, has
taught his comprehensive approach to peak performance mastery at New York City’s
Juilliard School; Colburn School in Los Angeles; New World Symphony in Miami Beach; Los Angeles
Opera Young Artists Program; Vail Ski School; Perlman Music Program in Shelter
Island; New York; and the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs,
Colorado, and Lake Placid, New York. During
his 32-year career, he has coached more than 1,000 performers to win
professional auditions and has guided countless solo performers to successful
careers.
[Some of the performing artists with whom Dr. Greene
has worked have won jobs with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Concertgebouw
Orchestra in Amsterdam, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, San Francisco
Opera, Montreal Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, National Symphony, Cincinnati
Symphony, Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, and the Dance Theatre of Harlem,
to name just a few.
[Of the Olympic track and field athletes he worked with
up until and through the 2016 games in Rio, 14 won medals, including five gold.
Dr. Greene has authored 10 books
including Audition Success, Fight Your Fear & Win, Performance Success, and most recently College Prep for
Musicians. In 2017, Dr. Greene was named a TED Educator
and collaborated with musician Dr. Annie Bosler to produce the TED-Ed talk “How
to practice effectively . . . for just about anything.” The video went viral and received over 25
million views across Facebook and YouTube. For more information, visit winningonstage.com, winninginsports.com, and collegeprepformusicians.com.]
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