It’s show-time! 6 tips for preparing for your next gig

Your next big show is coming up and you want to make it your best yet. So how can you prepare? Here’s six tips to get you in the “zone”:

Supporters: When you are on stage, you’re hoping for an audience. Make some calls to family and friends and invite them to come along. This will help the applause and make sure you have the support you need when putting yourself in the spotlight.

Love your look: We are all more comfortable when we feel good about ourselves. Make sure you look the part and feel that you look good. Shower and dress in clothes that keep you comfortable and look great. To complete your look walk on stage with a straight back and a bright smile for the audience.

A little breather: To help with your nerves, take a few moments before you perform. Go somewhere quiet and take deep breaths and try to relax. Think about how hard you’ve worked on your routine or your song and remember you are going to have a good time up there on stage.

Drink up: You need to keep up your fluids and drink plenty of water before a performance. When you are nervous you can often forget to drink and use up energy very quickly. Avoid soft drinks and stick to water. Drink up!

Warm ups: When your performance time is drawing near (an hour or so before you perform) you should be warming up those dancing feet or vocal chords. If you step straight out on stage without a warm up you might feel a bit tight in the throat or your muscles might not be ready for that tricky dance move.

Practise, practise and practise: To be at your best at show-time you need to be prepared. Don’t wing it. The better prepared you are the more confident you will be and the more the audience will enjoy watching you. If you know all your steps, notes or lyrics back to front, you can concentrate on delivering a knock out performance!

It’s a great accomplishment  to perform in front of an audience and you should be very proud of yourself for getting involved. Remember to relax and enjoy yourself. If you’re reading this you’ll do just fine because now you know all the important ways to prepare for a great show! Give yourself a pat on the back at the end for all your hard work.

Good Luck!

Follow these links to see some photos from some of NIYPAA’s most recent performances all around Australia. Dance I Choir

Benita Sullivan

Benita’s early back ground in music and performance stretches from musicals, to choir, singing and instrumental training. She has been managing and playing with Melbourne bands for the last eight years. She is a singer song writer, developing her latest band Elliot Friend. She looks forward to a successful career in creative arts administration while persisting in her musical endeavours.

Brought to you by National Institute of Youth Performing Arts – auditioning now.

Go to www.niypaa.com.au

Sing and Dance Australia

Sharing life’s experiences – singing dancing and growing up!

Good music – Transcending the Age Gap

Members of the Australian Youth Choir who opened the tribute concert to Darryl Cotton on Tuesday 23^rd October at the Palais Theatre St Kilda were honoured to sing one of his favourite songs ‘Tenterfield Saddler’.

The greats of the Australian music industry came together to honour their mate.These performers were huge  stars well before the kids in the Australian Youth Choir were born, but the choristers left the concert in awe of the enormous contribution they  had made and continue to make to the Australian music scene – Daryl Braithwaite, Russell Morris, Lisa Edwards, Brian Cadd, Jim Keays, Debra Byrne, Wendy Stapleton, Paul Norton, Ronnie Burns, Glenn Shorrock and of course Darryl Cotton.

After opening the show, the choristers sat back in the audience and confidently sang along to ‘Howzatt’, ‘Because I Love You,’ ‘Wings of An Eagle’, ‘Sweet Sweet Love’, ‘Little Ray of Sunshine’, ‘Don’t you Know It’s Magic’, ‘Help Is On It’s Way’ and many more.

And who composed or made these songs famous?  Australians of course and in many instances the very people on stage performing them.

The kids finished the night with a different appreciation of the 50+ age group whom they would probably call “old” but not on Tuesday. They had become ageless in front of an audience that included both those who remembered when their musical careers began and those who were watching them perform for the very first time.

Australian music is alive and well and we should be incredibly proud of the foundations upon which our industry has been built. Great song writers and great performers all came together to remember and honour a fellow performer and friend and in doing so inspired a new generation of young fans to follow their musical dreams.

