<p>And also does anyone know where I can buy a copy of the script for the musical "Allegro" buy Rogers and Hammerstein?</p>
<p>So, my audition songs have been my biggest hurtle so far. Monologues, I'm not as worried about, because I've had some wonderfully juicy and obscure suggestions. But, the songs that I'm considering are "Johnny Can't Decide" from Tick tick Boom!, "The Kite" from Youre A Good Man Charlie Brown, "Let's Not Talk about Love" by cole porter, "I like Myself" by Comden and Green, and "Nice Work if You can get it" by the Gershwins just because I love that song and think its a good razmataz show piece. Does anyone feel like there isn't enough contrast? That perhaps the two modern pieces are overdone? Or anything that may be not so great? These fit my range (up to an F, or F sharp) and have good acting content as I feel. But I really would like other opinions! And soon, as I watch my time grow shorter before auditions! Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>"The Kite" is overdone.</p>
<p>"You can always count on me" is definitely overdone in the UK. </p>
<p>Tick tick boom and Kite are also overdone where I am. The Cole Porter nrs sound good as well as "Nice work" and the other one you mention. My book has 30 pages or (rarer) suggested MT audition songs...;)</p>
<p>I posted this in the Do Not Use forum, but are there any suggestions for rarer baritenor post-1960s songs? a ballad and up-tempo piece of course...</p>
<p>In my opinion, while You Can Always Count on Me is not obscure, you don't have to find an obscure song. I don't think it is in the category of MOST overdone and therefore I would not rule it out if you really have a belt voice and have the personality to really act the song well. I think it is OK to sing a song that someone else may also sing, as long as you don't sing a song that LOTS and LOTS are going to sing (ala Wicked, Millie, Les Mis, etc. etc.).</p>
<p>My question is, earlier in the posts, Eugene O'Neil's Richard (sorry forget what play) was listed as a comedic character, but Richard's speech about the 4th of July would not be considered comedic by me. (Maybe just because I have a teenage S and have had the experience of having a teenage scream his opinions to me like that.) Later in the play, he's amusing, but that monologue I always considered dramatic. </p>
<p>Any other opinions?</p>
<p>Yeah that song is perfect for me, so i think i am going to do it even though it may be a little overdone. I know my other song isn't overdone at all, so i think i will be fine. Thanks!</p>
<p>What are some songs that are similar to "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat?" I am having some trouble finding ones. Thanks!</p>
<p>Hello Everyone,
This may not be the correct thread to post this on - but does anyone know what recourse there is if the accompianist during your audition was TERRIBLE??
My D just auditioned yesterday and the pianist played off tempo (way too slow) which gave her no breath support for her big money notes - - - she held some notes and skipped others - - - and played the songs so slowly that her timing was off - the songs took so long that she didn't have enough time to complete her monolouge.</p>
<p>Several auditioners commented on how poor the accompianist was! </p>
<p>Any suggestions!</p>
<p>tcove, I will be interested in hearing what responses you get. My initial reaction would be that, unfortunately, there is no "recourse" for a student auditioner who believed/felt that the accompanist wasn't competent or helpful. I am just sorry to hear that this happened. I am sure that is every auditioner's nightmare. (Care to share where this happened, so others can be forewarned?)</p>
<p>Tcove - Just for a heads up could you be so kind as to let us know which school this was. If you want to send to me as a private mail that would be fine too. Thanks so much in advance</p>
<p>If a school's accompanist is not very good, trust that the school knows it. I remember that we got into a situation last year where because of last minute illness we had to use an accompanist who was not as adept at sight reading as our initially scheduled accompanist. I knew that she was not strong--- sometimes stopped the singer, helped reset the tempo and asked them to start again, and also looked for how well the singer was able to "lead the accompanist". </p>
<p>Ultimately, I am not sure that there really is a recourse. Unfortunately sometimes the accompanist is not good. I remember an audition in NY for a regional production of Oklahoma.... we were asked to sing from the show and I did -- the accompanist could not play it :( ... it happens... </p>
<p>As far as giving each other a "heads up" about a poor audition accompanist I would suggest sending that info as a PM... -- hopefully the school will have a better accompanist next time... also -- each performer's experience could be different depending upon the material (s)he chose, ans his/ her ability to set the tempo with the accompanist and lead the accompanist.</p>
<p>Finally -- there are college reps who are on this board... you may inadvertently give information that could identify your child. I would hope that a college rep would not hold it against an auditioner... particularly since they should be aware if the accompanist was weak... but you never know.</p>
<p>Sorry that happened to you D.... here is wishing for strong accompanists at all auditions :)</p>
<p>I have had violin teachers tell us that if the accompanist is too slow or fast, the violinist should stop & ask that the tempo be adjusted, rather than muddle through. It's all about showing attention to detail & demonstrating how you feel the piece should be performed. Would that be considered O.K. for college auditions? I can't see why not. Any college reps care to comment?</p>
<p>Tcove...by the way...I want to tell you how terribly sorry I am this happened to your daughter. It's hard enough on these kids without challenges like that. </p>
<p>Sticker...good question...glad you asked it</p>
<p>A good hint is to always spend a moment with the accompanist before you sing, presenting them with ONLY the music you are singing from, and saying "I'm starting here; I'm stopping here; the tempo is (demonstrate by singing a few phrases)." Also, point out any notation you are counting on (a fermata here, a railroad tracks there, decrescendo here, ritard there, etc.).</p>
