<p>My thinking is this, and remember that I’m just a mom with a kid going through the process, so what do I know? BUT, the schools sometimes have hundreds of students auditioning for just a few spots. They are looking for people who, in addition to being great performers will fit well into their program and not be arrogant or difficult to work with. One way to screen out those difficult people is to eliminate those who blatantly disregard the stated audition requirements or suggestions that they post publicly for all to see. </p>
<p>They are also looking for those with a great work ethic. One way to judge that is to see which students put in the considerable time and effort to diligently search through years of material to find pieces that were both age-appropriate and fit well with their voices and “type” rather than just choosing something that they would have seen or heard during the past 15-20 years.</p>
<p>So, if I want to be one who stands out in a good away against the hundreds of others, I am going to do everything I can to show that I can follow directions and that I can work hard.</p>
<p>But other than the do not lists, most of the rest on this thread is opinion only based upon some people’s experiences and you have professionals weighing in on here with contradictory advice.
My advice is to do what I did. Call your child’s college choices and see what they say. You don’t even have to give your name. I did that and aaa given a huge amount of info… That contradicted a lot of what was said on this thread. The common refrain was "We don’t care how many times we have heard a song and we’ve heard them all a thousand times, all we care is that your child is performing it to the best of their ability. Whether a new show, old show, or something made popular by someone else… Which pretty much covers ALL MT songs, right? Again, we put so much stress on these kids. We aren’t reinventing the wheel. The industry they are.choosing is difficult enough without all of this OMG don’t sing THAT.
Call each school. Get their opinion. They are all more than happy to give it, at least the schools my d is considering.</p>
<p>You can sometimes find the advice to pick “age appropriate” material under the audition tips/advice section at the various programs. I just looked at a random sample of 6 schools to double check that and it was there for 3 out of 6. But it was worded as a suggestion, not a requirement.</p>
<p>Following up on what halflokum said, I looked at the latest requirements for CMU, Michigan, CCM, NYU, and Boco. You can clearly see where “the conventional CC wisdom” about selecting songs that are age appropriate, not from current shows, etc. comes from:</p>
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<p>NYU and Carnegie did not offer detailed recommendations that concerned age, etc.</p>
<p>No doubt advice and requirements are going to vary from program to program but there seems to be a fairly clear consensus from at least some of the top programs. I personally think worrying about “Overdone” is probably the least of what someone should be concerned about - if you look at the various lists profferred around the web, they collectively exclude wide swaths of the MT canon. Of course, your mileage may vary…</p>
<p>NYU does actually mention it too in the FAQs under “tips about the audition and interview components”. That was one of the 3 out of 6 I was counting in my sample.</p>
<p>But also for the record, I agree with everyone that says you should sing what shows you at your best and what you can connect with most deeply as long as it isn’t specifically forbidden in the instructions. There are plenty of kids following that school of thought this year that you’ll run into in the auditions. Some of them MUST get in even if they are using songs off of the top of the “do not” list.</p>
<p>More on the “conventional CC wisdom” - if you read just about any book on auditioning it will make the same sort of recommendations that you see on this and other threads (and which are quoted in post #625 from some of the top programs) for choosing songs. For example, here is an excerpt from “The Actor Sings” by Kevin Robson (which goes to being able to “act the song”):</p>
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<p>Can you get in by “breaking all the rules” (or some of the “rules”) - no doubt. Is it likely? Probably not.</p>
<p>^^^^ Come on of course some of the rule breakers do fine. It’s the stuff of bad made-for-TV movies whether it’s a class president election or a MT audition. (See Glee which this season has a little of both). The flashy kid that shows up with little preparation but lots of chutzpah often trumps the rule followers. </p>
<p>My daughter is at least a 3rd generation serial rule-follower and she is navigating this year’s auditions as such. Thus, her material is not currently on Broadway, is age appropriate etc. There are some mighty talented kids waiting with her in the audition room that are not card carrying members of the “serial rule-follower club” and they don’t care. Some of them will be out because of it but others have that “it factor” that will blow your hair back as they belt “Defying Gravity” as well as Idina and walk out of the audition room with tossing off a quick “that went well” air of confidence. You can’t help but be impressed and you also have to believe that SOME of these kids will land well even though they didn’t worry about the rules.</p>
