Wanna do youth orchestra? Listen to this

I had so much fun in youth orchestra, and I can't wait to share some things to remember when you start in youth orchestra!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to the Confident Musicianing
Podcast.
My name is Eleanor and I am aBritish American oboist studying
at the Royal Conservatoire ofScotland literally my dream
school and it took me a long wayto get there.
I applied and auditioned for 12schools in three different
countries.
It was a lot of hard work but,oh my gosh, so worth it.

(00:24):
I want you to have theconfidence to work hard in
achieving your goals, so comewith me as we go on this journey
together.
So sit down, pull up a chair,take a seat or, if you're on the
go, welcome to the ConfidentMusicianing Podcast if you are

(00:52):
auditioning for youth orchestraor maybe just thinking about
doing it.
Honestly, it is such a funexperience.
I was in a youth orchestra, um,when I was in high school and
not only was it just fun, but itwas also extremely informative
to how I have grown as amusician because literally at a
high school age I was gettinglike orchestral experience and
we played so many fun pieces.
We played Shostakovich's fifthsymphony, we played Mahler's

(01:14):
first symphony, we played um DerRose in Cavalier suites like,
honestly, like such amazingpieces, and I was able to have
that experience at, honestly,such a young age, which I'm so,
so, so grateful for.
Now, if you are thinking aboutdoing youth orchestra or maybe

(01:36):
you've gotten into one, or maybeyou're auditioning for it,
maybe you're thinking about itin the future here are some
things to remember when you arethinking about doing youth
orchestra.
Now, this is kind of focused alittle bit on habits to do or
things to do when you actuallyget there, so like your first

(01:57):
rehearsal or maybe just yoursecond or third, but kind of the
things to do when you get thereand what to expect and kind of
how to make a good impression,because that is really, really
important.
I think it can be easy to think, especially when we're at high
school level, like, oh, thingsare fun, but honestly, I mean it
is obviously fun, but it's notjust fun.

(02:19):
Do you know what I mean?
It is so informative and sohelpful and through my youth
orchestra experience, I havemade like professional
connections with like worldclass musicians.
Like, honestly, it's reallygood, it's like it's it's a
really amazing experience and inorder to get the best out of it

(02:41):
, we have to kind of give it ourbest and make a good impression
.
So that is what this episode isabout.
We have three things to rememberwhen you start youth orchestra
or maybe, if you're alreadydoing it, how to continue as
well.
The first thing is to comeprepared.

(03:02):
Now, this might seem a bitobvious or simple, um, but
honestly, like, just make sureyou have any, everything.
There is nothing asembarrassing as like forgetting
a pencil and we all do it.
But grab a pencil, have yourmusic.
Or maybe, if you're gettingyour music there, like make sure
that you know how you'regetting your music, or you know

(03:23):
how you have your music.
You know how you're gettingyour music or you know how you
have your music.
It's also interesting if youalready know what you're playing
, and this is kind of more oflike a first rehearsal
impression.
If you already know what you'regoing to be playing, try and
like, and maybe you don't havethe music yet, maybe you're
going to get the music when youget there.
Try and already have the musiclike printed somewhere else.

(03:44):
You can like go on imslp ormaybe ask the youth orchestra to
send you like copies of it.
Um, maybe they might not beable to, but it is honestly
worth the ask to be able to dothis.
Um, and it's just kind of a wayto, once you're already there,
you already know the part.
Like, honestly, calm, prepare,not just with the things that
you bring, but also with yourmindset and kind of how you um

(04:08):
know the music.
You know, kind of already knowthe music.
That's kind of how that worksand that might seem obvious, but
I feel, especially in youthorchestra, it can be so easy to
just kind of roll up, you knowand be like, hey, but you, it is
so important to alreadyunderstand what you're going to
be playing, how your thing, howyour part fits in um to the rest

(04:28):
of the orchestra, so that youcan be as prepared as possible.
So listen to the piecesbeforehand, make sure you're
familiar with the repertoirethat you're going to be playing,
come ready to focus and workand to have a good time.
Like honestly, it is really agreat way to to do that and to
to like create connections.
It's really good.

