audition songs/ monologues

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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<p>thanks, i figured light was probably too new, a definite shame tho. as for your other schools comment.. ive been really picky with colleges. i want a bfa, but i want it from an academic university. ive worked really hard in high school to make really high grades, etc... so i don't want to throw it away on a strict conservatory. plus i wanted an urban campus... so it really limited my options. so all of the other schools i am applying to (and there are four others) don't require auditions. im applying to northwestern, vassar, cornell, and i just got into my safety, suny stony brook. so i figure i want to go somewhere ill be really happy, and after nyu and cmu, i'd be happier at an academic school with a really solid ba program.</p>

<p>and thanks for the advice about extra songs- cmu actually tells auditionees to because they may ask to hear another... so its always good to be prepared. </p>

<p>so yea, thanks for all your advice!</p>

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<p>CMU MT is definitely "strictly" conservatory training - as much as you're going to get for MT anywhere, I believe. They have VERY few non-MT academic requirements OR opportunities to do other academics (as MT is actually considered a double major - all MT's are Acting/Musical Theatre Majors); actors have a bit more academic flexibility.</p>

<p>It's of course a GREAT school - I just wanted to make sure you knew that it's not a liberal arts-type BFA such as those offered at NYU, UMich, and PSU, for example.</p>

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<p>Regarding having additional songs prepared, at my audition for CMU last year, I got about halfway through my first song when they stopped and asked if I had anything in my book that was legit soprano. They accompanist picked out "Heather on the Hill" (which I hadn't been planning on singing), and they had me sing that. Then they asked me to sing "All That Jazz", in three different keys, and then "Summertime" in four different keys, and those songs weren't even in my book at all. I didn't sing anything I had prepared! It was the best (and most enjoyable) vocal audition experience I've ever had though. No matter what you sing or what you've prepared--if they hear something they're interested in, they're going to get what they want out of you.</p>

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<p>coachc, may i gently remind you about my question regarding "I'm Flying" from Peter Pan? Another question regarding "Blow, Gabriel, Blow."</p>

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<p>bway06, supporting what Coach wrote....CMU, while an excellent selective university, allows for some of the least amount of liberal arts of the many BFA programs out there....it is more conservatory with very little liberal arts figured into the curriculum. If you want a college that is selective or more challenging that allows for some liberal arts along with the BFA, NYU or UMich fit that bill. PSU and Syracuse are not as selective of colleges but also have a significant liberal arts component along with the BFA. My daughter also is a high achiever academically and she doesn't feel like she threw anything away by attending a BFA program. She preferred one where there was some liberal arts and ended up at NYU/Tisch and there are plenty of other very bright students in some of these BFA programs. UMich truly fits the bill for your criteria, as well. Your list has some great options on it for you, though most schools would fall into the "reach" or "high match" category even for the best students. I would have added one school a "step down" from those on your list, because there are fine colleges out there that fall between places like Cornell/Vassar and Stony Brook. </p>

<p>Lindsay...my D had something happen like that at CMU as well...besides her chosen songs...singing a song they gave her in various keys and so on.</p>

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<p>razorback -</p>

<p>My opinion on the PETER PAN song follows. I apologize for not posting sooner: my own students and I are so busy preparing for their biggest onslaught of college auditions that I spend most of my time doing that. I am only able to post with any regularity right now because I am, WONDERFULLY, still on Christmas break from my grad work :) - but next week, the full grind starts again for me. So unfortunately, I am not able to address many individual song queries - I only respond to those here when the songs in question have very special contexts (such as the PETER PAN song, or the race/ethnicity-specific question which I recently addressed). In those cases, I know that my professional experience will enable me to help quickly, since these questions tend to have answers that are more "yes/no" in the conventional wisdom of the MT industry rather than answers that are simply "opinion" about which songs are "best." Because matching songs to specific students and MT repertoire is my greatest area of expertise, I often have to stop myself from typing responses to song queries when I am itching to do so! :) - but I know it wouldn't be fair to only answer some people's questions of this type and not answer everyone's. So I save most of that info for my own students and help here in a more general way. (I can, however, address specific medical voice questions, since my grad faculty encourages me to do that as part of my training - "community education" is part of what we do.)</p>

