<p>Ok, folks, this probably will go down in CC history as one of the most stupid questions ever asked by a parent, but that's nothing new for me, so here goes:</p>
<p>For auditions where kids must provide their own recorded accompaniment, what do most kids bring? By that, I mean, what kind of small CD player do people use? Or do most kids download their accompaniment onto their iPods and plug them into a speaker system or something? :)</p>
<p>All we have in our house, at present, are some diskmen (diskmans??:)) and a few alarm clock/radio/CD players that would not only be embarrassing to haul around, but also too bulky. </p>
<p>That is not a dumb question at all. For the on campus auditions, an accompanist was provided, so we only had to deal with this at unifieds. We had to fly to Chicago for unifieds, so we decided not to bring a CD player to play the CD onto which my S's songs were recorded. We thought that it would be pretty easy to borrow someone's CD player there. Well, it wasn't so easy. If we had it to over again, we would have bought a cheap CD player when we arrived. In Chicago, there are several places near the hotel where we could have bought one. Buying one would have allowed him to practice more, also.</p>
<p>I love the warning NMR but agree, this isn't a dumb question...and I agree with what others have said. A cheap portable CD player is what you need. My S has one and it works out well to rehearse with and he will take it to the unifieds. He has the same accompaniment on his iPod but decided to go the CD route for the actual auditions.</p>
<p>NMR....I'm not sure which school(s) you are talking about. However, if one is NYU/Tisch, which was the only school my D applied to that had you bring your own accompaniment, we only brought a CD itself. They have the CD player right there in the audition room. Nobody was bringing in their own player. So, that's the answer for that school....I'll let others comment on what they did elsewhere.</p>
<p>If yours is a self-made CD,sometimes all CD players will not play it, either make sure it will play in all players or bring your own player, a small one that will fit into a tote bag will work, and don't assume there will be convient outlets to plug it into, you just never know, best to be prepared of any situation. I think there have been previous threads on this subject. Oh, I also did like the "warning"! Not a dumb question!</p>
<p>I seem to recall Mikksmom's D having issues with NYU's player. Yes, make sure that the player is CD/DVR capable if self-made.
We at NYU's "regional" audition were told to bring our own as they did not supply players.
Bringing your own is important to be able to practice with at the hotel(s).
(Many schools at the "unifieds" required you to bring your own.)</p>
<p>In Chicago, NYU/Tisch did not provide a CD player. It was a little stressful to try to borrow someone else's when everyone had tight schedules and other auditions to get to.</p>
<p>It's good that others are mentioning what happens at other audition sites. I should have clarified the NYU/Tisch audition where they provided the CD player was at Tisch itself. I assumed NMR's D might be going to NYU to audition on campus. Glad so many can provide first hand accounts of other sites!</p>
<p>My S had his accompaniment on his iPod, using a (Belkin) recorder and then he took his speaker dock(fully charged) to the auditions. No plug needed. The speaker dock is Logitech. He has had cd player incompatibility in the past and wanted to avoid potential problems.</p>
<p>Make sure whatever you use (including computer speakers or a speaker dock) has a volume that can be turned up high enough for the singer to comfortably hear when he or she is singing full-voiced!!! Most cheaper speakers/CD players are fine for this, but some aren't.</p>
<p>Thanks again, everyone. My D will burn the excellent accompaniment CD that someone :) made for her onto CDs, so do I understand correctly that she needs to be careful what type of CD she puts it on, or is it that not every player will play a self-made CD? Her iPod Nano is several years old and thus cannot be used for this purpose, I don't think. Yes, soozievt, my D hopes to audition at Tisch. But I think she needs recorded accompaniment for at least one other audition at Unifieds.</p>
<p>Mainstage - yep we were the ones who had CD issues at NYU- this was the NYU on site audition and NOT Unifieds. Had recorded accompaniment on 2 different CD types - one MP3 and one WMA....neither of which would play on the NYU CD player. She cooly responded that she would like to sing a cappella if it was allowed. Blessedly, she works very well under pressure! And she was accepted so I guess it was ok after all.</p>
<p>My personal advice....bring your own! I have speakers for my computer I travel with and had I thought we would have so much trouble, I could have brought them. We actaully considered bringing our own but foolishly said, Naw........ they must had a player that plays MP3's these days - nope! </p>
<p>Now that ipod docks are so small and the speakers pretty powerful, I might go that route today as well....</p>
<p>Best of luck to all as the November dates roll around ....wow we were in the middle of this last year........keep smilin!</p>
<p>I am so glad you asked this because I've been wondering (my d won't be auditioning till next fall but I was already thinking about it). One thing I've learned from 13 years of competitive figure skater daughters is : back ups. Backups, backups. I can't tell you how many times a CD, home made or not, has failed. At the all important times, too. Including just last summer - and the referee had misplaced the backup!!!! Fortunately we've been around and had more. I think I'll die under a pile of CD's but there is safety in numbers. Now I know to buy a CD player and if she needs it, we have it. We also test ALL the copies, professional and homemade, ahead. Someone here said that homemade are not always read on the CD player and we have found that to be true more than once. Sometimes the professional fee is worth it.</p>
<p>Can anyone recommend a decent brand of CD player that is reliable and not huge and bulky? I would appreciate hearing recommendations from those of you who have been through this. I am especially concerned that the speakers allow, as Coach C suggested, a volume that lets a singer sing at the top of her voice! :)</p>
<p>I know that Sony used to make a very reliable cassette recorder, which is what our son brought along the audition trail for his own warmups. It had very good power since he's very particular about that. It was black and about 14" by 3" or 4". Perhaps they make something comparable now for CD's. It wasn't too large and did fit into a standard carry on luggage bag. It had a plugin cord and also battery operation. We certainly recommend bringing your own equipment even if the school says they've got it covered. At least you know you have your own machine if anything goes amiss. Maybe you could talk to a local music store merchant or voice teacher. Many use recordings for their lessons and could possibly suggest a reliable machine. Break a leg!</p>
<p>I believe someone may have alluded to this earlier, but I would recommend bringing an extension cord just in case the outlet is too far away. It would be easier to hear the music if it is next to the performer and not 10 feet away next to the wall. Batteries are an option, but not always reliable.</p>