NMusicianship
Ever wonder how an artist actually becomes the artist? On this page, you can find any post relating to my artistic life and the steps I undertake to become the best musician I can be.
- Vlog #52 How I practice memory work with Ravel Sonatine mvt 1
Practicing a piece by heart requires a great deal of effort, but there are some handy tricks to make the task easier and more comfortable.For today’s vlog, I thought it would be nice to film an actual authentic practice session for you, where I am in the process of relearning Maurice Ravel’s Sonatine by heart. This is the exact process I use to practice pieces by heart, with the only difference being that I now say my thoughts out loud so you can follow along.Feel free to skip through the video a bit, as each section has helpful tips scattered through the entire video. Let me know if this is something you like and if this is helpful! I’ll be happy to make more of these for you. Much love, Nathalie - Diary of a concert tour in Belgium. Nathalie’s Vlog #51
October was a whirlwind for many reasons, but one of the biggest was our concert tour in Belgium at the beginning of the month. Two different programs, two different venues, two different ensembles…to say it was intense and fun is an understatement.So here’s what we’re covering today: Hope you enjoy! Much love, Nathalie - Sneaky stress-builders during music practice – distractions. Nathalie’s Vlog #47
Being an artist is a marvel and a privilege, but it does not come stress-free. Just like with any profession, a bit of healthy stress is of course fine…but it becomes problematic if it frequently establishes itself, in particular during your practice/creation time. This is the first vlog targeting these sneaky stress-builders and we’re getting a closer look at distractions and what to do about them.Hope this helps! Much love,Nathalie - Practice tips on discovering a new composer; Carl Lafite – Lynkeu’s Lied. Nathalie’s Vlog #46
On May 11, 2023 I have the privilege together with mezzo-soprano Althea Wetter to let people (re)discover Carl Lafite in Vienna. He was a Viennese composer-conductor-organist, lived from 1872 to 1944, and his music hasn’t been heard in the last 50+ years.Since some of you indicated that they like the practice tips videos, I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce this composer to you as well as give you some ideas on how to approach new music, how to support a singer well, and how to practice a similar piece. Hope you enjoy! Time stamps:01:47 Welcome03:24 Lynkeu’s Lied and Lafite’s writing style05:14 First play-through07:18 Piece analysis with text20:00 Getting to know a piece without references22:42 Accompanying singers24:43 Practicing the piece pianistically28:23 Outro - Tips to instantly better your piano playing (demonstrated with sight-reading 😬). Nathalie’s Vlog #45
In vlog #43, we tackled three things to avoid in any music practice in order to advance more efficiently, and I figured we could dive into practicing the piano a bit more deeply today! I faced a big fear of mine in doing so, namely sight-reading a piece on camera (I fear it without camera too), but I hope this will be very helpful to you and your own practice! Things we talk about:– Bach is awesome (and daunting)– Let’s skip the small notes– Use natural weight– Stay open– Trills and how to make them easier Much love, Nathalie - Three things to avoid in any music practice. Nathalie’s Vlog #43
Music practice! It’s what makes us better at our instrument, at understanding music, at listening, at performing…at least, if done well. As with any skill, it takes time to develop good habits and I thought it a good idea to share some big traps to avoid during your practice time. Here’s what we’ll cover: 1. Perfection over musicality 2. Wandering thoughts 3. Imbalance between performance time and practice time Hope this is helpful and that you enjoy! Much love, Nathalie - 1Piece1Week Challenge – Mondschein Sonata
My second attempt at facing a big fear of mine; sight-reading! During the summer, I got exactly 6 days to learn and record this world-famous piece of music and I decided to document the process for those of you who are interested. 15 minutes for 6 consecutive days, you can see the results of each day below: If you would like access to the full versions, those are Patreon-exclusive and available here. Just be sure to select one of the Grand Tiers in order to gain access to the exclusive content of your choice. - 1Piece1Week Challenge – Traumerei
If there is one thing I firmly believe in, it’s that expanding your comfortzone is vital to a happy and fulfilled life.In that spirit, I thought it was time to tackle one of my biggest fears and turn it into a series that is hopefully also helpful to other (aspiring) musicians.In this series I am showing you a look behind the curtains and share with you my practicing process, while also tackling my HUGE fear of sight-reading.To kick-off the series, I chose Traumerei by Robert Schumann and put a timer of 15 minutes for 7 consecutive days. You can see the results of each day below: If you would like access to the full versions, those are Patreon-exclusive and available here. Just be sure to select one of the Grand Tiers in order to gain access to the exclusive content of your choice. - My US Audition Adventure: fundraising result
