You are here:
- Home
- Arts/Humanities
- Performing Arts
- Acting in Plays, Singing
- Audition notice?
Acting in Plays, Singing/Audition notice?
Advertisement
Question
QUESTION: This is all I got for the audition notice at school: "Prepare 16-32 bars in the style of the show (no pop-MT music)"
Does this eliminate "Out Here on My Own" from Fame?
Cassie
ANSWER: Hi, Cassie –
)
Thank you for the question.
Yes. The primary reason is that "Out Here on My Own" is from a film.
Best regards,
Sean Martinfield
SanFranciscoSentinel.com
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?cat=65
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: What qualifies a song as a pop mt song? Like if it's written after a certain time period has this artist or that artist or has this beat are there specific criterion I can look for as to not pick a pop song? My next choice is "i know where ice been" but it's in a movie in a musical about the 60's written in the 80's and it's been a film... Does that make it pop? Thank you!
Hi, Cassie –
Thank you for the follow-through question.
You need to become more familiar with the Broadway repertoire. The more you listen to it, the easier it will be for you to distinguish and categorize its various styles of music – including the shows that employ a "pop" or Pop/Rock sound.
A national touring company of HAIR is coming to San Francisco next month. Everybody in it will be as young, or younger, as were the members of the Original Broadway cast of 1968. Everyone from that original cast – including all their understudies and then all the members of all the international touring casts – are now old enough to be grandparents. The musical sound of HAIR was in the "Pop" category then – just as "Legally Blonde" and "Aïda" are in the "Pop" category today. Such shows reflect the Pop Music and vocal styles and popular performers of their day. And ten years from now it will be something and somebody else dominating the Pop scene and, consequently, reflected in the performances of whatever is the latest Pop Broadway musical. Hopefully, that irritating nasal twanged Disney Voice will be a recognizable fad "from the past" – something your children will define as "vintage Pop" and, worse, "old fashioned".
Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
SanFranciscoSentinel.com
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?cat=65
As to your question about the song from HAIRSPRAY –
The show reflects pop music from the early '60s. Whoever is cast in this show must prove themselves as a Pop singer to their audition panel. Not everyone involved in musical theatre radiates "Pop Star". Some performers are more at home with Stephen Sondheim and George Gershwin.
If you are not specifically required to sing something from a Broadway musical, then you have the option to choose a Pop song that reflects the vocal demands of the character you want to play. Who are your favorite Pop artists? What are your favorite Pop hits? Make a list and determine if there is something on it that you could use for your HAIRSPRAY audition. Also, be sure to listen to and maybe choose from the most popular hits by the most popular artists from the early '60s. Get the sheet music in your key and practice as though you were going on American Idol. Simple.
Related Articles
- Top 10 Pop Albums of 2009 - The Best Pop Albums of 2009
- Doo Wop Music - What is Doo Wop Music? - Oldies Music Songs and Artists
- Audition Tips for the New Performer in Plays or Musicals
- Top 100 Pop Songs of the 1990's
- '80s College Rock Pop Songs - Top Melodic Pop Songs from '80s College Rock Artists
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
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.