<p>eve</p>
<p>This is a reason we suggest no Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, and other composers who are more challenging to play (for accompanists unfamiliar with the canon).</p>
<p>The positive side is that everyone had the same disadvantage, so how you deal with it shows a lot about you as a performer and potential artist-in-training.</p>
<p>eve</p>
<p>At one of my D's auditions 4 years ago the accompanist totally butchered the music. He could not maintain a steady tempo, the accompaniment was full of wrong notes, and he actually seemed to be lost several times during one of my D's songs. (D heard him say at one point, "Oh! That's where we are!") My D had aced her dance audition at the school earlier in the day. She was asked to demonstrate parts of the combination for other students and the dance instructor stopped her on her way out of the studio to try to sell her on the school. My D went into her acting/singing audition feeling good. Her monologue went very well. The auditors smiled at her, told her she did well when she finished. All in all, they seemed to have a positive reaction to her audition. Unfortunately, then she had to sing her two songs. My D said she felt that she did not "act" the songs well, though she said that she was in good voice that day. Most of her energy was spent worrying about the accompanist being in the wrong place. She had to fight to maintain a steady tempo because the pianist's tempo was fluctuating so badly. D said she was determined to keep the beat and try to lead the accompanist along. When she finished singing, there were no smiles from the auditors. They gave her tepid thank yous and told her she was finished. D said it was very obvious that they felt her singing audition had gone poorly. </p>
<p>D was very upset about the situation, as were her father and I. At the least, we all felt that someone in that audition room should have said something about the pianist's difficulties. H and I also thought that one of the auditors should have asked our D if she would have liked to sing a different number. She walked into the room with her book (loose-leaf binder)full of music. She could have chosen a song with an elementary accompaniment and sung that for them. (Side note - the pieces she presented did not have difficult accompaniments. I feel qualified to judge since I am a pianist.) We were concerned that, since no one in the room gave any indication that they realized the problem was with the pianist and not the student, our D would be penalized in the form of being denied admission to the school or, if admitted, not receiving a scholarship.</p>
<p>When we returned home, we immediately consulted D's vocal coach for advice. The school in question allowed students who were denied admission to reaudition 3 months after the initial audition. We felt that that was a bit late, particularly since the school has rolling admission. We feared that spots for our D's type and/or scholarship money would be gone. D's vocal coach, who was CCM's MT music director for 10 years, advised her to send a letter to the MT department chair and request that D be allowed to re-audition at the next available audition date. I ghost-wrote the letter for D. I was very careful not to BLAME the accompanist. I said something to the effect that D and the accompanist had had a hard time co-ordinating their efforts and that D felt that her audition did not show her at her best. A couple of days after I sent the letter, D got an admission letter from the school. She received a work-study award, which is the lowest talent award the school offers, instead of a no strings attached talent scholarship. We figured that her vocal audition was the reason she didn't get the scholarship. I waited several days for a reply from the dept. chair. Nothing showed up. I assumed that my letter was ignored because my D had received an offer of admission. </p>
<p>On D's vocal coach's advice, I called the dept. chair. That phone call did NOT go well. I recapped D's letter and tried to tiptoe around the fact that the pianist had not been able to play the music. I told this man that I was a musician myself with a lot of accompanying experience and that I realized that anyone could have a bad day. At our coach's suggestion, I said that I would be willing to play the accompniment for D if she were allowed to re-audition. Though the dept. chair had not been present for my D's 1st audition, he insisted in a very testy tone of voice that all of his school's accompanists were excellent musicians and that the problem had to have been with my D! He said that students frequently have problems performing with someone who is not their regular accompanist and that the ability to adjust to new situations was one of the things they were judging when they listened to auditions. I explained that my D regularly sang with many different pianists and that both her vocal coach and I altered her accompaniments frequently so that she would be used to hearing many different things coming from the piano. Those alterations included playing her pieces both faster and slower than she liked. Basically, the dept. chair's position was that my D must have been the problem; it was simply not possible that one of his "highly skilled" pianists could have had a problem sight-reading her music. He did agree that D could come back to his campus and audition a second time to try to increase her scholarship. However, he was adamant that she had to sing with one of their pianists, she could not bring her own accompanist.</p>
