It's the first of the month.
You log into the AFM site to check for new audition postings and something catches your eye. You check your calendar. You can make it work. You have 8 weeks — plenty of time.
You send your resume, print the excerpts, and then... well, now what?
Where do you start?
How do you get from here to there in eight weeks? Do you have a plan?
This was always daunting for me when I was in school. Excitement and possibility mixed with uncertainty and stress. It felt like a mountain was ahead of me with no real path to the summit.
I have eight weeks... so much time! But also... I have eight weeks... how am I going to solve all these problems in eight weeks?
What even are the problems? How do I balance this with my other playing and life responsibilities? Where do I start?
Divide and conquer — the Four Phases
Over time, I learned to divide and conquer. To cut things up into smaller chunks with a sensible and gradual order to each step. To make clear, actionable, and ordered checklists.
In Audition Playbook and with my coaching clients, we start by dividing preparation into four distinct phases:
Planning
getting the early-stage logistics out of the way; the shortest phaseEarly Preparation
getting clear and honest about where you are starting from and setting clear goalsCore Preparation
the bulk of the work in the practice roomIn-the-Pocket
the last week or so before the audition, sort of like a marathon runner's taper phase
Each phase has its own customizable to-do list. The lists cover logistics (e.g. booking your travel), musical elements (e.g. making playlists of your excerpts), and preparation milestones (e.g. planning mock auditions). There are also frequent reminders to check in, reassess, and readjust the plan.
The Four Phases give clarity and structure to an otherwise overwhelming task.
Instead of running one 8-week endurance race to audition day, you tackle each phase, each week, and each day. Steadily, gradually, you build towards your peak performance.
Let’s get started.
Below, there is a free PDF download of the Four Phases of Preparation Checklist. (Google Sheets and Excel versions are also available).
Before you print a single excerpt, take out your calendar.
Write down the audition date and today's date, circle any big playing obligations or events, and calculate how many weeks you have.
Divide this time into phases. How much time you spend in each phase is totally up to you, but here are some suggestions from the book:
from Audition Playbook, page 13
For more ideas on how to use the Four Phases to create your own complete audition plan, please check out Audition Playbook.
