This year, in light of the health situation, the Université de Montréal Faculty of Music is holding its auditions virtually. To complete the admissions process, you’ll be recording your performance in front of a camera lens!
Think it might be a challenge to give the best of yourself for a recording with no person-to-person contact involved? Not to worry! Here are five tips to help you reveal your potential.
1. Your recording doesn’t need to be done all at once.
Good news! You can submit more than one audiovisual document (say one file per work), and all the recording doesn’t have to be done on the day. However, your documents have to be recent enough that they accurately represent your current level, and each video excerpt must be recorded in a single take and with no editing or modification. If you feel a recording already made is advantageous, there’s no need to make another one of the same work within a week of the deadline.
Another little tip: to record a video, be aware that a number of free and accessible software products are available for iOS (iPad and iPhone), Android, Windows and Mac.
2. It’s your choice of terrain: take advantage of your environment and your familiar bearings.
Let’s be practical. Unlike a normal audition context before a jury, you’ll most likely be at home or in a space that you’ve chosen yourself. So you control the parameters, both literally and figuratively. Use that to your benefit!
Nothing prevents you from inviting members of your health bubble, who can arrange themselves off camera and make up a mini-audience. That way you’ll be playing or singing for someone (though facing the camera, of course, taking care that you’re properly centered in the focus frame ). Moreover, think about deactivating the autofocus function on your device so that it can follow your playing.
- The mic could be your best friend. Use it to your advantage.
You won’t be in an auditorium or in a big hall, but in a studio-type space or a room in your home. Here, the use of an external microphone is often recommended. Nevertheless, however much you want to present a meticulous audiovisual document, don’t let technical perfectionism overcomplicate the process.
If the microphone – preferably stereo – integrated into your device is of good quality and effectively captures musical nuances and intentions, it should suffice. Also, whenever possible, think about deactivating the automatic gain control (input level of the audio signal) for the microphone in order to avoid fluctuations in sound levels.
Place it at a suitable distance, in a way that the sound reaches its fullest. Adapt your projection to the space you find yourself in and adjust the microphone accordingly (so that the sound doesn’t distort or is too soft). On the other hand, be careful not to do too many sound tests, which could tire you out. Try some contrasting excerpts, quieter and louder, and make the necessary adjustments before doing the actual recording.
- The audition is just one step in your music career . You already have a solid track record and ingrained habits that have brought you this far.
Trust in your preparation work and remember that a performance will never be perfect from start to finish. The more you start over, the more tired you’ll be.
A well-balanced preparation will allow you to create favorable conditions and above all to take the stress out of the situation. Once you’re focused on what you have to play or sing, let yourself be guided by the flow of the music. You’re part of the current, you ride along with it, but you’re the one generating that current. It’s when you’re most comfortable, like a fish in water, that you’ll be at your best!
5. Have fun.
The driving force for doing a successful performance is pleasure. The pleasure of being where you are, of doing what you’re doing. Free yourself from any nervousness, and from that little voice inside. That way you’ll reach one of the sought-after goals in this kind of exercise: communicating your musical and instrumental qualities, revealing an artistic dimension, and finally, conveying emotion. We can’t wait to hear you!