Why do so many talented musicians walk into auditions hoping for a perfect day instead of relying on consistent preparation?

In this episode of Intentional Musicianship,, Jeff Price reframes what it actually means to win an audition. The answer isn't perfection, luck, or peaking at the right moment. It's raising your average.

Building on Episodes 38 and 39, this conversation explores what happens after you decide to take the audition. Jeff explains why professionals don't just aim to be their best on audition day. They aim to be solid every day. When your average is strong, confidence replaces fear, and auditions stop feeling personal.

You'll hear personal stories from the field, practical mindset shifts, and a clear redefinition of the audition as what it really is: an interview. Whether you're preparing for an orchestral audition, a competition, or simply trying to show up more confidently in performance, this episode offers a grounded, realistic perspective on preparation that actually works.

The takeaway is simple. Success doesn't come from one perfect moment. It comes from being prepared enough, often enough.

#IntentionalMusicianship #WhatWinsAuditions #RaisingYourAverage #MusicianMindset #AuditionPrep #PerformancePractice #QuietConfidence #MusicianLife #PreparationOverPerfection #AuditionIsAnInterview #ProfessionalMusician #MusicCareers #PerformanceConfidence #PracticeSmart #ConsistencyWins

Welcome to Intentional Musicianship!

The Intentional Musicianship podcast, hosted by Jeff Price, is for musicians looking to elevate their performance beyond technique. This isn't just about playing better—it's about enhancing stage presence, storytelling, audience connection, and breaking genre norms to create unforgettable experiences.

Whether you're a seasoned pro, an educator, or an aspiring performer, our goal is to help you get more from your performances—from growing a loyal fanbase to increasing gig opportunities. We assume you already have the technical foundation—now let's refine, innovate, and maximize your impact.

Join us in the conversation at intentionalmusicianship.com.

In this episode of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff steps back from audition preparation and looks instead at the decision to audition in the first place. Rather than focusing on how to win an audition, this episode explores what an audition actually delivers once you do.

Using real examples drawn from current orchestral job postings on audition aggregator sites like Musical Chairs, Jeff examines how opportunities that appear similar on the surface can represent very different lives once you read the fine print. Auditions may feel like an extension of school, but they are not academic exercises. They are gateways to work, and work shapes lifestyle, priorities, and daily reality.

This is a concise, real-world perspective, not an exhaustive guide. The goal is to build awareness, encourage discernment, and support better decision-making before you invest time, money, and energy into an opportunity you may ultimately be the one who has to live with.

#IntentionalMusicianship #Auditions #MusicCareers #OrchestralJobs #MusicianLife #CareerDiscernment #PortfolioCareer #MusicEducation #ProfessionalMusician #DecisionMaking #AuditionProcess

Welcome to Intentional Musicianship!

The Intentional Musicianship podcast, hosted by Jeff Price, is for musicians looking to elevate their performance beyond technique. This isn't just about playing better—it's about enhancing stage presence, storytelling, audience connection, and breaking genre norms to create unforgettable experiences.

Whether you're a seasoned pro, an educator, or an aspiring performer, our goal is to help you get more from your performances—from growing a loyal fanbase to increasing gig opportunities. We assume you already have the technical foundation—now let's refine, innovate, and maximize your impact.

Join us in the conversation at intentionalmusicianship.com.

In this episode of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff Price takes a thoughtful, personal look at school and graduate school as investments, not just financially, but in terms of time, opportunity, flexibility, and long-term life impact.

Rather than telling anyone what to do, this episode invites listeners to ask two essential questions before committing to another program:

Why am I doing this right now?
So what is this degree actually expected to return?

This episode is about thinking critically, investing wisely, and owning your decisions

People mentioned in the podcast:

A Degree Is Not the Career. It Never Was by Anjan Shah

#IntentionalMusicianship #MusicCareers #MusicEducation #GraduateSchool #ReturnOnInvestment #DegreesAndDebt #MusicianMindset #CareerClarity #EntrepreneurialMusician #NonLinearCareers #LifeDesign #CriticalThinking #ArtistLife #EducationAsInvestment #Musicianship #musicdegreevalu

Welcome to Intentional Musicianship!

The Intentional Musicianship podcast, hosted by Jeff Price, is for musicians looking to elevate their performance beyond technique. This isn't just about playing better, it's about enhancing stage presence, storytelling, audience connection, and breaking genre norms to create unforgettable experiences.

Whether you're a seasoned pro, an educator, or an aspiring performer, our goal is to help you get more from your performances, from growing a loyal fanbase to increasing gig opportunities. We assume you already have the technical foundation,now let's refine, innovate, and maximize your impact.

