The Horror That Is Auditioning...

I'm sure there are some people out there who love auditioning. I don't know any of them. We gather and put on a number, then wait. We watch groups enter a room and the door closes. What horrors await them? Soon, we'll all know.

Prepare to sing a section of music is what we've been told. I've gone over the song so many times, there's no way I can forget the short excerpt I've chosen. And yet I look at the music again just to make sure. Who knows what can happen when you're nervous? Those lyrics and notes you could sing in your sleep might suddenly flee your mind at a most inopportune time.

The door opens and they call your number. You enter the Room of Judgement. Sitting before you are those with that most important charge of choosing. I've never sat on that side of the table, the side with the power of choice. I've only been with those trying to sound as good as possible but never quite reaching that level of excellence that you hope you're capable of reaching.

They call your name/number. You stand. You give your music to the piano player then stand on wobbly legs before the panel. You say your name and your voice sounds strange when it should sound confident. The music starts. Is that the same music you sang to over and over in your mind? I think not. But the time comes, you breath oxygen into your lungs and go for it.

When it's over, they all smile and you thank each other. They thank you for auditioning and you thank them for the opportunity. There's something about the air outside the Room of Judgement. It's somehow cleaner, fresher, more free. You leave the building thinking of all the ways you could have done better.

Yes, I'm sure there are some people who love to audition. And I don't know any of them.