Recommended Resources
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Note: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means I get a tiny, tiny commission for purchases made via this page. This simply helps to keep the website alive and evolving.
Mental Training
For more information on the works of Dr. Don Greene, please visit winningonstage.com
Performance Success by Don Greene
book
The holy grail of musicians’ performance psychology books. Don Greene — who wrote the Foreword to the Audition Playbook and is referenced throughout — has a ton of experience training musicians, Olympic athletes, military personnel, and more.
read here
Audition Success by Don Greene
book
A companion book to Performance Success, Greene outlines the process of his methods in narrative form, demonstrating how two musicians prepare for auditions using his methods.
read here
10-Minute Toughness by Jason Selk
book
One of my absolute favorite sports psychology resources that I use daily when preparing for an audition. The book is designed to help you create your own 10-minute mental training routine to regularly practice while preparing for an event. This is a vital resource.
read here
The Alter Ego Effect by Todd Hermann
book
This book has become one of my favorite reads over the last few years. It’s “fake it ‘til you make it” on steroids — “creating a heroic alter ego to activate when the chips are down.” Highly recommended.
read here
Mind Gym by David Casstevens
book
A simple, easy book on all things mental toughness. An inspiring read with lots of good ideas.
read here
The Mindful Athlete by George Mumford
book
Another recent favorite. George Mumford is a meditation and mindfulness teacher who has trained many top athletes — particularly all of Phil Knight’s NBA championship teams. Really excellent read.
read here
Golf is Not a Game of Perfect by Bob Rotella
book
This one has always been a favorite recommendation of my teacher, Andrew Bain. Digestible, actionable, and easy to read.
read here
Productivity and Goal Setting
"Goal-Setting Strategies That Work" by Noa Kageyama
blog post
Written by performance psychologist Noa Kageyama, author of the Bulletproof Musician.
read here
The 5 Golden Rules of Goal Setting
website article
Article from Entrepreneur magazine on strategies for goal setting.
read here
A Simple Way to Break a Bad Habit
TED talk
Psychiatrist Judson Brewer studies the relationship between mindfulness and addiction and teaches a simple but profound tactic that might help you break bad habits.
watch here
Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss
book and podcast
I really love this book. It's a collection of essays and interviews by successful people of all types. The subtitle is "Short Life Advice from the Best in the World" and that's exactly what's here. Gems of information and advice sprinkled throughout. Also be sure to check out the Tribe of Mentors podcast.
read here
The Tim Ferriss Show
podcast
I am admittedly a big Tim Ferriss fan. Author of Tribe of Mentors, Tools of the Titans, and The 4-Hour Work Week, his podcast interviews all sorts of successful people from athletes to artists to politicians to entrepreneurs. He deconstructs world-class performers to extract the tactics, tools, and routines anyone can apply to their own life.
listen on Apple Podcasts
Getting Things Done by David Allen
book
"The art of stress-free productivity." This book was given to me upon my college graduation and has remained a great tool for organizing my life and... well... getting things done!
read here
MindNode 5
app
This is a mind mapping app I use on my phone and computer to plan things out. Mind mapping is such a useful tool for me to get organized and visually see what needs to be done and how things relate and are connected.
download for iOS
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
book and workbook
Hal Elrod, after a life-threatening car accident, created a system for getting the most out of your day by starting with early-morning productivity. It's all about taking simple steps to get good work done before 8am.
read here
Practice Tools
Tonal Energy
App for iOS and Android
Hands down the best all-in-one tuner/metronome app on the market. This app does it all. You can even record within the app and listen back at slower speeds. By far the most used app on my phone!
download for iOS
download on Google Play
Seconds Pro Interval Trainer
App for iOS and Android
This is a customizable interval training timer app. It's a great tool to use to time your practice sessions. Customize it any way you wish and have the timer do the rest.
download for iOS
download on Google Play
Modacity Practice App
App for iOS and Android
”One app to rule them all! Recorder… metronome… tone generator… timer… note taking… Do away with the random assortment of music practice apps in your arsenal. Modacity™ combines all the tools you need into one easy to use, music practice tool.”
