Acting in Plays, Singing/Thespian audition songs.

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Expert: - 9/4/2009


Question
Hi Sean my name is Elizabeth. I am 16 years old and have been in theater performances since I was 8 years old.
In 2 weeks there will be auditions for the Thespian Competition in my district and I am wanting to audition for a Solo. However I am having a lot of trouble finding a song that fits my range. I can sing from the D below middle C to the Bflat just below high C. But I can only belt from the D below middle C to the B just above middle C. I can sing many songs from Broadway but I cannot belt certain parts and I do not know if that is ok.
For example I really love "A New Life" from Jekyll and Hyde but the end part I cannot belt it and I dont know if that would be ok..
If you have any advice or song suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you.

Answer
Hello, Elizabeth –

Thank you for the question.

Based on your description – and without being able to hear you – your voice sits within the mezzo-soprano range, perhaps even on the lower side. Don’t confuse “loud” (or forte) with belting.

There are all kinds of mezzo-sopranos. Not all of them are attracted to the Broadway “belter” roles. When auditioning, you must sell your best stuff to whoever is listening. Obviously, you don’t want to sing something outside your capabilities.

I want you to invest in the following series of anthologies devoted to the Broadway mezzo-soprano. All the material is published in the same keys as the original scores. Just click on or paste the URLs below into your browser:

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...

Consider any of the following songs within these volumes:

Another Hundred People – COMPANY
Funny Honey – CHICAGO
I Wish I Were In Love Again – BABES IN ARMS
Long Before I Knew You – BELLS ARE RINGING
Someone Else's Story – CHESS
They Say It's Wonderful – ANNIE GET YOUR GUN

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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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