Musical Theatre Auditions

Some say the most challenging aspect of the performing world is the world of Musical Theatre. To become involved, you are generally required to have the talents of what is called a triple threat; singing, dancing and acting. As challenging as it may be to successfully perform all three things at once, there are a wide range of techniques for each genre that help these ‘triple threats’ to perform to their best ability. Due to the overwhelming and alternate techniques used within Acting, Singing and Dancing, the vocal methods will be focused on predominantly. 

How to choose your audition piece

The first and sometimes the most important part of becoming involved in musical theatre is the choice of audition song or repertoire. Let’s assume you’re a soprano, and you’re auditioning for the role of Hope in the musical Anything Goes. This role will be quite comfortable for a mezzo soprano to sing, as long as they can reach a G₅, However, it would be likely that a Soprano would be more comfortable within this role, as long as they can reach middle C. With this information, the logical decision to make is to select a song with a similar range and feel to the pieces Hope must sing which are It’s De-lovely and All Through the Night.

Delovely Mp3 sample

All Through the Night Mp3 Sample

Don't Select a Song from the Show you're auditioning for!

One mistake many people make is choosing a song from the actual show they’re auditioning from. This is something that is highly un-recommended and can ruin your chances in most cases. “It’s not wise to sing a song from the show you’re auditioning for as the directors will already have an idea of how they want the song performed and you may not match that idea. You should try to perform a song from a similar musical era, or the same composer (Patricia White, singing teacher). However, it’s wise to know at least one of the songs sung by the character you’re auditioning for in case the director would like to hear you sing the part (in the case of the character Hope Harcourt, those songs are "It's De-lovely," and "All Through the Night." Also ensure your piece doesn’t run for too long. “Pull 'em in, dazzle them with your range and versatility, then wow them with the money note. Sweet and simple.” (https://theatreface.ning.com/profiles/blogs/choosing-an-audition-song)

It's Delovely



All Through The Night

So, by taking all these points into consideration, a kind of checklist has been developed.

The song you choose must:

-    Incorporate at least some of the flavour of the songs Hope Harcourt sings (It’s De-Lovely and All Through The Night)

-    Have a similar range to what is required of the character

   - Must have a time range of 1.5 – 2 mins

A song that fits - Green Finch and Linnet Bird

A song that appears to fit the checklist above nearly perfectly is “Green Finch and Linnet Bird” from Sweeney Todd. It is a tough song to sing, but then so are the songs written by Cole Porter. Still, only attempt it if you know you’re good enough to pull it off. “Green Finch and Linnet Bird” is played slow, but not too slow and with a slightly flexible beat. It has a range from (C₄ – G₅) which is quite matched to what Hope Harcourt must sing.

Keep in mind the movie version of the song is not the same as the one from the musical version. 

I can't sing that high!

If you have been reading through this section thinking “I can’t reach a high G, but I desperately want to play and audition for the part of Hope Harcourt!” (or something of a similar situation) There’s no need to worry. Among the techniques used to aid performers are plenty of techniques used for range extension and vocal development, how else would singers improve their talent? Keep in mind however, that if you smoke, take drugs or drink alcohol excessively, then “will affect your vocal ranges, as the chemicals will lessen the elasticity of your throat muscles, fibers, and ligaments, including your vocal chords and larynx.” (http://singinglessons4u.net/improve_your_vocal_range.php)

Warm up - Why we warm up our voices

The most basic and important step to improve your voice is to warm up. Singing tends to be a lot about tricking our minds into things. For example, when singing a high note we need to ground ourselves. I try to think downwards when singing high notes and upwards when singing low notes. (If that makes sense.) Before you warm up, make sure you have no tension in your jaw line or cheeks and ensure your soft pallet is lifted. This is a lot like the feeling you get when you’re yawning. When your soft pallet is lifted your throat opens up and you can achieve the best sound possible.