THE FUNDRAISING EVENT – RESULT Exactly three weeks ago, I threw my very first fundraiser to help fund my studies in the USA. I must say I had no idea what to expect, how many people would make it, how much money this project would raise…I was only convinced it was better to do something than to do nothing.The concert itself turned out to be a cornerstone in my musical career. It was the first time I combined classical music and jazz, playing piano and singing during one recital and boy, did I enjoy! It made me realize this is exactly what I want to do later. Good thing too, since gaining more expertise in cross-over repertoire is the main reason why I want to study in the USA.If you’re interested in hearing an overview of the concert, I invite you to watch this link: I’d also like to take this space to thank my uncle who filmed the concert, all the musicians who joined me on stage that day, my family who helped out with the practical things and my friends who helped organize, promote and sell the event. You guys are dynamite! Now, how about the result? The people who were able to make it, together with everyone who bought support tickets resulted in a total amount of €5,591 or roughly $6,000. How about that! That’s pretty amazing, that’s what it is!A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has a part in this fantastic result, each and every one of you plays a significant part in my future career and I am eternally grateful for your trust and your support. HOW ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIPS? So far, Rotary Kortrijk-Groeninghe has granted me a scholarship and BAEF has refused one. AAUW hasn’t sent me any news yet, but I did receive a mail from Fulbright that I’m still in the running for an award and that my file is now reviewed by the next board. Fingers crossed! For now, I can only thank everyone who has supported me for the Fundraising Event. I promise I’ll keep you posted! Much love Nathalie - My US Audition adventure: the verdict (+exciting announcement!)Welcome back to the series! I know it’s been a loooooooong time since I’ve promised to keep you guys posted. Truth is a lot of different events kept alternating the definite outcome of the audition process. That’s why I procrastinated writing this blogpost. But ever since the end of 2018, things are seeming to point into one direction. And it is time to share it with you. THE OUTCOME OF THE AUDITIONS As you may recall, I auditioned in three schools: New England Conservatory in Boston, Manhattan School of Music in New York and Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington. In the course of March and the first week of April 2018, I began to receive the verdicts. NEC wrote a very polite e-mail, stating the refusal of my admittance. But MSM, JSOM and – quite out of the blue – Herb Alpert School of Music in LA have accepted me as their future student. YEAH BABY! I lost at least several years of my life due to all different kinds of stress, but. it. was. worth. it! Needless to say: I was euphoric. And I was damn proud of myself. Still am, for that matter. However. (Yes, you felt this one coming, didn’t you…) Life wouldn’t be life, unless it tests you regularly. I was admitted to the schools, but the three scholarships (BAEF, Fulbright and Vocatio) had refused my application. Talent, yes. Funds, no. This is the point where I lost some of my hairs in addition to years. It marked the beginning of a very dual period, where I tried to hold on to the euphoria, while simultaneously find a solution to the financial problem. And after long e-mail conversations, explanations and negotiations, I bloodydamn* did. There’s this thing called a deferral, which means that the admitted student keeps his or her place at the school for one year without actually attending the classes. During this year, the student can find enough money to pay for tuition. So, I was admitted for 2018-2019, but thanks to the deferral, I can start my academic year in 2019 as long as I pay for tuition on time. All right, dodged that bullet! Now let’s get this baby going. *In case you’re wondering, I’ve been re-reading Pierce Brown’s Red Rising novels to increase my levels of self-worth and teeth-gritting determination. I can assure you it worked, but I might be slightly more foul-mouthed than usual. RE-APPLYING FOR THE SCHOLARSHIPS I’ve never been one to back out of a challenge, especially once I tasted victory. And practice supposedly makes perfect – it does for music at least – so I re-applied for BAEF, Fulbright and a new scholarship called AAUW. I rewrote the required essays, implemented my successes from the past year and added the letters of admission. Fun fact: I’m quite excited to inform you that my teacher-to-be at Jacobs School of Music was so kind to write one of the three required letters for each scholarship. Now, I can only await the committee’s decision in February and hope for the best. But I won’t make the same mistake twice. I won’t let my dream – which is more within reach than ever – depend on scholarship outcomes alone. So I’ve been working on something big. INTRODUCING MY FUNDRAISING EVENT ON FEBRUARY 16, 2019 Some of you might have organized a fundraising a thousand times. To me, however, it is the first time and it took a while before I managed to find a concert hall, an exact date, friends who could help me with the website, the posters and flyers and who want to join me on stage. So yeah, that’s what I was working on the past few months. And now I am more proud than ever to introduce to you: Look at that poster. Ain’t it awesome?! Both the picture and the design are credited to Sofie Vandenhoven, a very dear friend of mine. Go ahead and find her on flickr or instagram, she does incredible stuff with a camera and/or photoshop. But wait, there’s more! Should you be interested in attending the event or sponsoring for tuition, you can find all the information (in Dutch) on this website: www.nathaliematthys-fundraising.be For this beauty, I need to thank Maxim Martin, another friend who worked his ass off to make me a happier, less-stressed musician. If any of you people is looking for someone to help build a website, he’s your man. Lastly, there’s a lot of people who will help me on the big day itself and I promise I will introduce every one of them to you on a brand-new page on this website. In the course of this month, you will find what exactly we’ll offer for the financial support, what program we’ll perform and who will join me on stage. Lots to be done! But I’m looking forward. I hope you’re able to kick-off 2019 in an equally excited way as I am. Let’s chase those dreams! Much love Nathalie
- Five Personally Tested and Approved Tips to Overcome Stage Fright
Whether you’re a musician, an actor, a comedian, a motivational speaker or you find yourself about to go on stage for any other reason…you might have encountered this little unwanted creeper called stage fright. It has the ability to reduce your regular wit and intelligence levels below 0% and - My US Audition adventure: last stop – Bloomington
