I won a job in a professional orchestra, and here's what I learned about auditions. 

This is a fantastic video that will serve as a valuable resource to any pre-professional musician looking to enter the audition circuit, hornist or otherwise. And while it's definitely pretty lengthy, it flowed extremely well for a long-form vlog. Also, congratulations on winning the Louisville audition!

Professional musicians are so incredible. Talent is one thing, but the sheer dedication, organization, physical and emotional fortitude, and the ability to work SMART as well as hard really set successful instrumentalists (and vocalists) apart from from the rest of us. Congrats on your new gig, and thanks for all of these educational materials!

Currently a rising senior preparing for college auditions and this video is very reassuring and helpful. The advice to focus on making music and enjoy it, is what’s going to stick with me. Thank you.

100% right especially on takeaway 3 and 5. I just won an orchestra job after not playing regularly (or at all) for a few years and these couple of takeaways really helped boost my confidence and focus on the right things. I have a full time job in the corporate world and I was definitely concerned about competing against people who have time to practice 3 hours a day and almost didn’t take the audition for that reason. A good friend of mine told me everyone is going to crack notes in a horn audition, so just go into the audition and make music. Focusing on playing musically instead of perfectly really helped me focus and not get into my head too much when I missed notes.

As a music lover (all kinds of music), this 'insider' information is fascinating. Well done getting the chair. Well deserved.

Love this video :) my instructor is actually the one who ended up winning the NYC ballet audition. Constantly get stories about what that audition was like! Love to hear about audition experiences. It's extremely helpful as a high schooler going to study in university soon getting to know what it will be like

Wow. I can see how your focus on your intention got you to where you wanted to be. The one audition I played, I got in the orchestra, (Albany Symphony) in about 1980. But that was as a violinist, and my result was realizing I absolutely did not want to be an orchestral violinist, and I left after the first year and went back to school and became an engineer --- which took me most of the decade of my 30s. The parallels are fascinating -- the intention, the incredible amount of work, the length of time, and, most important, how happy the outcome was. I could have made a similar video about my saga of becoming an engineer!! (Oh, and the reason I watched this --- I took up horn at age 45, became an excellent amateur player and spent many years playing in community orchestras, still playing in bands. If I had been a horn player instead of a violinist, the story may have been different!!)

Thank you for this video. Huge help for all of us on the same journey. Congrats! You deserve this and more. Please keep us posted on your new experiences with the orchestra.

Really helpful content, thank you Scott!

Thank you so much, Scott. Love your wisdom, your playing and your content.

Lots of healthy and helpful advice in here Scott! Congrats!

Once again another amazing video Scott! I will say this video is so inspring as a young player looking to be in the same field.

Good for you Scott! Good luck with whatever is next 😊

This video is wonderful. Thank you for posting it.

Great job, a really useful video.

Great video. As someone who has just had a bad audition experience many words I needed to hear.

Thank you for your candor and sharing your journey and congratulations!

This was a fascinating account of the audition process, thank you Scott. And kudos for your persistence, learning along the way, and ultimately landing a great position in Louisville!

Thanks for sharing your journey with us. Congrats

Thank you for sharing your experience and insight, Scott! This is exactly the kind of insight I wish I had over 20 years ago when I was playing horn. Congrats on winning the gig and on never losing your confidence along the way. I grew up in KY (graduated HS with Bryan Heath), so I like to keep up with LSO happenings. I've been watching a ton of your vids over the past few days. You're an amazing player and I wish the best for you. I've recently come back to playing horn after a 13 year break (playing at church and community band). I'm hoping to improve to be able to play in surrounding orchestra (~Fayetteville, NC) once I retire from the Army next year. If you're still teaching, I'd like to set up a lesson with you. Thanks for all your doing and enjoy the moment! -Joe

Congrats, Scott, and thanks for all the advice. Very helpful for even those like myself who love to make music for fun! 🎶🎺

So insightful!

Very helpful and eye opening, thank you.I’m a week away for a college French horn audition,thank you

Scott, I really enjoyed this discussion about your auditions. I play horn purely for enjoyment as a hobby and find it fascinating and interesting on your approach both physically and mentally. I’m sure it will be helpful to other musicians going through the trials and tribulations of auditions. Also enjoy your etude recordings. Good luck in your new position with the Louisville Symphony.

