University Application Diary: My Audition for Royal Holloway's Choral Scholarship
March 22, 2019
(As always, X refers to the university I actually attend.)
11/05/16
So, urrrr long time no see. It’s currently the day before I go back to school for my LAST EVER TERM OF 6th FORM (help me)! I am fuelled by coffee and procrastinating from writing a Classics past paper and planning a history essay (will I ever understand part B’s?) by writing some long overdue posts (this one and one about my X applicant day).
I thought I would start by establishing that, no I did not get the choral scholarship at Royal Holloway (wells up) but yes I did manage to learn 2 pieces of music in 6 days with only 1 1/2 hours of proper practise with my choir master and piano teacher (if you’re interested I sang Haec est Regina Virginum by Handel (beautiful) and Adoration by Frank Bridge (in a word, bleugh. All the recordings were by tenors and basses (I would not have chosen, but I had 6 days so I just went with what my choir master recommended)). On reflection, I should have mentioned my limited prep time, as you have to learn pieces quickly to be part of the choir).
Anyways, NO REGRETS!
It was a bit of a roller-coaster ride of emotions really. My choir master was on a wifi free holiday the week I found out about the scholarship, so by the time he found out and said he’d help I had 6 days to get my form in (which I did, with an extension to get my music pieces sent to them). Then, by the time he’d chosen music, I had 6 days to learn them... (yey!- but he is very busy so I don’t blame him for anything). I had one practise the Sunday before which was pointless as, after him turning up 1/2 an hour late due to problems fixing his computer at the Mac store, loads of choir members were milling around getting ready for evensong (the practise was at church). I HATE singing on my own in front of people, meaning I didn’t sing properly out of sheer terror (not helped by a woman who decided the best thing to do was to stand over the piano to look at what I was singing (woman, why?!)). So yeah, a waste of a practise. Then on Tuesday, I had a lesson with my piano (who also teaches singing) teacher, which went better as I’d practically taught them to myself singing along to Spotify by then. HOWEVER, I also discovered how hard sight singing was by yourself (I’m fine within a group as I tune into the person next to me) and with 5 days to go, I knew that even with the grade 7 sight singing book my teacher left me I wasn’t going to get very far (the one given to you is a VERY HARD 4 part piece of music in LATIN grrrr- examples are on their website. It’s like they want you to fail haha). I had my last practise with my choir master after choir practice 2 days before the audition which went fine as I knew the pieces well by then, having sung them every day in my room. (Side note, this experience has made me less conscious of singing with other people in the room, as this time I wasn’t fazed by other people in the room with me (probably because I knew the pieces better)).
Anyways, onto the audition. We got to Royal Holloway with about 45 minutes to spare so we chatted to the choral scholars in the signing in area (who were really nice, which doesn’t help the fact that I didn’t get in as they seemed like the sort of people I would have loved to have been friends with- you all live together in Founders building). Funnily enough, one of them was the niece of my GP ("It’s a small world after all..."). We also got talking to a guy doing Liberal Arts- if he ever reads this, I just want to say thank you as you walked me over to the practise room and really helped calm my nerves. 15 minutes before my audition (the first after lunch, yey...), I was taken to a practise room (ie the choir master’s office) and practised my pieces (which sounded fab if I do say so myself) and, after a nerve wracking wait outside the chapel where I would audition, I entered. The 3 judges (who were the choir master, a choral scholar and the choral administrator (I think)) sat opposite me, XFactor stylee, and the piano (played by the organ scholar) was next to me. They provided a stand, but I just held my music as I’ve never really used a stand before. I must have looked so amateur haha. I was really taken aback, as instead of introducing themselves etc they just said, Hi. What is your first piece? (so that felt a bit cold and off putting, but in their defence they only have 15 minutes). I took about 30 seconds to choose which one (Adoration, to get the worst out the way) and sung it ok, but pretty badly, with faltering notes and poor breathing. The same happened with the other one and I just wanted to stick my head in a hole like an ostrich as I knew I hadn’t done enough (If only they knew how much better I’d sounded in practise haha). It didn’t help that the organ scholar didn’t pause when I did, meaning I was rushed and got behind grrrrrr (even if it wasn’t written on the music, my piano teacher said he should have. Ah well...). They then went onto sight singing (with the choir master playing the underneath parts), where after playing the first bar including my line, the pianist played the underneath parts with me singing soprano by myself, although I apparently sung the alto line without realising (see what I mean about me adapting to what someone else is doing? haha). He stopped, got me to sing the 1st note of the second line to help me, and then started again, but I have no memory for notes and forgot it as soon as I started again from the beginning. I tried to carry on, but I made it half way through the second line and broke down into tears, left the chapel to ‘calm down’ (I couldn’t stop for about 4 hours...) and then went in to answer standard questions (why R-H, have you had singing lessons (not until this)). That was the obvious time to mention my lack of prep time, and how I sight sing in a group, but (turn it into a positive) am a quick learner! But I wasn’t thinking straight.
I then said thank you, rushed back to my parents, (well, a chorister walked me back and said don’t worry the sight singing is meant to be hard and others cry and get in etc etc), broke back down in tears and went in a side room to talk things through.
A few days later, I got an email saying (surprise surprise) I didn't get in, but hey ho, makes firming X easier.
Anyways, I hope this was helpful to anyone thinking of auditioning to be a Royal Holloway Chorister and gives you an insight into the process. I know that the process changes as I had been in contact with someone my choir master knew who was a scholar (in 2014 I think) beforehand, and what she explained would happen (they chose the pieces, there would be a range test) didn’t happen for me. If I can give you any advice, it would be: know your pieces; be comfortable singing in front of others; and know how to sight read (they have examples on their website which I should have used tbh) as you need to be good at this to pick up things fast.
So there you go, my experience of an audition at Royal Holloway. If you are a soprano, like myself, make sure you are fully prepared so you stand out (in a good way) as the list of auditionees was outside the choir office and the majority of people auditioning the same day as me were sopranos. There was also an opportunity to practise with the choir and then sing with them during evensong, but I was in no state to sing (plus I was super embarrassed and didn’t want to go near anyone I had auditioned in front of haha).
So yeah, not a great day, but like I said, it makes taking X's offer easier, and at least I had a go!
TTFN
June
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Oh gosh, I'd forgotten all the intricacies of the day, and to be honest, I welled up a little reading this back. On reflection, I am so glad I didn't get in. The choir would have taken over my life and I wouldn't have been able to join any of the other societies I wanted to try (ballet and ballroom). Yes, the knowledge that I would have a automatic group of friends with the other scholars was a nice idea, but I have made so many friends at university, both in my first year flat, my course, and societies I have joined, that it wasn't actually much of an advantage (and I might not have gotten on with any of them and would have then been stuck with them for 3 years!). Yes, it would have been an amazing opportunity, but equally the university has to come before anything else, and Royal Holloway was not the right fit for me, but a close second to the uni I ended up choosing.
Either way, I hope this gives you an insight into the audition process for Royal Holloway's Choral Scholarship. Things may have changed since 2016, and yes I haven't given it the most positive view, but if you prep more than me, then you'll do just fine. LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES 😂
Good Luck!
June xx
Behind on my application diaries? Click the links below to get up-to-date:
Introduction, and thoughts on my final few months of sixth-form
University of York Applicant Day
Royal Holloway Applicant Day
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