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Acting in Plays, Singing/unconfident baritone audition

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Expert: - 12/20/2009


Question
Hi - I'm a decent enough actor but I've got an audition coming up for a "feisty baritone" where I need to sing - just one song - I've done loads of research to find something comedic and unheard of and have come up with "A Brigadier Retired" from a show called "Silver's Ghost" - I think I can act my way out of it and I've found a backing track on i-Tunes - but as the audition day gets ever closer so does my heart to my mouth - can you advise me - choice of piece, preparation (practice, practice, practice is my motto) or anything, really ...

Answer
Hi, Eddie –

Thank you for the question.

If you were auditioning for a Broadway musical then you would need to sing material either by the same composer or one writing in a similar style and in a key that would show off your baritone vocal chops and reflect the demands of the role you want.

For this opportunity, however, it sounds like all you need to do is prove you can be heard, understood, carry a tune, and look like you’re having a good time. Thus, you can sing anything you want as long as you go in extremely prepared. The problem with the song you’ve chosen is that there may not be sheet music for it. The other thing to consider is that no one else but you knows the song. That is not the best idea for an audition. Even if you don’t have to sing a musical theatre piece, sing something familiar. Many auditions only require 16-measures. The idea is to have your panel focused totally on You and not wondering about the origins of your song. Unless, of course, none of the above matters and they already want you for the role.

Find out all you can about the project, re-read the audition notice. You may even want to consider talking to the director. Nevertheless, a few “feisty baritones” in musical theatre include:
Frank (Annie Get Your Gun) – “I’m a bad, bad man”
Sky (Guys and Dolls) – “Luck be a lady”
Mark (On a Clear Day You Can See Forever) – “Come back to me”
Man #2 (Closer Than Ever) – “I don’t remember Christmas”
Frederick (Young Frankenstein) – “Puttin’ on the Ritz”

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  When you are in the Bay Area and want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is:
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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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