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As an upcoming senior at my high school, I am pretty established in the theatre dept. here. Our musical this year is beauty and the beast, and I have my eyes set on the beast. I know I'm a tenor 2, so the beast's low range would be difficult, but I know I could get it. My question though relates to an audition song. at one of my last auditions, my director pulled me aside and claimed she felt that I wasn't trying hard enough. This time around I need to prove I want it. another thing though is that I will be going around to colleges in the fall auditioning and I need songs for that as well, but I don't have time to practice and master many songs. is there a song I could do for my high school auditions that I could also double as a college audition song that proves I am trying and is impressive for college?
Hey, Trenton –
Thank you for the question.
Let me help you, OK?
You are a second tenor. Practically speaking, that means you either have or – with professional training – will have a strong High A, High B-flat. To demonstrate those notes in public, you must know how to exercise to High C. As you look at the treble clef – without a microphone, your best audible low note is going to be around Middle C or the B below that. Anything below that – and for the audience to simply hear it – will require a couple of body mics, a state of the art sound system, and the smartest engineer in town.
If you were calling me for voice lessons, I’m sure you would state your immediate needs to me just like you already have. My response is – you are inviting failure with both hands.
Your director has already made it clear that you are not trying hard enough. Trying harder as a natural tenor does not translate to enthusiasm and energy toward wishing yourself into a role that is so not for you. A tenor cannot sell a bass role. Ask another bass. Let’s say you get the role. Which one of us out in the audience doesn’t know “Beauty and the Beast”? What the composer wants in “The Beast” is a good bass, maybe a beefy bass-bartione. You are a tenor. Your sound is not compatible with the nature of the role. Simple.
Don’t trust any coach who claims otherwise. No matter your enthusiasm, the exercises do not exist that will transform your natural tenor into the timbre of any variety of hefty baritone. Ultimately, the proof is in the material and its demonstration in front of an audience – with the local critics in Row A taking notes.
The same is true for your college considerations. Until you have an agent, you must represent the authenticity of your product. You are a Tenor. That is your product. There are other tenors behind you, anxious to display their stuff. “Second Tenor” does not necessarily mean “lower than first tenor”. You are a Tenor. You must sing from the Tenor Repertoire.
Perhaps the other roles in “Beauty and the Beast” don’t interest you. Fine. Write the show off. Find yourself another performance opportunity where you can display your talent, your tenor chops, and your dedication to material that demands a fine young tenor voice. Outside credits in community theatre and with civic or religious musical organizations have just as much sway – sometimes more – as a role in a school musical.
So, with your college audition in mind, consider any of the following:
Finishing The Hat – by Stephen Sondheim, from “Sunday In The Park With George”.
Someone Is Waiting – by Stephen Sondheim, from “Company”.
You Are Beautiful – by Rodgers & Hammerstein, from “Flower Drum Song”.
Someone Like You – by Richard Rodgers, from “Do I Hear A Waltz”
On This Night Of A Thousand Stars – by Andrew Lloyd Webber, From “Evita”.
Sunset Boulevard – by Andrew Lloyd Webber From “Sunset Boulevard”
I want you to invest in the following series: The Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology - Volumes 1–4, Tenor. Click on or paste the URL below into your browser to purchase on-line. It will take you to Volume 1. From there you can access the remaining volumes and peruse the titles:
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Answers by Expert:
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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