Prepare, practise, and enjoy yourself for your video submission

NYO Inspire is getting bigger than ever before! This year, we are expanding NYO Inspire with more musicians and more projects than in previous years, to additionally include teenage musicians playing at Grade 8 & above. Opportunities for Grade 8 musicians are open to all teenagers, regardless of where you are educated. If you haven’t submitted your application yet, please visit this link to apply for NYO Inspire.

If you play at Grade 8 & above and have submitted your NYO Inspire application, you will be asked to submit a video as part of your application. We’ll use these videos to get to know how you play and help us assign you to musical activities across the year. You can download your instrument-specific information sheet from the selection below, which includes useful information on how to submit your video, as well as tips recorded by NYO musicians. Harp, keyboard, tuba and percussion players are also invited to instrument-specific digital workshops, information for which can be found in the respective instrument information sheets below.

Submitting a performance video can seem stressful, but it doesn’t need to be! The important thing to remember is to try and keep within your comfort zones. i.e. think of it as just another ‘sharing’ that you normally do. Here are some healthy habits when you practise, shared by NYO trombone tutor, Peter Gane.

• Develop practical routine and habits when you practise – this includes doing warm up, warm down and mindful exercises before you start your practice. Start with some easy ‘warm up’ exercises with your instrument, then practise through your pieces and excerpts. It is also good to ‘perform’ with running through without stopping, in different venues if possible and take note of weak spots. Get used to risk limitation and build your stamina.
• Be mindful - Check that your posture is in a balanced and relaxed body language, and that you have good breathing techniques.
• Remember the music – don’t forget to tell a story when you practise your performance. Have a clear view of the music, use imagination to project the character and musical gestures as you feel them letting this guide your preparation.
• Perform to others – give your teacher, guardians or friends a full run of the performance.
• Find the joy - don’t forget to develop good body language remembering to move with the music and most importantly – enjoy yourself as a performer!