Sharon

Sparrow

Audition

Preparation
About the Artist
Sharon Sparrow is currently Acting Principal Flute of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She remains tenured in the position of Assistant
Principal Flute granted to her by Leonard Slatkin in 2014. Sharon joined the DSO in 1998 as Second Flutist where she played beside Erv
Monroe for 9 seasons. Upon his retirement, she played the position of Principal Flute for the DSO in the 2008-09 season.

She earned a Bachelor’s degree at The Juilliard School and a Master’s degree at Mannes College of Music, studying with renowned
teachers Julius Baker, Thomas Nyfenger and Geoffrey Gilbert. She has given master classes all over the world and locally is the
Instructor of Flute at Oakland University and Wayne State University. Sharon is a sought-after trainer for orchestral auditions on all
instruments, and she has coached players who have won major jobs in orchestras throughout the US. Her specialty is helping musicians
with their mindset, confidence and certainty through preparation so they can master the audition experience. Her book, “6 Weeks to
Finals”, published by Theodore Presser in 2016 is in high demand, as are her coaching appearances at Universities including recently
Peabody Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, Interlochen Academy of the Arts and University of Texas at Austin.

In August of 2018, a set of duets, “Telemann for Two” that she co-wrote with colleague Jeffery Zook, based on Telemann’s Solo
Fantasies was released by Theodore Presser and is being performed in studios and in Recitals all over the country. Sharon Sparrow is a
hands-on advocate for music education at all ages, and has hosted and written children’s shows for both the Detroit Symphony and the
CutTime Players, based in Michigan. She is currently blending her performing and teaching skills in her new program, “The Unlimited
Flutist”.

Sharon has been a frequent concerto soloist with the Detroit Symphony and other local orchestras, having recently performed the Ibért
concerto, Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp with renowned harpist, Yolanda Kondonassis, Chaminade’s Conccertino and Bach’s
Brandeburg Concerto #5 with renowned violinist Andrés Cárdenes.

She has held Principal positions with the Memphis Symphony, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, as
well as been a guest flutist in the Chicago, Pittsburgh, Hong Kong and Baltimore Symphony. The past two summers, Sharon has
performed as a Guest Artist at the Strings Festival in Steamboat Springs, CO, and this past summer was also a member of the Carmel
Bach Festival Orchestra in Carmel, CA. Her children have continued with a passion for music. Her daughter, Hannah, graduated with a
degree in Choral Music Education from U of M and is a professional singer, and son, Zack, graduated from Belmont University with a
degree in Music Business and is a digital media specialist for the recording label Easy Eye Sound in Nashville. Sharon is proud to be a
resident of downtown Detroit.
About the Course
Sharon Sparrow has helped hundreds of musicians feel confident and perform their best in auditions and
performances. She guides us through her entire process for audition and performance preparation including
Practice, Mental Training, and Event Training & Mock Auditions.

Contents

Audition or Opportunity - pg. 4

Practice - pg. 5

Mental Training - pg. 8

Mock Auditions - pg. 10

Bibliography - pg. 12

If you have any corrections, comments, or critiques relating to this workbook, please send them to
marek@tonebase.co. We strive to deliver the highest quality enrichment experience. Thank you!
 Audition or Opportunity

The word audition is inherently scary; the connotations are stress, fear, and rejection. However, the
extreme training that comes with audition preparation will make you a much better player! So how about
instead of thinking of the word Audition, substitute it with Opportunity? An audition is simply the
opportunity to be better! Preparing for any opportunity will require some essential tools:



Audition tool checklist

Your instrumen
Repertoire lis
Tuner

Elite tool checklist

Metronom
Blank card
Recording device with playbac
Blank manuscript paper

04
 Practice

When preparing for an Audition, it can help to have a procedure to follow in the weeks leading up to the

big day.

Useful warm-up

A useful warm-up is one that will allow your body and brain to work at their best in your practice session

and also incorporates elements of the music that you will be working on for your session. Note that

immediately playing the most challenging passages as loud and fast as possible is not a useful warm-up.

Sharon goes through her favorite warm-ups in the video based on various standard orchestral excerpts.

Naughty list

Having a “Naughty List” helps learn the most demanding passages from each excerpt. You can train these

sections objectively and effectively by taking them out of context. Before long, these naughty and difficult

excerpts will be neither naughty nor difficult.

Excerpts from Stravinsky’s Firebird on Sharron Sparrow’s “naughty list”

05
Tasks for the day

The purpose of these ‘Tasks of the Day’ is to incorporate a bit of fun into your practice session! Write the
title of each excerpt onto a blank card and form them into a deck; at this point of the practice session,
shuffle the deck and draw out three cards. These will then be the three pieces to focus on for your practice
session. This method can also be applied when practicing repertoire; instead of writing an excerpt on the
card, you can write the names of challenging sections from each of the pieces on your program.

