Almost all of my kids “evolve” their material throughout the audition season. Usually not 100% overhaul but usually at least 50%. Not for the sake of doing something new, but to use what they have learned and what they see is working and either work differently on the rest or replace it. Case in point, one of my kids had planned to do “Anyone Can Whistle” for her golden age prescreen. I love the song, she loved the song. But even after she worked so hard on it and it technically was “fine,” it lacked the verve…the emotion. It felt bland and lethargic. So, we flipped her ballad to contemp and got a more upbeat golden age song. Took about 2 weeks to fully work and her results were much different! It can’t just be about what they love or like — connecting to a song is really important. The acting and expression has to be there. And they need to know who sings the song, when in the story is it sung, for what purpose (is it declaring something or asking a question?). Many schools will stop you and ask if you know who is singing the song and why they are singing it. Or about the “moment before.” That helps create an authentic performance.
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