<p>Compexlife and other Purchase-sages: What is Purchase seeking from the a capella song at the audition? D has lots of choral singing experience and even MT experience-- but she freezes up singing a capella and is very nervous about it. I'd love any suggestions. Thank you!</p>
<p>My son isn’t applying to Purchase, but Mason Gross has a similar audition requirement. They suggested that he can use anything - it is NOT a musical theater audition, but they want to ascertain whether or not someone can carry a tune, project, and feel comfortable doing it. I’ve heard that even “Happy Birthday” will suffice in a pinch, but she might pick some song she’s familiar with from a musical or chorus. I haven’t even discussed this with my son, but he doesn’t seem too worried. Does Purchase ask for 16 bars?</p>
<p>Thank you-- that’s pretty much what I thought too-- I suggested a simple folk song she sings all the time but of course she sniffed. Yes, it’s 16 bars-- I think UMinn/Guthrie has the same requirement. Basically, she can’t carry a tune if she’s nervous AND has no accompaniment…she can do one or the other but not both. I’ll tell her what you say about Happy Birthday and see if that will help her calm down a bit.</p>
<p>When my son was auditioning on-campus, we talked to a Purchase freshman who said he wasn’t much of a singer. At his audition, he stood stiffy and croaked out something. They asked him to sing again and add some movement. He said he went waltzing and loping comically across the floor warbling something like “God Bless America.”</p>
<p>He was accepted.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that this type of singing requirement for an acting BFA is not so much about carrying a tune but about the timbre of the voice. The quality of the singing voice can be a clue to the trainability of one’s speaking voice.</p>
<p>Really not anything to worry about!</p>
<p>bless you NJtheatremom! Thank you both so much. I will cross-stitch this story on a pillow for D. (Or something like that.)</p>
<p>Gwen, my daughter has the same problem–she actually has a very sweet tone–but only when she’s not worried about pitch, tempo etc., all of which don’t come naturally to her and are why she’s definitely not a musical theatre actress! Not everyone can sing. I’ll let her know about this too.</p>
<p>Honestly, as a student here, messing this portion up isn’t too big of a deal. We don’t have any musical/singing training here in the program, they just want to know if you can or cannot sing. I sang a song by my favorite artist, and wasn’t exactly exceptional (I had never sang in an audition before), but was ultimately accepted.</p>