Objective:
The goal of this preliminary collective case study was to explore the effects of self-recording during university opera auditions, especially in relation to singers’ self-efficacy. Self-recording during opera auditions is not an accepted practice, which may make it difficult for performers to accurately assess the quality of their audition performances.

Methods:
Research was conducted using a mixed-methods approach, which included a quantitative questionnaire and semi-structured, qualitative interviews. Five students of various voice types and varying levels of study were recruited at the University of Southern California. During the week before the opera auditions, participants filled out the validated K-MPAI (Music Performance Anxiety Inventory) to assess their baseline level of music performance anxiety. Each participant’s opera audition was audio recorded. Immediately after the audition, each participant met with the researcher for a twenty minute, semi-structured interview. Each participant was asked to describe their thoughts and feelings regarding their audition performance. Subsequently, each participant was given the opportunity to listen to the audio recording of their audition. The interview continued and the researcher asked follow-up questions which focused on how each participant felt about the audition after hearing the recording. Data was analyzed and coded using nVivo, a qualitative data analysis software, to compile emergent themes from the interview transcripts. The K-MPAI scores from the questionnaire were calculated.

Results:
Several themes emerged from the five subjects that participated in this collective case study. Hearing the audition recording after the audition 1) may help may improve the accuracy of students’ post-audition self-assessment, 2) may build confidence and self-efficacy for future auditions, 3) may improve students’ ability to plan their next steps toward continued growth, and 4) may reduce rumination and support students’ mental health following auditions, especially if they suffer from higher than average levels of performance anxiety.

Conclusions:
The themes that emerged from this collective case study give credence to the hypothesis that self-recording practices during university auditions may be beneficial. This preliminary, feasibility study shows the need for future research. The next stages of research should include larger sample sizes and quantitative analyses.