It’s September, a new school year, and a great time to try something new, and perhaps take a few risks. Maybe you want to try and participate more in class. Maybe you want to try out for a sports team, or join a new club at school. Maybe you want to apply for a Youth Central steering committee, like YAA! (Steering committee application form is here). Whatever it is, it’s important to take risks. No-one ever reaches success by sitting and waiting it to fall in their lap. As much as I hate to admit it, being successful doesn’t come without taking risks. And it’s not just about the final results either. Although slightly terrifying, taking risks gets you noticed, creates change, and it teaches you a lot about yourself.
Take me for example. Last June, I was going through auditions for MRU orchestras. I auditioned for two; the one I was already in, and the one that was of an advanced level, which was my objective orchestra.
It was definitely a risk doing the audition for this advanced level of orchestra. Firstly, I hadn’t even been playing violin for two years at that point, suggesting that I shouldn’t technically be in orchestra at all, let alone one of such an high level. Secondly, I honestly just don’t think I was good enough. Time was definitely another factor; although I had a musical background, I hadn’t had enough time to truly get to know the violin as an instrument, and skills such as my bow conduct weren’t up to par. Thirdly, I was underprepared. I’d only had a few months to learn my pieces, and I couldn’t play them all that well, and that’s not good, especially for an audition. Lastly, my violin is, in part, to blame as well. I didn’t have the best quality violin and bow at the time, and I had to change two of my strings the day before, so I was still getting used to them. To top it all off, I had a terrible shoulder rest, so I could barely hold my violin up high enough. But nevertheless, I took a risk, and tried anyways.
Fast-forward two months, and my audition results come out; not to my surprise, I had been rejected.
But despite a first rejection, I was determined to get in to that orchestra. So even though I had been accepted back into my old orchestra, I took another risk, and decided to do a late audition. This meant that I would audition again in September, right before the orchestral season started.
I anticipated that audition all summer. I took lessons, I practiced constantly, and I worked hard. I was going to do my best to succeed in this late audition.
That audition happened about two weeks ago. And guess what? I was rejected again.
So at this point, you may be wondering why I am willingly publicly expressing that I failed not one, but two auditions to the same orchestra, within the span of 3 months?
Well, despite as embarrassing as this seems (and trust me, it really is), it isn’t all that bad. Here’s why:
And what can you take away from my experience? It’s always important to take risks, because even if it doesn’t initially work out, it always pays off in the long run!
So what are you waiting for? Sign up for that club, submit that application, raise your hand in class, go ahead and take a risk.
