You’re rested, you’re hydrated, and you’re ready to practice, but is your space ready for you? When choosing a space to practice singing, consider the audition or performance experience. Will you be in a classroom, a choir room, or a theatre room with a small stage? During my undergraduate years, my favorite practice space was a small recital hall because it was spacious and uncluttered—just a piano, my music, a music stand, my supplies, my portable tape recorder and my “boom box!”

Assuming you can’t afford to build a personal recital hall in your home, you only need a few adjustments to turn any space into a good “practice room.” For example, here are seven tips for how to set the stage to practice for all-state auditions:

1. Gather your supplies. You have your water and your pencil, right? I’m sure you’ll want a sip from time to time, and you’ll need to mark your music with the necessary reminders such as rhythm counts and solfeggio syllables. A spiral notebook or notebook paper can be handy for longer musings.

2. Find a calm, clean space. If your room has many purposes and seems cluttered, some tidying up before you start practicing can help your mind focus.

3. Invest in a music stand. If you don’t have one, definitely hold your folder or individual song high enough as if you are singing in a concert. Your body alignment will be more consistent, and your breath support should improve.

4. Watch yourself in a mirror. Though you don’t need to watch yourself for the whole practice time, a full length mirror is best. If not, at least use one big enough to see your upper body. Immediate, visual feedback while practicing can help you correct body alignment and vowel spaces faster. Mirrors are better than the reverse camera on your phone or iPad because the camera image often moves a little slower than you.

5. Use good speakers. Though having the official audition tracks on your phone is great, practicing with headphones or playing the tracks through the phone speaker is not like the audition experience. We use good quality speakers at auditions, so you can feel comfortable hearing the track while singing strong dynamics. If the recording is not loud enough when you practice, you may not discover your best, supported tone.

6. Record what you practiced regularly. Evaluating your performances along with receiving feedback from your voice teacher and choir director is essential to improve between lessons and classes on your own. You’ll need an extra device for this—both audio and visual. For most, choosing 45 seconds to 3 minutes of what you’re practicing daily is better than recording every minute of practice. Besides, most people will watch or listen to a shorter recording instead of a whole, 30 minute practice session.

7. Check pitches using a piano or keyboard. Even if you have a coaching track, which is a recording of your part played or sung, you probably need to check at least a few pitches. Using a piano application online or your mobile device can be very helpful. However, if you’re serious about practicing singing, you’ll need a good piano or keyboard.

Pro Tip: When it’s time to simulate the audition experience, try turning in a different direction to perform—preferably toward a window with a curtain. Now you have a partition as if you are at the audition! If that’s not possible, at least you’re looking in a different direction to make it feel more “official.”

When you listen to your practice recordings, be your own judge. Ask your voice teacher or choir director for blank judge’s sheets to evaluate your performance. Give yourself a score. Write comments to yourself, but don’t forget to mention what went well! Most judges comment about your accomplishments in addition to how to improve.

More on how to make the most of your practice time very soon, so check back frequently. Also, consider following the site to receive posts via email as soon as they are published.

Until then, as opera singers sometimes say,

“Toi, toi, toi!” – Practice Singing!