Acting in Plays, Singing/Songs

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Expert: - 5/29/2010


Question
Hello Sean,
I am 15, and I have recently tried out for a few musicals and made it. I feel that the songs I have been picking are not right for the audition, and as the musicals I try out for are getting more difficult, I have not made some of the roles. I would like to see if you have any suggestions for songs to sing? Most of the musicals I try out for are older. I am a tenor.
Thanks

Answer
Hi, Justin –

Thank you for the question.

Your job as a young tenor – and one that is interested in Broadway musicals – is to learn the Tenor repertoire. I'm assuming that what you mean by "older" are shows that are older than you – at least, according to the original premiere date. Following that line of reference, then shows such as LES MISÉRABLES (1987) and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1986) would be really old, right?

What you are encountering now – in any given season at any community theater, college campus, or high school theatre department – are audition opportunities for shows that are completely unfamiliar to you but totally familiar to the folks buying the tickets. Referring to the Broadway scene – the 2009/10 Season alone had no less than six revivals of musical shows that originally opened forty years ago. Most of the featured players in these current productions aren't that old either, but the shows may have been available in their community when they were teenagers having the same dreams and taking the same lessons – just like you.

I want you to consider investing in the following series of anthologies compiled for the Broadway Tenor:

THE SINGERS MUSICAL THEATRE ANTHOLOGY, For Tenor:
Volume 1:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=32001285122&lc=recs:det...
Volume 1

Volume 2:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?cart=32001285122&lc=recs:det...
Volume 2

Volume 3:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?item=3563455&cart=3200128512...
Volume 3

All of the songs are published in the same keys as the original score. Perhaps you are already familiar with some of them. Sample on-line the ones you don't know. Save your money! That's what Library cards are for. Ask the Reference Librarian at your Main Library about inter-library loans is something you need for your research is not available at your local branch.

In the meantime, learn these songs before the end of summer vacation:
Close Every Door – JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
Lucky In Love – GOOD NEWS
Steppin' Out With My Baby – EASTER PARADE (film)
All I Need Is The Girl –GYPSY
Kansas City – OKLAHOMA
You've Got To Be Carefully Taught – SOUTH PACIFIC

I am a vocal coach to working singers in the San Francisco Bay Area.  When you want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1766462933.html  I am also the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com1  All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.

Take a look at my You Tubes:

Lorena Feijóo - A Look at "Giselle" with Seán Martinfield
”As Time Goes By” – aboard Cunard’s Queen Victoria
”Embraceable You” – Gershwin and Rodin at the Legion of Honor
SAMSON & DELILAH – Meet Seán Martinfield

Below are links to my recent interviews and articles about what's happening on San Francisco's cultural scene:
CD/DVD Release: CAMERON LIVE! – Organist Cameron Carpenter
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=76093

JEANETTE MacDONALD – Hollywood Diva Remembered at the War Memorial Opera House
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=75637

PINK MARTINI – Returns to Davies Symphony Hall, June 1st and 2nd
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=75182

GOUNOD’S “FAUST” – To Open SF Opera’s Summer Season, June 5th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=75046

BOXCAR'S "RHINO" – Closes Saturday, 5/29
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=74924

FRAMELINE34 – LGBT Film Festival Opens June 17th
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San Francisco gets its own children’s musical theater
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ROSS DANCE COMPANY Presents "More Than", Tonight at ODC
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SF FINE ART FAIR – At Fort Mason through Sunday, 5/23
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San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2010
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PETER PAN THE SHOW – Opens Sunday, May 9th, at Ferry Park
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ZHANG HUAN’S "THREE HEADS SIX ARMS" – Dedication, May 12th
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THE LITTLE MERMAID – US Premiere at SF Ballet
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AT LAST! – ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY – An Interview with Seán Martinfield
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A Conversation with Ruben Martin, Principal Dancer with SF Ballet
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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
SanFranciscoSentinel.com

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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