Mock audition

An essential part of audition preparation is the ritual of performing regular informal mock auditions; these
allow you to get an idea of how the audition will feel in an informal and relaxed setting. Ideally, a mock
audition ritual should be done in a separate zone, away from where you practiced your warm-up and
naughty list. This space does not necessarily have to be another room; turning your music stand ninety
degrees is enough to tell your brain that you are no longer in practice mode.

It is now time to play through your mock audition! Ensure you have set up your recording device and put
yourself into performance mode. When you are settled, play through the three excerpts you drew from
your deck of daily tasks.



Evaluation

After playing through your excerpts, it is time to evaluate your performance. It is important to note that
this is not judgment, but rather an objective evaluation of how you performed. A recording device is not
your enemy! Your nitty-gritty evaluation of your run-through should focus on the three INs that are always
listened for in Auditions and performances: In time; In tune; Intent.

The first of these, In time, can be evaluated very quickly. Using your metronome next to the playback of
the recording, see which parts deviate from your target tempo; this is a speedy way to see which parts of
the excerpt tend to rush and which to drag. When this is done, make notes on a clean part of the
problematic sections and use this to plan your next practice session. To evaluate the next In, In tune, use
your tuning device similarly to how you used the metronome before. As you play your recording back, note
on your part in a different color, which notes were out of tune.

06
The last In, Intent, is the most satisfying but also the most complicated In to evaluate. It involves a whole
range of characteristics, including the History of the piece, the phrasing of the performance, articulation,
the emotional effect of the performance, and how the performance communicated to the audience. Before
you evaluate the Intent of the excerpt, make sure that you know enough about the piece. Some things to
check out when learning about this phase of evaluation are
The backstory of the piec
The history of the compose
What you want to say with the excerp
An idea of how you want to phrase 

Having all of these things in mind will give a reference from which you can build your evaluation of your
performance and allow you to answer whether or not your performance conveyed what you intended.



When listening for Intent, it can be very tempting to start evaluating things covered by the previous Ins.
Focus on whether you were saying what you wanted to say musically rather than whether or not the
triplets were absolutely in time or whether that high E was perfectly in tune. Things you can listen out for
Have you told a story over the entire excerpt, that has a single cohesive narrative arc
Does your sound match the emotional state of the music
Do any rests in the part break the line of the music? If so, try to play them in a way that maintains
the narrative arc
Is your breathing too loud or too disruptive
Does your vibrato match the singing voice in your head?



Reward

When you have worked through this audition preparation process, you have earned a reward!
Congratulations on improving your excerpts. Good work!

07
 Mental Training

When preparing for an Audition, it can help to have a procedure to follow in the weeks leading up to the

big day. Mental training is an essential but often overlooked part of preparation for performance, it allows

you to train an aspect of your playing that is always there but often not at the forefront of your mind when

you are on stage or playing for an audition panel.


The topic of mental training is a huge one, with many variations and subtleties, however, when preparing

for an audition or performance, there are three main Pillars of Preparation to focus on.

Positive words

As a concept, this sounds like a simple one, but it is surprising how easy it is to fall into a cycle of negative

words and thinking when preparing for a performance.

An exercise for breaking this cycle of negative thoughts and words involves writing out the negative

thought and then writing the same thought but reframed into a positive one. You will need only a piece of

paper and a pen for this simple exercise

Fold the paper in half; one side for the negative thought, the other for the positive reframing

Write out your negative thought on one side, make it as vague or as specific as you wish

On the other side of the paper, rewrite the same thought but in a positive way.

“Wow, that sucked, I will never be able to “Wow, that one definitely has room to grow,

play that passage.” I’m excited to hear it improve with more hard

work!”

08
Books and journalling

There are many books on mental preparation, which can provide a wealth of knowledge regarding
improving your approach to performance or audition training. However, knowing how to use them
effectively can be the difference between simply reading the words and applying the meaning. One highly
effective method is to save an hour every day before bed for reading one of these books, then jotting down
in a journal any pieces of information that you feel apply to you or your upcoming performance/audition.

As there are many different aspects of mental training, not all are directly related to music, books written
by athletes or athletic coaches can be an excellent place to start, as their mental preparation for games or
races is very similar to those of a musician preparing for concerts or auditions.

When reading these books, ensure you are actively reading and not just passively reading the words. Take
the time to take notes, preferably with pen and paper, as this will help embed the concept into your mind
and allow you to understand the concept more comprehensively. For ideas on where to start when finding
books on mental training, see the bibliography of this workbook.



Visualization

Visualization or mental imagery is a way of preparing yourself for a performance or audition by visualizing
your performance or audition in your mind’s eye. “Seeing” it in this manner allows you to control and
enjoy every aspect of the performance, all while monitoring your breathing.


