Sight reading is one of those skills that will determine your success in the professional world. You’ll probably get your first calls to play somewhere after the orchestra manager had called everyone on their substitute list and that could be just few hours before a rehearsal or a concert. Something you’ve never played or heard before. Almost no time to prepare and probably you’ll get the music only upon arrival. If it is a 3-hour opera, it is only so much that you can play through half an hour before the show starts (you should ask your more experienced colleagues to show you the trickiest spots as they are not always obvious from the first glance). The rest … you must sight-read. That’s part of life of a musician and you should be ready for it. You want them to call you again, right?
Borrow an etude book from a library and sight read it. Gather a quartet an have a sight reading session.
Some tips for sight reading:
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Get an overview. Take a few moments and look through the music. Notice any tricky spots and if necessary rehearse them in your mind, your brain and will be much better prepared to tackle the passage when it actually comes. Notice tempo indications, time signature, the key.
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Always look ahead. Your eyes and brain should be a few beats ahead of what you are playing at any moment.
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Move on immediately after a mistake. Mistakes happen, especially in high pressure situations, and that’s perfectly OK. Leave them for the time being and come back to them after the show.
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Make sure you see well. If you need, get glasses. It is much easier to see what’s on the page if your vision is sharp.
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If you get yourself into aforementioned situation with the opera, instead of practicing like mad few hours before the show better listen to a recording and rest a bit. Make sure you are not hungry. You’ll need all your energy and concentration to successfully get through the show.