Tips for Audition Prep from Music Director Patrick Forsyth

PYPO's 2025-26 Season auditions are now just four weeks away!

Auditions can be both stressful and exciting, and they are a unique experience to see how you can perform under pressure. As you continue practicing your audition material, Music Director Patrick Forsyth has put together some tips to help guide your preparation. Be sure to review your audition requirements here. Happy practicing!

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PRACTICE TIPS FROM MUSIC DIRECTOR PATRICK FORSYTH

1. Practice performance! - A huge part of preparation is working out little details in your music, but as you get closer to the audition date, it's important to start playing longer sections of your music without stopping so that you can play your music fluidly. This is when all your hard work starts to turn into great music-making!

2. Play for friends and family - Some of you may get nervous when auditioning. This is completely normal! The most helpful thing you can do to prepare for audition nerves is to play your music for others often. You can ask your family to listen to you play through your music, ask your friends at school if you can play for them, you can even even just set up some chairs in a room in your house and play to the empty room to recreate the feeling of auditioning. For the perfectionists among you, don't put this off until the night before--it may not feel performance-ready, but I promise the more you do this, the easier it gets!

3. Make sure you are comfortable before you start playing - Is your reed just the way you want it? Have you emptied your water key? Is your bow just the right tightness? Have you warmed up and tuned very carefully before coming into your audition? Make a list of all the things, no matter how small, that are helpful to do to play your best before you perform, and go through that checklist in your mind before you play. You'd be surprised how easily we can all forget small details in an unfamiliar situation.

4. We are all rooting for you - Just know that everyone on the PYPO staff is rooting for you to play your best. Of course we provide feedback, and that is valuable information for you moving forwards, but we are not waiting for you to make a mistake--we want you to succeed and show us what you are capable of! Play with the knowledge that you are supported.

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