<p>My first college audition is in October and I desperately need to make cuts of my songs. I was considering See I'm Smiling from the Last Five Years for my contemporary piece, but I've recently realized how difficult this is to cut. I want to do the end part because it shows great acting contrast and has a good belt note but I have no clue where to start it for the schools that require 16 bars. Any ideas? Do you think I should find a new song?</p>
<p>I see no one has responded. It is hard to respond because we don’t know much about you, your voice, or how well you know/read music. Do you know what a "bar " is? If you do, and you want to hit a “money note” at the big finish of a song - simply count back 16 measures from the end - if its close to a point that makes sense - start from there. However, the best advice is to seek out a live person in your area that knows your voice and can help you make a musical choice that works well for you. Good luck!</p>
<p>I’m sorry I don’t know that song.<br>
If it helps any, know that you don’t count the piano intro as part of your 16 bars. The other thing to know is that if the last note is held over a couple of bars, a school like UMich will count all those bars as part of the 16. (Most schools/auditions are not quite as particular.) The trick is to put a fermata over the last vocal note and also over an appropriate final piano chord - you might make the piano tremolo while you hold the last note if you want to keep the piano loud for a little while. A pianist can help you mark your music clearly.</p>