After a recent audition experience, I was really interested to see the various reactions of fellow auditionees.  It's hard to say if people don't want to "toot their own horn" (sorry, lame pun), but there was a lot of negativity circulating about their turns on deck.  Personally, I was really happy with many things I accomplished, and though I didn't win, I am so much better for the experience! First and foremost, I know that my playing improved exponentially because of the preparation experience.  But, I remind myself constantly: what did I learn, what did I do well, and where do I get to go from here? Of course we need to recognize our areas for improvement, but we need to take a moment to applaud all the things we did well, and how much we accomplished in the process! Allowing for that positivity in our experience will make moving forward from it much more effective and rewarding.  So next time you have an audition - enjoy it!

    This August, I had the pleasure of working with several  musicians in Jeff Nelsen's Fearless Audition Training for Musicians. The week-long camp was an excellent chance for me to really absorb all the great material that Jeff is so well-known for in a condensed seminar, and to prepare for several upcoming auditions in an intensive format.
    After working with Jeff for a few years, I thought I was pretty Fearless, but I still have so much room to grow, and I have so many great experiences I was thrilled to share with others! Though we can prepare ourselves for auditions with using helpful tools constantly (inspirational sheet, magic line, segues, wash, rinse, repeat), I realized that I was still differentiating between the mini-auditions or performances in a school setting and "the real deal".  For me, the greatest challenge becomes taking those daily mini-auditions and TRULY emulating a professional audition in my mindset and actions. 
    I had a great chance to be Fearless on the last afternoon of camp, when I traveled to Owensboro, KY for an audition.  We had more than a few hiccups along the way (detours, delays, and being unaware of a required solo), so when I flew into the building a mere 15 minutes before my audition (and hadn't touched my horn for about 6 hours), I knew I was going to have to use all those tools in full force!  But I channeled my energy, took a few deep breaths, repeated some fantastic, inspiring mantras to myself, and walked into (and out of!) that audition with my head held high! Owning your playing and having confidence in your abilities sometimes feels uncomfortable or hard to do, but, boy, it makes an incredible difference in the result and how you feel at the end of the day!
    One of my favourite aspects of FAT camp (an old abbreviation we just can't get rid of!) was all the one on one time that we spent with the other students. It was such a pleasure to hear so many eager musicians, get to know all of them, and share in a great learning experience! And in working with them, I was able to share many of my Fearless experiences - and remind myself to keep replacing old habits with great new habits whenever I can! It was a pleasure getting to know all of you, and thanks again to Jeff Nelsen and Jessie Thoman for all their hard work and dedication! See you next year!