Put yourself in the right frame of mind for successful sight-reading.
- Observe as many details as possible during your first read-through.
- Now is not the time for a perfectionist mindset! A few mistakes will likely happen in the course of your sight-reading, so don’t spend any mental energy berating yourself for them. Put your entire focus on moving forward through the excerpt confidently, without hesitating, stumbling or stopping! You can do this!
As soon as you are given the sight-reading excerpt, and before playing any notes:
- Check the key signature. Play through the scale in your mind and finger through it to program your brain to plug in the appropriate notes.
- Check the meter and see if there is a tempo indication or metronome marking; then decide on a reasonable pulse for sight-reading the excerpt. Sometimes the auditioner will recommend a speed for you to adopt. Otherwise, choose a speed that you can play steadily and ensure the accuracy of rhythmic relationships. If there are short rhythmic values, like sixteenth notes or thirty-second notes, you should base your overall tempo on how quickly you can play those note values.
All musical components are important, but in sight-reading, set your priorities according to the following hierarchy:
- Rhythm: Prioritize rhythmic accuracy and maintaining a steady pulse and accurate rhythmic relationships throughout. Subdivide that basic pulse to promote rhythmic discipline and accuracy. Keep a mental click-track in mind as you play.
- Notes: Read groups of notes / rhythmic values, or even entire measures, as you proceed. Don’t read note-to-note, but look ahead, just as you would do if you were reading a book or an article. Look for patterns in the notes: scales, arpeggios, and intervallic patterns that can be rendered through familiar fingering patterns that you have practiced all these many years. Also, be mindful of accidentals. Accidentals should “jump out at you,” as temporary deviations from the governing key signature and mode of the excerpt.
- Dynamics: Observe the dynamic markings, which are essential to the musical expression.
- Phrasing: As you proceed, also try to grasp and express the musical phrases. After all, most of the music you will encounter is organized in phrases, just as language is organized in sentences: with subtle modulations, meaningful inflections, and clear goals. Never read, or play, in a monotone.
Any time you are sight-reading, try to maintain an attitude of “heightened awareness.” Embrace the sight-reading challenge wholeheartedly – and you’ll be surprised at how well you’ll do!
Keep in mind that skilled sight-readers incorporate sight reading into their regular practice regimen. With a mere 5-10 minutes of practice daily, a struggling sight-reader can soon become a sight-reading master!
Your private teacher or ensemble director would likely be able to suggest resources for practicing sight-reading. Here is one useful online resource for practicing sight-reading for treble instruments: Pasquale Bona Complete Method for Rhythmical Articulation - Second Part
The above tips will also prove helpful as you set out to learn a new piece of music. Enjoy!
PS: For sight-reading, and for your audition as a whole, breathe, relax, and keep going, even if you make a mistake. Remember, the person who is listening to the audition wants to place you in one of our ensembles, so wants you to do well! There is no reason to be nervous! Instead, just concentrate on playing your best: i.e., plan to show what you can do, and don’t worry about what you can’t do, or didn’t do.
– Barbara Schubert
Director of Performance Programs, Department of Music, University of Chicago
Music Director, University Symphony Orchestra