It took me a while to find the time to write this final blogpost on my auditions, so let me catch you up again. This journey starts in New Jersey after my audition at Manhattan School of Music, where I booked a hotel near Newark airport. ARRIVING AT BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA As stated in my previous post, I left New York with a heavy heart. Yet, fueled with a fresh load of unforgettable and inspirational experiences, I figured I shouldn’t be too sad. I left the hotel with a shuttle bus and was dropped off right at the entrance of the airport. Since I flew with United Airlines, I had to pay $20 extra for my suitcase (I hadn’t counted on that one, so be sure to check additional baggage fees whenever you book a flight), but other than that little detail, the flight was very pleasant and we even arrived early. I was also in luck with my luggage, because it had arrived at Indianapolis Airport on a previous flight. I had scheduled the GoExpress Shuttle to Bloomington with enough time to spare, so this was an ideal opportunity to check in with my family and let them know I was still alive and kicking. By the time the shuttle arrived, I had spotted some other musicians who turned out to be auditioning at Jacobs School of Music as well. They had booked their stay on campus, yet I didn’t run into them anymore during audition weekend. The driver of the shuttle bus was incredibly kind and helpful and this was the first time I felt like I was meeting genuine American folk: other than the busy, time-is-money-fueled (though still friendly) people I encountered in Boston or New York. This feeling was enforced when I arrived at the bus stop nearest to my airbnb – which was still 25 minutes on foot – and when I took my very first Uber ever. Everyone was so patient and reassuring and helpful! Yes, I liked the place very much 🙂 My host wasn’t at home when I arrived, but she had given me very clear instructions on how to get in and where to find my room, so I rearranged my backpack, freshened up and headed towards Jacobs School of music to meet the first professor I had contacted. He turned out to be a very busy, well-spirited, but utterly exhausted man who gave me a short, yet practical lesson and advised me to contact some of his colleagues who might have a spot for me in their class next year. He was also so kind to drop me off at the airbnb afterwards. There I met my host, looked up how to walk to the school the next morning and fell asleep in the softest bed I have ever slept in. JACOBS SCHOOL OF MUSIC I had two days to get to know the school before audition day, so I enjoyed a chilly morning walk to the school and tried to recognize the buildings in the morning light. It wasn’t until then that I realized how huge this campus was. I thought NEC and MSM were big, but man, Indiana University – in the middle of nowhere – was an entirely different story. The music department alone consists of 5 enormous buildings: a brand new main building, the old main building connected to classrooms and practice rooms, the library, a separate practice building and a concert hall. This required some insider’s help! I found the office of admissions in the new main building and was helped by the sweetest lady ever: she gave me every possible map she could find regarding the entire campus, suggested where I could find the cheapest and/or tastiest food, explained how I could find the personal studios of each professor, even printed me a document with the cheapest cab companies…seriously, this woman deserves a medal for her dedication and kindness. In the folder she gave me, I could also find classes and concerts I could attend as an auditioning student. I decided to attend one of each. So, armed with new information, I made my way to the practice building. Although there were lots of students practicing already, there were still some rooms left where I could study as much as I needed. And the one time every room was occupied, a young violinist kindly vacated the room. Seriously friendly folk, I’m telling you! During my first full day at Jacobs, I encountered another professor*: we talked for a long time, got to know each other and instantly clicked. That evening, I attended a master recital by a violinist in the old main building. She played a varied program with much enthusiasm and her performance was loudly rewarded by her friends and family in the hall. The second day I got up at 6 and practiced from 8 – 11. I had to check in at the concert hall and pick up another folder with my audition time, room and practice room. Afterwards, I joined an allround tour of the whole campus, energetically guided by a senior student. I also met with two remaining teachers: they both gave me a short lesson and one of them even invited me to one of his classes where his students performed for one another. I attended a contemporary jazz & soul music course about Aretha Franklin, enthusiastically presented by a teacher who had actually worked with her. How cool is that! In between all my appointments, I visited the library and fetched some delicious food. Because I knew I would encounter some major jetlag when I would return, I rearranged my suitcase as much as I could and crawled into bed as soon as possible so I could get up at 5.30. *Turns out he has his own YouTube channel with very interesting content, so if you have some time, do check it out: https://www.youtube.com/user/dafeneo Oh, and if you’re wondering if my method of going to bed and getting up earlier each day had any positive effect on the jetlag: yes, I can assure you it did 🙂 AUDITION DAY My host kindly dropped me off at 8 am so I could leave my luggage in the main building* during my audition. I took my time to prepare properly and get a decent meal before collecting all my energy to perform for the jury. This time, the audition was set in one of the personal studios in the old building. There were three teachers present as jury members, two of whom I had met with the previous day. They asked me to perform 3 pieces. I must admit, of all the