NYSSMA Recap and Review

After this past weeks' NYSSMA it's a good idea to recap on things we did well, and the things we could do better for next time. In addition, many students are participating in our upcoming recital, so this information is invaluable for the next performance!

1. Decipher your paper: While this is more of a joke, sometimes in order to understand a NYSSMA paper, one has to hire a team of code breakers! Ask your music teacher or private instructor to help you.

2. Go over your faults with your score: NYSSMA judges usually give great info on things you can improve. Sometimes though, in their rush to write things down, they may not be as specific as you'd wish them to be. Look at your score to identify any issues they may have had with your performance. Play over these areas until they're fixed. And a special disclaimer: if you messed up on scales, fix them - they're easy points and there's no good reason to make a mistake!

3. Replay your performance: Think of the NYSSMA experience in your head. Were you nervous? Did you bring all the required books and/or remember your audio playing device? Was your instrument ready and warmed up before your performance? Were you on time? How did your actual performance go? Were there any drastic mistakes? These, among any other questions you can think of, will help you for your next performance or next NYSSMA festival.

4. How was the experience?: NYSSMA can be a frightening and nerve wracking experience for some, while others can enjoy it. How was it for you? Remember that NYSSMA isn't for everyone, and if your experience was truly horrifying you may want to rethink what instrument you performed on, doing a festival performance instead of a graded one, holding off doing NYSSMA for a while or not participating all together (only if this really was a traumatic event!)

5. Sight-reading: Without a doubt, most people get points off on sight reading. Don't wait until the NYSSMA season next year to start doing this - start now and NYSSMA next year will be a breeze!