Picking Songs

[EmsDad]

<p>Done right, this is not a simple task for most people. It is hard and takes a lot of work. @vvnstar has given some great advice. If you use the search feature, you can find old threads with advice on song choices, there are lots of them but it takes some digging to find them and lots of scanning to find “the good stuff.”</p>

<p>One basic way to start would be to go through and list the composers for all the Tony nominees for “Best Score” and “Best Musical” for the period in which you are interested (the nominees, not just the winners). Even though many of their works may fall on someone’s “overdone” list (beware of putting too much stock in many of these, by the way), they will have written lots of great stuff to choose from - there is a reason they were nominated! Then google them, see what they wrote, find the age appropriate ones using StageAgent, and start listening to them on youtube.</p>

<p>If you have not seen these already, here are some guidelines published by colleges that might help you:</p>

<p><a href=“http://ccm.uc.edu/theatre/musical_theatre/auditions1/dos_and_donts.html”>http://ccm.uc.edu/theatre/musical_theatre/auditions1/dos_and_donts.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://www.otterbein.edu/Files/pdf/theatre/On%20Campus%20BFA%20Guidelines%202013-14.pdf”>http://www.otterbein.edu/Files/pdf/theatre/On%20Campus%20BFA%20Guidelines%202013-14.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>“The College Audition Blog” by Matthew Edwards from Shenandoah has lots of really great advice (can’t post a link because it is a blog).</p>

<p>I would definitely recommend following all stated audition requirements, but beware of worrying about every "overdone’ list that you find - we only pay attention to such lists that are published by colleges. I once compiled several of the “overdone” lists floating around on the internet and the result eliminated a large portion of the Broadway Canon. When I showed it to an MT department head, he laughed and told me to throw it away.</p>

<p>Here is a long quote from @drjohn from Otterbein that I really like:</p>

<p>

We want to hear you.</p>

<p>The same guidelines apply to songs as to monologues. Do songs that you connect with. Choose songs written for younger characters. Choose songs about characters in situations that you understand in your gut. Choose at least one song or monologue that has some humor. Remember: singing is acting with music, not just making beautiful sounds.</p>

<p>But musical values are still essential. Effective audition songs let us hear the range, quality, and size of your voice, your sense of style and command of technique, as well as your ability to act the song:</p>

<p>[ul]
[li]Range: It’s better not to try to show us your very highest notes, or how loud you can sing. Again, it’s about sharing, not showing. Songs should live within the range you are comfortable singing. But do make sure that the song has more than a five- or six-note range. We don’t learn very much from such songs.</p>[/li]
<p>[li]Style and Technique: We listen for good diction, accuracy in pitch and rhythm, support and control of the breath, and the ability of the voice to “ring” throughout the vocal registers used by the singer. Many of you have worked diligently on these issues with your voice teacher. But don’t do any of these things for their own sake. Practice the songs long enough so that your technique becomes a part of the way you sing. That way you will be able to focus on acting the song. The best way to think about technique is to view it as part of the constellation of tactics that your characters are using to achieve their objectives.</p>[/li]
<p>[li]Quality: Some singers have a legitimate sound, as in the kinds of voices heard on the original cast recording of Oklahoma! This style, based on operetta and opera, is still very much alive in works like Light in the Piazza. It’s also the core of our vocal training, so one of your two songs should be in this style. There are many places to find this style, including current musicals. But another place to find this style is in musical theatre repertoire written between 1930 and 1980, including songs by George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe, Leonard Bernstein, or Kander & Ebb. </p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]
Some singers have character voices, required for most of the characters in Guys and Dolls. Some singers can rock it high. Some singers can belt or mix. If one of these is your best sound, let us hear it. Just make sure that you’re not straining or yelling or screaming.

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