Message from Graeme McKee – Organiser of the Tribute Concert

Thank you to the Australian Youth Choir for the valuable contribution to our tribute to Darryl.  I felt tears welling right through your singing of Tenterfield Saddler.  It was simply the BEST opener we could have hoped for.  Darryl often talked about his involvement and passion for the choir over the years, and I thought of this through the song, one of my favourites.  I am sure that not a person left that theatre last night, anything but absolutely delighted with the vast talent on display from start to finish.  Through his short illness we talked about the concert often.  It was a strange feeling driving home after the concert realising that we had nailed it to his high standards. Thank you again and my love and thanks to all those delightful choristers who were just simply wonderful!

Julie McKenna – NIYPAA Director

Julie’s involvement with the Performing Arts covers a wide field of expertise. As a classroom teacher she fostered her passion of singing and ensemble groups with her students and continues this aspect with the students of the Australian Youth Choir and Australian Youth Dance Theatre.   An extensive career in opera, music theatre and choral groups has seen her perform in a variety of productions with Opera Australia, the Victoria State Opera, Melbourne Music Theatre and the Melbourne Chorale.

Brought to you by National Institute of Youth Performing Arts – auditioning now.

Go to www.niypaa.com.au

Sing and Dance Australia

Sharing life’s experiences – singing dancing and growing up!

Sport or art – which is most important?

Visit Melbourne on AFL Grand Final week and you’ll be hard pressed to find Melbourne’s artistic community. The streets are lined with four colours; two from each final team with families and groups congregating to cheer on their preferred club.

Although football is not my first love, I am proud of Melbourne’s sporting culture and Australia’s overall commitment to sport. At work, I’m surrounded by firm supporters of the arts and in fact, many of my colleagues are artists or musicians in their own right however, they still worship their favourite football team, tennis player, cricketer or the like.

Recently Artshub featured an article titled “Raising the status of the artist” by Deborah Stone. The article featured the personal views of the newly appointed Australia Council Chair, Rupert Myer on Australia’s art and culture scene. Myer believes art needs a higher profile and we need to raise the level of arts appreciation to equal that of Australia’s sporting status.

Myer says we need to “value art for arts’ sake’ and we should “be raising the profile of the artist.” He urges those with a love of the arts to be proud of the benefits that arts culture creates in the small and personal sense as well as on a broad scale.

So, how does one do this? While some may not consider themselves as artistic, most people do have some level of arts appreciation they either haven’t harnessed or simply don’t recognise, but the truth remains it does exist.

We seem to give appreciation and recognition to celebrity artists and celebrity sportspeople in equal measure but what about those who aren’t famous?

All those people for whom art, music, film, photography, writing and performance and dance are a passion work tirelessly at their craft often working part time jobs in hospitality, finance, administration and a myriad of other professions to make ends meet. Could we live without them?

We Australians are without a doubt keen art enthusiasts. Myer states “we have the best attended art galleries in the world…we have something like 15 million visits to galleries each year”.

I’m not denying we don’t love the arts but perhaps we forget to praise those who make it their life to give us all a creative outlet.

My view is that our pride and appreciation of the arts begins when we are young. Sport is so important for young people to learn team building, athleticism, health and nutrition and we all know physical education is important for our overall health and wellbeing. I would like to suggest that the arts achieve similar outcomes. Early musical training helps to develop language and reasoning skills and students of the performing arts learn to think creatively. The arts demand we maintain a sustained commitment to improve and subsequently we learn the value of commitment. Performers learn to conquer fears and take risks and so improve their self-awareness. Aside from the personal satisfaction achieved through artistic pursuits – art of all varieties makes comment on the society in which they are practiced, giving those of us who appreciate it an insight and understanding of the world in which we live.

Appreciation of the arts needs to be nurtured from childhood to adulthood – with equal intensity to sport in our schools and in community programmes. Sporting achievements that have always been traditionally seen as “cool” and quickly praised, should be recognised alongside achievement in art, music, dance, writing and performance.

