<p>My son has a very reputable voice teacher in our area and they are in the process of picking songs for his college auditions next Fall. She tells him that the songs should be from musicals before 1950 or the schools will not take him seriously. Has anyone heard this before?? Some of the songs she is looking at are pretty old standards (Rogers & Hamm, Porter, Loesser, Gay). What do you think?</p>
<p>Different schools have different requirements, and yes, a number of schools ask kids to prepare songs written before 1960.</p>
<p>Always check with the schools; as NotMamaRose said, some schools REQUIRE one song to be pre-1960. I personally don’t know of any that require both to be, and many students do one older, and one more contemporary. But, I don’t know of anyone who would fault you for choosing 2 songs from the older repertoire… it’s not referred to as the Golden Age of Broadway for nothin’ 
As long as the song choices are sufficiently contrasting in other aspects, I think for some students and voices, choosing 2 older songs can be a great option.</p>
<p>The University of Oklahoma (OU), a respected MT program with high admissions standards, requires that one song be contemporary (post-1970 and showing off pop-rock style and preferably belt). Other schools anecdotally also want students to show a broader musical and vocal range than 2 Golden Age songs can; on the other hand, some schools, like Michigan, would love 2 well-chosen pre-1960 songs for a singer who fits that material vocally. The teacher is incorrect in making pre-1950 the cutoff; it’s pre-1960 (some say pre-1965). Much of the pre-1950 era (the 1920’s, 30’s, and early 40’s) is actually not considered Golden Age but is more the era of lighter, vaudevillian material and “standards” (Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin). Oklahoma, first produced in 1943, is generally considered the beginning of the Golden Age, but the majority of Golden Age shows (Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Lowe, etc.) were produced in the 1950’s and early 60’s. </p>
<p>If your son has a classic “Golden Age”, big and lovely legit voice as compared to his peers nationwide, Golden Age material will suit him well. (If he doesn’t have a big voice, 20’s- 40’s material will better show him off for his “old-school” song choice.) However, if he can show off stellar pop-rock or other more contemporary MT vocal facility and this fits his physical, vocal, and/or acting type, it’s advisable for him to do so in combination with his Golden Age song. The more facets a performers can expertly show off, the better. Schools will take people most seriously who show true mastery of different styles of singing, as this increases their potential professional marketability. The teacher is theoretically half-right; if your song only sings contemporary material, he may not be taken as seriously - UNLESS that’s what his voice does wonderfully and he is fulfilling that school’s audition requirements as well as still showing musical contrast. But he will be taken even more seriously by Carnegie-Mellon, Michigan, CCM, Pace, and other top programs if he can do both. </p>
<p>Good luck to him! :)</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your thoughts. He is still working on picking the right songs for his voice. It sounds like he is on the right track! You guys are awesome!!!</p>
<p>I think his voice teacher is wrong. But he should have at least one song from that classic era.</p>