Acting in Plays, Singing/How to Succeed...

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Expert: - 9/11/2008


Question
Hello, Sean.

This year my high school is doing "How to Succeed in Show Business Without Really Trying."  Auditions are in January, but I thought it would be good to get a head start now to be really prepared.  

I am a 14-year-old soprano with a range of low F to high C and I would like to know what songs from the composer or in a similar style would best fit the audition.  I am not very familiar with the musical so I do not even know what options there are for female characters in the show.

I know that the competition at my school is stiff, so anything that will play up my higher notes (2nd space A to fifth line F being my absolute strongest) would be great.  As of right now, my break is at 3rd space C, but the B below it is almost too much.  I use my "head" voice most of the time anyway though so that I don't have to worry about the change in the middle of a phrase.

Songs I have sung very comfortably include anything from Alan Menken (although his popular work is relatively easy), the majority of Phantom of the Opera (except "All I Ask of You"), anything in Les Miserables, and Rodger's and/or Hammerstein.

Your help will be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

Answer
Hi, Kelly –

Thank you for the question.

No soprano has a legitimate 2 ½-octave range between Low F and High C.  Just because some variety of tone falls out of your mouth on Low F, it does not follow that you "own" that note.  Owning a note translates into you demonstrating that note in a song, without a microphone, with no less than piano accompaniment, in a standard theater or concert hall, and being audible to Row Z.  Sopranos don't do that.

But, a very special and well trained mezzo-soprano might.  For sure, the contralto repertoire includes Low F.

Based on your description – with training, you will probably develop into a legitimate mezzo-soprano.  All my mezzo-sopranos exercise to High C, some go higher.  That means their High A or High G is performance-ready.  All my standard mezzo-sopranos exercise to Low F, some go lower.  That means their Low A or Low G is performance-ready.  Every one of them knows how to negotiate that stretch of notes between 2nd-space A and 4th-line D without breaking or slipping into their "head voice".

With the exception of the character-voice of "Miss Jones" who sings to High A-flat in "Brotherhood of Man", all the other lead and supporting female roles are mezzos – the top note being 3rd-space C.

If you cannot sing "All I Ask of You" from PHANTOM, then you are wasting your time singing anything else from PHANTOM.  Forget it.  And put your stuff from LES MISÉRABLES into a box.  No one wants to hear it.

You must listen to the 1961 Original Broadway cast of HOW TO SUCCEED.  Afterwards, you may understand how to apply any of your Menken material to the songs and characters of HOW TO SUCCEED.  From your songs by composer Richard Rodgers, consider any of the following:

I Enjoy Being A Girl – FLOWER DRUM SONG
A Cockeyed Optimist – SOUTH PACIFIC
A Wonderful Guy – SOUTH PACIFIC
It Might As Well Be Spring – STATE FAIR
This Can't Be Love – BOYS FROM SYRACUSE

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/838868126.html I am also the fine arts critc for SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.

Take a look at my You Tubes:
Lorena Feijóo - A Look at "Giselle" with Seán Martinfield
SAMSON & DELILAH – Meet Seán Martinfield

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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield

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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