Academic achievement in these subjects should be valued as highly as language, mathematics and science if our goal is to develop our young people wholly and offer them the best opportunities and skills for their lives.

Christine Grey – General Manager NIYPAA.

Christine is an educator, organizer and art enthusiast, with a profound interest in youth performing arts. A former music and art teacher Christine is now devoting her time to the Australian Youth Choir and Australian Youth Dance Theatre where she has worked for over 15 years. She is a fan of the visual arts, live theatre, drama, film and is jealous of anyone who can create movement to music.Her working life has been dedicated to the musical education of young people in the performing arts and shes loves to tell anyone who will listen about the benefits the Arts can bring to every personality at all stages of their lives.

 

Brought to you by National Institute of Youth Performing Arts – auditioning now.

Go to www.niypaa.com.au

Sing and Dance Australia

Sharing life’s experiences – singing dancing and growing up!

Has your child been bullied?

All parents worry about their child being bullied especially now we have cyber bullying to contend with. It is yet another issue for parents to be worried about and with good reason. So how do we prevent bullying of our children and better yet how do you know if your child is the bully.

The Australian Covert Bullying Prevalence Study published in 2009 gives us some interesting facts and stats about bullying in schools you may not be aware of. For instance did you know:

• Cyber bullying most common in Year 9.

Year 9 students (compared with other year levels) were more likely to have been bullied over the internet, both by someone they had met while on the internet (12%) and by someone whose identity they did not know (17%).

• Students more likely to go to their friends or parents over teachers if they’ve been bullied.

Friends (64%) followed by parents or guardians (57%) and then teachers and other staff members (46%) were the people students most commonly went to for help to deal with a bullying problem. Whereas boys (33%) were more likely than girls (23%) to not ask anyone for help, over half (56-57%) had spoken with friends or a parent.

• 45% of students say bullying gets worse if they seek help from an adult.

Seeking help from an adult was not always effective, with more students indicating the bullying situation stayed the same or got worse (45%) instead of improving (28%).

• students respond to bullying in different ways.

Most students who were covertly bullied indicated that they responded by walking away (75%), staying away from the person(s) or the place where it happened (74%), ignoring the student(s) involved (72%), or becoming angry (72%).

• Students more likely to be bullied by their peers.

Students were most likely to be covertly bullied by students in their own year group (91%) or students in the year above them (50%).

• Teachers unsure of how to deal with cyber bullying.

There was slightly less recognition of, and more uncertainty by, teachers about how to address bullying involving technology compared with other forms of bullying.

• Staff think their colleagues need to be better trained to deal with bullying.

The majority of staff (67%) felt other teachers at their school needed more training to enhance their skills to deal with a range of issues related to covert bullying, such as dealing with incidents or addressing covert (including cyber bullying) within the curriculum. Actions and motives underlying covert bullying behaviours need to be understood to know how to intervene and prevent.

• Just over half of teachers surveyed feel their school’s bullying prevention tactics are effective.

Over one half of the teachers surveyed rated the current whole school bullying prevention strategies in place in their school as moderately or very effective in reducing covert bullying (57%) with 21% indicating the strategies were only slightly effective, and 5% indicating they were ineffective.

Although published in 2009 this report provides an insight in to the world of school bullying and provides recommendations to the school system on ways to tackle this issue. Check the recommendations and see if your child’s school has implemented any.

Read the full report here: http://www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/NationalSafeSchools/Documents/covertBullyReports/Exec_20summary.pdf

We’ll be bringing you more on this important topic in the future but welcome your insights and experiences. Feel free to post them here and share with our blog readers tactics you have used to stamp out bullying or respond to bullying.

 

Christine Grey – General Manager NIYPAA.

