Your host, Eleanor:
I can look back and be like that was an amazing experience that I will treasure in my heart literally forever. Hello and welcome to the Confident Musicianing Podcast. My name is Eleanor and I am a British-American oboist studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Literally my dream school and it took me a long way to get there. I applied and auditioned for 12 schools in three different countries. It was a lot of hard work but, oh my gosh, so worth it. I want you to have the confidence to work hard in achieving your goals, so come with 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 Confident Musicianing Podcast. Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Confident Musicianing Podcast.
I was in youth orchestra for three years. This is the first year in through well, I guess four years, because I was in youth orchestra for three years but this is the first year in four years that I am not in youth orchestra and, to be honest, it feels a bit bittersweet. When I was in youth orchestra, I was in the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra. We performed on the Heinz Hall stage, which, if you haven’t seen or been to Heinz Hall. I highly recommend it. Like, it is, absolutely gorgeous. I have some pictures of it on my Instagram if you scroll down a bit. But if you ever get the chance to go in person, oh my gosh, it is absolutely amazing to go to and it is even more amazing to perform in. It’s so cool, so stinking cool, and if anyone is listening from my youth orchestra, I wish you the very, very, very, very best of seasons. It is. I’m so excited. I’m so excited to see what the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra does this season and you know, let’s be honest, it’s a little bittersweet. I’m feeling a little nostalgic because it’s the first year in four years that I’m not a part of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, but I’m very excited about what I am doing. But if anyone is listening from PISO, I wish you all the best in this in this season. Okay now, I am so grateful for my time at the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra and, as I am moving on, I have just moved to the UK, so very, very, very far away from Pittsburgh, and I am now studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. I am so extremely excited about this opportunity, since we have this big, big, big life change. It has prompted me to reflect on my time in youth orchestra.
So here are three things that I have learned from performing in youth orchestra. The first one I think is really important when to be focused and when to be casual. When we’re rehearsing we are focused, like we are focused right. When it’s rehearsal, we are focused. When it is break time, we are casual, and sometimes I feel like the balance between focus and casual is definitely a different balance than, say, high school band. In high school band at least this is all my experience in high school band in my experience people might chit chat, people might, you know, say something, whisper something to their stand partner. I mean, obviously they’re focusing, but they kind of it’s still kind of just like, not as focused. But in youth orchestra at least in the youth orchestra that I, you know, in my experience, everything was way more focused. I mean, the repertoire was harder, we were really, you know, challenging ourselves, but everything was more focused. And I think it’s interesting because youth orchestra is made up of teenagers and I think teenagers’ natural tendency is to have a laugh and hang out with their friends and you know all of these things. But I think that as well. We are in youth orchestra, so we are focusing, and so I think you, you know, I really loved how focused everyone was and then when it was break time, how casual and fun everyone was to be around. But then, when it was time to focus, we focused, and I think that that was so magical of like, okay, we are here to do something, we are here to make music. You know what I mean. And, to be honest, something that goes along with focusing is strategic practicing, which I think everyone was trying to do in youth orchestra on their own time. And if you want to practice more strategically, I mean, don’t we all Everyone does? Episode 36 is the episode for you. It is titled Need to Practice More Strategically. Start here. This episode has three resources for you from me to help you practice more strategically. So if that’s something that you’re into and that’s something that you want to work on or you are working on, check the show notes for that episode, because it is a goldmine of resources.
The next thing, the next takeaway from my time at Youth Orchestra, is to keep connections. This is really important. Youth Orchestra, or at least my experience we worked with a lot of professional people, professional people from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and it was really really like an amazing experience to have those connections with those professionals, even starting in youth orchestra. These connections are so extremely important and so are the impressions that you make with these people. Now it is very good to make those impressions be professional and make the connections Now. If you have like for us, we had sectionals with professionals it is important to maybe introduce yourself separately, ask insightful questions during that time so that they can remember you, because it is so important to make connections Now.
