#5: Weekly Recap: Coachings, Auditions, Show/Song of the Week
7/5/24
One whole week in! Today starts the 1st WEEKLY RECAP of my coachings & auditions!
COACHINGS/SESSIONS:
This week I had a ton of my college audition prep clients and a few regular coachings. I also worked with several people on their rep books (through my service Renovate Your Rep) and had 2 new client initial meetings - parent/student meetings to see if they want to use my college audition prep services.
A few highlights:
What’s the song you OWN? Everyone has a song or two that just embodies who they are. Do you know what that is for you? Finding this, or remembering it (lol) is crucial. Perhaps that song is an emotional arc you are strong at performing, or it soars in certain notes RIGHT in your sweet spot. Or perhaps it’s a song that you have been singing forEVER and you are completely at home and comfortable with it. You need a song in your rep that thrills you when you sing it. You have one. You may not realize it but you do!
When you look at your audition book, or as you curate it, not only do you want a diverse audition portfolio which showcases your ability to transform - it also has to show the different colors of your voice. Think about everything with singing as a spectrum of options. Light to dark, light to heavy, bright to dark, etc.
MY MIXERS! Do not shy away from the dark tones of your voice. Accessing more of a chest connection will help you create color and dimension under a C5! This will also help with your breath support in those songs that live in the lower part of your voice.
When working through a monologue (or a song - acting is acting), stay focused on the OTHER. Acting is not about emotions - acting teachers/coaches THIS SHIFT STARTS WITH WORDS YOU USE like “how did that feel” stop that lol. Acting is about getting something from the other person. Sometimes you get what you want and sometimes you do not. BUT YOUR JOB as the actor is to fight to the very last word or very last note to get what you need from them. There is ALWAYS an “other”. Even in a song that is “to yourself” like, what’s a popular one that is to yourself… like The Wizard And I. That song is an internal thought and exploration of what could be. It is about dreams and future hopes. The song is “to herself”. However, as the ACTOR, YOU always need to have an “other” - a person you are singing/speaking to. We’ll get into this more next week, but in auditions or in class or in a show, even if the writing is a song/monologue to yourself, YOU need to see a face. You need a person to sing to.
Singing is a huge part of who we are. It is so emotional for many of us. Without singing, who are we? Well the good news is we are many things outside of our voice and artistry. But it is a massive part of our lives and our souls. When we don’t sing, or can’t for whatever reason, it creates a wound. If singing is linked to your heart and your motivation in the world - you owe it to yourself to do it. Do it in the car, do it in the shower… I have found that since the pandemic, a lot people stopped singing when they used to sing every day, go to a rehearsal 3-4 times a week, and were in shows constantly. Life changes, our priorities change. But you owe it to yourself and the people you love to be the best and most present version of yourself. I’ve struggled with this as well the last year or so. My voice has changed. For about 6 months I just didn’t sing much. But now I’m working around it. I’m finding a new way. I’m happier when I’m singing. And if you are reading this, you probably are too. Get that time for yourself somehow.
AUDITIONS:
I had two in person auditions this week back to back. I sang the same song for both and they were very successful. One was more of a “throw away” audition - I went more just “to go” since I was auditioning an hour later across the street. I hadn’t been in for this one team in many years LIVE, so it was exciting to see their reactions out of my peripherals. I’ve definitely talked myself out of going to some big auditions the last year or so simply because my voice hasn’t felt super reliable. Perhaps it is adrenaline, but anytime I have gone in person anyway, despite my concerns, it has gone really well. And not “really well” despite whatever vocal issues I’m having - just really well like “normal really well”. I know the vocal issues aren’t “in my head” - i’ve gone to an ENT and saw the little issue creeping up on that screen myself. But does adrenaline help us? I want to say yes, but is there science behind that when you have an actual vocal problem haha. I don’t know - more to come on that.
SHOW & SONG of the Week
Go on this journey with me - I haven’t listened to Alice By Heart. I’m going to this week and we’ll recap next friday!
Dreams Don’t Die :)
Julie