auditions I had done, this one felt most natural: maybe because of the carpet and the cosy atmosphere of the studio, maybe because I had connected so well with the teachers or maybe because all the stress of the trip had finally left me because everything went according to plan…bottomline is: I enjoyed and I stepped out of the room with an amazing feeling of satisfaction and contentment. Since I had to leave for Indianapolis that afternoon, I decided I should celebrate first. I paid a visit to the smoothie bar, treated myself with a slice of lemon cake and a peach-strawberry-apple juice (which tasted absolutely devine) and decided to bring an extra for the lovely lady of the admissions office who had kept an eye on my luggage and had taken care of me so well on my first day. I walked around campus one last time, enjoying the sunlight and wondering if this would become my next school, whereafter I ordered an Uber to get me to Indianapolis. *the picture is a practice/class room building, not the main building. RETURNING HOME My Uber driver was a middle-aged woman with a cracking voice who smoked a grapefruit-smelling vapor and drove a dark blue pick-up. I loved her instantly. We got along well and had a good talk while getting near the airport. My flight was bound early the next morning, so I had booked my second and final hotel of my trip which provided me with a free shuttle. I remember I had figured, while booking everything back home, I might want some extra luxury on my last day in the States to celebrate the end of my adventure. Turned out I know myself well, because I was most grateful for the swimming pool. I went to bed as early as I could, set my alarm at 4.30 and prayed I would get a good night sleep because I feared I might not sleep on any of the three flights I had to take the next day. My return trip got me from Indianapolis Airport to Newark Airport with United Airlines (again with the $20 fee of course ;-)), from Newark to Keflavik with WOW Air and from Keflavik to Brussels with the same flight agency. There was a lot of waiting, a lot of searching for decent yet affordable food and – as I feared – no sleep which resulted in a 33 hour traveling day. I used the waiting time at Newark for writing a draft of my first two blogposts about this expedition and tried to save my energy as much as I could for the coming week. When arriving at Brussels, I encountered my first and only bad luck: I forgot my coat on the plane and never saw it again. I did find my luggage though and was warmly welcomed back by my parents. REFLECTION I can’t tell you how cool it was to write this story down and relive it from day one. It reminded me of how much I’ve grown since my graduation in 2017, musically and personally. It made me realise how much I’ve changed by stepping that far out of my comfort zone. And it somehow fastened my determination to study in the USA even more. Yes, this adventure isn’t over yet 🙂 I promise I will keep you posted on the developments, but for now I hope you enjoyed reading about the process. And if you’re a musician, trying to figure out how to study in the USA, I hope you found some valid tips and tricks along the way. Much love Nathalie - My US audition adventure: second stop – New York
In my previous two blog posts you can find an overview of my preparations for the auditions and the first experience I had in Boston. Today I invite you to go along the second part of my trip: New York. THE ARRIVAL I left Boston on a bright sunny day, which uplifted my state of mind in such a way I felt ready to take on any challenge. Good thing indeed, because I arrived at the bus station in the midst of rush hour. I would like to formally apologize to all people whose toes were smashed by my 16 kg suitcase that day. Anyway, arriving at Port Authority is a bit chaotic the first time, so I’ll give you a few quick tips: – If you plan to do everything with public transport, always take a 7 day unlimited Metro Card pass, even if you’re only in NY for three days. – During rush hours there’s a local and an express train on the same track: local trains stop at every station, express trains don’t, so pay close attention to the announcements and the screens. The easiest place to spot the type of train is on the first carriage, so try to get a glimpse when it arrives. I also had a very helpful host, who explained exactly how to arrive at the apartment, so there was no way I could mess up. Fun fact when I reached the surface again: I was greeted with snow! From a gorgeous sunny day to snow in about 5 hours, it gave something magical to the experience. THE BALANCE BETWEEN PREPARING AND GETTING INSPIRED It’s no secret NYC is called the city that never sleeps, but being there for an audition, l had to make sure I slept enough. So even though there were many more things to do during the ten days I spent there, I tried to find the right balance between preparing and getting inspired. PRACTICE If you’re a pianist and about to audition in New York, you can always study at Absolute Piano* in Brooklyn. You can practice on any silent piano of your choosing for $5 an hour. They provide you with headphones and are open Tuesday – Sunday from 12.00 am – 06.00 pm. So, that’s the first place I went to. The girl who worked there turned out to be a student at MSM, where I was about to audition, but I only figured that out by the end of my trip. Note to self: talk more to people, especially in piano stores. One day, I also practiced at Steinway Hall. This actually occurred after my audition at MSM. The store has a secluded room with a Steinway model O – gorgeous instrument! – where you can play for as long as you like. Since I was only there for one time, I can’t say if they’d let you study there regularly…but you should definitely drop by at least once. *for more information, you can visit their website: http://www.absolutepianony.com/ THINGS TO DO OUTSIDE I had to make sure I remained within my budget and thanks to a little research and mainly good weather I had a wonderful time exploring New York in the open. Here are some very budget-friendly things I did and would recommend: Central Park I know it’s a