I recently went on an audition for an upcoming TV show. The casting director was asking for very specific requirements, things such as being able to play with restricitive clothing, versatile style, etc…Then there was the height requirement. All auditions needed to be between 5’10″ and 6’1″, since the house band for the show would need to emulate and/or shadow the actors for certain segments. I myself am 5’6″ or so. I questioned the spec, and was told to “come down and give it a shot, you never know”….
Well needless to say I was the first one in and the first one out. The songs I was required to play were simple enough, some funk, some punk and some rock. When I walked into the studio the guitar and bass player running the audition were both over half a foot taller then me. My first red flag. 2nd, I had to lower most of the drum set to be able to play comfortably. My second red flag. My playing was on point, and I wasn’t nervous at all, quite the opposite, I was in fact energized and excited.
I was told immediately I didn’t get the gig.
When I followed up, I found out that it was because of my physical specs, which of course I have no control over.
Being a musician, struggling or successful, it’s crucial to have thick skin. You will knock on 1000 doors and if you’re lucky one will open. I’ve been playing the drums since I was 9, I’ve been in bands that have toured, recorded, played well together but never got along personally, and vice versa. Whatever your goal is, you have to live in the moment. If you dwell on a failed audition, a band that broke up, a gig that gets cancelled, all of these things will prevent you from moving forward to whatever could be around the corner. Success in music might not come to you the way you want it, it’s imperative that you open your mind and your heart to what the universe puts in front of you.
Case in point. The above audition I’ve described opened the door for a possible TV commercial. Had I not gone on the audition I might never have been considered for another one. Had I not prepped all the songs, known the material, went prepared and grasped the opportunity in front of me, then I may not have been in the good graces of the contact that got me the TV show audition. I don’t know where this will lead to, if anywhere, but if I had not given it my all then my quest to be a musician is moot.
