I have learned a lot here over the last few months. I don’t post much, but I appreciate all the helpful threads and comments here. I have one question that I would like to handle off-line over pm if someone would be willing to help. Specifically, our daughter is trying to make final repertoire decisions for voice performance pre-screening applications. She has five different recordings that she likes and she needs to submit between two and four to a few different schools. Of course, we are in constant touch with her voice teacher, but ultimately our daughter needs to make some executive decisions and we are trying to advise her as best as we can.
If you have been through this before and would be willing to provide some guidance and feedback, please send me a pm. It feels a bit too personal to hash out the repertoire here on a public forum, so I won’t be providing more details in the this thread.
I’m not sure that this will be helpful…but I will say that I left it to her teacher…which songs, which schools/programs. I trusted the teacher…and didn’t trust myself.
I remember that I had moments…particularly with the MT choices. While stressed out, you’ll look for problems. I remember thinking that her MT songs were “boring” with no big moments in them. I was worried that she would get no acceptances and it was because I didn’t speak up. Luckily I just bit my tongue…my D got 3 MT acceptances out of 5 auditions. She got all acceptances on VP. So…good thing I left it to the experts.
I would lean heavily on the teacher or other “professionals” for advice…and if the teacher says a few are equal and she can choose, I’d just tell her to sing the one she loves to sing the most. There’s nothing like a little joy in an audition.
One other thought: since it seems you haven’t recorded yet, you could record all. Then you could all listen to her pre-screens (along with the teacher) and pick the best from the five recordings.
Agree with above. Also, resist the temptation of sending in rep that is not age appropriate. Art songs instead of big arias. I am not a soprano expert as my D is a mezzo, but feel free to PM me.
Thanks for the comments. We actually have recorded all the songs we need. We just need to decide which to submit. As Compmom says, any combination will probably be fine. We are probably overthinking this. But, my daughter also wondered if she might be too young for one of her songs and I have no clue what to tell her. I’ll talk to her teacher again. Probably just last minute nerves (parents and child). She is submitting in a couple days.
Overthinking is part of your job description! Ask the teacher. The pre-screens just need to show her as she is. Talent is talent and will come through in many songs. But yes, as @Scubachick points out, singing the appropriate level song is very important … as teachers do have to struggle with “personalities” sometimes more than talent. I think that teachers “may” show a preference to students that are easy to “coach”…meaning students that listen to their teachers and don’t overshoot. That takes you back to the teacher’s opinion (assuming she/he has experience getting kids into good programs).
As I said above, I worried that my D’s MT songs were boring…as I saw other kids going “big”. My D’s results were better or the same…not worse. And, I would hesitate at letting an 18 year old make this call alone…as I see kids tend to wanting big moments too. I don’t know your D of course. But just some thoughts. If she works in consultation with her teacher that may give the best result. A discussion about why for each song could be useful to her (and you) in moving forward.
