NYSSMA Solo Festival

1. Practice, practice, practice - You should be practicing your NYSSMA solo a little every day.
2. Start with scales - warm up with scales before you play.  The very last scale you should play should be the one with the same key signature as your piece.
3. Listen - you should be listening to your NYSSMA solo so you know what it sounds like.  This will help with your intonation and rhythm.
4. Don't start at the beginning every time - We often start at the beginning of a piece and play the first few lines over and over.  When the piece becomes a little different and we make a mistake, we stop and restart at the beginning again.  When we do this, we get really good at the beginning, and then can't play our whole piece, or change tempos and slow down for the parts we have not played as much.  Start with the sections that challenge you and play them at the beginning of your practice session so you are not tired when you get to them.
5. Mark things in your music - If you keep playing a G# when it is really a G natural, mark it in!  If you can't remember to play dynamics, circle them.  Don't be afraid to write (in pencil) in your music. 
6. Ask questions - If you are not sure if you are doing something correctly, or you do not know what something means, ask!  Most questions can be answered in about 1 or 2 minutes and it is much easier to ask a question than to relearn something.
7. Practice a little sight reading every day - take out your Essential Elements book and play through an example you have not played before or do not know.  You only get one chance to play your sight readinge example so make sure you prepare first.  See below for sight reading tips.
8. Play for people - Many of you have not played a solo before, or get nervous when you play by yourself.  The best way to overcome this fear is to play for as many people as you can - bring a friend in during lunch and play your solo for them, put on a concert at home, ask a teacher if you can play for them.  Remember - they are there to support you and see what you can do, not to pick out every little thing you think you have done wrong.
9. Be confident - If you think postively, you will play well.  If you go in thinking that you are going to do poorly and you cannot play your solo, you will not do well.  If you go in thinking that you have prepared to the best of your ability and you are confident that you will do well, you will play well.

Tips for Successful Sight Reading:
You only have about 1 minute to prepare your sight reading before you must play.  If you follow this order, you will be succesful:

1. Time Signature - How many beats are in each measure?  What type of note gets the beat?
2. Key Signature - How many sharps or flats are there?  What are they?  What are your finger patterns for that key signature?
3. Accidentals - Are there any extra sharps, flats, or naturals written in the music?
4. Rhythms - Count through the piece before you worry about the notes.
5. Signs - Are there any dynamics, articulations, repeat signs or 1st and 2nd endings?  Make sure you play them if there are.
6. Range and Note Spacing - Are there any notes that you cannot play in 1st position?  Are there a lot of big jumps?  Is it mostly stepwise?
7. Finger and Air Bow - You are not allowed to make any sound before you play.  Put the stick of your bow in the crook of your arm and silently finger and bow through the piece.