total cliché, but it’s a cliché you should definitely set foot in at least once! I regularly paid this place a visit to eat, rest or even read my scores on a bench or rock. On my last day, I also walked its full length, from 110th Street to 59th: really nice! Oh, and do try the Wafels & Dinges near the Museum of Natural History: di-vine 😉 Lincoln Center Plaza Most of the excitement is mainly inside the buildings that are circling this plaza of course, but it’s one hell of a magical place to eat a homemade turkey salad. At night it’s even more spectacular, with the lights and the words that are lit on the steps. I definitely felt the artistic vibes all over. Times Square By day, by night, it doesn’t matter: it vibrates all the time. No place to peacefully enjoy your lunch or dinner, but you’re in the right spot if you’re looking for an overload of impulses. Lots of opportunities to spend a ridiculous amount of money though, so be careful not to be tempted too much. If you wander around a bit, you can easily reach Bryant Park (there’s an awesome bookstore called Kinokuniya here, definitely worth a visit!), see the Chrysler building from afar, pay a visit to Rockefeller Center…Plenty to do. Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge One of my favorite memories of my trip here was the day I walked over Manhattan Bridge to practice and returned to Manhattan via Brooklyn Bridge. If you’re lucky with the weather: go ahead and do this! You can skip Manhattan Bridge though, this isn’t very touristy or special to walk over, but Brooklyn Bridge is worth your time and effort. Extra fun if you pick up a glorious Mexican bowl at a food truck and eat it while sitting on the construction. The center of the bridge allowed me my first glance at Lady Liberty and also gave me the idea to do the next item on this list. Staten Island Ferry While this ferry won’t take you to Lady Liberty herself, it does allow you to have a closer look. Plus it’s completely free! I took this ferry at night, which gave a breathtaking view of the city lights. I didn’t wander through Staten Island itself though, because I thought it unwise to just walk about alone at that hour without knowing where I’d go. Nevertheless, NYC skyline by night is definitely impressive. CONCERTS, SHOWS AND MUSEUMS There was a ridiculous amount of things to choose from, so I made my decisions based on date, price and level of interest. If you plan on doing some museums: be sure to check their free or discount days. Other than that: order your seats and enjoy the ride! Juilliard Orchestra with Jeffrey Milarsky and Alice Ivy-Pemberton @ Alice Tully Hall The first gig I attended just had to be at Lincoln Center. I chose this one over the New York Philharmonic, because I figured I wanted to hear students – being here to audition and all – even though I wasn’t auditioning at the Juillard School itself. It was an amazing concert: expressive, energetic and played with devotion and it gave me the exact result I had hoped for. Positive energy all over the place! The program consisted of Ma Mère l’Oye by Ravel, Boris Godunov – A Symphonic Synthesis by Mussorgsky and John Corigliano’s Violin Concerto (the Red Violin) with young violinist Alice Ivy-Pemberton. John Lithgow – Stories by Heart @ American Airlines Theatre When I got hold of a ticket for this show, I can’t tell you how much of a lucky bastard I felt. Seeing such a world class actor like John Lithgow perform live made me realise how similar all acts, concerts and shows are. His endless energy, exaggeration of emotions and characters, way to pause, manner of seizing attention…my dad used to tell me: “playing a concert equals three lessons”. Well, attending a performance by such a phenomenal artist also does its fair share! Tierney Sutton Band @ Birdland Oh, what a treat this was! I somehow arrived at Birdland by accident around 6 pm and had no idea who was going to play that night. Good thing I sticked around, because this was one of the most awesome sets I have ever heard in my life so far. A mix between standards and songs by Sting in very cool, signature-like arrangements. As a singer, I admired Tierney’s clear voice and exquisite technique, especially for scatting. As a pianist, I was very impressed by the solos and accompany method by Christian Jacob. No surprise I bought one of the band’s cd’s afterwards and asked for their autographs like a true fan. If you’re fond of jazz, do look them up! Leonard Bernstein Exhibition @ New York Public Library In honor of the 100th anniversary of one of the greatest musicians that ever lived, NYPL curated a free exhibition together with GRAMMY Museum. Seeing his handwriting on class notes and original scores, reading about his extraordinary accomplishments and watching video excerpts of his recordings reminded me how much of a genius this guy was. I guess it’s time to study some of his compositions next 🙂 Brooklyn Flea Market The day after my audition, I decided it was time to spend my money on some stuff instead of events. There’s a ton of flea markets, but this one was most convenient for me and turned out to be worth the trip. From total junk to overpriced handmade products and everything in between: imagine it and you will find it. I found two very old LP’s by Erroll Garner I could add to my dad’s collection and a cool gift for my sister’s birthday: time and money well spent! Jazz vocal workshop with Marion Cowings @ Smalls Jazz Club Of all the experiences I encountered, this was probably the coolest. I came across this workshop while searching for jazz clubs and just couldn’t say no to this opportunity. I have to say, attending a master class in a jazz club is a vibe on its own. We were about 9 singers in total and started off with scat rounds on a blues in F. Then the teacher came around and showed his magic, after which he invited us one at a time to sing a song with the band. I learned more about taking control when stepping on stage and captivate the audience with my lyrics in those fifteen minutes than I did on jazz camp. The organiser also participated in the master class and turned out to be one hell of a lyricist: definitely an