If we warm our voice up in the same way at around the same time every day, it will begin to withstand singing for longer periods of time and even our vocal range will start to increase. Just like if a dancer stretches every day, they will get more flexible.

There are some very important breathing techniques to learn before you even begin to sing. Your breathing is one of the most important parts of singing. Without breathing in the correct way you will not be able to use the full extent of your vocal range and your vocal quality and also be affected; your voice may be very breathy or sound very forced.

Tip 1.
Do not clench your stomach muscles when singing, this actually makes it more challenging. Instead, release your stomach muscles so you have no tension in your stomach and breath in through your nose and out through your mouth, slowly a few times and feel your stomach going out when you breath in and in when you breath out.

Breath in and begin to sing a note your comfortable with singing and slowly pull your stomach in, without clenching any stomach muscles. It is quite hard to breath perfectly when singing, but practise does help with this.

Tip 2.
Only breath in as much as you need for the length of the note you are about to sing. If you breath in too much air, the note might sound forced and if you breath in too little air the note could sound breathy or strained.

Breathing techniques are very difficult to correct yourself. I would suggest to find a
musical theatre singing teacher (or a singing teacher trained in your style) and get him or her to help you.

Sirens

Sirens will help you to increase your range when singing. They allow you to find your falsetto tone or head voice.

Warm up Techniques - Lip Trills, thee & tha, mi & you

These help you to connect your breathing to your voice. To be able to sing your best, correct breathing is essential. If you use too much or too little pressure when attempting a lip trill, then it’s most likely that it will not work correctly for you. (If you can’t do a lip trill, gently press your fingers into your cheeks and try it then.) The vowel sounds on the and tha are good to your scales on. When you get to around the middle of your range, switch to mi and you and you will find that you will be able to reach higher notes than you would with the and tha.

Warm up Techniques - Melodies; Numbers

This exercise tends to get your brain going as well as your tongue. The faster you sing these numbers, the quicker you have to think about which one comes next, which note comes next and pronouncing each one clearly. Also helps to improve your breathing technique.

With two people

Warm up Techniques - Melodies; This old Freedom Train

This is more fun with another person as the harmonies just sound amazing.

This is what it sounds like with another person.

Warm up techniques - Melodies; My Mother Makes me

"My mother makes me mash my mini mnm’s on a Monday morning." 


This exercise helps to regulate your breathing and diction. Try to get faster as you go higher in the scale, but still pronounce everything clearly.

Warm Up Techniques - melodies; Caroma ver she

If the top note is too high, imagine throwing your voice across the room and throw your arms out while grounding yourself. This can really help to increase your range and projection.

Warm up techniques - melodies; Bella Signora

This exercise helps you to increase your range and practise using your head voice. Singing from a low note to note that is an octave above (C4 - C5) can be really challenging. You need to have the correct breathing technique to complete this exercise correctly.


There are many versions of Bella Signora, the two I've used mostly are listed below. The first version tends to be a little more challenging due to the jump from middle C to the C above that. The second version goes up in steps.

After you have sung this through once on one scale, repeat it but climb the scale by minor seconds or semitones above the original note. For example, if you began on middle C, go up to C#, and then go to D, then D# etc. Until you reach as high as you can possibly go, maybe even a little higher in order to increase your range. 

This is audio of a few more examples of warm up melodies that you are able to sing in harmony with just one other person or even in a group.


Coffee

Laughter and Singing

Mash of A Poor Bird and Rose Red.

Nerves - What's actually happening

Now, one of the major problems nearly all performers must learn to contend with are the dreaded nerves. I know, from experience how daunting an audition may be. My throat tends to tighten up, robbing me of the ability to sing properly. I begin to shake uncontrollably, have butterflies in my stomach, and can’t even eat for most of the day - before and after the audition. Usually, these nerves hit me just before I enter the room though, and the longer I have to wait to go inside, the worse they get. But what is occurring inside our bodies to cause this reaction to what most musicians enjoy doing most?