I made a connection with Maestro Jacob Joyce, the Associate Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony, by having him on the podcast. That episode is called Practice Efficiency Finding Opportunities and Leading Youth Orchestras with Maestro Jacob Joyce. I’m going to be honest, it is a goldmine, a literal goldmine of information. I listened to this episode like just me, like I listened to it so many times when I need, like, some inspiration and some motivation and just some good insight. This interview, oh my gosh, like I loved it. It was so freaking good. So I highly recommend that you check that out. That is is in the show notes Now. That was a great way to keep in touch with a professional by having them on the podcast, but not everyone has a podcast, so how can you do this for you? I think introducing yourself is really important. If you want to like, send a follow-up email if you have follow-up questions or if you had some sort of opportunity and you were able to follow up and thank the professional for their time and their insights. Making, just making those connections can be really, really, really helpful, and I think that that was a big lesson that I learned in youth orchestra, because you have all of these amazing opportunities and you got to make those connections okay, all right.
The third thing is understanding the music you are playing and having gratitude for the opportunity. And in the moment, about a year and a half before I got into my youth orchestra, I remember seeing a classmate at school with the orchestra t-shirt and I remember thinking I will never get into that youth orchestra, like I was struggling with some self-doubt and that’s not really like confident musicianing, right, that’s not really what we strive for. I wasn’t being very confident in that moment, but then, a few years later, I remember looking back after I got into this orchestra and realizing how far I had come, not only playing-wise but also mentally as well, I was performing on the Heinz Hall stage and I was performing major orchestral works, and I think that it’s so important to be grateful for that thing that you have in the moment. Youth Orchestra is an amazing experience and now that I am going on to do more, you know, like different and exciting things, I can look back and be like that, isn’t it? That was an amazing experience that I will treasure in my heart literally forever. In the second year that I was in Youth Orchestra, we played Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony. That was like an amazing experience, like it was like, like it was so good. You know what I mean. And then last, just last year, we played Mahler’s First Symphony, which was also an amazing, amazing experience. So just being in the moment when you’re on the stage playing in youth orchestra can be so extremely magical, and I think, going back and thinking about my experience with youth orchestra, I think that that is probably the most important thing Know what you have when you have it and be grateful for it.
Okay, now, if you’re listening to this episode about youth orchestra, you might be auditioning for youth orchestra, maybe, maybe not, maybe, and even if you aren’t, you might be auditioning for other things as well. But did you know that you literally have the confidence inside of you to chase after your goals, including auditioning? But let’s be honest, how do we hone that confidence? Well, my friend, that is with the Confident Musician’s Audition Guide. In this guide we talk about everything, including planning your practice, in chapter one, working with accompanists. In chapter three, getting into the zone in auditions, which is so important. In chapter five, mental practice. In chapter two, setting up mock auditions. In chapter four, audition nerves, which is scattered throughout the whole guide, and so much more. Seriously, this 43-page guide is like my baby, like I poured my heart and soul out into this guide to make it the guide for you. So whether you are just about to go into auditions, thinking about how you’re going to do auditions, or even just a little curious about auditioning, this guide is for you. The audition process might be a short process For some it’s only a few months but the effects of it can be life-changing. You don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to go to that music school just because you weren’t prepared enough for an audition. So let’s invest in you and make this audition season the audition season of confidence. Check the show notes for the link to your copy or visit confidentmusicianingcom.
All right, let’s do a recap. The first thing is when to be focused and when to be casual. Youth orchestra it is very focused. Everyone is there because they want to be there, right? And then when it is time for breaks, they are casual because we’re teenagers. When it is time for breaks, they are casual because we’re teenagers, and so it’s very important to remember the difference.
The second thing is keeping connections. For instance, I kept a connection with Maestro Jacob Joyce through having him on my podcast. But how can you keep connections with professionals that you encounter, for instance, asking insightful questions, going up and actually introducing yourself? That is so important. And the third thing is understanding the music you are playing and being grateful for the moment you have. Youth Orchestra is an amazing opportunity, so live in that moment and be grateful for it. All right, that is about it for this episode. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. As always, all the things to do with this episode will be in the show notes, from the blog post that goes with this episode to the other episodes that I mentioned, to the Confident Musicians Audition Guide. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you give the podcast a follow and I will see you in the next episode. All right, bye.