Christine is an educator, organizer and art enthusiast, with a profound interest in youth performing arts. A former music and art teacher Christine is now devoting her time to the Australian Youth Choir and Australian Youth Dance Theatre where she has worked for over 15 years. She is a fan of the visual arts, live theatre, drama, film and is jealous of anyone who can create movement to music.Her working life has been dedicated to the musical education of young people in the performing arts and shes loves to tell anyone who will listen about the benefits the Arts can bring to every personality at all stages of their lives.

 

Holiday fun that won’t break the bank – Affordable activities during school holidays

For parents, the school holidays can be a mixed bag. While we welcome the quality time with our young ones, the endless days of “I’m bored” and “I’m hungry” can become a little tiresome. The kids can’t wait, so what’s happening this school break? How do you keep these bubbly minds busy, entertained and happy without breaking the bank and your patience? Here are some suggestions to help you through and if you’re reading this and have a few more, help a fellow parent out and add them in our comments section.

Crafty kids – In our recent blog post The rise of the mummy blogger we directed you to a blog with some arts and crafts ideas for the kids, Mess for Less.  Here you’ll find craft activities perfect for rainy days. Roll out the newspaper and get sticking and glittering with all your house hold recyclables.

Play dates – Groups of children occupy one another. They’re pretty good at keeping themselves busy with their own games and speaking their own language. If you can organise a few days where your child visits a friend  – they’ll probably only need a little pocket money for lunch and lollies – you can have a day of peace and your child will have a ball. You can return the favour and have your child’s friends over too.

Visit to the library- Remember those places full of books? Scrap the computer and the iPad for the afternoon and head down to the local library for story time!  Gather some great books to bring reading time home and look out for free school holiday library activity sessions for kids. You can spend hours in this peaceful haven and walk out without spending a single cent.

Treasure hunts – Head down to the $2 shop and buy a bag of lolly pops and/or a few tiny toy trinkets. You could hide the treats inside and if the suns shining, in the back yard. If you’re feeling game, you could think up some clues for some of the hiding places. Your children will LOVE this game and you will be the favourite parent for the day. This is one of those activities the kids remember when they are grown-ups as a lot of fun.

Tip: remember to account for each piece of treasure to avoid finding sticky surprises under the couch cushion three days…or years later.

Dress ups – Ready…set…raid the wardrobes! Encourage your kids to organise a fancy dress parade for the afternoon. Half the day (and fun) will be finding the costumes; use pillows for Santa’s big belly, wooden spoons for scarecrow hands and mum’s (not brand new) lipstick to make a clowns nose. Make sure you get the camera out for a funny pose photo shoot.

Living room X-factor – We’ve seen it all on X-factor. From sword swallowers to solo artists and gymnasts in boxes. Now its time to bring out the talents in your own living room! You could have group acts, solo, or a whole family performance with the video camera going to capture all those slap stick moments.

Games night – In our last blog  we spoke about the simple life. One of the simple activities we blogged about was board games. You can have a few hours of fun just sitting around the kitchen table screaming out UNO! Or laugh at mum’s drawing of a turtle that looks like a wheelbarrow during a game of Pictionary.

So there you have it. Guaranteed holiday fun for you and the kids that will keep the bank balance in check! See the best things in life are free…or reasonably cheap!

Do you have any other great holiday activities in mind?

 

Benita Sullivan – Benita’s early back ground in music and performance stretches from musicals, to choir, singing and instrumental training. She has been managing and playing with Melbourne bands for the last eight years. She is a singer song writer, developing her latest band Elliot Friend. She looks forward to a successful career in creative arts administration while persisting in her musical endeavours.

Brought to you by National Institute of Youth Performing Arts – auditioning now.

Go to www.niypaa.com.au

Sing and Dance Australia

Sharing life’s experiences – singing dancing and growing up!

From the World Wide Web into the real world! How to unplug the family

The Internet has fast become our best friend. It is something we tell our secrets to, stay up late at night with and contact every day.