(04:49):
The next thing is to say helloto the conductor and the other
adults there, make a good firstimpression.
This is a really interestingone because I think for me as a
student at a conservatoire now,honestly making connections with
people professionally is reallyimportant and to literally just
go up and say hi is such animportant thing to do, like for

(05:14):
me.
Like this doesn't have to dowith youth orchestra, but it
kind of does.
But since I've been in youthorchestra, you know, I'm
currently in a conservatoire andthere's a lot of lectures that
I go to, that there are likeguest lectures, and I always
make a point of, after thelecture, going up introducing
myself and saying just like whatI thought of it, you know,

(05:36):
maybe something that I foundparticularly interesting, just
to really like make thatdifference and honestly, they,
it does make a differencebecause they, they remember you
then, and it's just good to makeconnections like that, I think
as well.
Um, I recently made a reallygood connection.
I was in a, in a festival um,and there was this person that

(05:59):
um I wanted to network with andso I introduced myself and it
turned into a really amazingopportunity that I was able to
do professionally.
It was like so good.
I'm really grateful for that.
But I think it is important tosay hello and I honestly, like I

(06:20):
make it a thing to say hello,but to this day, I am often like
needing to hype myself upbefore actually saying hello
because I'm like, oh my gosh,you know I'm nervous.
You know what if I saysomething wrong, or what if you
know it doesn't go well, or allof these things.
And I think the more I do it,the more I realize that you know
it is.
It is like it's fine, just gosay hello, introduce yourself.

(06:44):
If you, you know, say somethinga bit silly or something that
you didn't mean to, or maybe you, like I don't know, slipped up
your words or something like itdoesn't matter, like it, it is
important to just go and makeconnections.
So, um, especially for youthorchestra on the first day, the
conductor and the other adultsare getting to know everyone
there, um, and honestly it mustseem a bit overwhelming to them,

(07:07):
like, if we think about theirperspective, like there's
honestly like 80 people, orhowever big the youth orchestra
might be, like there's a lot ofpeople to get to know, and if
you kind of go up and introduceyourself, it can make such a
really good impression.
Really, be respectful and kind,you know, be respectful to

(07:30):
their position, especially ifthey are, you know, senior to
you.
It is important to berespectful, but just introduce
yourself and say how happy youare to be there.
This can make a really bigdifference, because then your
face is recognizable more in asea of faces that they are
getting to know.
So go and say hello and thenthe last thing is know when to

(07:52):
focus and when to relax.
This is a big one.
This is honestly a big onebecause I think, especially as
teenagers and I'm not a teenageranymore, which is crazy, I'm
like that's crazy but especiallyas teenagers I was a teenager
when I was in youth orchestrabut as teenagers I think it can

(08:17):
be really easy to kind ofstruggle to know the difference
between professionalism and alsojust like being there because
you enjoy being there.
I think, especially teenagerswho are in the music world and
the classical music world, Ithink we are taught to kind of
grow up quite fast becausethat's where your career starts.

(08:38):
You're making professionalconnections.
I mean I was makingprofessional connections at like
16, you know that is quite theyoung age to be starting kind of
your networking for your career.
And so I think as a teenageryou know when you are a teenager
it can be kind of difficultbecause you know you're in youth

(09:00):
orchestra with a bunch of yourfriends but you also want to
make a good impression and showthat you are focused and
diligent and disciplined, um,when it turned when you know, in
terms of actually performingand being professional.
And so I think it is quiteinteresting, um, to see that
difference.
When I did my three years inyouth orchestra, you could kind

(09:22):
of sometimes tell the newcomersfrom how they acted.
It was interesting At thebeginning of the years when I
was in the youth orchestra, likeI just like there would be new
faces and it would be soexciting.
And I mean, some of them werereally professional and really
focused and then other ones justkind of showed up and like
chit-chatted and maybe they knewsome other people there and so

(09:44):
they just like kind of weredistracted and it did show and
it was kind of like, um, thisperson is maybe not as focused
as as this other person, um, andit does, it did kind of show.
So it is something that that tobe, you know, it's something to
be aware of, um, especially ifyou want to make a good first

(10:04):
impression in youth orchestra.
Yeah, especially if you'recoming from a school band
experience, because the schoolband experience can be a very
different experience than youthorchestra, because school bands
I feel like there is a lot of alot more leeway for kind of kids
being kids.
And then I think for youthorchestra there is a lot more
professionalism and I think youknow it's important to kind of

(10:26):
focus on that and kind of maybemake sure that you are quite
professional.
Yeah, yeah, so, but the I meanthe thing is, it's interesting
because in that situation, youknow people are learning, you
know they.
I think at the beginning for me,like I did try to be
professional, but you know therewere some times where I did

(10:47):
kind of kind of fudge the line abit and and and was a bit kind
of confused as to howprofessional I needed to be in a
specific moment and maybe how,how chill I could be.
Um, but I think it's it.
It is, oh, definitely alearning curve.
So don't stress too much, don'tbe like, oh my gosh, you know
I'm not gonna be professionalenough and then people won't

