Acting in Plays, Singing/song choice

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Expert: - 11/2/2009


Question
I am an 18 yr old girl from Ireland with a HUGE love for musical theatre.
I am currently finishing my final year in school ad prepping for auditions to top London stage schools. Unfortunately I don not have the advantage of having vocal training as after years of searching for voice coaches in my area have found there are none in a 100 mile radius!
My question is what songs would you recommend for me. I have a range of D3-C6 though I can only belt to D5 which works to my disadvantage as i have a very powerful voice. I have been compared to both Kerry Ellis and Judy Garland. A strange combination I know!
I am lucky that I have a strong voice as far as D5 but i do have a controlled sweet voice from D5-C6 i just cant seem to find a song that balances them.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and should you reply I am truly grateful!
Best Wishes,
Aoife.

Answer
Hi, Aoife –

Thank you for the question.

Based on your description, you are probably a mezzo-soprano with a belt. It is also possible you may be a contralto. That wall you hit with your belt at 4th-line D can be broken through and mastered. My job as a professional vocal coach is to show you how to balance out your complete range. All my mezzo / belters sail up to at least High A-flat, most go higher. The solutions are in the vocal workout. It’s all about exercising a certain way everyday.

What you need to do is pack your audition folder with songs that show off your range in a variety of ways. Audition notices that state “contrasting songs” mean exactly that. It’s never confined to just fast and slow or to a variety of eras.

I want you to invest in the following Broadway anthologies for Mezzo-Soprano/Belter. Just click on or paste the URL into your browser to view the contents and to order on-line. These anthologies will probe invaluable as time goes on. All the songs are published in the same keys as the original score:

Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology - Volume 1 Revised - Mezzo-Soprano/Belter
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=32001285122&lc=recs:det...

Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology - Volume 2 Revised - Mezzo-Soprano/Belter
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=32001285122&lc=recs:det...

Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology - Volume 3 - Mezzo-Soprano/Belter
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=32001285122&type=rec&it...

Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology - Volume 4 - Mezzo-Soprano/Belter
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=32001285122&item=671824...

Singer’s Musical Theatre Anthology – Volume 5
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/The-Singer-s-Musical-Theatre-Anthology-Volum...

Consider any of the following songs:
Why Can't You Behave? – KISS ME, KATE
By The Sea – SWEENEY TODD
Everybody Loves Louis – SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
Gorgeous – THE APPLE TREE
Heaven Help My Heart – CHESS
It's A Perfect Relationship – BELLS ARE RINGING
Aldonza – MAN OF LA MANCHA

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  When you want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1446404455.html
I am also the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews about the Performing Arts provide a link to my personal e-mail.

Download Carmen Milagro’s BlogTalkRadio and her recent interview with Seán Martinfield. It’s all about singing and the 2009/10 San Francisco Opera Season:
Women and Legends Who Really Rock, 9/11/2009

Take a look at my You Tubes:
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Best regards,
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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