Strategy for Beginning a Cello Practice

When I was a student at USC, Malcolm Hamilton, the professor of harpsichord studies, spoke to us about recital preparation. I have forgotten a lot about my college days, but I will never forget Hamilton's advice and his pre-recital routine.

In the days leading up to his performance, Hamilton would do the following things every time he passed his harpsichord:

• Put his hand on the instrument

• Turn to the imaginary audience

• Take a bow

• Sit down and play the first few measures of his piece

To this day, I can imagine Professor Hamilton, a nattily dressed and proper man, going through these motions. Even though I didn’t really understand the science behind his routine, this action of starting one’s program several times a day intuitively made sense to me.

When I’m working with my clients on audition preparation, I use this same strategy.

Being able to seamlessly transition through the actions of coming into a room, sitting down, and starting a piece is a huge part of feeling comfortable when playing an audition or any performance.

Just as we practice our separate excerpts to feel comfortable with them, being able to have that same comfort level with the other aspects of playing an audition is equally important. And what do we do when we want something to feel comfortable? We practice it!

The next time you are preparing for an audition, try your own version of Professor Hamilton's routine. Walk out of the room, take a breath, and imagine yourself about to go onstage to play an audition. Practice walking in, sitting down, and starting your concerto.

Doing this several times will help you flow more easily through the process. Once you have the hang of it, then change up the location. Getting yourself used to this action, no matter where you are, will help to solidify this process so that it becomes second nature when you walk into your next audition.