Pre-Audition Meal(s)

Joe Camel · Heavyweight Member Joined: 20 May 2003 Posts: 545

What are some ideas for smartest meals before an audition?
Dinner the night before?
Breakfast the day of?
(Time permitting) Lunch immediately before?

I know that some of the members have put some serious thought into these types of things!

stukvalve · Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2003 9:07 pm Post subject:

I know that Jon Faddis reccomends eating things with a high protein content ... before a performance.

I reccomend not eating anything that gives you the trots.
_________________
"It's not about working hard, It's about being organized." -Wynton Marsalis

matzentrpt@hotmail.com

elbobogrande · Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2003 9:27 pm Post subject:

On an audition day, I'm usually nervous, and I don't eat really well when I'm nervous. For this reason, I anticipate this and I'm pretty careful to eat a lot of proteins a few days before. Almost "for old time's sake," I try to carbo-load the night before like I did in my old running days. I don't do this for any particular reason other than nostalgia and that I love to pig out on pasta.

Actually, I plan more carefully what I'll eat after the audition. I usually like to reward myself with a good, rare filet mignon after a successful audition.
John
_________________
theblueone2002(AT)aol(DOT)com
"What? You mean to tell me that Rimsky and Korsakov were both named Nicolai?"

Quadruple C · Heavyweight Member Joined: 28 Nov 2001 Posts: 1448

[ This Message was edited by: Quadruple C on 2003-09-26 17:35 ]

pushyred · Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 4:12 am Post subject:

For me its not so much what I eat, but what I should avoid. Coffee and salty potato chips top the list! And drink plenty-O water.

vivace · Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 4:24 am Post subject:

i heard somewhere that a banana helps to calm you down

_PhilPicc · Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 4:26 am Post subject:

I agree with pushyred as far as stay away from salt (I use very little anyways) and definately stay hydrated. I like to have some honey (I think a carry over from my running days) as an energy source.

Best of luck,
Phil
_________________
Philip Satterthwaite

We cannot expect you to be with us all the time, but perhaps you could be good enough to keep in touch now and again."
- Sir Thomas Beecham to a musician during a rehearsal

Bartok · Veteran Member Joined: 11 Nov 2002 Posts: 456

All the above info is pretty good. The only thing that I'd add is to be careful the morning of the audition. Melon (honeydew, cantelope, etc.) contains a special enzyme that doesn't digest well, and can cause you problems when you don't need them!

There is a saying about melon....Eat it alone or leave it alone. I know it sounds like a bunch of nonsense, but you can check it at a nutrition website!

So, when you're at a hotel and eating the buffet breakfast, be careful. They often have melon!

BrassGringo · Veteran Member Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Posts: 219

Eating a standard meal 3 hours before any performance always seems to work for me. There was this one time i made the mistake of eating a cheeseburger and a huge order of fries 20 mins before i had to play the meistersinger overture and Sibelius 2. That was not a fun day.

samlg · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2003 9:50 am Post subject:

i always like a good fryup for breakfast on the audition day, a few pints the night before, thats always a good bet for me, ive never heard of eating well to play well. perhaps i might improve if i did. i think that you can become to distracted by getting thigs perfect for your auditions and stuff, i think the best way to have a good adition is to relax the day before and all morning, its all about having fun remember. being a musicia is like being a tv presenter, you never do an honest days work!

have fun, sam

tims9999 · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2003 10:46 am Post subject:

I would second Vivace in that a banana helps. There was a whole topic on eating a banana right before playing on a (french) horn forum I read. I don't know about the meals before auditions, but to sooth a little pre audition hunger, eat a banana. It doesn't seem to clog up the throat or anything like that.

[ This Message was edited by: tims9999 on 2003-07-03 13:47 ]

trompetita · Regular Member Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 40

Well... a banana has a special chemical in it call Tryptophan. It can put you to sleep. Turkey, warm milk, peanut butter, and peanut butter all contain this chemical. SO it is logical that it may "calm" you down.

As for meal planning... I like to stick to what I usually eat. Then again... I usually eat healthily... so I dont' have to worry about feeling sick. Get some frosted shedded wheat maybe, and chop up a banana on it or something like that... Drink water, not milk. Stay away from pop. That will dehydrate you. (Talk about cotton-mouth problems) sometimes I even take water into an audition. You never know what the air will be like in there.

Bottom line: Eat something good for you two hours before you play. It will give you the energy you need, without making you have indigestion, and it will make sure that they hear you playing and not your stomach experiencing peristalsis:)