You’ve picked your song, figured out your cut, and practiced it approximately one million times (or at least, YOU SHOULD HAVE!) You know exactly where you’re starting, where you’re ending, and which eight measures you’re skipping in the middle.
But does your sheet music make all of that equally clear to the pianist?
This is one of those audition preparation details that’s easy to overlook, but it matters! You want the pianist to succeed. They’re your collaborator in the room, and the easier you make their job, the more they can support you.
If your music requires them to follow arrows, jump across pages, and decipher a crossed-out section while you’re singing, you’ve given them a little obstacle course. Let’s give them something easier to work with.
What makes a “perfect” audition cut?
When I say “perfect,” I mean a clean, readable copy of exactly the music you want played, in the order you want it played.
No extra introduction you’re planning to skip. No sixteen-bar section crossed out with a giant X. No “jump to page seven, then come back to page four” situation.
If you don’t want the pianist to play a measure, that measure should not be on the page.
Why? Because eliminating the measures you don’t want played eliminates the chance that the pianist will accidentally play them. You might know your cut inside and out, but they may be seeing it for the first time. Make the route through your music obvious!
Here’s a visual example of what a clean audition cut can look like, and how to make it happen.
Fewer page turns = more time with hands on the keys
Every page turn requires the pianist to take a hand away from the keyboard. Depending on what’s happening in the accompaniment, that can be a pretty inconvenient moment to lose a hand!
A concise cut, laid out thoughtfully, gives the pianist more time to actually play. Removing unused music can also turn a cut spread across several pages into something much more manageable.
That doesn’t mean shrinking everything until your entire song fits on one microscopic page. The music still needs to be comfortably readable. We’re trying to make their job easier, and requiring a magnifying glass will not accomplish that.
What to include on the first page
Make sure your first page clearly includes:
- Song title
- Show title
- Composer and lyricist
- Time signature and key signature at the beginning of the first measure of your cut
That last detail is especially easy to lose when your cut starts in the middle of a song. Don’t assume the pianist can work out what was printed three pages earlier. Include the information they need right where they’re starting.
How to make your cut
You can do this digitally or with actual scissors and tape. Both work!
The literal cut-and-paste method
Make a copy of your sheet music, cut out the sections you’re using, and arrange them in the correct order on clean pages. Secure everything, then scan or photocopy your finished cut so you have a clean, flat copy to print.
Yes, actual cutting and pasting. Very elementary school craft project. Very effective!!
The digital method
You can also arrange sections of your music using Canva, Apple Pages, or Microsoft Word.
Place images of your music into the document, crop out the measures you aren’t using, and arrange the remaining sections in performance order. Keep the music large enough to read easily, and check that you haven’t accidentally cropped out any lyrics, accompaniment, or musical markings.
Once everything is arranged, export it as a PDF and print it.
Here are video walkthroughs to help:
- What a concise cut should include and look like on paper
- How to create your cut in Apple Pages
- How to tape your cut so there are no page turns
- Example of taping your music, very specific instructions!
Sheet protectors or no sheet protectors?
My advice: skip the sheet protectors. They can create glare under the lights, and the slippery plastic can make page turns more awkward. Again, we want to make this as easy as possible for the pianist!
Instead, hole-punch your printed music and put it directly into your binder. Tape the pages together in a way that allows your cut to fold out or turn through with as few page turns as possible. If the whole cut can comfortably sit open in front of the pianist, great! If it needs a page turn, make that turn easy.
Check your setup before you bring it into the room. Open the binder, unfold the pages, and turn through the cut yourself. Does everything stay in place? Can you see all the music clearly? Are any notes disappearing into the rings or a fold?
Your binder should help the pianist get settled and ready to play without a wrestling match. (This also wastes your precious time in the room!) A little preparation here goes a long way!
Give it one final check
Read through your printed music from beginning to end. Can someone follow your entire cut without you explaining where to skip? Are the start and ending clear? Is every measure on the page something you actually want played?
Then tape your pages as demonstrated in the video, check how they’ll sit in your audition binder, and bring your finished copy to class.
You’ve put a lot of work into preparing your audition. Give your pianist a copy of the music that helps them do their best work, too!
