Randum access: getting ready for auditions or competitions finding the technology that works for you!

If you have students getting ready for major competitions or university auditions, both you and your students may be facing some rather stressful issues. Even after you have come up with a plan for getting all the music prepared on time, there are the logistical issues of the application materials. Do they require an audio or video recording? What formats are allowed? Where can you record? Are your students playing a concerto or chamber music? How are you going to organize enough rehearsal time with the ensemble? Fear not, for there are some very exciting modern tools to help you in each of these quests. To top it all off, HI also take a look at one competition with technology at its core.

Recording Audio

Recording audio audition materials is often a great source of anxiety for students and teachers alike. Regardless of the method you're going to use for recording, it helps to take care of a few details before you start. First of all, get your piano tuned! Even slight tuning variances can be more exposed on a recording. Second, listen to your room. Is there a refrigerator humming? You'll want to eliminate as many of these sounds as possible, then aim for a time of day that is best for avoiding the ones you can't control.

Next, you have to decide what to use for recording--your computer or an independent recorder of some kind. Using a standalone CD recorder is the easiest option in many ways. The controls function similar to your obsolete old cassette recorder, with record, play and stop buttons. If you want to compare several different recordings, look for a model with a built-in hard drive. Luckily the market for CD recorders has gotten wider in the last few years, driving down the price somewhat, but you can still expect to spend $300-$1,000 on a model that is designed to record live sound.

Regardless of which recorder you choose, you'll probably want to invest in a good microphone. The built-in mic on a recorder may be fine for daily practice/progress recordings, but for an audition, you may want higher quality sound. Any band store can suggest a mid-range "condenser" mic appropriate for recording piano. Many recording engineers recommend that the best placement for a single microphone is about 18 inches above the Middle C strings, so make sure you have a long enough cable to accommodate this.

Computer-Based Recording

If you're connecting to your computer, then you'll need either an audio interface (to connect your computer to a microphone you already own), or a music-specific microphone that connects to the computer directly with USB. Again, either of these are available at your local band store for approximately $100. You'll also need some kind of audio recording software. I have used Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net, freeware for Windows or Macintosh), which includes very basic recording features and the option for saving recordings in a variety of formats. Saving files as MP3s will allow them to be distributed easiest over e-mail or broadcast on a student's MySpace page, but for CD recording, you'll want to use the ".aif" or ".way" option. When you are ready to burn the CD, I think the easiest choice is simply to import it into iTunes (www.itunes.com, free for Windows or Macintosh), create a playlist with the pieces in the order you want, and click the "burn CD" button. Finally, make sure you use the disks labeled CD-R (not CD-RW), and check the preferences in your CD mastering program to make sure you are recording audio disks (not data disks). These steps will ensure your recording plays in any standard CD player, not just a computer.

Recording Video

Recording video is also easier than ever. Again, if you want to invest more money, you actually can get a direct-to-DVD recorder. But if you already have a digital video (DV) camera, a computer with a DVD recording drive, and some simple software, making DVDs is both easy and fun. The same preparation is necessary as for audio recording (piano tuning, eliminating ambient noise), plus a few additional steps.

First, consider the frame. No one is expecting you to be a Hollywood director, but do be sure to place the camera so that the viewer can see a profile of the performer, usually from the right side (as in a stage performance). Placing the camera a few feet away and slightly behind the performer's right shoulder often presents the best angle. Try to zoom as close as possible without cutting off the view of the entire keyboard and eliminate anything in the room that could be distracting. Make sure the primary lighting source is behind the camera. Finally, anyone appearing in the video should dress in simple but appropriate attire. The committee or judges aren't looking for haute couture, and distracting them with flashy clothes is just as bad as wearing shorts and flip-flops. (By the way, don't wear shorts and flip-flops.)