Join us in the conversation at intentionalmusicianship.com.

In this episode of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff Price Jeff Price explores what happens after a performance, when the music has ended, the applause has faded, and the internal conversation begins.

Drawing from a recent studio recital experience, Jeff reflects on how joy can slip away, not because the performance failed, but because of the thoughts that quietly surface afterward. Comparison, imagined judgment, and premature self-evaluation often replace the confidence, poise, and generosity that were present while sharing the music.

This episode examines the mindset shift that occurs once we leave the stage and why timing matters when it comes to reflection and growth. Jeff discusses the difference between healthy evaluation and self-talk that undermines joy, why audiences experience performances differently than performers do, and how receiving gratitude is part of professional maturity.

Rather than offering formulas or prescriptions, this conversation invites performers and educators to reframe post-performance thinking, honoring the act of sharing first and then preparing intentionally for what comes next.

Mentioned in the Podcast

Theodore Roosevelt, Man in the Arena

Isaiah 6:8, "Here I am, send Me"

#IntentionalMusicianship #IntentionalPerformance #DeliberateMusicianship #MusicianMindset #PerformanceMindset #AfterThePerformance #AfterTheApplause #PostPerformanceReflection #WalkOffStage #PerformanceProcessing #JoyInMusic #ProtectingJoy #MusicianSelfTalk #ReframingThoughts #PerformancePsychology #MentalGameOfMusic #StagePresence #PerformancePresence #PoiseAndConfidence #BelongingOnStage #PreparedToPerform #LivePerformance #PerformancePractice #AudienceConnection #MusicAsCommunication #PerformanceAsGift #BreakingTheFourthWall #ComparisonInMusic #HealthyComparison #MusicianGrowth #ArtisticDevelopment #ReflectivePractice #ContinuousImprovement #MusicEducation #StudioTeaching #StudentMusicians #TeachingPerformance #AppliedMusic #ProfessionalMusician #PerformerLife #Auditions #Recitals #ConcertLife #BeyondTheNotes #BeyondExecution #PerformanceStorytelling #StageCraft #IntentionalPractice #MusicalCommunication #PerformanceCulture

Welcome to Intentional Musicianship!

The Intentional Musicianship podcast, hosted by Jeff Price, is for musicians looking to elevate their performance beyond technique. This isn't just about playing better—it's about enhancing stage presence, storytelling, audience connection, and breaking genre norms to create unforgettable experiences.

Whether you're a seasoned pro, an educator, or an aspiring performer, our goal is to help you get more from your performances—from growing a loyal fanbase to increasing gig opportunities. We assume you already have the technical foundation—now let's refine, innovate, and maximize your impact.

Join us in the conversation at intentionalmusicianship.com.

In this updated trailer of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff Price describes the thinking behind the podcast.

Live performances don't just happen. They're built through hundreds of decisions made long before anyone walks on stage. Intentional Musicianship exists to help musicians and educators create better live performances by examining everything that surrounds the music, from mindset and preparation to communication and audience experience. Over time, the show has explored performance practice, storytelling, stage presence, and ideas borrowed from outside music not as separate topics, but as connected tools that shape how performances are experienced and remembered. Whether the conversation turns to concerts, auditions, money, or teaching others to perform with intention, every episode is guided by a simple question: how do our choices help create live performances that connect more clearly with an audience?

#IntentionalMusicianship #LivePerformance #MusicPerformance #AudienceExperience #Stagecraft #MusicianMindset #PerformancePractice #MusicEducation #EducatorLife #AudienceEngagement #ArtAndImpact #PerformanceDesign #MusicAndCommunication #PerformWithIntention #MusicianDevelopment #SystemsThinkingForArtists #BeyondTheNotes #CreatingExperiences #MusiciansAndEducators

Welcome to Intentional Musicianship!

The Intentional Musicianship podcast, hosted by Jeff Price, is for musicians looking to elevate their performance beyond technique. This isn't just about playing better, it's about enhancing stage presence, storytelling, audience connection, and breaking genre norms to create unforgettable experiences.

Whether you're a seasoned pro, an educator, or an aspiring performer, our goal is to help you get more from your performances, from growing a loyal fanbase to increasing gig opportunities. We assume you already have the technical foundation, now let's refine, innovate, and maximize your impact.

Join us in the conversation at intentionalmusicianship.com.

In this episode of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff Price reflects on a series of live performance experiences — from a surprisingly effective Halloween concert to holiday programs, world music showcases, studio recitals, and Winter Gala performances — and uncovers a unifying insight:

Collaboration is not a gimmick. It's how music communicates.

