Youth Orchestra Violin Audition Review

Is your child ready to submit the audition video?

Your child may have practiced the required excerpts for weeks. Their private teacher may have worked carefully with them. They may even sound excellent in the practice room.

But there is one question that is easy to overlook:

How does their playing actually come across to an audition committee?

That is what this service is designed to help you understand.

A second set of professional ears—before you press “Submit.”

The internet is full of audition tips, practice suggestions, YouTube videos, and AI tools that can tell students what they should do.

But knowing what to do and actually executing it accurately in an audition recording are two different things.

Is the intonation consistently secure?

Is the rhythm stable when the playing is exposed?

Does the sound project?

Are the articulations clean?

Does the musical phrase actually come across?

Are there small problems that a student—and even a parent listening from home—may not notice?

An experienced outside listener can help identify what is really coming through in the recording.

Your child's playing is unique. Their feedback should be, too. 

This is not a replacement for your child's private teacher.

Their teacher knows their playing, their development, and how to help them improve. This service provides something different:

an independent evaluation from the perspective of a professional orchestral musician and experienced audition-panel member.

After hearing your child's recording, I identify the three most important things I would address before submitting the audition.

The goal is not to overwhelm a young musician with another long list of things to fix.

The goal is to answer:

“If this were an audition committee, what would I notice first?”

$20 Audition Quick Check 

A simple, low-risk way to get professional feedback before the audition.

Send:

• One violin audition excerpt

• Video up to 2 minutes

• Your child's sheet music/PDF

Receive:

• Overall audition impression

• Three priority areas to improve

• Specific measure references

• Marked-up sheet music PDF

• Professional audition-panel perspective

Feedback delivered within 24 hours of receiving your complete submission.

One excerpt. One evaluation. Clear priorities.

What you will know afterward 

Instead of wondering:

“Is my child really ready?”

you will have a clearer understanding of:

What is already working.

What needs attention.

What matters most before submitting the audition.

And just as importantly, what does not need to become another source of stress right now.

Why an independent audition review? 

Parents are often in a difficult position.

You hear your child practice every day. You may know when something sounds wrong, but you may not know whether it matters in an audition.

Your child's teacher may have prepared the music thoroughly, but an audition is a different environment. A recording can reveal things that are difficult to notice during regular practice.

An independent evaluation can provide one final perspective:

Not “Can your child play this piece?”

but:

“What does the audition committee actually hear in this performance?”

About the evaluator 

I have performed regularly in professional orchestras and have served on audition committees over the past 20 years.

That experience has given me the opportunity to hear musicians not only as performers, but from the other side of the audition process—listening for the qualities, consistency, preparation, and musical communication that make an impression in an audition.

My goal is straightforward:

Help your child walk into—or submit—an audition with a clearer understanding of what their playing communicates.

Already have a private teacher? 

Perfect.

This service is specifically designed for students who already have their own private teacher.

Your teacher continues to guide your child's musical development.

I provide an independent audition evaluation.

The two roles complement each other.

Ready for a second set of ears? 

$20 Audition Quick Check · One Excerpt · Up to 2 Minutes · Written feedback · Marked-up PDF 

Get professional violin audition feedback before you submit. You'll upload your video and sheet music through a secure Google Form. Google sign-in is required for file uploads.

Step 1 — Pay $20

[PAY $20]

Step 2 — Upload your materials

[SUBMIT VIDEO & SHEET MUSIC]

Once payment and all required materials are received, your completed evaluation will be returned within 24 hours.

This service provides independent performance feedback and is intended to complement, not replace, regular private violin instruction.

Your privacy matters.

Your child's audition recording is used only for the requested evaluation and is not publicly shared. Submitted materials are deleted after your completed feedback is delivered.

Need more than written feedback? 

If you'd like to work through your excerpts with me directly, see [20-Minute Online Orchestral Excerpt Coaching].