Many DV recorders have fairly high-quality microphones built in. For most purposes, these are just fine. If you have problems, then follow the steps above for audio recording, then connect the microphone to your DV camera via whatever adapters or interfaces are necessary. This avoids the tricky business of synchronizing audio and video after recording with separate devices. Since you probably won't be placing your camera in the same spot where you would place a microphone, you will want to experiment with the camera's settings for the built-in microphone. Many cameras have a microphone "zoom" feature that allows you to focus on one particular area of the field for sound recording.

When you have finished the video recording, you are ready to transfer it to a computer and make your DVD debut! I use Apple's iMovie and iDVD combination, but PC users can get similar results with something like Roxio's Easy Media Creator 9 Suite (www.roxio.com, $79.99).

Importing video into computer software basically involves following the instructions of your particular software. Here are a few extra tips to make your video look professional: If you are playing several pieces, you'll want to place "markers" at the beginning of each movement, so that judges will be able to navigate backwards and forwards through the DVD. If you want to be very artistic, use the "transitions" in your video editing software to fade in and out of each clip.

After you have organized the video in your video software, you are ready to choose a file type. If you are going to distribute your video over a website or e-mail, then you'll want a smaller format such as Quicktime or MP4. If you are sending the video to a DVD, then you simply use the highest resolution you have available. The markers you placed earlier will now be translated into "chapters" for the DVD. Use the software's templates to make a clean-looking menu, which includes all the necessary information about the pieces you are presenting--composers, titles, movements. Once this step is finished, you are ready to hit the burn button. There's no going back from here, so make sure you are really ready to finalize your project.

After you are finished burning a CD or DVD, consider adding a colorful label or case insert with one of the nice kits available at office stores--it will look better than writing your name with a permanent marker and hopefully keep your disk from getting lost in the shuffle.

Using Technology to Prepare for Competitions

For students preparing a concerto or chamber music for competition, it may be worthwhile to check into some electronic accompaniment options to help with practice. Audio recordings for accompaniments from companies like Music Minus One (www.musicminusone.com) have been around for years and are usually very high-quality. They do not, however, allow for tempo changes.

If you are willing to delve a little deeper into the technology, there are thousands of MIDI files available for download at the Classical Archives (www.classicalarchives.com; a small subscription fee applies). The quality of these recordings can certainly vary, but I have always been able to find something useful. If your student doesn't have a MIDI playback device in a keyboard, there are several MIDI players available as computer software. One of the most useful is Home Concert Xtreme (www.timewarptech.com, $99), which includes on-screen notation and a lot of playback flexibility.

What the Future Holds

If you're really on the cutting edge of technology, you could take the process even one step closer to being there yourself--a video synchronized with a MIDI-equipped reproducing piano recording. I don't know of any colleges currently requesting or accepting this mode of application, but it is actually the foundation of the Minnesota International Piano-e-Competition.

This event began in 2002 as a way to accommodate high-profile judges who couldn't be in Minnesota during the preliminary round. The competitors played at Hamline University on a Yamaha Disklavier Pro, and their performances were recorded in sync with digital video. The combined files were then sent, electronically, to Yefim Bronfman, who was on tour in Japan. As a control measure, on-site jurors were asked to listen to recorded performances as well, and none of the committee, including such esteemed pianists as Dubravka Tomsic and Abbey Simon, perceived any differences at all!

As the competition continued to grow and attract more global participants, the process was in effect reversed. Competitors in the 2004 and 2006 events could audition in Paris, France; Shanghai, China; New York, or Los Angeles. The files were all viewed consecutively by the jury, which convened a few weeks later, back at Hamline University. This process helped many students participate who would otherwise be unable to travel to Minnesota simply for a preliminary round. Next year, a "junior" format (for pianists 17 and under) is being offered with even more audition locations. If you have access to a Disklavier, or even a good digital piano, you can experience any of the past piano e-competition performances in person! All MIDI files are available for free download at piano-e-competition.com.

Shana Kirk is a music technology consultant and independent piano teacher in Denver, Colorado. She has written technology articles and media reviews for publications, including AMT and Keyboard Companion.