Posted by Sean Chisham on February 27, 2000 at 18:06:51:
In Reply to: Re: Re: College costs and beyond posted by Steve Dedman on February 27, 2000 at 08:37:29:
It is true that auditions are subjective, but I don't think it is as close all the time as one may think. I have hidden out behind the screen at a couple of auditions, and listened in on some competitions. I have also taken several auditions and taken part in several competitions.
The difference between the guy on the stage and the guy in the audience is like night and day. On stage, everything seems so close. If you loose, it is so easy to quickly find rationales for it and say how "close" it must have been.
When you are listening from the committee's perspective, it is usually more obvious as to what is happening. Sort of like the difference between practicing a piece in a large hall, then evaluating yourself, verses tape recording your run through, then listening as an outside party.
Performances are many many times distorted in the ear of the individual holding the horn. Attend a workshop with a solo competition or mock audition and have a listen. Many, if not most, of the auditionees have little business being there in the first place, IMHO. This is especially true in cases where cattle calls are done. 150 people show up and the committee decides to listen to 10 of them again. Not because the committee is heartless, but because the other 140 underestimated what it really means to play professionally.
I am not saying that I am innocent of this same sin. I have had my fair share of half hearted auditions. I have also had my fair share of delusions of what is "good enough". To be honest, there is no such thing as "good enough". Once we realize this and "fully" commit to an end goal, our chances become more realistic.
I know of one particular horn player, no not my wife, who auditions for everything which comes his way. He sincerely believes that he is "good enough" to win a job and goes to every audition with the same approach, even though he never succeeds. He refuses advice from others and is well established at the school he has attended for many many years as their first call hornist. He is a very proud man. Unfortunatelly he will most likely remain at that level for the rest of his life. He is comfortable that one day he will walk into an audition with his same routine and magically the committee will have been waiting for someone with his exact sound and musical perceptions. This is not likely.
Those who win auditions, and especially those who have a track record of growing out of one performance job and into another, do so not because they got lucky with 2,3, or maybe even 4 "subjective" committees over the span of possibly 10-15 years. They got there because they had excellent guidance, were extremely committed to their goals, and put their best foot forward every day of their lives.
sean