Winning an audition when the audition didn't go well.

[8parktoollover]

So I recently auditioned for the second best youth orchestra in the country. The audition didn't go very well but I got a letter saying they were very impressed with me and I was accepted. How does this happen?

[FOSSIL]

1. You played better than you thought.
2. They are desperate for trombone players.
3. Your parents made a huge donation to the orchestra.

I've been on panels were 1 and 2 applied.

Just be thankful you got through and don't question it.

Chris

[Burgerbob]

The audition committee is probably not listening the same way you do.

[stewbones43]

None of the panel were trombone players.

Stewbones43

[LeTromboniste]

The audition committee is probably not listening the same way you do.

Yes!

A few years back I took an audition for a bass trombone position. I drew the first slot. I was happy with how I played in terms of sound and style and phrasing but I had way too many small cracked attacks (really, waaaaay too many) to have any chance of being called, especially with a major trombone soloist (the conductor) in the panel. I immediately put the horn back in its case and very nearly left (didn't see the point of missing a later engagement just to wait to hear my number not called) but decided to stay as I had several friends who were also auditioning later and I wanted to see if any of them advanced to the next round. Imagine my surprise when they came announce the three who advanced, and number 1 was one of them... Had to rush to get the horn back out and play a few notes before going back in.

So yeah, you never know, sometimes you think something disqualifies you but don't think about the things you did do well or don't think they're good enough to compensate. Of course you don't know how the others played, and you don't know precisely what the panel is looking for. It happens.

[8parktoollover]

None of the panel were trombone players.

Stewbones43

Actually 2 of them were. One being the bass trombonist of a world class orchestra

[CalgaryTbone]

I know that sometimes when I've been on an audition panel listening to younger players, I have been drawn to a player because I could hear great potential. If a young player has a good sound and a good musical approach, that may mean more to me than being note perfect.

Jim Scott

[norbie2018]

I studied with the solo trombonist from the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra when I was stationed in Wiesbaden 20 years ago. Wow - it has been 20 years! Anyway, we had the discussion about what an audition committee listens for/what can make or break an audition. He was on a recent panel with colleagues that wanted to dismiss candidates for flubbing a couple of notes, while others could dismiss the mistakes if the music was there. I remember him emphasizing that was what he looked for- the music.

Perhaps that is what they heard in the OP, lost notes but solid music making or potential for it. But why bother asking us - why not ask those on the panel directly what went well on your audition and what you might improve for the next time. You may not get an answer but isn't worth a shot rather than asking us, right?

[Matt K]

A similar thing happened to me when I was in HS. Despite never having played bass trombone at that point in time, won the bass trombone spot in an orchestra sponsored by ASTA (American String Teachers Association). Week long thing, they flew every one out to New Mexico and we spent a week with conductor Jung Ho Pak. It was a really awesome experience and I have no reservation in saying that it is very likely I was the worst musician on the stage. To this day I have no idea how or why I ended up in that chair. The rest of the group were killer musicians, regardless of it constituting high schoolers. I still have that recording and my ears still seem to indicate that the rest of the group was really good but... eh not so much for me.

Was I objectively bad or is it me being hard on myself? Probably a little bit of both. But I learned a lot from that experience. Often times the person who gets the gig is the one who is available whether or not they're the best. Best you can do is use it as motiviation to get better. Get the scores ahead of time, follow along in rehearsals, be on your best game.

And to possibly explain why they indicated they were impressed by you - the letter may be a canned response. They just sent it out to everyone and it had the same verbiage. Or maybe not; as others indicated, they may have been looking for things you weren't aware of or take for granted. If you had a good tone and played in tune... maybe you just did that the best. If I was auditioning a youth orchestra, I'd honestly probably take someone that I thought would be more difficult to get to work with a section.

[BurckhardtS]

I can't speak too much because I've never got super far in a professional audition process - but I do think it's important to just present yourself as you are, and if you do that in a really committed and thoughtful way and have taken care of business, the committee will be interested. It's not super smart to put a lot of thought in what the committee might think because 1) you don't have any control over that and 2) it's a committee, and they are subject to their own internal arguments/differences in preference as well, even if you know people behind the panel. It's also just an overall healthier mindset to have just in general.

[Doug Elliott]

You never know what the judges are listening for, or hearing. You SHOULD be your own worst critic, that's how you get better.
I have been a judge at several competitions and auditions - sometimes it's an easy choice, other times not easy at all.
I have been in the audience for several competitions - two are memorable because I would never have picked the person who won.

[Kdanielsen]

I think the important lesson is how wrong you can be about how you perceive your own playing and how you assume others hear your playing. You’re going to fail at way more auditions than you win and you need this to help maintain your ego. You can’t let someone else validate or invalidate your life’s work in a three minute audition.

[tbonesullivan]

In general, don't over analyze it. Just be happy and enjoy playing.