Acting in Plays, Singing/Out of practice

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Expert: - 7/6/2008


Question
My problem is this: In a very short amount of time, I have an audition to join a local musical theater group. I have a bit of an edge due to the fact that most of the other students auditioning will be ages 14-17, whereas I'm already 18, but that doesn't make up for the fact that I've been totally out of practice for about six months now.

I'm a mezzo soprano, and I'll be auditioning with Far From the Home I Love. For the most part, the song itself is relatively simplistic & an ideal showcase for my voice, but there are some general rough edges I'd LOVE to get rid of. I'd like to know if there are any warm-ups that would put me in a position to better perform it when I audition, or if I'm better off just heading in there (totally unprepared) with one of those sugary sweet smiles and just letting 'er rip, edges and all.

Answer
Hello, Madeline –

Thank you for the question.

I'm sure you – and everybody else who reads this – can predict the outcome of your final solution.

What do you mean by "totally out of practice"?  In my studio, that translates to – you have not been doing the vocal workout I taught you in order to maintain both your mezzo-soprano range and your performance-ready competitive vocal chops.  Count on me asking you, "Why?"

Your vocal warm-ups need to include a variety of scales that cover a standard mezzo-soprano range, i.e., a two-octave range between Low A and High A.  All my mezzo-sopranos exercise to High C, some reach Low F.  "Hodel's" song sits between Middle C and 4th-space E-flat.  Going out the door to your audition, you want to know that your range between Low B-flat and High F is balanced, ringing, and hot.  Otherwise, wait for another opportunity.

No matter how old you are or whatever is listed on your resume, there will always be somebody in line who is better prepared or has more effective material.

As you say, "Far From the Home I Love" is a simplistic song.  On Broadway, whoever sings the role is getting paid for her reliable and outstanding musicianship and is coming to the attention of every Producer in town.  The same thing can happen at a local musical theatre group.

If you want this job, then you'd better work your ass off for it.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can contact me through Craig's List – http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/735495752.html — and at www.SanFranciscoSentinel.com.

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Seán Martinfield

Acting in Plays, Singing

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Sean Martinfield

Expertise

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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