(11:10):
like me.
It's not gonna be like that,it's gonna be fine.
But it is important to kind ofbe aware of that.
Youth orchestra, at least in myexperience, is kind of a
precursor or like a like, a kindof like a beginning part of
your professional career, and itis a way of making good

(11:32):
connections.
So in my experience it's aboutbeing focused way more than a
high school ensemble so kind ofsomething that I lived by was
the idea of when the rehearsalis happening, stay focused and
attentive, and then when there'sa break, I found myself, you
know, more chilled to talk topeople and to to kind of be a
little more chill, and it isimportant to know that

(11:54):
difference.
I think, at least in myorchestra when it, when it was
time for rehearsal, you know youdidn't chit chat or you didn't
kind of faff about a bit likeyou were quite focused with that
.
But then, you know, before andafter rehearsal and during the
break, you know, kids can bekids and and it can just be a
bit more laid back.
But that is also important tonote as well.

(12:18):
I think youth orchestra can bereally, really fun and there are
a lot of exciting pieces thatare played in youth orchestra
and I think, especially when weare preparing for youth
orchestra, one of the thingsthat is so important is
understanding how much time weare allocating to each piece
that we are practicing for youthorchestra, and something that I
have found really helpful in mypractice is planning.

(12:41):
My practice and the tool that Iuse for that is a notable
practice journal.
This journal has been reallyhelpful for me in my planning of
my practice and in my practiceto make sure that I have a more
effective and focused session.
I think when I don't plan mypractice, a lot of the times it
can be really not focused andkind of aimless, honestly, and

(13:04):
then after you know my sessions,I'm like, what did I actually
do?
But with a notable practicejournal I am able to not only
plan my practice but also checkoff the things that I have done,
which really gives me a senseof gratification yeah, kind of a
sense of productivity that'sthe word.
And then also there's a part inthe notebook that you can

(13:30):
reflect on your session and yourweek of practice sessions, and
that has been really helpful forme as well to make sure that I
kind of am able to grow in everysingle session.
So as soon as I found out thatI'm you know that this was
helping, I knew that I needed totell you about it and I knew
that I needed to give you a code.

(13:51):
So use code Eleanor15 for 15%off your journal.
That is E-L-E-A-N-O-R 15 for15% off your journal.
I will link the link in thedescription to get your journal,
but make sure to use the codeso you get 15% off.
You know me, I do not recommendanything that I don't

(14:11):
absolutely love.
This code is an affiliate codeand so I do receive a commission
from it with no extra cost toyou.
All right, let's do a bit of arecap.
So the first thing is comingprepared to the rehearsals, not
only physically in terms of likehaving a pencil and having your
music, but also mentally, youknow, having no like kind of

(14:35):
already knowing the part andknowing the repertoire and
having listened to the music,you know, kind of being able to
already play it a little bit.
That is that is really helpfulas well.
The next thing is kind ofconnection, saying hello to the
conductor and the other adultsthat are making a good first
impression.
This is a really importantthing to kind of distinguish

(14:58):
yourself out of a sea of facesand also just to make
connections.
I mean, when you know theconductor and you know the
adults there, that's really goodto be able to do that and to
have those connections, becausethen they're looking out for you
, you know, and it's just a moresupportive environment when you
know the people around you, youknow, and it's just a more

(15:19):
supportive environment when youknow the people around you.
And then the last thing is knowwhen to focus and when to relax.
This can be really tricky,especially if you're a teenager
in youth orchestra, because Ifeel like the professionalism
hits hard early At least it didfor me.
So for me I kind of focus onthe idea of during rehearsal, I
am focused.
Focus on the idea of duringrehearsal, I am focused, I am,

(15:40):
you know, really kind of it's.
I'm all there and I'm reallyfocused and I'm not
chit-chatting or I'm notdistracted or anything.
But then when it's time for thebreak, or before and after
rehearsal, I can, you know, talkto my neighbor a bit more or,
you know, be less kind offocused because we're not
rehearsing.
So those are kind of the topthree things that I have found

(16:05):
helpful when I was in youthorchestra and I hope that they
were helpful to you.
So that is about it for thisepisode.
Thank you so much for hangingout with me.
If you did enjoy this episode,please do show the love, like,
subscribe, comment, share, sharewith all your musician friends,
especially if you know someonegoing into orchestra or youth
orchestra.
Yeah, and thank you so much forhanging out with me.

(16:29):
As always, the links to do withthe episode will be in the show
notes from the blog post thatgoes with this episode to the
link to get your notablepractice journal.
Make sure to use the codeEleanor15 for 15% off your order
.
And yeah, I will see you in thenext episode.
All right, take care.
Bye.