I believe a scientific explanation of nerves is necessary to help understand what is actually occurring inside your body.

Nerves are a combination of both the physical and psychological aspects of the human body; feeling vulnerable, being afraid of making a mistake or in fear of looking foolish is part of what causes the shaking, the dry mouth, the tightening of the throat or forgotten lyrics, dance steps and lines. The way the physical body activates nerves is through our body producing too much adrenaline. Adrenaline can help us accomplish amazing feats. “Say if a bull was chasing you, and you had the choice of either escaping, or dying, the adrenaline coursing through your body would enable you to run at incredible speeds and then maybe even jump a five foot fence.” (Chris Murphy, Science Coordinator Marymount College) So when the adrenaline is being used up to escape something, you don’t feel nervous. Although, when you’re onstage, or in front of an audience, your brain is telling you you’re scared. It then tells your body to prepare for the flight response which releases adrenaline into your veins and then pumps it around your body. Of course, there is no real danger and therefore no need to accomplish incredible feats, so the symptoms you experience when nervous (eg. shaking, dry mouth, forgetfulness etc.) is your body’s response to an adrenaline overdose.

There are many ways to help compensate and or cure these nerves, so many that there isn’t enough time to cover them here. To compensate, I’ll deal with one from each area; performance, sporting and medical. 

Nerves and Practicing; The way I find most effective

The method I find most effective, is practise. Knowing your song perfectly enables your body and mind to fall into routine and take over during the performance, which can save you from any distractions or untimely mind blanks. There are many ways to practise a song, but the way I find easiest is to utilise what I already have access to, a computer, internet and the lyrics. I begin with learning the actual melody. Find a good clip of somebody singing the song either on YouTube or iTunes etc. and listen to them singing the song while following the lyrics. Take it line by line and then verse by verse, alternating with and without the aid of the recording. Eventually you will find that you know the melody off by heart and can easily sing along.

Next, locate a backing track (again on YouTube, iTunes or professional recording studios) to discover if you can sing it without the aid of the original singer. When you can do this perfectly, begin learning the words. If you have followed the previous steps, you may find you basically know the lyrics off by heart, and it won’t take too much time to know them perfectly. This is just one method of practise, there are other ways to learn your piece, but these may involve additional costs or the possession of an instrument.

Nerves and Practicing: Note Bashing

Another method I use is known as note bashing. If you are in possession of a piano you can play and can read sheet music, it’s usually easy to purchase the sheet music online and learn the melody line on the piano.

As always, begin by warming up your voice as shown in the videos above, and then sit down at your piano, whatever it may be and begin by tapping out the beat of the first few notes of the melody line.


After you have the beat of the notes you selected in your head, play it with the melody line on the piano. Keep on repeating this until you know the bit you selected and then move on with the next bar or so. Repeat the previous step with the next bar, once you know this, go back to the first bar you learned and combine them together. Note bashing can be a tedious task, it takes patience and concentration, but it does work very effectively. Usually it's good to get somebody to play the piano for you, unless you are a very confident pianist.

If you are taking singing lessons, your teacher can easily help you learn the song by playing the accompaniment and melody on piano for you and help you learn the piece that way.

Each way varies in effectiveness for each person, finding the method that works best for you is the challenge. Over time, I’ve began to realise that nerves don’t affect me if I have practised the song or songs intensely; I am able to sing them off by heart without thinking about it. 

Nerves and Breathing

One of the most renowned methods of calming nerves is the breathing technique. So many times have I heard the words “breathe in” [takes a long, deep breath] “and breath out.” [Exhales] When we’re nervous, our muscles contract and tighten up, “therefore debilitating our abilities and only making ourselves more nervous.” 