<p>^^^ I completely agree and I think that is what I said - no doubt some get in despite not following the conventional wisdom and advice, but I bet that they are likely not in the majority. Why else would there be such consistency in advice from many (if not most and maybe almost all) available sources?</p>
<p>Ok here’s an interesting question being new to this whole thing: what if someone were to audition with a Rey Broadway like piece but not something from a show? Does it happen and is it frowned upon? Just had a great friend I trust who knows my daughters ability and who currently owns and sings in a supper club in the Philly Theater district suggest a song she thinks would be perfect but isn’t a show tune. My daughter knows the song well, almost performed it for Cabaret night the other night. How does that go over with places who don’t have specific rules?</p>
<p>Check the schools’ requirements, as always. Some may allow for one song to be a song other than from the musical theatre canon, some may not. If it’s a published song, it may fall within the requirements at some schools for a contemporary piece.</p>
<p>What schools don’t have specific rules or suggestions for their singing evaluations?</p>
<p>There are many people who can give you excellent advice about great material for your daughter to sing. But that doesn’t mean they know the college audition requirements. Be careful.</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon is one school that has no specific guidelines for songs aside from “contrasting” - but they do have specific guidelines for monologues. </p>
<p>While there are many cool stories of CMU MT acceptees singing very nontraditional things - my favorite is that Megan Hilty sang Corner of the Sky, because she wanted to - the faculty definitely has strong connection to some songs and not others (driven by their individual tastes) and do prefer age appropriate songs more often than not - unless the singer is an old soul who lives in their song comfortably. They look for simple, honest acting work in songs as well as: distinctive musical/vocal style, solid technique, overall uniqueness - a myriad of factors. And of course for them, none of that matter much if your monologues aren’t also top-notch.</p>
<p>For Carnegie Mellon, be prepared to improvise and have fun with it! We did a master class with Barbara MacKenzie Wood and she had people do their monologue over as a chicken! as a stand up comic! A a loved crazed guy! She does this at the auditions! She wants to see if you can let go and run with it. She stopped people in the middle of songs and changed their perspective and had them do it again. You can’t practice for this but you have to be able to relax and take direction. Don’t over think it. Good luck!</p>
<p>My daughter, a Caucasian ingenue type, is quite taken with the song “Waiting for Life to Begin” from Once on this Island.
In short, it is her lucky song, as she has used it to audition for roles in plays, showcases, etc.
The song speaks to her and through her! She has a beautiful soprano voice and she is able to belt as well.
We have heard that this would be an inappropriate audition song since she is Caucasian.
Is this in fact true?</p>
<p>My D sung the same song recently on her audition and because we literally live on an island, the evaluator acknowledged it and was very kind to say that it fits her well, and we are not Caucasian.</p>
<p>But that does not mean your D cannot sing it. I always believe (based on my limited experience) that as long as the kid can sing well a song, give it a shot. And let your D sing her heart out. Hope she will do well.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your encouragement. I have also heard from others that it is appropriate for her to sing the song. It is now back in her repertoire, and she is singing her heart out! Good luck to your D, too!</p>
<p>Just a quick question. Did your D happened to audition this morning (Tuesday) for CMU at Palmer House in Chicago? Interestingly enough, the girl immediately before my D sung “Waiting for Life to Begin” but different 32 bar part. Just the same, my D sung the same piece - and it didn’t seem to be an issue for the evaluator - so far, I hope.</p>
<p>@theatremomma</p>
<p>And for the monologue, my D had a blast doing it with Barbara MacKenzie Wood. She was asked to run around twice and start her monologue again. It made her relaxed and did well the next time around.</p>
of course some of the rule breakers do fine. It’s the stuff of bad made-for-TV movies whether it’s a class president election or a MT audition. (See Glee which this season has a little of both). The flashy kid that shows up with little preparation but lots of chutzpah often trumps the rule followers. </p>