Playing well at Auditions is a skill you can acquire!
Monday Night Mock Auditions
t5 = training trumpeters to teach themselves
Schedule
April 11 6:30-8:30 PM eastern time AT for Auditions – how to use the Alexander Technique to reduce stress and anxiety with all aspects of taking auditions. (Ms Bolkosky/Wright)
April 18 6:30-8:30 PM eastern time Mock Audition 2: Prelim Sounds/Semis (Wright+ 1 Boston Symphony Brass Section Member) Q and A will follow this session.
April 25 6:30-8:30 PM eastern time Final Mock Final Rounds (Wright+ 1 LA Phil Brass Section Member)
May 2 6:30-8:30 PM6:30-8:30 PM eastern time : Mock Audition (Wright+ 1 New York Phil Brass Section Member)
There are a lot of auditions coming up for all brass players – with openings in Florida, Montreal, Cleveland, Philly, and beyond, there has never been a better time to level up your auditioning skills.
Do you ever feel like you need more audition practice? Generally, the more we do something the better we become at executing whatever the task may be.
Auditions are no different. You CAN and SHOULD practice this skill…
The first three auditions I won were amidst a series of auditions I was preparing for – the more I did them, the more the stress that they caused became manageable.
The question is how to replicate the uncomfortable experience of traveling to a new city and playing in an uncomfortable environment for strangers, in an undetermined order in some vague time frame.
Most importantly, how can you do enough auditions to make them comfortable?
Monday Night Mock Auditions will take on nearly all of those issues:
- Frequency
- Unpredictable Timing
- Playing for strangers
- How to handle the stress of audition trips.
Each Monday April 11-May 2, we will gather on zoom for you to play a round from your audition list.
We will take numbers at the beginning of each session to determine the playing order.
I will be joined each week by an unannounced brass player from The LA Phil, The New York Philharmonic, and The Boston Symphony. We will call out an audition round from your list.
Each person will play their allotted round and will receive written comments from both jurors after the session. Mid month, we will have a Q and A to talk about some of the things that come up in preparation.
Miriam Bolkosky, Alexander Technique Teacher, Cellist, and creator of Practice in Harmony, will lead a discussion on how AT can help mitigate the physical and mental stressors of preparing for, traveling to, and taking auditions.
The Member investment for this seminar is $425. Enrollment will be limited to the first 8 players enrolled. Auditors are welcome at the rate of $125.
See below for all details and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to shoot me an email. I answer ALL my messages
Audit The Bootcamp
If you’d prefer to simply watch and take part in the Q and A, sign up as an auditor.
Can't Make It?
Can’t make all of the sessions? Please email me directly and we’ll see what we can work out!
“In my zoom lessons and masterclasses, I am getting the same information via his high-quality audio setup as if I were sitting in the same room with Mr. Wright, without the expense and hassle of traveling to Boston.
The Sound Truth Library videos and Practice Window Training create a great feedback loop – I listen to Ben play an excerpt and the same week be coached on how to work through it at home.
The Practice Window training really helped me create better practice habits – it quickly showed me how I could be more efficient in getting to my goals faster.”
Ben Hauser
Spring 2021
T5 member
Principal Trumpet York (PA)
Principal Trumpet Arkansas Symphony
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Testimonials
“Ben’s teaching made me see the importance of playing longer lines and being more organized. Hearing him in person and in the orchestra was always inspiring. My playing wouldn’t be where it is today if I hadn’t studied with him.“
“Ben has been an incredible mentor and teacher for me, and I can’t thank him enough for all the invaluable lessons he has given me in music and beyond…. The perspective he provided was just the right push at just the right time to allow me to be happy and successful here and now.“
“Ben’s approach of singing to save chop time and focus on the music was really beneficial to me. His focus on being mentally and physically balanced was one of the keys to my success in winning auditions. Years after I studied with Ben, he was a pillar of support when I needed his it most – his advice helped me bounce back from a challenging time in my career and move forward.“
It has been wonderful to have the structure of a studio setting during this gap year between undergrad and grad school. It would have been easy to slow down and regress with a total lack of performance opportunities. Getting instruction from a world-class symphony musician was great, as was getting feedback multiple times a week from Ben and my Practice Partners. It would have been so much harder to improve on my own. It was fantastic to hear from so many professionals with different perspectives in the weekly Trumpet Chats.