Prepare for College Audition Success

Each year at the University of Delaware, I hear auditions of prospective university harp students, young harpists with big hopes and dreams for their futures, varying cases of nervousness and in very different stages of preparation.  Allowing for the fact that everyone gets nervous and bad days happen to us all from time to time, there are a few things any student preparing for college auditions can do to increase her chance of success.

1. Be sure you have read (and followed) the audition requirements.  Believe it or not, sometimes students forget the most basic thing of all – to read the list of required or suggested audition materials .  Every school posts lists of audition music on its website.  The audition panel will expect you play music from that list.  If for any reason you wish to play something else, be sure to email in advance the instructor who will be hearing your audition and ask if he or she will allow the substitution.  The audition panel is likely to interpret failure to follow the repertoire instructions as either laziness or disrespect, neither of which will improve your chances of acceptance.

2. Know your scales and arpeggios.  Some colleges will state requirements for scales and arpeggios on their audition lists, but even if they don’t, you should be comfortable with basic scales and arpeggios.  After all, these are fundamental skills that any prospective college student should have mastered. Personally, I have reservations about any candidate who can’t demonstrate a working knowledge of scales and arpeggios.

3. Don’t panic over sightreading.  Sightreading is not always a part of auditions, but it is used occasionally when an instructor wants to learn a little more about a particular candidate.  It is not usually meant as a scare tactic, but unfortunately some students see it that way!  You should realize that the teacher is not looking for a perfect performance, but a better understanding of you and your musical fluency.  If you are given something to sightread, have a plan in place for how you will begin.  Check the key and your pedals, the time signature, the tempo indication and the general idea of the piece before you begin.  A careful start will get you the best results.

4. Be prepared to answer questions. Audition committees often have questions for the candidates about what their goals are, and why they are choosing to audition at that school. You should have responses prepared that are truthful, thoughtful and show the committee that you have some idea of what their school is like.

5. Dress for success.  In this case, dressing for success means wearing clothes that are not casual school clothes, but are moderately “professional.”  Imagine what you would wear if these people were hiring you for a job.  That’s not so far from the truth, after all; you would like these people to give you thousands of dollars of scholarship money.  The least you can do is look like you’d be a credit to their university.  Do remember to wear clothes that are appropriate and comfortable enough for playing (like good harp shoes, for example) .

And did I forget to mention… practice???

If you would like more information about harp studies at the University of Delaware, you will find helpful information here or email me, Anne Sullivan.