This was a phenomenal video! This gave me such insight into why we think the way we think at auditions. I recently did my audition at Juilliard for the undergrad horn performance program, and I can certainly say that I wanted to play the music more than perfect it. Thanks so much for such an amazing video - I’ll be sure to take this advice with me for the rest of my life!

Excellent "seminar" on how to approach auditioning! Congratulations on your success.

One of the most thorough audition "breakdowns" I've come across (digital or otherwise)! With all the various factors that are at play on audition day (from orchestra politics to embouchure concerns), it's great to hear that making meaningful music was your primary take away. My experience auditioning has been similar in that regard. Congrats on a well-earned achievement!

Loved this video. I’m an undergrad trumpet performance major and this opened a lot of doors in my mind on new things to try. No matter the instrument, auditioning is universal.

It’s my dream to become a professional French horn player and hearing your story and journey makes me even more excited and determined thank you for sharing!!!

Big congratulations! I’m about to enter the audition world and I’m nervous as hell haha! Very much appreciate your insight and experience! Best of luck to you in all your future pursuits!

If I could I would like this video 3 times! Amazing story of struggle, persistence and finally a great progress! Love your honesty, so inspiring :)

Helpful, thoughtful video, Scott. Bravo!

Great video!!thanks for sharing!

Thank you for this FANTASTIC video. Had I experienced this way back in 1975 I would have stayed the course and be a horn player today. Please do not underestimate the impact you may have on those of us from older generations who did not have the exposure to the degree of education that is available today and your channel is an example of that. Although I was fortunate to study horn with Ernani Angelucci of The Cleveland Orchestra, I had ZERO guidance in my music endeavor… and I was even a music major in college. Your channel really resonates with me and I look forward to learning more from you. Happy New Year!

Howdy from the Houston Symphony Chorus - glad to hear you're still a musician, rock on!

Great book shelf by the way, love the fantasy!

Scott, this video is amazing! Thank you for being so transparent in your experiences. As a percussionist, It's interesting to hear your perspectives as a horn player in orchestral auditions. Would love to see more.

Scott ! Your sound is incredible , thank you for sharing, you are definitely heading for success ! 😊

I have an audition in 2 days and I can honestly say that this has help tremendously on how I view the audition. I am still not prepared but at least I’m less nervous of failing. :)

Scott, thank you for being so genuine and real in sharing your experiences with the horn community! In thinking back over my 60 years with a horn in my hands, I auditioned for two positions. The first was for principle in a small local paid orchestra. I was given the third horn position. That audition was because I had been the horn player in a wind quintet that won a talent contest when I was a junior in high school. The second audition was for a lead position where I was to join small chamber groups and lead the other horn players in playing some horn choir antiphonal music across a small lake (call and response type). This was during a weeks time in Montreat North Carolina. I was granted that (non paid) position and I had a great time. Anyway, my take away from this “audition” RU-vid has been positive.

Well done, Scott you've earned it ☺️☺️

This is one of the best videos I've seen in a long time. Thank you for being candid and upfront with the world because this is a masterpiece. Also, you should've come to Baltimore man... great town, Peabody is down the street.

Great insights. Marvellous to hear. Thank you. I am a senior adult totally captivated by the task of improving my violin playing. I think I'm relieved that I am not young enough to have to do those auditions. Exams are challenging enough! Lovely to hear the inside story. Best regards. G Ire😊

This is gold

Fantastic video. Keep it up!

Great advice!

Thanks Scott for your insightful and positive reflection and sharing. Congratulations on your new position. You definitely earned it with your discipline and hard work. What was the process for auditioning into New World like?

Hey Scott, I’d like to share an experience I had taking an audition. I’ve taken 7 or 8 auditions so far. I took one just yesterday that I REALLY wanted. Because I’ve been subbing with them for the last 3 years almost, I’ve made friends with a lot of the orchestra so I really wanted to be a part of it. Because of the subbing, I was auto-advanced to the semi finals, as was another sub that came out for it. This was my second time in 5 years taking this audition. Because a lot has changed for me since then, all through my prep I thought I had a better chance of winning. I even imagined winning the audition and what that would feel like. I ended up not advancing. I was crushed. In hindsight, I think there are some areas for improvement technically, musically and mentally. One being that I wish I had practiced more in the week or so leading up to the audition - when I start doing mocks 2 or so weeks out, I tend to think “There’s so little time for improvement, let’s just focus on the mocks” and I end up not practicing as much or at all, so things can get a little rusty. This contributed to my feeling very nervous the night before (so I didn’t get much sleep) and the day of. I felt like my playing kind of fell apart. I wish I had also taken the time to develop a stronger pre-performance ritual. Also, like you said, because I really wanted to win it at all costs, I focused on being technically perfect in my preparation instead of playing the MUSIC, so I played it too carefully. Couple that with the rusty feeling from not practicing as much, and I really felt quite unconfident. I think I need to just take more auditions and become less attached to outcome of them. Great video.

