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Question
Hello!
I am auditioning for "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," and I need a song for the 16 bar audition. I'm a mezzo soprano. I am completely lost, because I'm trying to find a good song to use, but not something extremely overdone. Thank You!
Hi, Emma –
I answered this question for you on 9/24. Here is that response:
I'm assuming you are familiar with the Original Cast recording of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee". That's what the producers are looking for – a cast that can convey the cartoon nature of the show and singers adept at the obvious character vocals. Consider choosing your 16-measure section from any of the following. Click on the URL to order digital copies on-line:
Bend and Snap – LEGALLY BLONDE
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Bend-And-Snap/19449568?aff_id=65200
Omigod You Guys – LEGALLY BLONDE
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Omigod-You-Guys/19449571?aff_id=65200
Practically Perfect – MARY POPPINS
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Practically-Perfect/19423351?aff_id=65200
Beyond My Wildest Dreams – LITTLE MERMAID
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Beyond-My-Wildest-Dreams/19432457?aff_id=652
In addition to the above – you must identify which character you want to play before you go to the audition. If I'm on your audition panel, I don't care about a song you may think is overdone – unless it's from WICKED. No matter what you sing, If you're boring me with your rendition, I will cut you off way-before the 16th measure. Instead, I may ask you to sing the song of the character you want to play. Go prepared.
I am a vocal coach to working singers in the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm also the Editor and Publisher of SanFranciscoSentinel.com All my articles and interviews provide a link to my personal e-mail.
Below are links to my articles and youtubes on San Francisco's entertainment and cultural scene:
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SHAWN MATHEY – To replace Topi Lehtipuu in SF Opera's "Don Giovanni", opening Saturday, October 15th
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THE "DOUBLE PLATINUM" GOES TO: The California Academy of Sciences!
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THE ART OF ANATOLIAN KILIM – Now at the de Young Museum
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“HEART OF A SOLDIER” – World Premiere, Tonight at San Francisco Opera
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MEET MAESTRO NICOLA LUISOTTI – San Francisco Opera opens 2011/12 season with Puccini's "Turandot"
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NATHAN GUNN – Sings Schubert's Die Schöne Müllerin
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DIANE BAKER – Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
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CAMERON CARPENTER – An Interview with Seán Martinfield
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AT LAST! – ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY – An Interview with Seán Martinfield
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A Conversation with Ruben Martin Cintas, Principal Dancer with SF Ballet
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THIS GUN FOR HIRE, 1942 – Looking at "Now you see it, now you don't" sung by Veronica Lake
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"My Silver Dollar Man" – from MARKED WOMAN (starring Bette Davis, 1937)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJMuY8aKFV8
"Would You Like A Souvenir?" – Sean Martinfield and Janet Roitz explore a song from Film Noir classic NORA PRENTISS (1947)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOiqTp0tjvg
Best regards,
Seán Martinfield
SanFranciscoSentinel.com
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?cat=65
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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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