3 ways you can screw up a video audition

[@physics_boyy]

"Cutting errors" cracked me up! Great job. Something that I like to do is dress up for video auditions. Nothing super fancy like a tux or full suit, but a collared shirt and tie works well for me. It helps me feel more professional and I'm sure makes an impression on the panel.

[@robknopperstudio]

good idea!

[@DanLoFat]

" jumps up or down" that was classic, really good. I love the editing humor that you have. The Win95 sfx, kill me.

[@robknopperstudio]

haha, well thank you. i have to give credit to adam tan for that!!

[@s3blastois3]

I'm auditioning for Missouri All-State Band, and the snare etude is number 4 from Portraits in Rhythm by Anthony Cirone. We are also required to perform a mallet, timpani, and multi percussion etude as well as 5 different rudiments Slow to fast to slow (buzz roll from piano to forte to piano in 30 seconds, and flam paradiddle are always the first two).

[@robknopperstudio]

nice! sounds like a good project to sink your teeth into.

[@PorterWonacottPercussion]

I’m auditioning for colleges this school year including berklee and SFCM. I’m learning Delecluse 1, Rain Dance, Pine Cone forest by Pratt, and a Bach piece

[@fateindustry]

I did a submission for online competitions and pro orchs recently. They all required unedited continuous tapes. So if you are forced to record excerpt after excerpt, if you blunder ANY one of them midway, you are forced to start all over from square one.

[@aidanjones5509]

I'm playing delecluse 1 for the Metro atlanta youth wind symphony audition thanks you your videos on it!

[@robknopperstudio]

of course aidan! any other questions on it?

[@AlexFragaPerc]

Thanks for the video! No one ever explained this in detail to me and the resources you mentioned are really helpful.

[@robknopperstudio]

thanks alex!

[@fuzzylightning]

@rob knopper busting out those AKG C414 mics like it's no big deal.

[@robknopperstudio]

oh yeeeeeeeeah

[@ericklopo1]

Great and even logical tips about video auditions. Great job, Rob.

[@robknopperstudio]

thank you!!

[@DanLoFat]

By the way my personal view on videos of conducting for conducting tracks in education I don't suspect that if the conducting pattern or the conductors movement may have caused the Run note say on a missed entrance or a salty release but mostly a missed entrance that could be attributed to the conducting then you would not probably will not want to submit that or if it's just one and it's a live recording in front of an audience I wouldn't personally worry about that I would go ahead and send it in. But if it happened more than once in a live recording and especially if it happened on two different pieces and there was a false entrance due to some conducting glitch that might not be the best thing to send in.

[@keyboardgeek7436]

Hey rob. I really enjoy your videos and I am trying to use them whenever possible. I have a couple of questions I wanted to ask you. I am a sophomore percussionist in high school, and am mainly playing marimba in marching band and timpani in our schools full symphony (which only meets once a week after school because it's not an official class) While I really enjoy Marching band, I feel like my school doesn't do enough concert band, and that it will hinder my chances when I start to take college auditions in a couple of years. What kind of things can I do to help prepare me for those auditions when I'm not always in that concert setting (marching season doesn't even end until November). Second, are there any good aspen-esk music festivals on the west coast that you know about, because my family definitely can't afford to send me to the east coast, but I think auditioning for/attending something like that would be very useful for developing my performance skills. And finally, I want to know how and how much you practiced after college and before getting your met job. I hear lots of people talking about college practice schedules and the like, but not really about how much they rehearse in between college and getting an orchestra job (also, how do percussionists get to practice on the bigger instruments, marimba, timpani, concert bass, etc.) I hope you can spare some time to help a fairly ignorant high school sophomore figure out how to do this thing that I love doing processionally. Thank you so much, and I can't wait for the next video.

[@robknopperstudio]

1. you need to get into some youth orchestras in your area! 2. have you looked into Idyllwild music festival in california? i went there and it was awesome… 3. i practiced for 2 years in between undergraduate and when i won my job and i was almost always in an institution with instruments. part of it was doing some grad school work (i didn’t finish) and then part of it was at the new world symphony. you need a place to practice and people to hear you play while you’re preparing! any other questions?

[@keyboardgeek7436]

rob knopper probably, but not any others at the moment. Thanks a lot. I'll be sure to look into that festival, and I know we have a youth orchestra that I've been looking into a bit (LVYO in Las Vegas) that I will try to audition for when it starts.

[@robknopperstudio]

awesome. good luck!!

[@DanLoFat]

Excellent presentation and POWERFUL (example) of the 3rd way to screw up!Windows Movie Maker for Windows and Audacity for in users. Audacity also, like the others, lets you unlock audio from video (contrary to popular belief) edit, then relock.

[@robknopperstudio]

good to know! as a mac user i'm glad you can recommend these PC apps.

[@colebendall]

Awesome - regarding point 2, I have a question from the perspective of someone applying for conducting courses, etc. When we record, we're often relying on other musicians also performing well. Sometimes we have a concert recording of a repertoire work which we'd like to submit, but then notice an error from a musician in the group (maybe us, maybe not us). Sometimes we're smart enough to film the rehearsal as well and take footage from that, but sometimes it just doesn't quite work. My experience here is, in these situations, you rarely get opportunties for retakes. As someone who reviews video, which generally is your preference: a video where applicant is doing everything right and there's a small one-off mistake in the group; or a video where everything's note perfect, but where you as applicant don't think it's your best conducting/performance?