<p>As for I'm Flying - although it does sound as if the singer fits the role, it's not a good audition choice unless she is specifically auditioning for that show OR UNLESS she is an extraordinarily sophisticated actress who can PHYSICALIZE the song without CHOREOGRAPHING or DANCING it. Ok - now I'll try to make that clear! :)</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Caution #1 : It is a "one-note" kind of song. In other words, it says to a college, who wants to see the RANGE of what a performer can do, "look, I'm small and could play PETER PAN." It is better to convey this definitely marketable physical and vocal type through a song that is not SO specific, because this songs presents acting limitations that aren't worth the trade-off of using the song to point to tumbling skills on a resume. If that is important to a college, BELIEVE ME, they will SEE IT on a resume or ask about it. A great example which just came up at UMich during SEUSSICAL auditions last night, according to my students there: In the freshman class, they have a PHENOMENAL tumbler - he threw a pass that was something like round-off/2 back handsprings/arabian/punch front - and just kept right on wowing them - but he never did anything to specifically indicate that he could tumble at his audition for UM last year, even though tumbling is SO marketable - it was simply a part of his resume - but oh, the faculty definitely KNEW about his tumbling prowess and were eager to see it last night! </p></li>
<li><p>Caution #2: I'm Flying presents a very specific acting challenge for a young performer. In choosing an audition piece, what the piece conveys about the performer as an actor is just as important as what it conveys about them as a singer. You're right that I'm Flying is fairly challenging vocally - not the most difficult, but it's a good song to show off a strong belt, which is always a plus - BUT it truly is basically ABOUT the act of flying. So in order to act it well, she has to be able to convey the SENSATIONS of actual flying without moving frenetically, without simply extending her arms joyfully all of the time (once or twice is ok, but more than that would be overkill), etc. She could, of course, also create a subtext which makes the song NOT about ACTUAL flying but rather about the analogous feeling one gets when one is euphoric because of new love, great achievement, etc. - but that's where a pretty sophisticated interpretive process would need to take over. (I could see such a thing being done very well by a cabaret artist, for example, perhaps with a more languid tempo.)</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I really thought about this song for a long time - as with most people who are passionate about their jobs, I love a brain challenge! - and it IS an infectious and fun song! I just know that without considering the above factors, especially the acting concerns I detailed in #2, this choice might be in danger of looking silly in comparsion to songs that other female auditionees of this young woman's type may be singing at college auditions.</p>

<p>ALL of that having been said - if this actress is a child (younger than about 14), it's a GREAT, FUN choice - even for a professional audition! The "rules" (HA - there are no "rules" :) - but there is conventional wisdom) are entirely different for children's auditions. Casting directors, especially in NYC, almost always want to see kids who are "REAL" kids and who also fit the type they need - and of course, who have talent. So anything that brings all of this out of a kid works . An 8 year-old student of mine reeeeeeeeally wanted to sing "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" for her ANNIE national tour audition last spring - it was her first big audition, and she just loves that song and sings it while rollerblading around her house, playing baseball, etc. :) - so I said "go for it." She went in and lit the place up and got right down to the end - and when they released her (I think probably because she had NO dance training at the time), Martin Charnin came over to her and said, "YOU come back to us!" I think this was a reflection not only of her excellent voice but of her "real kid"-ness coming out in the joy she exuded when singing that song. But that "rule" of "sing whatever" only applies in the professional world until adolescence. By the way, parents, PLEASE don't think little ones all need coaches - although some very young performers have them, this little girl simply happens to be a family friend whose parents asked me to listen to her to make sure she was singing healthily, since she belts and "operas" her head off all the time - they can't stop her! :)</p>

<p>Hope this helps razorback and others - and now I must continue the coaching mania! Good luck to all of you who are also entering your "audition mania" time - and HAVE FUN! :)</p>

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<p>Once again exposing my massive ignorance: If a song has not yet been published, then how does a singer get the music in order to sing it? </p>

<p>Forgive me if this is somehow obvious. I just don't understand how someone can get -- and give to a pianist -- sheet music that is not available. And I am guessing that you guys are not talking about just having a student sing --from memory -- music from a just-released Broadway soundtrack. I know there is something I am not getting here, and inquiring minds want to know! :)</p>

