Acting in Plays, Singing/Song for The Wiz audition

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Expert: - 12/22/2011


Question
Hello,
I am Zayra I am 16 years old, and I am auditioning for The Wiz at my school. I just really need help with choosing a song, I am a mezzo-soprano. The song cannot be from the musical itself, and i would not wanted it to be anyway. Also, I am not auditioning for any certain role. I would truly appreciate any help!
Thank You!

Answer
Hi, Zayra –

Thank you  for the question.

Get familiar with the Original Broadway Cast recording and the female roles that might interest you. THE WIZ is a Rock musical. It premiered in 1975. Other rock musicals around that time included GREASE, PIPPIN, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, and EVITA. Just like now, everybody was listening to the same thing and auditioning for these shows and all the subsequent national tours. Had you been around in those days, what would you have sung for all those available auditions? You must demonstrate your Pop/Rock vocal chops to your musical director.

These days, auditions for Pop/Musicals very often offer the option to sing a Pop/Rock song in lieu of one from a Broadway musical. If you can do that, then check out some of these '70s Rock hits by the leading female artists. Click on the URL to purchase the sheet music on-line. Each one of them comes with the option of changing the key if you need to.

I've Got the Music In Me (sung by Kiki Dee)
http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=MN0095870&

Band of Gold (sung by Freda Payne)
http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=MN0081289&

Gloria (sung by Laura Branigan):
http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=MN0066982&

If you must sing a Broadway song, then consider an excerpt from "Skid Row" from LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. The URL below will link you to the Vocal Selections in which the song is included.
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Little-Shop-Of-Horrors/1325249?aff_id=65200

Whatever you choose to sing, present it as though you were in one of the advanced rounds of "American Idol".

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.

Check out my recent interview with popular TV host, David Perry, on "Ten Percent":
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Below are links to my articles and youtubes on San Francisco's entertainment and cultural scene:

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Best regards,
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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: Seαn 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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