Who could have imagined that you would be doing college auditions over…ZOOM?! What in the world…
It’s as if all of the sudden someone said, “Hey! Let’s see if you can make one of the most important decisions of your life, and determine where you’ll be living and studying the subject of your choice for the next 4 years, without actually visiting that place or meeting any of the people there, in person. It’s an amazing opportunity you have to audition over Zoom, especially at places you would not have been able to audition for any number of reasons.
Take comfort singers. It will be ok, believe me! Music Educators are some of the most nurturing and conscientious people out there and we are mindful that this is an impossible task for you. We are looking out for you. We are hyper-aware that you are doing the best you can in these difficult circumstances and are determined to show you positivity, support and reassure you that it will all work out!
Now, there are a few things you can do as you prepare for this audition or interview or Zoom chat or whatever you want to call it, that will help things run more smoothly.
We won’t be able to go in to great detail on all of these, but rather, this will serve as a quick checklist to run through to make sure you put your best foot forward and have a positive experience.
So…let’s jump in!
Checklist for a successful “Virtual” College Audition
We had a good connection. Check your internet connection. Make sure your speed is as fast as possible. Boot everyone at home off the internet if you can to free up bandwidth, and plug directly in to an ethernet cable if you can. Connect on a laptop or desktop if possible. Phone connections won’t be as user friendly and will make it impossible to see everyone at the same time. If you want some more detail on this, reference this post here starting at the section entitled with the heading “LAN.”
Illuminating! Check your lighting. There’s something to be said for an “air of mystery” but not in an audition or interview with a University. You want to be well-lit, preferably with the light in front of you, shining on your face, not from above. Make sure you are not lit from behind as that just means that bright light will be blinding us in the face on the other side, during your whole audition.
Can you hear me now? Check your audio. If you have an external mic (USB or XLR connected), use it! If it’s hard to hear you, it makes things very difficult on both sides of the conversation. Unfortunately, the worse the sound quality, the less time we can afford to spend evaluating, both in the pre-screen and the actual audition/interview.
I’m ready for my close-up. Check your camera angle. Though we’re sure you have a lovely chin and have trimmed your nose hairs, we don’t need proof. The Camera should be straight on or slightly above you for best results. Don’t forget to clean the lens.
- Look up here! Look up here! Avoid any distractions.
Turn off your system updates and notifications on your computer and close all other apps except for maybe an internet browser and of course Zoom or whatever you’re using to stream.
You don’t want Microsoft Word running an update right in the middle of a profound statement about why you want to attend a particular school.
Make sure dogs, cats pets, and parents are put away and quiet! Be aware of your surroundings. Make sure others in the house know you’re on a call. 
The last thing you need is someone cheering for a touchdown or laughing really hard at an episode of something in the other room. If you want us to see your stuffed animal collection, fantastic, if not, adjust your camera accordingly.
- Too close for comfort. If you are singing live, make sure you have your track queued up and you’ve tested your audio levels. If your pianist is playing, same thing check your audio levels and make sure you can be seen if you move to a different part of the room to sing. Sometimes as soon as that piano starts playing we either can’t hear you. This can happen because the sound clips if the gain is set too high, or the conferencing app filters out the wrong thing, or the piano simply drowns you out over your connection.
Check the proximity of the device you are using to the accompaniment and to you, not only for volume levels and balance, but if you put your track too close to the device you’re using to stream, tall we’ll hear is the track. If you are using pre-recorded accompaniment, make sure to play it on a device other than the one on which you are streaming.
- My question is… It’s always good to have one or two questions and don’t be afraid to ask uncomfortable questions. More than likely, you won’t be able to go to the actual campus if you didn’t visit before Covid started.
Ask questions that you feel might help you get a sense of things that you’d normally be able to observe in person. Questions about housing, financial aid, or the dynamic and atmosphere of the department or school might worry you because of what sort of an impression you might give. Don’t worry, we’d so much rather you ask than assume or hope that something will just “work out.” Remember, you are trying to assess if we’re a good fit for you just as much as we are trying to assess I you’re a good fit for us. Avoid the “trap door mentality” which is, thinking that if you say or do something wrong, you’ve messed up and you’re out. That may be how some programs operate, but I’d say the majority do not. We’re just trying to see if we’re all compatible, bottom line.Do some research on the school. We get it, we know you have a massive list of schools that you’re considering. It’s stressful, overwhelming and high-pressure. However, to make the best impression possible, especially since again, you can’t be there in person, do your homework and avoid asking questions like “how many graduate students do you have,” when it’s an undergraduate only program, for example.
You’re on mute… Remember, your personality, energy and performance abilities won’t translate the same way over a Zoom call as they would in person, so you may have to make some adjustments to body language, inflection and how fast or slow you speak, to give us a sense of who you are. Don’t be afraid to sell yourself instead of acting defensively or being tentative. Try not to let Zoom Burn get the best of you and cause you to zone out or glaze over while staring at that computer screen for yet another hour! Make sure to dress up. Sometimes the comfort of your own room and own home just screams yoga pants or favorite hoodie. Don’t do it! Dress as if you were attending the audition in person. 
You’ll feel more confident, look more professional and you won’t be worried about having to stand up because you’re wearing sweat pants!
