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Acting in Plays, Singing/Yet another musical theatre audition question...

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Expert: - 7/22/2009


Question
Hello Sean,

Your advice and opinions have been very helpful to me in the past when I am searching for musical theatre audition songs, so thank you for your time.  However, I have a question of my own this time!

I am a female college student auditioning for the musical Bat Boy.  I would like to find a song that would hopefully help me get the part of Shelley.  I am a soprano, but my belt is not as strong as I would like it, so a lot of the rock songs I am finding are a little more belty than I would like.  Do you have any suggestions of songs that would express the young, energetic character of Shelley that don't require an extremely high belt?

Thank you so much for your time; I appreciate it!

Answer
Hi, Leah –

Thank you for the question and for your support.

Here is the blunt answer. If you can’t belt in front of the audition panel, then you won’t be asked to the call-backs as “Shelley” in BAT BOY. Simply stated, you must outdo the competition standing in line behind you.

What if you were cast as “Shelley”? Then it’s about enduring the long rehearsal process and the run of the show. Is your soprano range and overall vocal strength ready for that?

So, when are you coming for vocal coaching?

In the meantime, you may want to consider the ensemble of BAT BOY. Listen to “Mama Who Bore Me” and its reprise from SPRING AWAKENING.

To order the vocal selections from SPRING AWAKENING on-line, click on or paste the following URL into your browser:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Spring-Awakening/17372943

You know I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  When you are in town and want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1287906980.html
I am also the Editor and Publisher of www.SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews about the Performing Arts provide a link to my personal e-mail.

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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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