At age 15, I stepped on stage to audition for an orchestra composed of high school and college students. It amused me when the orchestra manager said to the conductor and section coach, "Let's go ahead and give him the scotch."
I laughed to myself, knowing what she actually meant. The audition judges did not provide alcohol to soothe auditioning students' jangled nerves. She corrected herself, adding, "...the Scotch symphony, I mean."
Would scotch have taken the edge off of my audition, as I played excerpts from Felix Mendelssohn's third symphony? Probably not, as I've never cared much for the taste of alcohol. Still, it would have been a considerate gesture.