For my interview with Modacity creator Marc Gelfo, click here.
download at modacity.co
How to Create Spliced Recordings of Your Excerpts
Audition Playbook blog post
I provide step-by-step instructions on how to turn full length recordings into spliced excerpts.
read here
"How to practice effectively...for just about anything" by Annie Bosler and Don Greene
TED Ed video
Annie Bosler and Don Greene explain how practice affects the inner workings of our brains.
watch here
Joyce DiDonato: Master Class at Carnegie Hall
Facebook video
Opera masterclass in which DiDonato talks about focusing on process over result.
watch here
"Practice and the Law of Diminishing Returns" by Toby Oft
website article
Toby Oft, principal trombonist of the Boston Symphony, writes about the Law of Diminishing Returns as it pertains to musicians.
read here
Audition Preparation — General
Andrew Bain on on auditions, practicing, and the importance of the process
Audition Playbook interview
Andrew Bain, principal horn of the LA Philharmonic and a huge influence on the development the Audition Playbook, answers many in-depth questions related to his audition journey, practicing, preparing, why we all need to focus on the process, and so much more.
read here
MilitaryTrumpetJobs.com
website
This website is run by Kevin Paul, trumpeter for The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” It’s a fantastic resource for anyone interested in U.S. military band auditions — and not just for trumpet!
Be sure to check out Kevin’s Audition Playbook interview too.
visit militarytrumpetjobs.com
The Four Pillars of Audition Preparation
Audition Playbook blog post
Identifying the four foundational pillars of preparation and cultivating each carefully — Technique, Music, Mind, and Wellness.
read here
Bryan Cranston's Advice to Aspiring Actors
YouTube video
I love love love love this video. Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston describes what it truly takes to nail an audition as an actor and it is 100% applicable to orchestra auditions.
"Know what your job is."
watch here
Toby Oft's articles
website articles
Boston Symphony principal trombonist Toby Oft has a collection of in-depth articles on his website describing the audition process of himself and others. They can all be found on the articles section of his website.
read here
"Your Next Audition" by Richie Hawley
blog post
Clarinetist Richie Hawley describes the essential steps of audition preparation.
read here
"10 Tips for a Successful Orchestral Audition" by Brant Taylor
website article
Chicago Symphony cellist Brant Taylor offers ten fundamental concepts essential to audition preparation.
read here
William Short's blog
blog
MET Orchestra principal bassoonist William Short has written many insightful blog posts about auditions and working as a musician.
read here
JayFriedman.net
website articles
This is the landing page for a collection of articles on auditions written by Jay Friedman (Chicago Symphony principal trombonist) and some of his CSO colleagues.
read here
"Orchestral Preparation in 10 Steps" by Mark Nuccio
website article
Houston Symphony principal clarinetist Mark Nuccio outlines 10 essential steps to preparing an audition, based on his own experience having taken ~20 auditions.
read here
Health and Wellness
**10% Happier by Dan Harris
book, app, and podcast
If there is one book, app, or podcast I recommend above all others — it’s this one. Dan Harris is a journalist famous for an on-air meltdown. Through a series of events that followed, he begrudgingly discovered meditation. At first a major skeptic, he is now a major proponent of meditation. This book is a great no-nonsense telling of his journey and a guide to simple, no-nonsense meditations for even the most skeptical. This book opened the first door to meditation for me. The app is incredible and has something to offer everyone — from complete beginners or Zen masters; from complete skeptics to Echo Park crystal shop owners. The podcast is another wonderful extension of Dan’s work with brilliant interviews with all kinds of fascinating people.
visit tenpercent.com for more
The Authentic Performer: Wearing a Mask and the Effect on Health by Jennie Morton
book
I love this book by Osteopath Jennie Morton who draws together the physiological, psychological and socio-cultural aspects of being a performer and the effect "wearing a mask" has on us all.
read here
Buddhify
app
A great, simple meditation app. With a beautiful, simple interface, you can choose all sorts of guided meditations for many different situations. This is a great way to stay grounded, centered, and balanced while preparing for an audition.
download for iOS
download on Google Play
The Alexander Technique for Musicians by Judith Kleinman and Peter Buckoke
book
I believe Alexander Technique should a vital part of any musician's life and one of the best ways to bring ease into one's playing. This is an easy, practical guide on Alexander Technique as it pertains to musicians.
read here
Indirect Procedures: A Musician's Guide to the Alexander Technique (The Integrated Musician) by Pedro de Alcantara
book
Another fantastic and thorough Alexander Technique book.
read here
Sleep Cycle
app
Sleep is the first thing to go out the window as an audition approaches, so in addition to sticking to a nightly routine, I sometimes like to track my sleep with Sleep Cycle. The app wakes you up within a certain window of time at the point in your sleep cycle you are most awake. This way, you feel most rested, no matter how little sleep you actually got.
download for iOS
download on Google Play
Musician's Hypnosis
app
Hypnosis has helped quite a few people I know. This app provides guided hypnosis tracks specifically tailored to audition preparation, performances, self-talk, and more. I've used it from time-to-time to wind down and go to bed and I think it has been very helpful.
download for iOS