Joe Dixon 
Good morning,
Audition test notes have become an established ritual for young performers.
I really have mixed feelings about test notes before beginning an audition excerpt.
I don’t think they should be technically necessary. I’ve often heard the test note be better than the actual first note of the piece. I tell a student “If you play a great test note, why not just continue?”
An audition test note can be effective, however, if it’s an advertisement for both the player’s musicality and the mood of the piece to come.
A test note can be effective, however, if it’s an advertisement for both the player’s musicality and the mood of the piece to come. What good does a test note do if it’s played differently than the note for which you’re preparing?
Test notes can sell the performer’s musicality and make me eager to hear their upcoming performance.
The articulation, the volume, the tone, and the release should all be a miniature of the etude to be performed. Set the mood. Sell.
Make me like you as a performer with just one note.
