MahlerBrass

Hello all, I was speaking with a tuba player friend of mine and he said that on average, most well-prepared and ready for the real world tuba players don't win a job until their 17th audition. That seems to be the average for them according to an article he read, so I wondered, is there such a number for us, being a significantly larger family, could some of the seasoned players give us their magic number? Maybe we could come up with one!

Jimi Michiel

hey MB,
I'm 0 for 0 on pro auditions, but I'll let you know when I get my gig ... I know a horn player in the BSO who took an insane amount of auditions, 40+ I believe, before he won the big one. He knew he was good and just had the mental ability to stick with it long enough to finally nail it.
-Jimi

tpter1

I'm 0 and 2.

I don't believe it's a "magic" number so much as it is learning what it takes. Some very fortunate players just play well enough right out of the gate and end up winning their first ones. Phil Smith... 2 and 0 (Chicago then New York). THAT is truly amazing and speaks volumes about his ability.

Manny Laureano

I'm wondering about those tuba numbers and what kind of ensembles were included in those figures. Where those auditions for any type of ensemble or serious, paying gigs or both? It seems any one taking that many auditions started taking them WAY too early in his career.

For paying gigs I'm 3 for 7.

ML

trickg

There have been several threads regarding pro-level auditions in the last few days, and frankly, they have really helped me feel better about my own situation.

I HATE failing. Period. I am highly competitive in almost everything that I do, and when I completely flopped on the audition I took back in July, I took it pretty hard. If I feel like I have failed at something, it can put in into a tail spin/nose dive that can take me a while to recover from. After July, the practice regimen I had started for myself fell to the wayside, and once again I find myself practicing to maintain, not to improve.

I know, shake it off and get over it, right? Unfortunately, I have let myself dwell on my failed audition experience, my first audition in over 10 years. I guess that the reality of the situation is that overall, more auditions are lost than won and Manny, again, I don't mean this in a mean way at all, but it helps to know that someone of your ability doesn't always come out on top either.

Anyway, the threads and posts over the last few days have been a great reality check for me and they let me know that I need to get back in the saddle and get to work so that I'll be even more prepared when the next opportunity comes up.

Thanks.

brian moon

Frank Kaderabek was either 15/16 or 16/17. An amazing feat. As for me it is gruesome. I lost count. 3 for > 80. Only one full time. I got screwed out of another that I won hands down.

MahlerBrass

Pardon my ignorance Mr. Laureano, but when do you suppose that a player is ready to really start taking auditions? And, do you believe that a player, even if underqualified, should audition for the sake of experience? Sorry for hijacking my own thread guys, but this got me thinkin'.

Manny Laureano

Great question and a fair one, at that.

I think, first, that there should be a consultation with the instructor if the person is currently taking lessons and that there should be a blessing, of sorts, for that important first audition. The preparation of excerpts is less important than the student's ability to perform as an intelligent musician. Does this person know more than the excerpts, the Haydn/Hummel compulsories, and other niceties related specifically to the audition at hand? Are they able to take the audition without driving 500 miles overnight for a 10:00 am audition?

I like people to take auditions when they have a shot at winning. Looking forward gathering at the local watering hole after losing your 15th audition is not a good thing. Experience is a good thing but you should always go into something expecting to win. Disappointment is a great motivator to future success IF you don't have a habit of feeling sorry for yourself and are able to remember what you learned.

ML

trickg

Great comment. I've actually used diappointment a couple of times as a motivator for future success, the most notable time being losing the "Best of Class" trumpet solo award at music contests when I was a sophomore in high school. In my mind, I had no competition because the person who won it the last year, my older sister, graduated. I walked in underprepared and got beat because of it. I was disappointed and embarrassed, but that motivated me to work my tail off the following year and I smoked the guy the next time.

Of course that's high school - not pro level auditions.

I guess I just have to mope a bit after a failure before I get it back in gear.

I may never win one, but you can't win if you don't try.

MrClean

6 for 14.
Runner up at 2
Finalist at 1 more
Semis at 1 more
Complete idiot at 4

You only need to win one if it is a "good" one. Don't worry about the numbers, guys. Play to win, and hopefully the rest will take care of itself.

J