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Latest Issue: The secret weapon for winning auditions: ‘PERIODIZATION’

Volume 119, No. 10 Winning on stage
November, 2019
Volume 119, No. 9
October, 2019

DR. DON GREENE

DON.GREENE@WINNINGONSTAGE.COM

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Do you ever nd yourself peaking for your audition too early or too late? Do you feel yourself drained
2008
of energy before you even get to the audition? Or are you feeling so mentally and physically fatigued
2007
that you aren’t even motivated to prepare?
2006
2005 If so, you are reading the right article! There is a secret weapon that I teach called periodization, and it
2004 has been a game changer for all of my audition-winning clients. This periodization process involves
2003 training cycles with four distinct phases: preparation, tapering, execution and recovery. Periodization
2002 is designed to peak the performer’s energy at just the right time (like during the nals) in order to win.

2001
2000
Preparation phase
1999 There is a lot of great information on the internet about various approaches to winning auditions.
Most of the websites and blogs are by musicians who have won orchestral auditions themselves. These
authors are emphasizing the physical, technical, organizational, and musical aspects of the audition
preparation and actual audition performance. They usually address only the rst phase of the
periodization process: preparation.

Preparation involves both physical and mental work. The physical includes the organization of
practice, technical work, listening, score study, mock-auditions, etc. The mental preparation includes
centering practice, mental rehearsal or visualization, and concentration exercises. Long before their
auditions, I have my clients complete a thorough assessment of their mental performance skills. We
measure their abilities in ve main areas: performance energy, con dence, courage, focus and
resilience. After determining their individual mental strengths and weaknesses they can begin working
speci cally in the area(s) where they will make the most improvement in the least amount of time.

The mental training, which can replace some of the physical practice time, involves the centering
process and positive af rmations. Centering helps control and channel performance energy before
and during the audition process. The af rmations help to build self-con dence. Concentration
exercises help musicians to focus past distractions and quiet the mind. They also learn how to become
mentally tough and to recover quickly from inevitable mistakes. I don’t believe in perfectionism,
especially at auditions. The idea is to continually strive for excellence which means doing your best
under any circumstance.

Tapering phase
A few days prior to an audition, it is time to begin the second phase of the training cycle, which is the
all-important tapering process. At this point you need to spend less time physically practicing as you
increase your mental training even more, and begin to get more sleep and rest. In the last week before
the audition it’s too late to cram (although many musicians do). If you don’t have all the excerpts or
technical skills down by now you’re probably not going to master them in the next few days. If you try
to do so, it will be counter-productive.

Instead of fretting over musical things or playing through the excerpt list one more time, there are
better things to do. Believe it or not, I often recommend sleeping in, taking short power naps (20
minutes), watching comedy, doing a mental rehearsal session, or having lunch with a good friend
(either a non-musician or a friend who promises there will be no audition talk!). In the last few days,
the idea is to stay positive and mellow as you bide your time wisely and build up your energy. This is
not easy for most musicians who are used to years of constant physical practice. Although you cannot
win in the days leading up to an audition, you can lose!

In addition to maintaining the right mindset and conserving energy, it’s important that you carefully
manage your heightened emotions in the nal days before the audition. Due to the extra stress, many
performers’ nerves get raw and they become testy or prickly, especially – and unfortunately – with
those closest to them. For many musicians, the looming audition can feel as important as a matter of
life or death. Keeping perspective and a sense of humor can be an immense help. Remember that your
audition performance is too important to take too seriously.

The most important night of sleep is two nights before the audition. In terms of energy, there’s a one-
day delay with the effects of sleep. So if the audition is on Saturday, you want to get a great night’s
sleep on Thursday. Try your best to go to bed early, or sleep in, or both. If you feel very tired Friday
afternoon, take a very short nap (10 to 15 minutes). After waking up I recommend that you get up,
move around and get some fresh air.