The Internet has made a positive impact on our lives and allowed us to communicate more quickly and across invisible borders. However, before we bow to the Gods of technology, we all need to consider how much we want the Internet to infiltrate our lives.

Time in front of the computer, iPad or iPhone screen is time away from face-to-face interaction and good ol’ fresh air.

Most of us love that the Internet can help with homework and research, give us an easy way to pay our bills, contact our overseas relatives and even find the nearest Toys-R-Us because we need to find a Barbie STAT for the six year old birthday party your daughter is invited to that completely slipped your mind.

We want all these great things from the World Wide Web, but for many of us it is difficult to find a balance between online and offline.

Here’s some ideas for unplugging the family for a few moments a day and increase face-to-face time.

Snakes and ladders – Keep the games offline but still going and see if you can have some laughs over a few board games. Charades, Pictionary, Uno or Trivia, it’s all fun and it’s good for keeping the brain active and healthy.

Family of cooks – It’s in to the kitchen for a cooking lesson! You could make a fun dessert together, go out shopping for the ingredients and enjoy the results after dinner.

Reading – Buy everyone in your family a book or visit the library. Cosy up in the family room and have a group reading session.

To the park – Now it’s staying a little lighter for a little longer each night, we have a bit more time for the out doors. An afternoon at the park could be a great way to get some fresh air and help the kids burn off a bit of energy.

Group Activities – Encourage your kids to get involved in a sports group, take up an instrument, singing or dancing. These outside of school activities will keep your kids alert and introduce them to new skills.

Day trips – Plan ahead and take the kids on day trips! Getting out of the house to the beach, the zoo, a friends place or even the museum can loosen things up! It can be good to get out for a few hours and teach the kids that there’s a lot to see out there.

Can you think of any other great unplugged family activities? If so, share them here!

 

Julie McKenna – NIYPAA Director

Julie’s involvement with the Performing Arts covers a wide field of expertise. As a classroom teacher she fostered her passion of singing and ensemble groups with her students and continues this aspect with the students of the Australian Youth Choir and Australian Youth Dance Theatre.   An extensive career in opera, music theatre and choral groups has seen her perform in a variety of productions with Opera Australia, the Victoria State Opera, Melbourne Music Theatre and the Melbourne Chorale.

Brought to you by National Institute of Youth Performing Arts – auditioning now.

Go to www.niypaa.com.au

Sing and Dance Australia

Sharing life’s experiences – singing dancing and growing up!

The rise of the mummy blogger: Our Top 10 picks for web reading for kids and parents

These days the answers to our questions as parents are just one click away and the rise of the “Mummy Blogger” has meant that there are communities of mums, dads, guardians and non-parents with opinions and tips on so many parenting challenges.

No matter what your issue, passion, concern or question, it’s virtually guaranteed the Internet will provide you with an answer or a like-minded person with which to engage.

Blogging is now a mainstream online communication and engagement tool and for parents, it can be a great source of comfort once you find the right one for you.

Here is our list of the best parenting blogs to check out and we’d love to know if you yourself are a blogger or have a favourite that we need to check out. Just submit a comment below.

Mamamia – published by mother and former magazine editor Mia Freedman, this blog has gone from strength to strength since launching in 2007. With parenting advice and opinions, style, food and entertainment news, this blog is very popular reaching thousands of Australians daily.

Essential Baby –Essential Baby is a great one for potential parents, pregnant mothers and new parents. The blog tracks your journey from conception to toddlerhood offering advice based related articles and discussion forums. The blog can even help you find a babysitter!

Bub Hub – Bub Hub launched in 2002 and like Essential Baby, offers advice for parents with newborns through to toddler age. There is a special section on post-natal health for mothers on the You page and the blog offers a 24hour support forum. The special interests section covers topics such as eco friendly families, pre mature babies and articles specifically for dad.

Mess for Less – Here’s one that will keep the kids entertained for hours. This blog has endless art and craft activities for the little ones. A great one for weekends and holidays.

