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Question
Hey Sean,
I am a 17 year old male and I have an audition for a performing arts school in a few months and i needed some help picking one of my pieces.
The criteria for the audition is that there should be 2 contrasting pieces and 1 has to be before 1960.
I have already chosen to perform "Dont Rain on My Parade" from Funny Girl as i have performed this many times before and have gotten some very positive feedback. I can sing this in the original key, however, i feel more comfortable a semitone or 2 semitones lower. (just to give you a feel for my range) So this piece is after 1960, so i was looking for a slower, more 'ballady' type song for the pre-1960. I didnt want anything that is too close to 1960 so preferably early 1950 and earlier. Also i wasnt looking for songs that were too popular or that the judges will have heard 100 times before me. I hope i dont come across as demanding- so im sorry if i do. i just want to get the best feedback possible :) Any suggestions? Thanks :)
Hello, Jay –
Thank you for posting the question to me.
I appreciate your success with the song "Don't Rain on My Parade" from FUNNY GIRL. My best suggestion is that you not sing it for your audition to the performing arts school.
An academic audition is not a Talent Contest. When you have your own cabaret act, you can sing anything you want any way you want and rake in all the profits. "Don't Rain on My Parade" is a woman's song – specifically, a big-guns-type Alto Belter song. As a selection for an Academic audition, you will run the risk of coming across as a novelty act.
Speaking in treble clef, where the vast majority of popular vocal sheet music is spelled – the vocal range of "Don't Rain on My Parade" stretches from Low E to 3rd-line B. That range is perfect for the ideal Alto Belter – particularly the lower voiced Alto. It is placed in a key that will not take her to the C that is 1/2-step above the B-natural – the precise location where many such women experience their break. If you are more comfortable singing this piece a whole step lower, then your highest note is an A.
In suggesting material for you, I'm going to assume you are singing this piece in the tenor range which will take you to High A – not as a basso-profundo without an upper register. As a tenor, you must audition with material specifically written for the Broadway Tenor.
Consider adding any of the following material to your audition portfolio:
Beautiful Girls – FOLLIES (1971)
Being Alive – COMPANY (1970) [Don't drag the tempo!]
Take The Moment – DO I HEAR A WALTZ? (1965)
All I Need Is The Girl – GYPSY (1959)
I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm – WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954 and 2008) [Click here to find on-line and to adjust key change: http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=MN0080032& ]
Stranger In Paradise – KISMET (1953)
Love Walked In – AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951) [A film song by George and Ira Gershwin. Click here to find on-line and to adjust key change: http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=MN0045908& ]
Come With Me – THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE (1938)
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:
HENRY PHIPPS – A Conversation with Featured Boy Soprano in SF Opera's "Heart of a Soldier"
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=158231
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“HEART OF A SOLDIER” – World Premiere, Tonight at San Francisco Opera
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http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=153488
SF ARTS COMMISSION – Debuts New Public Artwork at the Ortega Branch Library
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"HEART OF A SOLDIER" – SFOpera Presents World Premiere September 10th
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SAN FRANCISCO OPERA – Opens with Puccini's "Turandot", September 9th
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HELP IS ON THE WAY XVII: Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance!
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THE STEINS COLLECT: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde – SFMOMA extends viewing hours on exhibition
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=148813
100th BIRTHDAY – San Francisco Symphony throws free concert bash in Civic Center Plaza, September 8th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=148503
KEVIN SPACEY IS "RICHARD III" – At the Curran, October 19th—29th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=148283
BALI: Art, Ritual, Performance – At the Asian Art Museum until September 11th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=146641
FOLGER COFFEE BUILDING – Becomes Downtown Hub for University of San Francisco
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San Francisco Opera and Musicians Union – Ratify new 3-year contract
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DIANA ROSS – One Night Only! – At the Golden Gate Theatre, 9/16
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“THE BARBER OF SEVILLE” – Presented by the Merola Opera Program, 8/4-7
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http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=141506
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MARY GIBBONEY – An Interview with the star of “ABSOLUTELY SAN FRANCISCO”
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DOLORA ZAJICK – Internationally Acclaimed Mezzo To Receive Merola Distinguished Alumni Award
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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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