Expert: Wanda Reinholdt - 3/15/2008

Question
I have a Sweeney Todd audition coming up in a couple of weeks and I really want to nail the audition and get either the part of Anthony or Tobias. I am a tenor/baritone but because theatre schools are so expensive and I'm required to take dance classes outside of school to obtain my musical theatre degree...I have no money for a vocal coach and I fear that my voice won't be in the appropriate shape to blow the auditors away and finally be able to check off one of the roles on my "Characters to Play Before I Die" list.
Any suggestions? Thank you in advance.
Joe

Answer
Hey Joe and thanks for writing.  

And congrats on the audition.

One of the best ways to learn about your voice is to record it.  Do you have the ability to do that?  Even if you found an old audio tape boom box and an audio tape (in other words, it does not need to be high tech), record your singing and listen to it.  It will teach you lots of things.  

Do breathing exercises using your abdomen.  Build your ab muscles using these exercises - in through the nose, out through the mouth and down to the abdomen (not in the chest).  And use this same breathing when you sing.  Deep breaths using the abdomen for support.  

Warm up before you sing.  Do scales on la-la-la and ah-ah-ah (open sounds).  And stretch your body and your mouth.  This will help you relax before you sing in rehearsal and before you perform.  

Concentrate on learning the song well and preparing well rather than on nailing the audition.  It's important to be dressed comfortably and modestly, to know what your song is about and who it is by, to smile, to breathe deeply (helps with nervousness and with good support of your sound).  If you do your best, that is what matters.  

Listen to each note that you sing.  Are you sustaining it well and on pitch?  Is the sound clear?  Where is the support coming from for the sound?  Practice well.  

Does that help?

Wanda