Life and Other Crises – Kerri Slacker is the author of ‘The Little Book of Anxiety – Confessions from A Worried Life’, ‘When My Husband Does The Dishes…’ and this personal and intriguing blog. Slacker writes for the mum who needs time out, she writes with great honesty and leaves you with something to laugh and think about.

The Busy Dad Blog – One for the dads! This blog follows a dad and his two kids as they go on adventures to the zoo, the park, on fishing trips and to the desk to get important school projects done together. Busy Dad even has a comic strip for all those memorable daddy moments.

Growing Up Well – When our children begin their transition through the often awkward teenage years, their parents certainly do too. This blog helps parents connect with their changing offspring.  There is a facts page featuring specific info about kids between the ages 9 – 14 and the blog also features a list of books to help you with your teenage challenges.

Wine Country Mom – This single mum admits to her sometimes “crazy” lifestyle of “mixing families and raising teens/tweens – where words come out in grunts, baseball rules (her life), pennies are pinched and in other words, everything is wonderful”.

Cook, Learn, Grow! – For the would-be master chefs, this blog gives great ideas for cooking with kids. It features recipes easy for children’s cooking ranging from easy, intermediate and advanced! Just think, if you start them cooking now, you might get a three course meal on your next Mothers or Fathers Day!

Happy Families – Again another one for dads. Written by an Aussie dad, this blog has some great articles to keep us in tune with what’s good for our kids and what’s going on in today’s world that relates to our family.

Inspired yet? Read away and let us know what you think of our top 10!

Have you got any favourite family blog or are you writing one?  Let us know below.

We’re also on the look-out for parents to write and post articles for this blog, so let us know if you’re interested in having a go.

Christine Grey – General Manager NIYPAA.

Christine is an educator, organizer and art enthusiast, with a profound interest in youth performing arts. A former music and art teacher Christine is now devoting her time to the Australian Youth Choir and Australian Youth Dance Theatre where she has worked for over 15 years. She is a fan of the visual arts, live theatre, drama, film and is jealous of anyone who can create movement to music.Her working life has been dedicated to the musical education of young people in the performing arts and shes loves to tell anyone who will listen about the benefits the Arts can bring to every personality at all stages of their lives.

Brought to you by National Institute of Youth Performing Arts – auditioning now.

Go to www.niypaa.com.au

Sing and Dance Australia

Sharing life’s experiences – singing dancing and growing up!

All content provided on this blog is for information purposes only. NIYPAA makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. NIYPAA will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information.NIYPAA does not endorse the content and opinions expressed by the individuals who publish the aforementioned blogs.This policy is subject to change at anytime.

Team spirit – How children benefit from group activities

It is evident in all walks of life. Teams are common among the human race. A team is not just a group of people, it is a group linked together for a common purpose. If we want to get something done, we usually do it with a team.

Our recent post about the Olympics highlighted that great athletes always attribute their success to the support of their coaches, families and mentors – in other words, their team.

Similarly, young footballers can be great talent, have the highest grade of fitness and skill level but won’t be a success without their team. I mean do we ever go to the MCG to watch an individual footballer kick goals on his own? Boring!

No matter what the activity, whether it be acting, choir, dancing, reading or learning, it’s great to do it in a group working toward a common, shared goal. This is especially true to children.

Working in a team gives children encouragement and a means to learn from others. It helps with confidence building and social skills. How great does it feel when you win a netball game or finished a group assignment? Everyone plays his or her role and the job gets done and you can celebrate your win together.

The same goes for choir and dancing. It’s a team effort. The National Institute of Youth Performing Arts (NIYPAA) has been encouraging group learning since we founded over 35 years ago. We know from working with young people, how exhilarating it is when together they learn new choreography or a new piece of music. Even better is at the end when they perform their work for an audience. All that work together to produce something that sees them gain applause and recognition from others for their efforts.

