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Acting in Plays, Singing/Audition for Songs for a New World

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Expert: - 10/30/2008


Question
So, I'm a 20 year old baritone with a range from about a Low C to a High G Belt on a good day. (That G is still in the works, but I've hit it in the past). I've been told by voice coaches I have an excellent falsetto. But my question is, I'd like to audition for Man #2 in Songs for a New World at my college and I didn't know what I could use to showcase that part in an audition piece.

The hard thing is, I know his highest note is a Bb, which I can't yet hit as a belt but it's not a problem in falsetto.

I was thinking about "And They're Off" from a New Brain. But I was looking for other suggestions. And perhaps even stylistic ways to increase my range slightly.

Thanks,
Nick

Answer
Hello, Nick –

Thank you for the question.

Both men in SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD are tenors.  Baritones with falsetto high-notes are not in the running.

There are ways to expand your range and adapt your delivery from a legitimate sound to more of a "pop" variety.  It's all about working the scales.  My job as a professional vocal coach is to show you HOW.

Based on your description and assuming you can demonstrate your declared range in a standard size theater or concert hall without a microphone and through your material with no less than piano accompaniment – your vocal category is probably that of a bass-baritone, maybe a bass.  However, if your Low C is simply a tone and not of the variety that can be heard in the last row – it's very possible that you may be a legitimate baritone who has not been well-trained in his upper register.  Again, that's where I come in as a vocal coach.  All my baritones sing to a fully-voiced High B-flat, some can go higher.  It doesn't mean they are tenors in disguise.

Keep looking around for more baritone opportunities – other than musical comedy, and especially out in the Real World where you can get paid for the same amount of work.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  To book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List – http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/903291218.html
I am also the fine arts critc for SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.

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Acting in Plays, Singing

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Sean Martinfield

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I am a professional vocal coach in San Francisco. In addition to answers from a previous web site (Askme.com - where my "tag" was "VocalCoach") I have published over 2000 responses related to vocal training - particularly as it relates to Musical Theatre and Opera. I have 24 years of experience as Personal Trainer to singers and actors in the San Francisco Bay Area. I sang professionally for 20 years and know what it means to live the life of a musician. I can determine your voice category, i.e., Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Alto Belter, etc., and how to broaden and strengthen your range. Need an audition song for a Broadway Musical? I will give you suggestions that are appropriate to your vocal category and to requirements specified in the audition notice. I have also created a vocal methodology, "The Belter`s Method". It will enable those in Musical Theatre to practice more efficiently because it focuses on the demands of professional performers as well as to those auditioning for school and community productions, and as University and Conservatory performing arts majors. If what you want is a better voice and more control over your career moves and choices, contact me. Also, as the Editor of SanFranciscoSentinel.com, it is my privilege to review productions at the San Francisco Opera, Ballet and Symphony, as well as Broadway National Tours booked into San Francisco's Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theatres. I also review works by A.C.T (the American Conservatory Theatre) and Magic Theatre. I cover select films, tributes and retrospects, and various international film festivals – particulary those booked into The City's opulent Castro Theatre – including the LGBT Frameline Festival, International Film Festival, Silent Film Festival, Jewish Film Festival, etc. For private vocal instruction, I can be contacted through SanFranciscoSentinel.com. Look under: Seán Martinfield, Sentinel Editor and Publisher.

Experience

As a vocal coach, I work primarily with singers and actors throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. My students range from absolute beginners to working professionals, from pre-schoolers to senior citizens. The vast majority of my clients come to me through recommendation. I know how to identify any singer's vocal category, i.e., soprano, tenor, alto, baritone, etc. I know how to muscle-up every singer's vocal range and to expand it beyond conventional definitions. I have developed a vocal methodology for those who want to know how to belt, THE BELTER'S METHOD. As a singer who spent half of his career doing Bel Canto, I know that classical or Italian methodologies do not work in Standard American music. Bel Canto cannot be "adapted" to meet the needs of contemporary American music, including the demands of the Musical Theatre. There are a number of major components to my work as a vocal coach. The first is to identify the client's vocal category and to strengthen and maximize the vocal range accordingly. Then it's about teaching a reliable vocal workout that will enable the client to gain better control of their musicianship. That includes scale work to expand the vocal range and to improve placement, breath control, and diction. Then we work on material for the audition portfolio, the immediate job or assignment, a recording session, etc. My task to is to better equip singers and actors who are hoping to or relying upon their performance skills and vocal endurance to maintain a career in the Performing Arts. My clients regularly appear in cabarets and musical productions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Some have worked in New York and gone on National Tours. For more information, Contact me at: Broadwaybelters@yahoo.com

Education/Credentials
San Francisco State University – BA in Theatre Arts; graduate work in Theatre, Philosophy, and Comparative Reiligion. Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley – Graduate work in Ethics

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