<p>LD</p>

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<p>NotMamaRose....there are some people in the field who have access to songs that have not yet been released publicly. Our voice teacher sometimes has music but also knows people in NYC who we can contact to get just about anything and so we do get music through these various contacts from time to time if we can't find the music elsewhere to purchase.</p>

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<p>Another way is to seek out musicians who are very adept at transcribing by ear - give them a recording of the song that you want to sing, and they transcribe it into sheet music (you usually pay "by the page" for the finished project rather than a blanket fee).</p>

<p>eve</p>

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<p>Is that legal? I mean, it is legal for people to distribute copyrighted material that has not yet been publicly released? I am guessing it is, as long as the person using the material (the singer, in other words) is not using it for profit. Is that correct?</p>

<p>Gosh, this is just another area where it is useful to have contacts, I guess. On the other hand, though it is probably nice to be able to sing a song that is very new and therefore intriguing to the adjudicators at a college audition, it certainly is not the most important factor in an audition. </p>

<p>I would guess that most of the kids in question on this list don't have those kind of contacts. </p>

<p>Thanks for answering my questions, you guys. You're the best. I am learning so many really useful things here.</p>

<p>LD</p>

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<p>Lisa, all the songs my daughter sang at college auditions have been published, just so you know. She does know of a contact in NYC who seems to have every kind of sheet music and so sometimes when there is a hard to find song she wants, published or not, she has found it this way. Sometimes there are even published songs that are hard to locate. None of course were used for profit. Her pre-1960 song she needed for a few BFA programs, was hard to locate but she had sang it when she was nine in a show and remembered it and so was able to locate it through a contact in NYC who owns a lot of sheet music.</p>

<p>I think lots of people share music amongst themselves and I guess there are folks out there who seem to have access to a lot and then it is circulated. It may not be available yet for purchase but sometimes the music is circulating around other ways I guess. I don't know much more than that but some of it is word of mouth, not sure. There are folks in the industry in NYC, for example, who might obtain music from those involved in the shows or something or other and it filters down. I know that xeroxing sheet music is frowned upon though I don't know anyone who doesn't have xeroxed music. In fact, I recall when my D was singing Forget About the Boy from Millie BEFORE the music was available for purchase but gotten from a NY contact (would not use it now as way too popular), she did it at her camp audition (for casting, not admittance) and then later she sang it in a workshop at her camp with Jeanine Tesori herself...the composer, who autographed my D's xerox copy of the song....so I guess it wasn't questioned by Jeanine Tesori herself :D. My daughter's voice teacher had the score of Wicked before it was available for purchase....this was not THAT unusual in NYC circles, in my guess (he works in NYC, though we don't live there).</p>

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<p>coach, thanks so much for the thought and sincere analysis that went into your response. I really didn't mean to make tumbling any part of her audition, not even a reference to it. I only referred to it because I know you're supposed to sing something you could be cast in and that would take someone with tumbling skills. And I do think she has the acting interpretation skills to portray the song properly. However, we will seriously reconsider it based on your suggestions. We certainly want something very good. I would also be interested in your comments on "Blow Gabriel Blow" and "Wherever he aint" from Mack and Mabel. I actually haven't researched that role so it may not even be appropriate. We just like the song and she does it well. And I do appreciate your time. I know you're very busy. If we could visit and pay for your services, we would. We actually just got home from a lesson with acting coach and voice coach. Thanks again.</p>

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<p>"Blow, Gabriel, Blow" is sung by Reno Sweeney - typically played by a "leading lady" (meaning "older") actress, and it is a "show number" (meaning song and dance is tops, character/acting is not). Hope is a more age-appropriate character in that show, as is Bonnie/Erma (depending on the version you use) - the former is a soprano, the latter a belter mezzo.</p>

<p>"Wherever He Ain't" is sung by Mabel Normand, a young ingenue character lady. Strong, but one-note, acting values to be had in song (character doesn't change by end of song, just vents).</p>

<p>eve</p>

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<p>Razorback...I'm not Coach (nor have her expertise in vocal coaching by any means)...but will offer you this....</p>

