Weekend in Indianapolis, Part I

This Thursday, I went up to Indianapolis and Butler University to have my first audition. Because I want to major in oboe performance, not only do I need to send applications to all the colleges I want to go to, but I have to go to each of the schools and perform an audition, which is pretty much the scariest thing ever. Basically, you're put in a room with a few people listening (at Butler the oboe professor and bassoon professor listened to me) and have to play scales, a prepared solo or etude (generally, you prepare something lyrical and something technical), and sight-read. This does not have to be horribly difficult, but the pressure is high. These twenty minutes decide whether or not I'm accepted into a school's music program.

Friday was an audition day at Butler, which meant that there were seventy other people there and planned activities for us to do besides audition. First we were given an audition schedule and herded into what was clearly a band room (I think the orchestras rehearse there too. But I call it a band room because it felt like home.) to be greeted by the head of music admissions and the president of the Jordan College of Fine Arts. Before they began speaking I was able to ascertain that mine was the first woodwind audition and would be held at 1:00. The only other oboist to audition that day would follow me at 1:20. In the mean time, I was to take a theory placement test at either 10:00 or 4:00 and otherwise could attend more or less any activity I wished.

So, after the greeting I proceeded across the hall to where the theory test was administered. The test was not very difficult, although I have a very solid grounding theory. Hopefully, if I chose to go to Butler, I'll be asked to take the next level of theory test. That one will be a bit more work.

After the theory test, I went to a freshman theory class. They were talking about cadences and phrases and how to analyze where the cadence points are that determine the ends of phrases and then breaking up phrases into smaller segments according to motive. I had almost entirely forgotten about this chapter of theory—when I took AP theory last year we used the same book—so I took a couple minutes to feel I really understood what was going on. But, I did understand what was going on which was really exciting.

I then ate lunch, which my mother brought me from the bowels of Aferton. (I should really check to see how that's actually spelled, right? Oh well) I then went to a practice room for my warm-up. I played some scales and long tones and then got out my music to look over the sections that still sort of worried me. Everything came out just fine. That's when I knew I was going to have a great audition. And that's how it has to be before a good performance. You have to just know you're going to play well. When you feel that, in the core and not just the surface, that it's going to go well, you know you're right about it. At least, you know you'll play your best. I guess I could have played my best and still not have been received well. But not this time.

So I went in and just played. Nothing went really wrong, there were a couple scrapes, and when I played a two-octave F scale the top note didn't come out very well. Even so, they were very positive about the audition, legitimately happy about how I'd played. I think I can tell these things pretty well. Generally people don't tell you, "ouch, that was horrid," in an audition, but you can still tell when they're pleased and when you've left them less than awed. I suppose I'm a good enough player that no one would (hopefully) have reason to tell me my playing is horrid—just not good enough. I've had less than perfect auditions before and letters sent to me with essentially those words. Now I'm auditioning for college and the pressure's somewhat higher. I really, really, want to be seen as good enough.