The night before the audition, try to schedule dinner in the late afternoon or early evening. It’s wise to
eat something that’s easy to digest, without a lot of spices. Wind down before going to bed (no exciting
action movies, musical events or recordings). Turn off all musical thoughts in your head and get to bed
at a reasonable time. Darken the room, lower the temperature, get into bed and nd a comfortable
position. If sleep doesn’t arrive within a few minutes, don’t worry. Just lie there and relax. Simply lying
still provides 70 percent of the rest bene t of sleeping. Hopefully you will have been getting extra rest,
naps, and had a good night’s sleep the previous night. That’s the energy you’ll be using tomorrow at the
audition.

Execution phase
The third phase in the cycle is the execution phase. The rst thing to do is to get up with plenty of time
to get ready to do your best. I recommend arriving at the audition site early, keeping your mind on the
process of what you need to do to execute a peak performance. Avoid thinking about all the possible
outcomes. When they come up, just imagine your audition going well. Before walking in, summon up
your courage, stay in the moment, and focus only on the task at hand. Follow your performance
routine. (I have watched many clients throw their performance routine out the window the day of the
audition.) Trust the process and all of your hard work, talent and training. Then go for it with
everything you have!

Although many musicians try in vain to relax at auditions, I train my clients to channel that extra
energy to blow away their competitors as well as the audition panel. In this process, they use a variety
of peak performance skills like centering and mental rehearsal techniques. These help them do better
in auditions because of the extra pressure and energy, not in spite of it. While most of their fellow
musicians are trying to calm down I want my clients to get their energy up. My training teaches them
how to control, channel, and peak that powerful performance energy when it really counts.

Recovery phase
After the audition, the nal phase is recovery. Take some much-needed physical and mental rest away
from the instrument and repertoire before you begin preparing for the next big performance or
audition. Make sure that you feel fresh, rested and recovered before starting your next training cycle.
Regardless of the nal outcome, you need to reward yourself for the efforts you put in and the
improvements that have resulted from those efforts. I suggest something tangible and permanent as a
symbolic reminder of your progress.

After you recover and want to get ready for an even better performance, make good use of this four-
phase cycle again. These four phases are indeed the secret weapon that I call periodization. Begin the
cycle again with all the physical and mental work that needs to be done to prepare for the audition or
concert. This is followed by tapering in the last days before the important event. Back off from the high
level of training in order to build your energy so that you reach a peak in the execution phase at the
audition or concert. Once again, you’ll deserve a few days off so you can recover – as well as another
reward.

Remember to ask yourself this question: which phase of periodization do you struggle with the most
when you’re getting ready for an audition or important concert? Be honest. Remember, all of the four
phases affect each other and the nal result. Tapering and recovery are just as important as
preparation and execution!

For your next training cycle before a big performance, plan out your calendar, so you can schedule the
four periodization phases.

Repeat the four phases until you begin to feel like each cycle of the periodization process has
improved, as well as the results. Go for it!

Dr. Don Greene, a peak performance psychologist, has taught his comprehensive approach to peak
performance mastery at Juilliard, Colburn School, New World Symphony, Los Angeles Opera Young
Artists Program, Vail Ski School, Perlman Music Program, and the U.S. Olympic Training Center. During
his 32-year career, he has coached more than 1,000 performers to win professional auditions and has
guided countless solo performers to successful careers. Some of the performing artists with whom Dr.
Greene has worked have won jobs with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Concertgebouw
Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Opera, Montreal Symphony,
Pittsburgh Symphony, National Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Paci c Northwest Ballet, and the
Dance Theatre of Harlem, to name just a few. Of the Olympic track and eld athletes he worked with
up until and through the 2016 games in Rio, 14 won medals, including ve gold. Dr. Greene has
authored ten books including “Audition Success,” “Fight Your Fear & Win,” “Performance Success,” and
most recently “College Prep for Musicians.” In 2017, Dr. Greene was named a TED Educator and
collaborated with musician Dr. Annie Bosler to produce the TED-Ed talk “How to practice effectively…
for just about anything.” The video went viral and received over 25 million views across Facebook and
YouTube. For more information, visit winningonstage.com, winninginsports.com and
collegeprepformusicians.com.

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