The top three mistakes to avoid during your next singing audition include:

Accompaniment track mistakes

All jiggle, no jingle

Committing diet don’ts

Hi, I’m Roger Love, celebrity voice coach and top-selling author. I’m working to make the world a better place, one singing voice at a time, starting with yours.

Having a great voice matters! But if you want to take your talent to a higher professional level, you have to be great at auditioning, as well as singing. To help you with this critical area of your vocal career, I’ve pulled from over thirty-years of experience working with celebrities all over the world. And today, I’m going to share with you the three mistakes to avoid during your next singing audition if you want the best chances of getting a callback and the gig!

First, accompaniment track mistakes.

Often, singers spend so much time focusing on how they’ll sing, meaning what sounds will come out of their mouths, that they forget about a different but very important part of their audition: preparing your accompaniment track! Don’t forget that you need to bring printed sheet music taped together for the pianist, an MP3 player, or a CD containing only your accompaniment track, in your key, pre-cut to the length you want to each audition.

Remember that the people running the audition have very little time for each individual. If you’re audition forces them to spend an extra five minutes to get your accompaniment track right, the casting directors can easily lose patience with you before you sing your first note. Instead, plan on going in, handing them your music, singing your song, and walking away with your head held high.

The second audition mistake to avoid:

all jiggle, no jingle.

When auditioning for a singing role, lots of amateurs walk in, start their song and before the second note is sung, they’re already jiving across the stage, dancing and jumping around like it’s a dance party. What they don’t realize is that all that extra movement usually distracts the reviewing panel and diverts their focus towards your dance skills—the jiggle—and away from your singing talent—the jingle.

The solution? Just stand still and start singing! Let them hear and see you for a few seconds. Even if it’s an up-tempo song, they still want to look at you, not a moving target. Give them a few seconds to really see you, hear you, and decide if you’re right for the part. You can add a bit of rhythm in your hands after about five seconds if you have to, just don’t indulge yourself and break out into the full dance. If they want to see if you can dance, they’ll send you to the dance audition. This is the singing audition! So don’t let anything distract them from your voice.

The third most common audition mistake:

committing diet don’ts.

Remember that your vocal cords—just like your biceps or calves—require proper nourishment to perform. Eating the wrong foods the evening before or day of an audition can dehydrate you or create extra, unwanted phlegm in your throat. Both of these can reduce your ability to perform at your peak. I’ve outlined the six food categories that can harm your voice before a performance on my blog at RogerLove.com. You can go there to check out the full list. In the meantime, remember to drink a half-gallon of water a day and don’t chew gum, preferably 12 hours before your big moment.

I know auditioning can make singers nervous, but by avoiding these three audition mistakes and following my tips, you’re already ahead of the competition and prepared to do your best. Don’t forget to check back and let me know how your audition went! Post in the comments section or tweet me @RogerLove1.