From our long history of watching, teaching, supporting and helping young teams develop, learn, grow and succeed, here’s a list of the benefits of team activities for our young people:

Group awareness It’s a positive learning experience for young people to realise that their actions impact on others. When they have the chance to see themselves as part of a whole they start to understand their part in the team and that their behaviour has a reaction in the group.

Encouragement to learn: When a child witness’ other children their age working at something and focusing on a goal they will be more likely to become interested in doing the same. This is a stepping-stone for “rest of life” learning.

Friendship: People form groups based around common interests, e.g. If you join a choir it’s most likely because you like singing or music. By sharing a positive experience with someone we create a bond together and build friendships on this initial interest.

Social confidence: If a child becomes familiar with group and team situations from a young age they will be more likely to feel comfortable interacting with others in general as they grow up. Being a socially confident person allows us to be open to opportunities.

Flexibility: In any team of people there are many different personalities. When young people work with others they begin to comprehend and accept differences. This acceptance helps them learn the art of compromise and helps them learn to be sensitive to others.

Gain Knowledge: To be a part of a team is to learn about the world. When we interact with others and share a purpose of achieving something, we pick up stories and information. From participating in group activities we can learn a lot about the activity but maybe even more about life and the world around us.

These benefits explain why parents spend so much of their precious time car-pooling their young ones to a variety of team activities.  What has been your greatest team activity or achievement?

 

Julie McKenna – NIYPAA Director

Julie’s involvement with the Performing Arts covers a wide field of expertise. As a classroom teacher she fostered her passion of singing and ensemble groups with her students and continues this aspect with the students of the Australian Youth Choir and Australian Youth Dance Theatre.   An extensive career in opera, music theatre and choral groups has seen her perform in a variety of productions with Opera Australia, the Victoria State Opera, Melbourne Music Theatre and the Melbourne Chorale.

 

Brought to you by National Institute of Youth Performing Arts – auditioning now.

Go to www.niypaa.com.au

Sing and Dance Australia

Sharing life’s experiences – singing dancing and growing up!

Butterflies in your tummy? Five quick tips on how to calm the nerves before an audition

Don’t stress out about your audition, read our 5 tips!

Sweaty palms? Dry mouth? Finding it hard to sit still? Sounds like you might just be about to audition!

We all audition at some point in our lives. Whether it’s a job interview, a new school or even a new group of friends, we are on show and aware of our behaviour and other people’s opinions of us. Auditions are the same except you know for certain you’re being watched and it can make us all a little nervous. At NIYPAA we’ve held auditions every year for 38 years for our choir and dance programs so for us it’s a normal part of life. We’re writing this post on auditions because at the moment we are holding them around the country and we see hundreds of young people suffer through nerves or “butterflies” and we know all the tricks on how to beat them. Firstly let us just say, it is guaranteed that you will be nervous or have butterflies and you might even consider racing out the door before you’ve even done your audition. Use these tips to help you through your audition and we guarantee at the end you will walk away feeling fantastic!

1. First of all remember this: You are not alone. Everyone who is auditioning feels the same way. Just remember that!
2. Remember to breathe. Take long, deep, slow breaths. This will help slow down your racing heart beat and relax your mind because you are letting lots of oxygen in to your lungs. This will help you feel calmer and more in control. Stand in a quiet place if you can find one and take a few moments of deep, long breathing.
3. Warm up before your audition. If you are going to be singing, make sure you have a short sing before you even get to your audition (the car is a good place to do this). This will warm up your vocal chords and get them prepared for your performance. If you’re dancing, make sure you do some stretches to loosen up your muscles before you audition.
4. Wear something that makes you feel special and comfortable. If you feel special and you think you look nice this will help you feel more confident on the day.
5. Remember to think positive thoughts before your audition. Think of your favourite things and smile as much as you can to help put yourself in a good frame of mind. Remember that you are trying something new and that in itself is a really great achievement.

