<p>Hi everyone!</p>
<p>I've recently decided I am going to follow my dreams and audition for music school! I've had a passion for singing and performing since I was very little, but I never thought it was a wise career choice. I gradated in May 2013 with a degree in Rehabilitative Services, but now I'm looking at that as more of a backup plan and a way to get myself through music school. I had chosen 5 arias with my voice teacher before I moved (I moved to Florida on my own from Pennsylvania a month ago). I would like to use 2 of these songs I've been preparing for an audition for UCF's music program.</p>
<p>The two songs I've been thinking of using are:
Chacun le Sait from La Fille du Regiment
Laughing Song from Die Fledermaus (in English)</p>
<p>Do you think these songs are too similar to one another? These two I think really show my range/ability as well as my personality.</p>
<p>If you have any suggestions or advice for me, please don't hesitate to reply!</p>
<p>-Jillian</p>
<p>We don’t know you or your voice. This is best discussed with your music teacher, or other professionals. I would encourage you to sing for as many teachers and/or coaches as possible to get input and assistance. </p>
<p>Thanks for your response! I plan on getting input from various people, but my question was about my song choices being too similar in style. They are both upbeat, high soprano opera songs, and I was just wondering if these two would be a good choice or if I should pick a more contrasting pair. I do not need song suggestions since I have my own repertoire.</p>
<p>Sing what’s best for you. Have you had a sample lesson from any of the teachers there? It’s not untoward to ask their advice as well. Be sure to bring the music from your other arias as well. For grad school, it’s not unheard of for them to ask for more than two pieces. </p>
<p>What degree do you plan to pursue? It seems kind of repetitive to redo a bachelors. There are a lot of distribution courses you would need to repeat. However, whatever degree, the specific requirements will be listed on the web. From these you will usually offer your own selection first and then they will select the next one from your offerings. Normally they ask that you offer at least 3 unless it is grad school and they request more. They still usually pick one from your offerings so if they want to hear contrasting then that will be it. You should offer your best peice first. </p>
<p>Not to mention expensive. Have you talked to the music department at UCF to see what your requirements would be now that you already hold a bachelor’s degree or what suggestions they might have to shorten the program? I would hope many of the distributional credits from your previous degree might transfer so that you don’t have to go through another four years. </p>
<p>Are you looking at their undergrad performance major or at the MA program? Since you already have an undergrad degree, you would be better served by finding a school that offers an Artist Diploma or Performance Certificate because you don’t have the requirements for a MM degree- you’d have to take a lot of remedial courses in music theory, music history, diction and languages (Italian, German and French).
Is there a reason why you chose UCF? There are stronger schools in FL for voice, and UCF doesn’t offer a Masters of Music option.</p>
<p>Their website indicates that you only need to audition with two pieces for the undergrad department. That said, you should never go into an audition without offering a piece in Italian. It’s the basic language of opera and panels want to hear how you handle it. The Donezetti may be problematic in that accompanists aren’t familiar with it. Find an Italian piece- an art song is fine, in fact, they’d rather hear those than arias, and lead off with that; but stay away from “Caro nome”, “O mio babbino caro”, or anything sung by Norina or Mimi. Some companies in this country do perform Die Fledermaus in English, but you should be prepared to sing it in German too- and doing it in English really depends upon which translation you use.
To refer back to your original question, the pieces are too similar and the directions call for “two contrasting pieces”. Why not call your former teacher and discuss the options with her/him?</p>
<p>Took a bit for me to think this through! You won’t be able to get financial aid for a second undergraduate degree, and while it was once possible to go on without having an undergrad degree in music, good programs won’t consider you now, barring “extreme circumstances”. Artist’s Diploma or Performance Certificates are different.
Another thing to consider is your age. YAPs have upper age limits and there are more sopranos than there are spots in any program. You’ll want to find a place that gives you the best training in a practical amount of time.</p>
<p>JillianNichole, we don’t know you, your background, your sound, your language skills. Of course those arias are similar, and they are both arias, as opposed to one being an art song. Neither shows any extended legato line. Auditions are where you show the range of your abilities without deliberately exposing your limitations and problems. These two pieces show the same technical achievements, in different languages. Offering two different languages, a Romance language (Italian, French, or Spanish) in contrast with either English or German, will be fine. If you message me your other options, I will tell you what I think is a good contrast. Good luck! </p>