When can I start auditioning?

I have a student who's been studying with me for a year. Which in the scheme of music learnin' is not that long. Right around when she first came in we came up with the goal of getting her into a pre-professional to professional level choir. For these choirs you have to audition, and the audition process is a little intense.

But I just really love her attitude about auditioning! She is as prepared as she can be at this point in her singing journey. And she goes in with a smile on her face ready to share what she has goin'. I think this is the attitude all of us need to have. She got rejected from her first audition, because her sight-reading wasn't strong enough, but they told her to try again next year. And she didn't let this initial rejection get her down. She said she understood and started working harder for the next audition.

Some people would say that she's only been studying for a year, she isn't the strongest sight-reader, she shouldn't be auditioning for these professional choirs. But I'm in the school of thought that auditioning is a muscle and you have to work it out to make it stronger. The earlier she starts auditioning the better she's going to be at it. That's what I say to everyone, you may not get the part, but don't let that deter you from trying out. Don't audition for the auditors. Audition for you. Have fun working on the material. Have fun showing what you've done with the material. And have fun meeting new people even if it's catty competitors in the waiting room or tired casting directors who've been hearing the same 5 songs for the past 48 hours. The performing arts are supposed to be fun and we can't let rejection take that fun away from us.

Thanks for reading! I hope you're encouraged to break out of your shell and show the world what you got!

-Vanessa