Before the Performance
Preparation for a stellar performace should begin at least several months to up to a year before the day of the performance. Begin by framiliarizing yourself with the required music- make sure you know just what you will have to play. How many pieces will you be playing? If it is a competition or audition, will you be required to play scales or etudes? Is sight-reading required? Does the music need to be memorized? Also, be aware of where the performance will be because the venue, as well as what you will be wearing, who will be accompanying you (if anyone) and whether you will be sitting or standing to play can make a difference.
Choosing Music
In some cases, you might have to choose the music you will play- a choice piece off the competition list or even the program for a recital. When choosing music to perform you want to choose music that you like to play, that you are framiliar with, and that you feel shows off your strenghts as a player. In a recital situation, you need to create a balanced program which provides plenty of variety for the audience. In competitions or auditions, too, variety is important- make sure your competition repertoire includes both slow and fast pieces or sections. If there is a required list, make sure you select the correct number of pieces and that all the pieces are on the list. If the list says "sample" or "ideas" or something like that, feel free to choose music that isn't on the list as long as it is similar in difficulty and in style. Regardless, the pieces that you choose should be difficult enough that they will challenge you and show off your technique to the judges, but at the same time they should be well within your level of ability both technically and musically. It would be a good idea to have your private teacher or band director approve your music selection before you get too far into your practicing.
Practicing
The most important key to having a great performance is being well prepared, and the only way to become well prepared is to practice. A lot. Begin by playing through the song(s) to get the notes and rhythms, then narrow your focus and work on the parts that are hardest for you. Once you can play the piece cleanly, then work on the style and expression. Make sure to exaggerate your dynamic contrasts because sometimes what you hear and what the audiences or judges hear can be very different.
Memorizing
Some competitions will require you to play music, scales, etc. from memory. This is not as bad as you think as long as you start working on memorizing early enough. First, when you are memorizing, it really helps to say the note names in your head as you play. Now, try this trick: divide your music into sections which are approximately three to four measures long. For each section, play it through three times while looking at the music. Then, turn a quarter turn to your right and play through once from memory. Repete until you are back facing the music stand again. Play through the section one more time looking at the music. If you make a mistake at any time you can look at the music, but then you have to start the circle over again. One more piece of advice: memorize your rests as well; it is very hard to put a piece together with the piano if you have no idea when you come in. It sounds simple, but if you can't tell, this one comes from experience.
Sight Reading
The key to being a great sight-reader is to practice sight reading. So if you have to sight read for your competition or audition, now is the time to start practicing. Actually, even if you don't have to sight read for your competition or audition, now is still the time to start practicing! The only way to become a better sight reader is to get a book of music and practice- just spend ten minutes a day at the end of your practice session reading through something. It doesn't matter what the music is, so this is a good excuse to play through a book of Disney songs or favorite christmas carols or whatever. Give yourself 30 seconds to look through the piece first (time this out on a stopwatch or a watch with a second hand) and look through the piece for the key and time signatures, as well as places where these may change, dynamics, repetes, DC's, or DS's. Set a tempo and try to finger through any parts that look hard. When you are playing the piece, make sure to read ahead and play confidently. It's ok if you miss a few notes here and there- no one is perfect on the first time through and that's ok. That's why you're practicing!
Audition Tapes
Sometimes, you have to send in an audition tape rather than auditioning live. If you do have to make an audition tape, make sure that you know the music before you make the tape, so you don't have to do hundreds of takes. It is very important to make sure you use a good quality tape or cd and good recording equipment. Make sure you test the equipment before you record- I once spent an hour recording takes in a room that was too big, and when I listened to the tape I discovered that it sounded like I was playing in a metal submarine 500 miles away. And make sure you listen to the tape before you send it in. You would not want a technical glitch to prevent you from sounding your best!
The Big Day
The most important thing you can do on the day of the audition, competition, or performance is to relax and have confidence in yourself. You have worked hard to prepare your piece; now there is nothing left to do except play that piece to the best of your ability. You will want to develop a routine which helps you to relax on performance days. This could include a certain warmup ritual, listening to a favorite song, or doing an activity that relaxes you. I have three things that I do before performances to calm me down: I listen to a cd of relaxing music that I created solely for this purpose, I imagine the performance going perfectly in my head, and I set some goals for myself of things that I want to accomplish with the particular performance. Each person's rituals will be a little bit different; what is important is that you find something that works to calm you down. You should also watch what you eat on the day of a performance. Dairy products, salt, and spicy foods will create bad tone days, and you should also avoid medicines that will dry out your mouth/throat or cause you to become drowsy.
The Most Important Thing
Have confidence in your performance. Play for yourself, not your audience, and not the judges. Who cares about them, really? The most important thing is that you are having fun telling a story through your music, and honestly, it's as simple as that. It's normal to be a little nervous, and in fact, nerves are a good thing because if you aren't nervous, then you must not care too much about the outcome. So just have confidence in yourself, remember that what is meant to be will happen, and have fun!!
1) Flute Careers, College Prep, and Auditions- Excellent advice from professional flutists, college professors, and audition committee members. From Larry Krantz flute page.
2) A Recitalist's Checklist- For saxophones, but an excellent resource for anyone planning a recital.