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Acting in Plays, Singing/Audition songs for non-singers

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Expert: - 12/1/2009


Question
Hi there,
I am going to audition for a chorus role in our local amateur theatre's production of Miss Saigon. My singing isn't amazing, but i'm very musically minded after playing piano for 11 years (I'm 17). My range is roughly bass (Low A flat to E above middle C, comfortably). I struggle to keep in tune when singing solo, but when the melody is included in the accompaniment or when I am singing in a group I find it easy enough to stay in tune.

Rather unfortunately auditions are solo, so I was wondering if you had any tips or song suggestions that would be easy enough to keep in tune with while still displaying my voice well. My biggest fear is being turned away because I suck at solo singing, when I know that choral singing is fine with me (especially as I only want a chorus role)

Any advice/suggestions that you might have would be greatly appreciated. (Songs don't necessarily have to be from Miss Saigon, or even any other musicals. Any song will do)

Thanks heaps,
Brad

Answer
Hi, Brad –

Thank you for the question.

Those who identify themselves as “actors who sing” will always struggle against the trained Soloist-type singer musician who is likewise a trained actor. It’s not just about the “first impression” at an audition – it’s about your voice holding up from Day One of rehearsals to Closing Night. In the professional world, the ensemble includes those who are understudies and swings for the lead and supporting roles.

All my basses exercise from Bass C to High F, i.e., a range of two octaves and a major fourth, some go higher. Consider these songs for your audition:
Luck be a lady – GUYS AND DOLLS
Me – BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Come back to me – ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER
I don’t remember Christmas – STARTING HERE, STARTING NOW

You have a great advantage over some in that you read music and can play the songs you want to learn or are assigned to sing. My job as a professional vocal coach is to help you expand and maintain your vocal range. That includes everything about pitch and placement and demonstrating your technique in front of an audition panel and Music Director.

Prior to your audition, make sure you know all the ensemble numbers from MISS SAIGON.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  When you are in San Francisco and want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1482861402.html
You may also contact me through my website: http://www.thebeltersmethod.com/The_Belters_Method/Welcome.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.

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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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