#49: So you made a mistake, So you're singing the blues
Thursday 9/5/24
Whenever I ask people I’m coaching to bring in music options for potential auditions (if they need something beyond their “book”), I see a few of the same mistakes. Now, i say mistakes loosely - all of this is subjective but I want to share the pitfalls I see in choosing material and WHY they may not be the strongest choice.
WHAT TO AVOID and WHY
The most popular song from the most popular show: It would probably be a bad idea to sing My Days from The Notebook in August of 2024. I don’t know how often it’s used, but it is so popular and Joy’s version is truly iconic. Perhaps it needs a few years to chill.
Additionally, that song is SUCH high stakes singing: I see this all the time. You are just trying to secure a callback. You do not need to sing the song with the highest notes for the longest time possible.
Songs out of range: - and i mean a COMFY range. Can you sing it at 10:05 am after being outside on the cold streets of NYC for 6 hours? Can you sing it at 5:45pm after sitting around for possibly 12 hours? Range is not the extremes of your voice.
TOO young: - unless you are auditioning for a child role, a high school character, or a character who SHOULD be an adult, avoid songs that punch you down in age. If you are auditioning for a professional summer stock, you do not need to sing What It Means To Be A Friend.
Mismatched style: - unless you have a strong POV on a song and it aligns in some interesting way, like singing Where Is Love from Oliver as an adult auditioning for Olive in Spelling Bee… you want to choose a song in the world of the show & character. When I auditioned for Sweeney, I sang Losing My Mind from Follies. Stylistically they are VERY different shows, but I sand Losing My Mind AS Mrs. Lovett and it was very clear, and funny. You can’t sing Losing My Mind for Kinky Boots though.
Extreme emotional states: We don’t need you to sing She Used to Be Mine. Not because it isn’t a great song, but she’s literally about to go into labor as soon as it’s over. The stakes are simply too high to duplicate in an audition. Now, if you sing that like no other, then go for it. This is just an example of a high stakes song.
Along those lines, it’s usually good to avoid triggering topics or oversexualization (especially if you are under 18): This usually comes up more in monologues, but it’s good to keep in the forefront. Lots of material may not be OVERTLY in this area, but note that a lot of material from “back in the day” does fit this.
Poorly organized sheet music: Can you see the bottom notes of the bottom staff? Is the tempo, time signature, and key signature marked? Is the title of the song/show/artist clearly written? Is there a start/stop mark? Did you change the key so the song is now 5 flats or 6 sharps - was there another option less hard on the pianist? Is this a bad photocopy - if so, can you find a cleaner version on musicnotes.com or from the score itself? Did you change the key of an already really tough Sondheim, JRB, Guettel song? Usually choosing “tough” piano songs don’t bother me - but coming in with a new key of King Of The World may not be the best move for YOU and the success of your audition.
These are not hard and fast rules. Every performer is different. But they are certainly things to consider especially for young performers!
Dreams Don’t Die
Julie