Using these three pillars of preparation every day as a part of your training for your performance or
audition is a way for you to practice in a more focused and targeted way.


Enjoy the process, and best of luck for your big day!

09
 Mock Auditions

The purpose of the mock audition is to prepare you both mentally and physically for the day of the

audition. Preparing excerpts for an audition is very different from preparing to play the same pieces with

an orchestra and thus requires a different mindset. As an audition is similar to a sporting event, it can be

helpful to think of your preparation in terms of Event training instead of concert preparation. Therefore,

your preparation for the audition must contain as many details that you would experience in the audition

as possible.

The first step in this event training is to find a new zone; perhaps a different room, or another area in the

space where you practice. The important thing is that it is different from where you regularly practice. This

difference will help to take your brain out of practice mode and into performance mode.

When entering this space, start the training by ensuring you are entirely present, letting go of the mental

chatter, and presenting your performance as if it were audition day. Gathering as much information as

possible before you get to the event is also beneficial. Research like this can include trying to find out how

the auditions for your chosen orchestra work. Some questions could be

Do they take place on the Orchestra’s stage

Is the curtain directly in front of you, or is it out in the hall

What is the hall like? Is it a reverberant or a dead acoustic

What is the temperature usually like in the hall?

Finding answers to these questions means that when you arrive in the space for your audition, it won’t be

a surprise, and it will feel much more comfortable. While it may seem that these questions are hard to

answer, you would be surprised how much information is available online. Another resource is your

colleagues, as chances are, there is someone who has either direct experience or knows someone who can

answer these questions.

10
The more information you can bring to your mock auditions means that you will gradually become more
and more comfortable, which will make the audition slightly less stressful. Mock auditions are an excellent
way of gathering data about how your preparation is progressing. Even things like “How does my
instrument react when it is hot or cold?,” and “How do I react if it is hot or cold?” can give you an insight
into how the audition day will go.

As the acoustics of the audition venue will likely be quite different from what you are used to, it is an
excellent idea to mock your audition in as many other places as possible. Run your audition in places with
live acoustics, with dead acoustics, in hot places, in cold places, in places with a lot of background noise,
and in places that are extremely quiet. These different experiences will help you build a tool kit to be used
on the day of the audition. To be as prepared as possible for your audition, Sharon Sparrow recommends
doing a mock audition every day for the six weeks before the actual audition, by the time you have played
through your audition forty-two times, you will have gathered a lot of data and will know your excerpts
pretty well!

An important thing to take note of is that you are not aiming for perfection with your Mocks, they are there
to give you an insight as to how you play and what you need to improve. You should be aiming for
reinforcement of your audition routine, making sure that you are breathing in a controlled way, keeping the
voice in your head positive, and that when you enter your zone of performance, you feel comfortable and
in control. You want to aim for a feeling of total comfort in the process about a week before the audition
itself, ensuring maximum performance on the day.

Set up some formal mock auditions if you wish to up the stakes. Invite colleagues, students, teachers,
friends, and anyone who will listen, introducing an extra layer of stress to the run. Doing this process will
help you become more and more comfortable, as playing for close friends and colleagues can be more
stressful than playing for a panel of strangers.

The only way to become a great performer is to perform, the only way to become a great audition taker is
to audition. Mock auditions can feel almost real if you approach them in a focused, controlled way.

Enjoy the process, and enjoy the improvement that comes from it. All the best for your audition!

11
 Bibliography

Afremow, Jim. 2013. The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive. Emmaus, PA: Rodale

Books.

Baltzell, Amy. 2011. Living in the Sweet Spot: Preparing for Performance in Sport and Life. Morgantown, WV:

Fitness Information Technology.

Carroll, Pete, and Yogi Roth. 2010. Win Forever: Live Work and Play Like a Champion. New York: Portfolio.

Clear James. 2018. Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes Remarkable Results. New York: Avery.

Green, Barry. 1986. The Inner Game of Music. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press.

Gallwey, Timothy. 1979. The Inner Game of Tennis. New York: Bantam Books.

King, Billie Jean. 2008. Pressure is a Privilege: Lessons I've Learned from Life and the Battle of the Sexes. New

York: LifeTime Media.

Loehr, James. 1986. Mental Toughness Training for Sports. New York: Stephen Greene Press

Loehr, James. 1991. The Mental Game. New York: Plume.

Ohno, Apolo. 2010. Zero Regrets: Be Greater than Yesterday. New York: Atria Books

Pitino, Rick. 1997. Success is a Choice: Ten Steps to Overachieving in Business and Life. New York: Broadway

Books.

Ungerleider, Steven. 1996. Mental Training for Peak Performance: Top Athletes Reveal the Mind Exercises they Use

to Excel. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press.

12