ear-opener! Museum of Natural History One of the classics and really affordable. While the dinosaurs are the big attraction and really cool to see, I was more stunned by the section about the universe and the planets. If you’re in the city with family or friends, this is a great way to spend your day. To me however, this was the first place on my whole trip where I felt a bit lonely, so despite all the interesting facts, I was glad to be outside in the sunshine again. AUDITION DAY Other than NEC, auditioning at MSM took a full day. All international students had to take an English assessment test – all subjects related to music – consisting of three parts: listening, reading and writing. Then there was a separate interview where I had to summarize a short text, explain meanings of very unfamiliar words and basically show I was capable of expressing myself in English. Since my audition was at 6.30 pm that day, I planned all the tests as early as possible so I could warm-up in the afternoon. The wonderful advantage were the practice rooms: there was no time-limit and if you wandered around a bit, there was always an empty room to be found. On one of my scouts for a practice room, I accidentally bumped into the teacher I had contacted the day before. We had a chance to talk briefly and even though she was not part of my audition committee, I somehow felt reassured because we got along so well. Making my way to the audition hall, I felt a lot more at ease than at NEC. There were still nerves, but not as excessively because I had a better idea of what to expect. This time, the audition felt more like a concert because it was set in an actual hall. There were about 6 teachers present to assess my performance and they asked me to play (part of) 5 pieces… - My US audition adventure: first stop – Boston
In my previous post, I told you guys all about preparing for the auditions from scratch up until audition day. Today and in the next few posts, I will give you the details of my actual trip: my stay in each of the cities and the schools I auditioned in. THE DEPARTURE To all of you adventurers out there, who’ve traveled great distances alone: I salute you! And to all of you who want to go out there but have doubts of any kind: keep on reading. I hope it will convince you to take the leap. Because I didn’t regret – not even for a second – stepping on that plane. For the first time alone across the Atlantic. I’m not going to lie to you: I was properly terrified in the few days before departure. Sure, I was kept busy with everything that still needed to be taken care of, but every second my mind could wander, I felt the fear settling in. And instead of the butterflies of excitement I had expected to feel, I felt emotional and frightened. But you know, once I was on that plane, there was nothing to be done about it. I was going to Boston. Alone. I might as well enjoy it. So once the plane took off, my good old pride kicked in and I regained control of my emotions. To those of you who are browsing flights: I booked my Boston flight with WOW air. A company I had never heard of before, but the trip was as pleasant as could be and went smoothly. Once I arrived in Boston, I passed customs, ignored the shouting taxi drivers, took a bus to the subway station and made my way to the Airbnb I had booked. I found the place easily thanks to my previous research and Google Maps (total life saver!), asked my host for convenient yet decent take-out and finally went to bed after a 22 hour traveling day. STAYING IN BOSTON I had exactly one day to adjust and get familiar with the city and that’s a little short if you’re auditioning. So if you have the opportunity and the money, try to squeeze in a bit more time to adjust. On the bright side, I was still in pretty good shape, even though I hadn’t been able to properly practice for 2 days straight before my audition. Nevertheless, my mind was a bit fried from traveling and digesting all these new impulses, so my concentration would have appreciated a bit of extra time. Anyway, in order to settle my nerves, I did something that was similar to my routine at home first: work out and go grocery shopping (talk about endorphins kicking in, ha ha). Then I headed into the city and made my way to the Steinert & Sons showroom, where I could play a little. No studying of course, but at least I could stretch my fingers. When I didn’t find any believable excuses anymore to keep on playing without actually practicing, I decided it was time to explore the first of my three schools: the New England Conservatory. I took the opportunity to walk through a park, enjoyed the fresh air while I had the chance and then made my way to the school. Coming from a very small campus, I was not entirely prepared for the size of the school, so I thanked my wits for thinking of scouting ahead before audition day. The amount of security in comparison to Belgium is very high, so don’t be startled if they don’t let you pass unless you have a valuable reason for being there (like a score donation or an audition). I visited the library, took the chance to read my scores in a peaceful environment and headed back to freshen up before attending a concert where one of the teachers I was interested in would play Mozart and Mendelssohn trios. I had a chance to speak with him briefly, took his advice on preparing for the audition and then made my way back. When I finally made it home, I was somewhat swaying on my legs, but I started to feel a bit more at ease. AUDITION DAY Despite my precautions, jetlag kicked in hard. I tried to sleep in, but my biological clock was still set on European time, so I woke at 3 am. Nevertheless, I kept resting until I figured I could get ready. I rearranged my suitcase for departure the next day and took all the time I needed to get ready. I checked in about 3,5 hours before my audition, filled in the audition program form, grabbed something to eat, made myself familiar with the building and warmed-up for 40 minutes. I must admit, I was quite nervous. At least more nervous than usual, but I guess that only makes sense when you’re that far out of your comfort zone. The audition hall