Nerves are what make us all human and they always go away! Once you have begun your audition and you are focussed on your singing and dancing, it’s pretty likely you will forget your nerves and you’ll relax. Once you see others singing and dancing around you, you will feel even better. When you finish your audition you will feel uplifted and wonder what all the fuss was about! Think of the end goal. Why are you auditioning? Probably because you want to learn to sing or dance and perform on a stage one day and if you relax and give your audition its best shot it is highly likely you will! Check out this recent video of the Australian Youth Choir performing in Rome in Italy. Once upon a time, they auditioned too! The National Institute of Youth Performing Arts is currently holding its auditions for the Australian Youth Choir and National Institute of Youth Performing Arts around Australia. Click here to arrange an audition today.

The AYC 2012 tour, featured on Rome Reports

Do you have any more ideas for audition nerves?

Benita Sullivan

Benita’s early back ground in music and performance stretches from musicals, to choir, singing and instrumental training. She has been managing and playing with Melbourne bands for the last eight years. She is a singer song writer, developing her latest band Elliot Friend. She looks forward to a successful career in creative arts administration while persisting in her musical endeavours.

Brought to you by National Institute of Youth Performing Arts – auditioning now.

Go to www.niypaa.com.au

Sing and Dance Australia

Sharing life’s experiences – singing dancing and growing up!

Stretch yourself! Seven warm-up tips for dancers and a warm-up video!

Whether you’re about to attempt the moonwalk or just two steppin’ everyone knows you’re meant to warm-up first.

Stretching properly prepares you for your dance session and is important for preventing strain and tear in your muscles. Young dancers should make stretching before and after dancing part of the ritual to avoid muscle strain and injury and to develop flexibility early.

Each time a new dance move is introduced in to a choreographed piece, a new muscle group is too. Dancers need to warm up before every dance rehearsal to get the blood flowing, raise the body temperature , improve the range of motion and prepare the body for the more demanding moves the body requires. The Australian Youth Dance Theatre (AYDT) choreographers take their students through a range of warm up exercises and so we thought we would share them with everyone. Click below to watch the video and have a go trying these at home.

Here are seven warm-up tips for young dancers:

1. First make sure you choose music you like because it’s much more fun when the music is good!
2. Make sure you stretch evenly on both sides of your body
3. Don’t over stretch (stretch too far) – be gentle on yourself (see tip 4).
4. Stretch slowly and smoothly – avoid bouncy or jerky movement.
5. Don’t forget to breathe.
6. Isolations should be incorporated into your warm up – try to stand in front of the mirror when you do these so you can check if you are moving correctly.
7. Make sure you listen to your teacher, tutor or choreographer when you are taking a class. They will always direct you for each one of your warm ups and give you the knowledge you need to work at home.

Watch the attached video example of a great stretching exercise from one of AYDT’s Choreographers with some of the AYDT ensemble dancers. This stretching exercise is much harder than it looks. It takes controlled movement, which relies heavily on strength. All the featured dancers said it was difficult to perfect.

By practicing warm ups at home between classes, you will improve your strength and flexibility and be well on your way to improving your dancing.  Remember to take care of your body and listen to what it needs and you will be a fitter and healthier dancer.

Tell us here about your favourite warm up and why it makes you feel good.

The AYDT warm up for Friday night rehearsals

Christine Grey – General Manager NIYPAA.

Christine is an educator, organizer and art enthusiast, with a profound interest in youth performing arts. A former music and art teacher Christine is now devoting her time to the Australian Youth Choir and Australian Youth Dance Theatre where she has worked for over 15 years. She is a fan of the visual arts, live theatre, drama, film and is jealous of anyone who can create movement to music.Her working life has been dedicated to the musical education of young people in the performing arts and shes loves to tell anyone who will listen about the benefits the Arts can bring to every personality at all stages of their lives.

Brought to you by National Institute of Youth Performing Arts – auditioning now.

Go to www.niypaa.com.au

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