<p>My daughter suggested Wherever He Ain't to her local friend who was auditioning last year and she got into Emerson with it. I think this song is a possible one for a college audition. </p>

<p>I took notice of your question about I'm Flying. I know the song as my D once played Peter Pan. I think it is a little risky for a college audition, though might work. I think Coach gave all the reasons why it would possibly not be the best choice for a college audition. It's funny because I read an article about musical theater auditions but it wasn't about college ones (and I agree with Coach that what you pick for a college one is not necessarily the same as what you might pick for a casting audition). But in that article, they were quoting various professionals in this field. One of them actually talked about someone using I'm Flying in an audition (again, not for college). I forget the details but the context was that it was a risky song to pick, though for this particular person, worked. But it definitely is an atypical choice.</p>

<p>Actually, I just looked up on my desk to see if I had a copy of this article and I do, so I will share this quote from the article (by Erik Haagensen) with you. It includes a quote by Michael Lavine, a noted vocal coach, musical director and accompanist in NYC:</p>

<p>"But the burden of singing a standard is the history behind it. Great performers have indelibly placed their stamp on the material, and there's a lot to live up to. It's incumbent upon the auditionee to make the song as fresh as the day it was written. Or provide an entirely new take that surprises without offending. Michael Lavine has a student who sings "I'm Flying" from "Peter Pan" in just such a way. "She does it as an extreme ballad, which could be boring, but she makes it about being deeply in love rather than physically flying. And she's done well. People say to her, "I've heard that song a million times; I've never thought about it being done like that. You're smart."</p>

<p>Notice how Coach is in "tune" with Michael Lavine on taking this piece in a different direction than it is used in Peter Pan. Great coaches must think alike! :D But, I would say this is tricky for a college auditionee and thus I don't know if it is such a good choice for this situation.</p>

<p>Susan</p>

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<p>Oooh, thanks for that quote, Susan! Michael has recently become a friend of mine (though I have known of him through mutual friends for a long time), and of course I admire his work GREATLY, so it's cool to know we are so much on the same coaching page!</p>

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<p>I thought you'd like how you both came up with a similar reasoning of a way to possibly use this song in an audition, though I agree with you that it may be risky for a college one. I also know who Michael is as well.</p>

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<p>Thanks, as always, Susan. What you say makes sense (as usual)! :) It's cool that people can get their hands on these songs a little ahead of the curve. To a musical theatre performer, that's like getting one's hands on a book before it is actually published. (Can you tell I'm a reader? :)) Delicious!</p>

<p>Lisa</p>

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<p>okay... my CCM audition is next week, and my voice teacher and I finally settled on a ballad... but I'm very scared becuase 1- it's sondheim (though it's really easy to play) and 2- it's from Sweeney Todd, which is a current hit on Broadway. It's "Johanna" (the version sung by Antony half way through act 1). I feel like it's the perfect audition song (short, powerful, and ating-wise, very strong), and the absolute best contrast I could find to my uptempo (the up-tempo, comical, cheery, slightly jazzy "She Likes Basketball" from Promises Promises)... do you think they're going to care about Johanna being from Sweeney Todd and being by Sondheim? I understand with the objections to my original uptempo (a really obscure, hard to play song by Sondheim called "Everybody Says Dont"), but honestly I feel like it is the best song for me at this audition at this time. I cannot fidn anything else like it, so if anyone has any reccomendations, let me know!</p>

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<p>Oh, shoot! Drum, thank you so much for reminding me that Sweeney Todd is on Broadway! Now I need help. I had Green Finch and Linnet Bird as one of my audition pieces (I used it for OCU, and was planning to use it for the Unifieds) but should I rule it out since it's on Broadway? Or should I keep up with it? And if I should take it out, can anyone suggest to me a similar sounding song?</p>

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<p>drum87</p>

<p>Good luck to you with your audition next week! CCM clearly states on their website under the "Don't" section...don't sing any mature theater songs from Stephen Sondheim. Whether or not your song is a "mature theater song" I really don't know...I would think quite possibly it is...maybe some others could chime in on this. Posters on this forum have said before that if CCM says don't and you do it, they will automatically no longer consider your audition. How true that is, I don't know but you may not want to risk it.</p>