i play the clarinet in the school band, and we have chair placements coming up, which is REALLY important. the problem is when i actually audition. i can play it almost perfectly at home, but when i play it in front of the band teacher and/or the class, i get so nervous that the noise caming out of my clarinet sounds like fingernails against a chalkboard. like, when i mess up on one note, for some reason, my hands get really shakey and my mind can't focus on the rest of the song, all beacause i messed up on one stupid little note. so, here's my point to all this. i would like to know if anyone has any been-there, done-that kind of advice to help me calm down? thank you so much. can someone please answer asap? the chair placements are in, like, two days. thanks, again!!!

I know it can be hard to muster, but you must overcome your nervousness. I can tell you right now I'm not sure how (although praying is a sure win), but auditioning isn't all about your talent, it's about how you present your talent. If you cannot audition chances are you will mess up if you play in front of a large crowd. I hate to say it but it's true. Work on it though, and you should do fine ;-) Try getting a sibling, parent, or friend to be your audience, and imagine they're the band leader. Hope that helped!

Happens to me all the time! I play the Alto Sax, I play like an export at home, and at school, I get SOO nervus, I want to like scream, my hands get sweaty and my troat swells sometimes, but heres what helps, don't look at anything except the music, drink a little bit of water before you play, make sure the reade is comply wet, and only think about the music, it helps SOO much for me, I ope it does for you!

thanks everyone! all of your advice helped a lot!! just for the record, its only the clarinet that i get nervous about. i have played the piano i front of an entire church before, and i think i did pretty good. sorry, i'm not trying to brag. thanks again for the advice!!!!!