Thinking about auditioning for DIME, but not sure if you’re quite ready? Here are 5 tips from the DIME team to help you prepare:
#1. Choose the Right Songs for you!
At DIME, we offer the benefit of letting you choose songs that accurately represent your style and musical abilities. So, don’t choose to audition with a song that pushes you outside of your comfort zone. If you are a vocalist, choose a song that’s in your range. If you’re an instrumentalist, pick songs that demonstrate your playing at its best. If you’re a songwriter, choose the songs that you feel speak to your own songwriting talents. If you’re auditioning for the Music Industry Studies program, we want to see your involvement and passion for the business of music, so bring along examples of your work!
A group of DIME students, staff, and faculty on stage after our their end of semester show.
#2. Come Prepared
In theory, this one should be a no-brainer, but we understand that sometimes it’s difficult to know how to prepare. First, grab the audition requirements for the program you are interested in and read through the bullet points carefully. Practice each one of the tasks. When you’re asked to play or sing a major, minor, or pentatonic scale, you should be able to relax and do so at a comfortable tempo. Don’t rush it, we just want to hear the correct notes! If you are confused about any of the tasks, please let us know. We want to help you prepare and monitor your progress if possible.
Rehearsing the songs is also an important part of preparing for an audition, but how? One good suggestion is to focus on the weaker areas of the song. If there’s any point in the song you are performing that feels lackluster, loop that section until it feels right.
#3. Be Confident
Note: You must complete steps #1 and #2 before this is possible! Once you’ve got the music together, how can you make sure you feel great on stage? First, try to get a good night’s sleep and drink a lot of water, especially if you’re singing at your audition. Eat good food: no dairy, nothing ice cold, and our vocal instructors may even suggest no coffee/caffeine! (I’ll let you decide on that one!)
Also – Dress to impress! We’re not talking about a suit and tie, but come to an audition at DIME dressed as the best version of yourself. This is for your benefit more than ours. If you look good, you will feel more comfortable and more confident!
#4. Warm Up
Before you come to DIME, you should spend 30 minutes warming up on your instrument or with your voice. When you arrive for your audition, don’t be afraid to ask us for a room to use for 5-10 minutes to run through your songs or play some scales. If there’s a space available, it’s yours! We understand that auditioning can be a nerve-wracking prospect. Just as completing steps #1 and #2 will help you get to step #3, the process of warming up can help get the jitters out and allow you to be your most comfortable and confident self.
#5. Be Professional
Remember: one of the most important aspects of your DIME audition is the interview where we learn more about your experience in the music scene. We want to get to know you and understand your history with music as well as your career goals moving forward.
Come prepared to speak about your experiences. This can include taking part in school ensembles, choirs, and lessons, but should also include your own personal passion projects, recordings, shows, and bands outside of the traditional school setting. Students auditioning for the Music Industry Studies program are asked to bring evidence of their work in music. This can include booking shows, creating flyers/posters, forming and leading bands, promoting recordings and events, producing recordings, and even includes your work on social media to build buzz and get noticed in the music scene. We want to hear about YOU!
Are you ready to schedule your audition?
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