turned out to be a somewhat fancier classroom, dressed up with carpets and curtains, but no stage. There were about 8 teachers present to listen. One of them read my full repertoire program and then asked the beginning of 6 pieces in order to determine my level. Stepping out of that room, I felt a mixture of relief, tiredness, pride and settlement: I had survived my first test. And I was still alive to tell the tale. That evening, I celebrated taking my first hurdle with my host by watching Interstellar. We had some good talks while we were both at the house and I’m really glad she took the time to make me feel at ease and welcome. It definitely made the first few days easier to process. LEAVING FOR NEW YORK The next day, my host was so kind to drop me off at the bus station (if you’re going by yourself: there are TWO South Stations in Boston, so make sure you use the right address). I had scheduled a Greyhound bus to New York for $47. Apparently though, Wanderu is a great – and cheaper – alternative for this kind of trip, so don’t hesitate to check that out. By then, my body was adjusting to US time, my mind was adjusting to the travelling alone and I finally felt the excitement kick in. And I mean, who wouldn’t? I was about to go to the Big Apple! - Auditioning in the States: from TOEFL to audition day
In my very first blogpost, I mentioned my plans on auditioning in the States. 7 months have passed since then and I actually went auditioning in 3 of the 5 schools I applied to. I won’t have news until the end of the month, but in the meantime – for all of you who are planning to undertake such a huge step – I thought it might be useful to share my experience so far. That way, you have a blueprint to base your own planning on while learning from my mistakes. AUGUST: PREPARING AND TAKING THE TOEFL-TEST The very first thing I did once I decided to actually take my chances was scheduling the TOEFL-test. TOEFL stands for Test Of English as a Foreign Language. If your native language is not English, you are required to take this test in order to determine how well your understanding of the language is.The test consists of four parts: reading, writing, listening and speaking, good for a total score of 120. Test scores are valid for 2 years. Most US schools are very clear on the minimum test scores you are required to have in order to be considered for application. However, the exact amount varies per school and degree, so be sure to check it out. Also, if you’ve taken this test, you don’t have to do the IELTS or any other test option. One score is usually enough. TOEFL might also be a requirement for scholarships (it was in my case), so it’s good go know exactly how high your score should be in order to be eligible to all schools and scholarships with one test score. You can schedule your test on this site: https://www.ets.org/toefl. Fill in your country and find the closest test center to your town. Depending on your country, the test fee varies. Be careful: while scheduling your test, be sure to include 4 schools and/or scholarships you need your test results send to. These 4 are included in your scheduling fee. Any other schools or scholarships remaining, will be an extra fee. E.g. my experience: I applied to 5 schools and 2 scholarships, but only had to pay extra for 2 sendings because one of the scholarships did not require an official result from the test center. I did run into some trouble scheduling the test, because I had disabled cookies in my browser…don’t do that. You won’t be able to pay the fee and therefore won’t be able to save a seat on the desired test date. Once you get this over with, you can start preparing for the test, hurraaaay 🙂 ! #sarcasm On ets.org you are encouraged to purchase a learning kit for your TOEFL preparation. It’s totally up to you whether you want this or not, but you should be aware of the fact that there are free sites out there that allow you to prepare just as thoroughly. I took the latter option* and totally aced the test. In total, I prepped for about two weeks, taking different tests every day. My minimum score needed to be 100 and I scored well above that with my efforts. If you’re about to take the test: good luck and relax! You’ll do just fine 🙂 *the site I used to prepare my TOEFL was https://toefl.kmf.com/mock Just translate to English so you know which type (reading, writing, speaking, listening) you will be training and you’re good to go. AUGUST – NOVEMBER: APPLYING TO SCHOOLS AND SCHOLARSHIPS For this section I will give you a general idea of how I approached the applications. My way is definitely not the only option and probably also not the most conventional way to handle things, but hey, it got me this far! I chose the schools based on the following criteria: Classical and jazz faculty Pre-screening and audition repertoire requirements General reputation Let me tell you this: there are so many options, you’ll probably be a bit overwhelmed. If you know a teacher or people who have studied in a school you’d like to know more about, start there, it’ll give you a jumpstart. E.g. I did not know any teachers personally, but I knew (and got to know) a few people during the process. Their opinion about the schools and general advice was a great help in making the actual decision. Once you’ve narrowed down which school(s) you are applying to, you can start preparing admissions. Obviously, the most important thing is your pre-screening material and your actual audition. Nevertheless, a lot of schools and scholarships require letters of recommendation, one or more essays, financial aid applications, official documents of your current or most recent attended school and high school, whether you want to be considered as an associate instructor* and a general application form. Get ready to pour a lot of time and effort in these requirements! On the bright side, a good deal of the documents can be used as templates: they will only need minor adjustments. Between August 27 and November 30, I recorded 3 new pieces for the pre-screening materials, wrote 18 essays, translated my CV, got 3 letters of recommendation and filed everything for the schools