<p>The end result of our experience with that school, which had been D's safety, was that D decided that she wanted nothing to do with them. We did not trust that the faculty members who heard my D sing were good enough musicians that they recognized the difference between problems with the singer and problems with the pianist. Perhaps no one in the audition room that day WAS a musician and that's why no one seemed to know that the pianist was re-writing the music. I find that in itself to be problematic. I would hope that any MT school would have at least one trained musician in the audition room. On the other hand, perhaps the auditors did recognize that the pianist was incompetent and they felt embarassed. In my book, embarassment is not a good enough reason not to make some sort of apology for a bad college audition situation. Students invest a lot of time and energy in their college auditions. They are choosing where to spend 4 years of their young lives! It's not like an audition for a community theatre production that's going to be over in 6 weeks. D's vocal coach told me that during his years at CCM there were a couple of occasions when they had to use a substitute accompanist who turned out to have trouble sight-reading. He said he always commented on the problems at the piano to the student and apologized to him or her! He says that in those situations he ALWAYS tried to settle the student's nerves and offered her/him the opportunity to sing the number a 2nd time or to sing a different selection. I feel that any considerate person should do the same.</p>
<p>I hope that the school representatives who lurk on this forum remember that just as you are evaluating the students who audition for you, they and their parents are evaluating you. D was awarded the largest academic scholarship that the above mentioned school had to offer. She was also awarded substantial need-based aid. That school would have been our least expensive option. However, my D's audition experience and especially my conversation with the department chair left a very bad taste in my mouth. School X was not a place I felt my D belonged.</p>
<p>P.S. No, I will not name the school publicly.</p>
<p>StickerShock is right - if your song is a train wreck, and you are not showing them your best, stop as soon as you realize you are off, and ask if you might begin again. If "yes," briefly confer with the accompanist (doing a "mea culpa" adjustment) and then start again. </p>
<p>If "no," then pick up after where you left off - giving a specific starting phrase to give you time to get to the money notes (no need to start exactly where you left off, if you can pick-up with your best 16 bars).</p>
<p>They may be so pinched for time that they say no; and true, it is a gamble to ask to begin again. But this also shows a professional demeanor (and the same gamble would apply professionally - they may say "no," but at least you've tried to take control of your audition and show them what you truly have rehearsed). Not finishing your monologue because they played your song too slowly screws up BOTH pieces, right? But if you can salvage 8 bars and a full monologue, you're still ahead.</p>
<p>I also suggest that you will want to lead the accompanist no matter what - do not depend on them to play it like your coach does. They are a "new partner" to you, and as such you must lead them with confidence. Then, if they really suck, you are still able to plug through, in tempo and on key, and show yourself to be a superior musician (and concentrator). And often, they REALIZE they suck, and will drop out just enough for you to stay on track...</p>
<p>Good luck, all,</p>
<p>eve</p>
<p>I think stopping and asking if you can start over is very risky -- not only could they say no - they could say, that's okay, we've heard enough, and not allow you to continue the song.</p>
<p>If the accompanist is wretched, the auditors probably recognize the fact, and that it puts everyone at equal disadvantage -- how you cope tells much about you and your training. My D got a major summer stock role after a callback where the accompanist messed up to the point that they stopped playing, and she continued to sing and finished the song a cappella.</p>
<p>Also, if the person playing the auditions is a regular staff member, they may think that your attitude might be a problem down the line. (Whether you are right or wrong isn't the issue - it's how they may perceive you.)</p>
<p>Once I was hearing an audition, and the auditioner was quite visibly upset that the accompaniment wasn't what they thought it should be. However, it was note-for-note perfect, and played impeccably, with what was the standard tempo for the song. Which led the auditioners to wonder what the auditioner was expecting - had they ever done it with piano before, or just sung along with an OBC, or rehearsed with someone who had played it wrong?</p>
<p>I have also been in auditions where the auditors offered the option of beginning again, or doing another selection -- if that should happen, and you feel your performance is not where it should be, be prepared to gratefully accept the offer. (Having a backup EASY standard piece in your book might be a good idea.)</p>
<p>Is there anything in your music which increases its level of difficulty? One pitfall of the ease of purchasing transposed songs online, is that sometimes while it might be a marvelous key for your voice, it might create unforeseen difficulties in the piano part. Is your music a good, clean copy, with only your accurate marks written in? (I've played auditions where the music has 4 or 5 different cut marks in it, from different auditions) Is it printed (as opposed to manuscipt) music?
Some show scores are still in manuscript, and some of them are very difficult to read, because the notation is so sloppy. Is your music the standard one staff for the vocal line, 2 staves for piano? Sometimes music copied from shows with multiple piano scoring, or abridged orchestration scoring may have 3 or 4 staves for the accompaniment - creates greater difficulty for someone to sightread in an audition setting.</p>
<p>As a side suggestion - as part of your audition prep, do your songs with many different accompanists. Ask a reasonably good fellow student at your school to read through it with you - your church choir director - the piano teacher down the street - a community theatre accompanist. See what it feels like with different people. Figure out if there are any specific instructions you need to write in the music, or verbally communicate with the accompanist before you begin. (If, horror of horrors, EVERYONE has problems with it - it might be time to find a different song.)</p>
<p>I agree with Eve - you have to take musical charge and be in control. Most even reasonably good accompanists will stay with you, even if it means they leave out certain parts, or adjust the accompaniment slightly.</p>
<p>I believe criticizing the accompanist can only do you harm - do your best to show your professionalism and training - then, go with "it is what it is" :)</p>