Thank you so much!

I used to play horn (have gone a different path now), but I found this video to be an honest picture into what it looks like to take a professional audition that I failed to hear/see in school. This will be super helpful for those taking auditions moving forward, so appreciate you sharing this!

Congratulations! I've been following your progress for a couple years and happy to see this! Did you record them? I used put a recorder on the floor and could tell exactly where I lost the audition and why.

Congrats!

Really interesting video even though ill never play in pro orchestra. Currently cellist in our local community symphony orchestra and have started experimenting with brass and hope to take on learning horn next year as we have serious shortage of horn players ...

Useful stuff. Preparation and PERSISTANCE ! Note that even winning is not enough. They have to want to keep you. Example; despite winning at Berlin and Chicago, Dave Cooper does not have a job in either. Of course, rarely----but it does happen----having an inside track can help. If your teacher is FAMOUS, or high-profile within the orchestra, that can provide a lot of influential assistance to your acceptance. Even if all the finalists are excellent---accuracy, intonation, musicianship--- the audition committee's judgment is somewhat subjective. I.e., beyond the aforementioned criteria, the culture and history of the orchestra, or the position might bring different priorities to their decisions. And let's not forget the maestro, whose preference can be the most influential in orchestras with very esteemed podium leadership. But again, as Mr. Leger's video demonstrates; commitment and persistence can serve the aspirant well...very well. Many others might give up having had this player's experiences before attaining success. Congrats Mr. Leger. Keep the job , until YOU want to leave.

Great video man! I was curious to know if there was anything worth noting about the actual space you were performing in for these auditions, like if some spaces seemed dryer or more resonant than others and if there were any like, on the spot decisions you had to make regarding these spaces.

Maguinifico trabalho professor ❤️📯❤️🎼🎶🎶🎶👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Monday morning will be my first professional audition and am very lucky to see this video before my audition,thank you so much Scott.

I’m looking back at this video again now that I am less than a month from my next audition. I’ve been working on these 26 excerpts since July 2nd and the audition is August 22nd. I have never thought about the warmup routine of not playing after 15-20 minutes. I think that will help me in the long run.

Nice job 👍

enjoy following you

Welcome to louisville!

If I'm ever teaching in a performance focused program, I am absolutely showing this video to my students. It took me 7 auditions to get my first regional job, and another 9 to get the full time gig I started last year. I almost learned more through trial and error in the audition trail than many years of lessons. One of the most disheartening things that I don't think people prepare for enough, is the fact that you can advance in a big audition, and then the next audition you take you might never escape prelims for a smaller job you feel like you could have won. It almost feels like audition taking is a task of improving your batting average over time.

Thank you for sharing your journey. It took a lot of courage to leave your DMA program. My applications to three Ph.D. programs were recently rejected and I am still recovering from the experience. I am exhausted, but the lessons that I learned will hopefully help me later.

Hi, I play double bass and am going into my senior year of high school but am passionate about horn and have been considering switching all the way for a while. I have some background experience playing trumpet for 3 years in middle school which I think would help. I also have a great work ethic and ear for pitch. I would like your honest opinion on how practical it would be for me to pick up horn this late, get a good education and win good jobs? I am really on the fence about switching or not and would like to hear what you think, thanks!

Would you say that your playing in the audition is the sole factor in you getting the job or does other things such as experience get looked at?

Do you feel that particular instrument helped you to be more successful in the audition process? Would you recommend the E. Schmid triple to others trying to win both low and/or high horn auditions?

What's the 'warm-up' before the first & last excerpts' measures?

What were you doing for a living while taking auditions?

The shortest notice I have been given is 2 weeks to a month before a professional audition.

Parabéns 📯🇵🇹

Did you have to memorize all the excerpts when you auditioned for some of them?

I love life stories.... may i ask is your fisncé/wife involved in music? Where did you bith meet? Bedt regards. G Ire