- DO pick a song you enjoy performing. You're going to have to rehearse it and perform it A LOT so don't pick something you hate or are immediately going to become sick of
- DON'T pick a song that is inappropriate for you. If you're a young teen auditioning for NYMT, please recognise that singing "Not A Day Goes By" from "Merrily We Roll Along" might very well make you look like you don't understand your casting type. It just won't be believable that you could have the experiences that the character had. Likewise, if you're not an 8 year old girl, don't sing "Tomorrow".
- DO pick a song with a character journey- acting through song is amazing! This is particularly important if you're conscious that you might not be the best singer out there as it gives you a chance to show off your acting chops through song. There are lots of songs that are great for character singers so do some research and find one that suits you.
- DON'T turn up without appropriately laid out sheet music (Yes, I have seen this happen...the offending person was promptly told off by the drama school panel). I am a pianist as well, and playing the piano is quite enough to do without having to keep track of loose pieces of paper. Also, remember to bring your music in the first place- don't just assume the pianist will know it (Yes, I have seen this. Multiple times. Sigh)
- DO pick off a song that shows what you can do technically. If you have a fantastic range, find a song that really shows it off rather than just sitting in one place. Likewise, if you have a great belt or some fantastic top notes, find songs that incorporate them. If you got it, flaunt it!
- DON'T pick a song which is out of your range. If you aren't comfortable hitting the money note in a song, don't risk singing it! It really is awful to hear someone sing a song with a well known money note and abruptly miss it (Vanilla Ice Cream, I Could Have Danced All Night, Green Finch and Linnet Bird etc.)
- DO read the instructions. Whether you're auditioning for drama school, a professional production or an amateur show there will be some indication of what you need to prepare. If they say to prepare 2 contrasting songs of your own choice, make sure you do! I have seen people turn up to auditions having only prepared 1 and it makes you look like you can't read, which is hardly ideal. If a show tells you not to sing something from the show then don't sing something from the show. I know this seems like a fairly obvious point but I always see someone who has ignored the instructions at auditions- make sure it's not you!
- DON'T belt an entire song. Yes you have a wonderful belt, we get it! But when you belt an entire song it gets very boring, very fast. Make sure you have somewhere to go in the song vocally.
- DO have a safe song prepared that you know you can sing if you've lost half your range. Unfortunately illness often strikes at the crucial moment so make sure you have an emergency song that you know you can nail if you have lost your voice. Vocal rest is obviously the best thing for you in these situations, but I recognise that if you have an audition date that cannot be changed sometimes you have to sing. Better to minimise the damage by singing a song you won't hurt yourself singing; if you try and sing a harder song whilst ill, it may sound terrible anyway so don't risk it!
- DON'T focus too much on what you think the other actors will audition with. Focus on making your song your own, and then if someone else does happen to sing it, your versions will be distinguishable from one another. Own it.
That's all I have for the moment, if you're interested I could write a bit more about specific shows/songs to avoid in a later post, but I hope this one has been helpful! As always, feel free to let me know if I can help you at all!
Until next time!
Yours faithfully,
the postgrad-app
the postgrad-app
No comments:
Post a Comment