Jeff explores how contrast, collaboration, and thoughtful programming help audiences listen more deeply and connect more authentically. You'll hear why concerts that look and sound the same can unintentionally disengage listeners, even when performed well, and how intentional design allows musicians to do less on stage by doing more work up front.

Whether you're a performer, educator, programmer, or producer, this episode reframes collaboration as an act of care — for both the audience and the musicians — and offers practical insight into how contrast builds meaning, transparency builds trust, and programming becomes storytelling.

#IntentionalMusicianship #colaboartionIsNotAGimmick #MusicianMindset #MusicEducation #LivePerformance #ConcertDesign #AudienceEngagement #Stagecraft #StorytellingThroughMusic #CollaborativeMusic #MusicProgramming #PerformancePractice #BandDirectorLife #OrchestraLife #JazzEducation #StudioRecitals #WorldMusic #HolidayConcerts #Choirconcerts #MusicalCommunication #BreakingTheFourthWall #PerformWithPurpose #MusicTeachers #ArtsEducation #OnStage

Welcome to Intentional Musicianship!

The Intentional Musicianship podcast, hosted by Jeff Price, is for musicians looking to elevate their performance beyond technique. This isn't just about playing better—it's about enhancing stage presence, storytelling, audience connection, and breaking genre norms to create unforgettable experiences.

Whether you're a seasoned pro, an educator, or an aspiring performer, our goal is to help you get more from your performances—from growing a loyal fanbase to increasing gig opportunities. We assume you already have the technical foundation—now let's refine, innovate, and maximize your impact.

Join us in the conversation at intentionalmusicianship.com.

In this episode of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff Price asks a simple but powerful question:
What makes a concert truly unforgettable?

Inspired by a recent faculty recital titled Jeff Siegfried and Friends, Jeff reflects on how laughter, storytelling, pacing, and genuine connection transformed an already excellent performance into something memorable.

We'll explore why audiences remember moments, not measures; feelings, not fingerings, and how musicians can intentionally shape concerts that feel welcoming, warm, and deeply human.
Together, we'll look at how small choices on stage, variety, dialogue, natural pacing, collaboration, create the kind of experience people talk about long after the final note fades

Mentioned in the podcast:

• Jeff Siegfried
• West Virginia University College of Creative Arts and Media

#IntentionalMusicianship #AudienceConnection #LivePerformance
#MusicianMindset #PerformancePractice #StagePresence
#StorytellingInMusic #ConcertDesign #MusicalExpression
#BandDirector #OrchestraLife #JazzEducation
#MusicEducation #MusicPodcast #ArtsEducation
#MakeThemFeel #HostingNotPerforming #UnforgettableConcerts #friendsonstage

Welcome to Intentional Musicianship!

The Intentional Musicianship podcast, hosted by Jeff Price, is for musicians looking to elevate their performance beyond technique. This isn't just about playing better—it's about enhancing stage presence, storytelling, audience connection, and breaking genre norms to create unforgettable experiences.

Whether you're a seasoned pro, an educator, or an aspiring performer, our goal is to help you get more from your performances—from growing a loyal fanbase to increasing gig opportunities. We assume you already have the technical foundation—now let's refine, innovate, and maximize your impact.

Join us in the conversation at intentionalmusicianship.com.

In this episode of Intentional Musicianship, Jeff Price reflects on a recent visit to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and the surprising realization that inspired today's topic:
Museums preserve history… but musicians bring history to life.

We'll discover how every performance becomes a form of time travel, a living dialogue between the past and the present, and how musicians, not artifacts, activate history for audiences.

Mentioned in podcast:

Royal Ontario Museum

#IntentionalMusicianship #MusicEducation #MusicianLife #PerformancePractice #MusicHistory #MusicIsLife #LiveMusic #MusicianMindset #BandDirector #OrchestraLife #JazzEducation #TimeMachine #StorytellingThroughMusic #ClassicalMusic #MusicTeachers #MusicPodcast #ArtsEducation #ConcertPrep #OnStage #MusicalConnection

Welcome to Intentional Musicianship!

The Intentional Musicianship podcast, hosted by Jeff Price, is for musicians looking to elevate their performance beyond technique. This isn't just about playing better—it's about enhancing stage presence, storytelling, audience connection, and breaking genre norms to create unforgettable experiences.

Whether you're a seasoned pro, an educator, or an aspiring performer, our goal is to help you get more from your performances—from growing a loyal fanbase to increasing gig opportunities. We assume you already have the technical foundation—now let's refine, innovate, and maximize your impact.

Join us in the conversation at intentionalmusicianship.com.