(http://doublebassblog.org/2007/09/performance-anxiety-causes-and-solutions.html) Breathing is obviously very important, and learning to do it properly can work wonders. Of course, there are many breathing techniques, but I’ll focus on one known as “deep breathing” here. Breathe in while counting to three slowly and then out again within the same time frame. Repeat this 3 times or until you believe you have calmed down. Afterwards, you may want to slow down your counting even more and repeat until you feel necessary. This is how I would complete the exercise if I was outside an audition room around other people. However, if you do not care about looking ridiculous or you are at home, an easier and maybe more effective way to complete this is with the aid of a metronome. Set the metronome to 60bpm, and complete the exercise above (breath in for 3 clicks and out for 3 clicks), only while breathing in, raise your arms towards the ceiling in a circular motion, and then back down (again in a circular motion) as you exhale. Bring the metronome to down a couple beats and repeat. While this exercise can be effective in relieving you of a lot of physical tension, it affects everybody differently and only you can discover if it works or not.

Nerves and Beta Blockers

Another method a few musicians use to treat nerves is a medication called “beta blockers.” These are pills which “block the receptors for the physical effects of a person’s natural fight of flight response. They are not sedatives, and they can’t help anxiety of a purely psychological nature.” (Ethanwiner.com (1997) Beta Blockers and Performance Anxiety [online]) This will eliminate the physical response a musician has when becoming anxious or nervous. However, there can be serious risks in taking beta blockers. They can cause "decreased heart rate; decreased force of heart contractions; bronchoconstriction (can cause asthma attacks in people with asthma); uterine contractions; decreased blood pressure; relief of migraines; and decreased tremor." (Ethanwiner.com (1997) Beta Blockers and Performance Anxiety [online]) There are several beta blockers that work in different ways to relieve you of the nerves and each have their own pros and cons. It is essential to obtain this medication from a licensed physician, as it is a violation of the law to give medications to someone other than the person to which they were initially prescribed. 

To Conclude:

Being part of the performance industry is not an easy task. There are immense amounts of obstacles to overcome, important decisions to make and auditions to both acquire and surpass. Then you have your own body to contend with, whether it’s not being able to reach a certain note, being so nervous you can’t sing, or even forgetting the lyrics of your piece. However, if you follow the steps I’ve given you that explain how to warm up and develop your voice, how to practise a song until you can sing it without thinking and how to breath in a way that can clear your system of nerves, your life may become a little easier, and whenever you audition, you’ll know that you’re fully prepared.

Bibliography

Bibliography

Become-a-singing-master.com (n.d.) A Vocal Warm Up Exercise That Works Like Magic. [online] Available at: http://www.become-a-singing-master.com/vocal-warm-up-exercise.html [Accessed: 26 Apr 2012].

Doublebassblog.org (2007) Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog » Blog Archive » Performance Anxiety – causes and solutions. [online] Available at: http://doublebassblog.org/2007/09/performance-anxiety-causes-and-solutions.html [Accessed: 18 Apr 2012].

Ethanwiner.com (1997) Beta Blockers and Performance Anxiety. [online] Available at: http://www.ethanwiner.com/BetaBlox.html [Accessed: 18 Apr 2012].

Geocities.com (n.d.) Audition Tips. [online] Available at: http://www.geocities.com/gordonproductions/audition.html [Accessed: 18 Apr 2012].

Myvoiceexercises.com (2011) Singing Warm Up Exercises | My Voice Exercises. [online] Available at: http://www.myvoiceexercises.com/singing-warm-up-exercises/ [Accessed: 26 Apr 2012].

Singinglessons4u.net (n.d.) Improving Vocal Range. [online] Available at: http://singinglessons4u.net/improve_your_vocal_range.php [Accessed: 26 Apr 2012].

Singing-tips-with-barbara-lewis.com (2005) Choosing The Right Audition Songs is Crucial to Audition Success!. [online] Available at: http://www.singing-tips-with-barbara-lewis.com/audition-songs.html [Accessed: 18 Apr 2012].

Vocalfocus.com (2005) Vocal Techniques and Tips. [online] Available at: http://www.vocalfocus.com/vocal-techniques-and-tips.html [Accessed: 19 Apr 2012].