Handouts from the Bach Parley String Academy

Tips for practicing in general, & preparing for the FOA All-State Audition

Tips for practicing in general, & preparing for the FOA All-State Audition:

  • The process of working through the audition material is more important than the outcome of the audition. Let go of the idea that you have failed if you are not selected for All-State. By preparing well for the audition you have already “won” because you will be a more comfortable, confident, and skillful musician.
  • Practice consistently every day, even if it is only for a few minutes. It is far better to practice 30 minutes a day 6 days a week than 90 minutes a day twice a week. The total number of minutes of practice is the same, but you will make more progress practicing for a shorter time more often.
  • SLOW, SLOW, SLOW—What is the perfect practice tempo? Slow enough that you won’t make mistakes,
    fast enough so that you are not bored.
  • Strategies for performing under pressure: Use the psychological strategy called “self distancing” to observe yourself. You might think to yourself, “Oh, my stomach is churning and I feel sick because I’m nervous. Isn’t that interesting?” Consciously remind yourself to take deep, full, frequent breaths.
  • Here is a helpful website and blog dealing with performance anxiety and practicing more efficiently:
    bulletproofmusician.com
  • Sight-reading: First priority should be rhythm, and no matter how big a mistake you make, don’t stop!
    Observe the key signature, especially the last flat or sharp, and do the printed dynamics. And don’t stop!
  • Scales: Practice excruciatingly slow, always placing your left hand finger on the next note before you move your bow. FBB=Finger Before Bow! Use an electronic tuner or drones. Don’t neglect your bow arm–pull a focused, even, concentrated sound from your instrument.
  • Play your etudes with musical expression—don’t play mechanically.
  • Orchestral Excerpts: Listen to a professional recording of the entire orchestra to understand how your
    excerpt fits in with the other instruments and the piece as a whole. Do every single printed dynamic and articulation. It is the dream of a conductor to have an orchestra who comes to the first rehearsal already playing everything printed on the page, because then they can guide
    the orchestra to express the music between the notes.
  • Number your measures, and practice starting in random places in the music—don’t always start at the
    beginning and play through to the end.
  • Record yourself. Use your smart phone, listen to how you sound, then be your own teacher and critique your performance. The judges for All-State will not know your name, gender, race, etc. You are assigned a number
    and judged entirely on your sound on the recording you make at the audition.
  • Practice in front of people who make you nervous—like your friends! Ask your school orchestra teacher to hold mock auditions, or ask if you can play for them before or after school or during lunchtime to get more
    feedback. Your teacher wants to help you!

What to expect when your child begins studying a stringed instrument

Be patient. At the very beginning, do not expect your child to come home and play a tune right away. It may take months of careful attention to posture and form before you hear anything really recognizable. This is difficult for parents, especially if they can’t observe the lessons. If the child is not able to remember everything covered in the lessons, ask the teacher to make a list, or set up a conference.

Practice WITH your child. Do not expect your child to practice on his or her own. It is your job as a parent to set a practice time and help the child do everything covered in the lessons. A child may sincerely love playing the violin, but still fight bitterly against practicing. The best thing is to set up a regular practice schedule, every day. It is much more beneficial to practice every day, even for just 10 minutes, than to skip days and try
to force a longer practice.

Be positive. Children are very sensitive to criticism. Although they will make mistakes that need correction, acknowledge every little thing they are doing right with genuine praise. For example: “Great, you are standing tall!” “I like how your right thumb is bent!” “You are really concentrating!”

Be patient. Usually after a first piano lesson a child can come home a play a piece, but this is not so with strings. While the beginning of strings lessons might seem slow going, usually after a while everything will start to “click” and your child will be making music. This might take a few days, a few weeks, or a few years.