during the last 4 days before the deadline of December 1. I can assure you, it was hard labor and it is not a pleasant time, but it’s for the good cause. So if you’re in this stage: YOU CAN DO IT! It sucks, but it’ll teach you about determination, working with less sleep, dealing with stress and you’ll probably also discover your personal edges. I know I hit my limits on full speed…but I survived 🙂 *Associate instructor – or similar label – is for Graduate degrees and higher. Not every school offers this, but if they do, this is an opportunity to teach during your time of study. DECEMBER – JANUARY: VERDICTS Once everything is filed you will probably need some time to catch your breath. By all means, you’ve earned it! Unfortunately, most auditions/interviews for the scholarships are set in this area. E.g. I auditioned for BAEF in the end of December. I did not need to attend an interview for Fulbright, but that’s usually set in the course of January. The good news is: it’s holiday season, so every celebration you can attend feels utterly wonderful! By now, between December 16 and the end of January, you should be receiving e-mails from the admission office(s). If you passed the pre-screening: congratulations! Time to prepare the actual auditions! Be sure to double-check any financial aid requirements, since these are mostly due by February 15. JANUARY – FEBRUARY: PREPARING AUDITIONS How accomplished you feel when you read the good news, but boy, how frustrated you get when you see how much there is still to be done! Not to panic though, there’s always enough time. (That phrase literally kept me going so far, ha ha!) E.g. In my case, I was invited to audition at 4 of the 5 schools and I decided to participate in as many as I could, which turned out to be 3. First things first: visas. Getting into the US ain’t that easy, so be sure to have all the required documents to pass through customs. E.g. I needed a new international passport and an ESTA. Be aware that in order to file the ESTA application, you need your passport number and the address of (one of) your stay(s). A new passport usually takes about 1,5 weeks, weekend included, from demanding to receiving, but this can time span can vary per country. ESTA is due at least 72 hours before departure. It is possible that your country is not eligible for an ESTA, so you will need a B-1 visa. Visas always take a few weeks, so I would definitely recommend getting your international passport well in advance! Once you figure out what you need, get your passport and find places to stay! As always, having friends in the States is a major help, but even though I knew quite a few people, none of them could offer me a place to sleep for the required period. So I decided to step a little further out of my comfort zone – I mean, what the heck, right – and try Airbnb. I promise I will get deeper into this in one of my next posts, but either way, I enjoyed my stays very much! Now, this part I probably loathed the most: figuring out which flights were affordable, how I would arrange the trip from one city to the other, taking the necessary steps for my finances, packing…ugh. I left on February 14 and was literally done with everything the day before. So here as well, if you have the opportunity: take a little more time to plan this. If not, no worries! I managed too 🙂 Most important things to keep in mind: the address of your stay is required for your ESTA/visa, but also for your intercontinental flight. For the latter, you must submit the information at least 48 hours before departure. The same rule applies for your returning intercontinental flight. Also, although you will find ATM machines almost everywhere, they are no use unless you’ve informed your bank of your stay in the States: most banks block intercontinental use because of possible fraud. This applies to all the credit/debit cards you intend to use during your stay. Fun fact: you have to go to the bank in person to make your request, so for your own peace of mind, do not forget this! FEBRUARY – MARCH: AUDITIONING Whoop! Now the fun bit starts! First of all: go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back for making it this far and still being alive. I made sure I always had at least one day to get to know the building, see where I needed to go and meet the professors who had agreed to see me. E.g. I had written e-mails to teachers between December and February. Some teachers I even contacted two days before my audition and I still got to meet them. Main lesson is: don’t be shy! You’ve got nothing to lose. And yes, of course you can mail them sooner and I guess the ideal situation is when you meet them beforehand, on a masterclass or because you went exclusively for a meeting, but I simply didn’t have enough time (or money) to do that. Now, my first audition was February 16 and I arrived February 14. This was my least succeeded audition for a couple of reasons: jetlag being a major one, being alone across the Atlantic and having to deal with all the new impulses by myself as a close second and not finding a decent place to practice as a third. E.g. I somehow chatted myself into a Steinway hall, but you can’t really study properly in a place like that unless they have a separate room. Which they didn’t. Regardless, I played fairly well, learned a few things for the next audition and most importantly: moved on. Maybe a valuable tip: auditioning in the States mostly means playing the first few minutes of a piece and then moving on to the next. This might seem very logical to you, but on my first and only audition in Belgium, I always had to play the pieces in their entirety. So don’t be surprised if the jury cuts you off. For my second audition, I had plenty of time to find a space tot practice, prepare and adjust to the city. I was able to find a piano store that allowed practicing on a silent piano for $5 per hour, which is the cheapest I could find. Although the main reason of my presence was to audition, I made sure to get as inspired as I could, so I attended concerts, a drama show, jazz clubs, participated in a vocal masterclass, met musicians – often quite by accident…