[@robknopperstudio]

you can't fix every note if you're conducting - in that case the listener will give you the benefit of the doubt because they know you don't have an unlimited number of attempts. i would choose the first option of your two.

[@marianikopoulou290]

Great advice as always.Thanks Rob!

[@robknopperstudio]

thanks maria!

[@benjaminjones4416]

Hey Rob, I've been slammed with learning new audition material these past months, I've been learning "Conception" a snare solo by Jack Mouse and "Wind" a vibraphone peice by David Friedman. I have a question, Should I change my recording setup for the two pieces?

[@robknopperstudio]

you certainly might find that there are different audio or video positions that are ideal for the two pieces - and yes you should experiment with them unless you are supposed to record them without a break between the pieces.

[@benjaminjones4416]

Awesome thanks

[@Michael-Oh]

My goal for first year is to record myself playing some audition material so that I have videos in the bag for a screening round

[@robknopperstudio]

yep that's a good idea. it's always good to be prepared!

[@benhavey4107]

Currently a senior pianist at Purchase recording grad school prescreenings. (Auditioning for McGill, MSM Contemp., Yale, Mannes, Stony Brook, possibly more) Two quick questions: 1. Many times I find myself choosing between a more technically clear recording and a recording that's of a higher musical quality (imagine a run that's accurate but not 100% clear, but with much better musical direction). How would you judge choosing between these recordings to send in? 2. I have to record some LONG multi-movement works where doing tons of takes of full run-throughs is unfeasible. Should I record each movement separately? (Audition repertoire: Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, Beethoven Op. 109, Brahms Op. 1, Rzewski Dreadful Memories, and a solo I premiered)

[@robknopperstudio]

to answer #1... make another recording until it has the positive qualities of both! but if you eventually have to make that choice then the musical and less accurate version is probably preferable. #2... yes you can definitely record each movement separately.

[@tryg9062]

I have a weird situation I'm dealing with right now. I want to audition for NYO, but at the same time I don't know if I want to do it just because of the potential large amount of people that apply and the very very small amount they choose (I play percussion). That fact alone scares me to the point where I have almost convinced myself to just not try all together. What can I do to alleviate this?

[@robknopperstudio]

i know what you mean! you can be assured that everyone else taking the audition is also going through some variation of self-doubt. and think about it this way... everyone has the same amount of time to prepare the pieces from now until then - what gives them the advantage over you? as long as you work harder, practice more strategically and devote yourself then you're bound to at least have a chance.

[@BrianCole]

Would you say using a zoom as just a microphone and having a camera for video would be a wise idea?

[@robknopperstudio]

i don't think the zoom microphone is the best for clearly recording music but it's better than an iPhone.

[@austinsmith5101]

Rob, I have a question. When someone gets a spot on a professional orchestra like the met do they get that spot for a sustained amount of time or forever or how does that system work?

[@robknopperstudio]

there's usually a year or two called 'trial' or 'probationary' years where the orchestra decides if it's a good fit. then, if everyone's happy then you get tenure! that means you can stay forever and you can't get kicked out for musical reasons.

[@austinsmith5101]

rob knopper cool thank you!

[@junethanoschurchill6750]

I see that you were using the Freer hybrid sticks. How are they? Are they really as amazing as they are said to be? What do they feel like in the hands? Does it make rolling significantly easier or just a little bit?

[@robknopperstudio]

they feel really nice! i was worried because i was running out of chris lamb innovative sticks (my normal sticks of choice) but the freer ones feel really great and well balanced. only problem is they're $75...

[@christiangil8592]

Hi Rob!! Thanks a lot for sharing all these videos!! I am a drummer but recently I started to study classical percussion and your videos have helped me a lot. I would appreciate a lot if you suggest me a pair of drumsticks for classical snare drum to start in this area of academic music. Regards!!

[@robknopperstudio]

there are some great ones by vic firth and freer. i used to use chris lamb sticks but innovative ran out. now i'm testing out the freer hybrid sticks although they are quick expensive.

[@Michael-Oh]

Christian Gil I LOVE "Graham C. John's Cooperman 1" and lots of professional British and European percussionist play with them and recommend them. They are made for the concert Snare Drum player by a concert snare drum player. Get them off of jam for £19 ;)

[@christiangil8592]

Thanks a lot Rob! I will test some of Vic Firth!

[@christiangil8592]

Thank you!! I will check that model as well! :D

[@elevenvideola]

Not an audition but I am working on the timpani part for Rachmaninoff symphony 2

[@robknopperstudio]

oh cool! i hope you checked out the video about how to prepare a timpani part for orchestra...

[@elevenvideola]

I did! Doing my thid read through of the part today

[@wolleyreikivalley]

those are some nice mics ;D

[@robknopperstudio]

why thank you

[@audreylin9111]

Thanks! This was super helpful! Regarding #3, is there a cheap microphone I could use as a high school student who doesn't want to spend too much money? Also, I am actually planning on taking the NYO audition and learning the Rosauro concerto for it. I would love any tips you could provide!

[@robknopperstudio]

hey audrey, you can see all the gear i use for self-recording here: www.robknopper.com/selfrecording. the rosauro! hmm that could be an interesting one to work up. i haven't played that one in forever...

[@noemitravaglini4648]

No hablo ingles

[@zavidlan6166]

Guess the one dislike is from the student referred in the video

[@robknopperstudio]

haha right??

[@davem9132]

Or the dad taking his nap~ 😀