Singing

3 reasons youre not getting cast in musical theatre
You’re serious about working in the musical theatre. You pony up the dough to study with a good voice teacher and you’re feeling good about how you sound. But you’re still not getting cast! A good singing voice isn’t enough to get you the gig. Here are 3 reasons you’re not getting cast in Musical theatre. Your song’s not personal enough A great singer tells stories that reveal something about themselves and their own personal truth. Singing the words without a real personal investment in them, even with a pretty voice, is redundant. The lyricist has already written the words. Hearing you repeat them isn’t what they’re after. Your job is to take personal responsibility for them and fill them with your truth, point of view, sense of humor and experience. That’s what brings a song to life and makes people sit up and pay attention at an audition. Your song […]

3 Reasons You’re Not Getting Cast in Musical Theatre

3 things to consider before taking an acting job
Congratulations, they want to hire you! That’s great news! But before you decide how to spend your paycheck (if there is one) you’ll need to decide if you should take the job or turn it down. Deciding to accept or pass on an acting job isn’t always easy.  The simple equation I use to evaluate acting offers is Money + Experience + Exposure. If a job gives you 2 out of 3 seriously consider it.   Money It’s no accident that the first (unofficial) rule of show business is “Take the money!” The first thing I consider when offered a job is “Does it pay and, if so, how much?” While it’s true that money isn’t everything, it’s amazing how important it becomes when you don’t have it. Taking a gig that pays you to stand on the corner in a chicken suit is a very wise career move when […]

3 Things To Consider Before Taking An Acting Job

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To nail your musical theater audition you need time to prepare. But balancing a busy life and a career can make finding that time difficult. And, with auditions popping up on short notice, it’s easy to feel stressed, under-prepared and, as a result, less effective in the audition room. Here are five things to do before your musical theater audition so you’ll feel less hurried and ready to be your best when it counts. Make sure your book is ready! Having several songs organized, rehearsed and ready to perform beautifully does wonders for your peace of mind and your audition. Songs in your book should be age and type appropriate, showcase your strengths and reflect who you are. Choose at least one song from the “Great American Songbook” a.k.a “standards” (Rodgers and Hart, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Jerome Kern, etc.) and one song from the “Golden Age” (Rodgers and Hammerstein, […]

Five Things To Do Before Your Musical Theater Audition

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There are many reasons your audition song may not be working but you may be surprised that it often has little to do with your voice. Memorizing a song doesn’t mean you’re ready to perform it any more than knowing the parts of a car makes you ready to drive one. Zeroing in on what your issues may be is the first step to giving better auditions, getting more callbacks and booking more jobs. Among the many possibilities, here are 3 reasons your audition song isn’t working. You’re not asking the right questions I have about 30 questions I ask when working on a new lyric and those always lead to more questions. But this a short article so here are three basic questions you should ask if you want to make your work clearer, more specific and more interesting. *Who are you talking to and what do they mean […]

Three Reasons Your Audition Song Isn’t Working

the-simple-solution-to-your-audition-nerves
Everyone has some audition nerves. It’s completely understandable. After all, you’re standing in front of a group of complete strangers who are judging your looks, personality, voice and talent. Add the fact that a job you really want hangs in the balance, and an audition can take on almost Greek proportions in your mind. But it doesn’t have to. There’s a simple reason and a simple solution to the problem. The reason your audition nerves flare up is your awareness that you’re being judged makes you focus is on yourself during the audition. You think about how you look and how you sound and you adjust as you go to make sure it’s going well. It’s like you’re standing outside of yourself scrutinizing everything you do. It’s a huge waste of energy. Sanford Meisner said “Actor’s have two problems. They’re self-conscious and they don’t listen.” That’s the problem and the […]

The Simple Solution to Your Audition Nerves

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In a musical theater audition it can seem like there’s very little you can control, but there are some elements that you can. Here are five things to avoid at your next musical theater audition and why your audition will suffer if you don’t. Making your accompanist’s job harder. Every audition song is a duet. Smart actors make their accompanist’s job easy so they can play their best for you; your audition depends on it. Give your accompanist a clean copy of your music containing only what you want them to play and what you are going to sing. Put it in non-glare sheet protectors in a three ring binder so there’s no weird reflection from rehearsal studio lighting, and it won’t fall off the piano as they turn pages. It should be in the key you want. The name of the song, the composer, and the name of the […]

5 Musical Theater Audition Mistakes You Can’t Afford

12-Jaw-Dropping Singing Tips
Originally in Backstage Are you straining to sing your high notes? Is your voice tired or sore after long rehearsals or performances? If you want to sing with clarity, power, and less effort, here are a few singing tips that will help you sing better. 1. Warm up your body before your voice. Aerobic exercise is a great way to warm up before singing. When your body is energized, your voice responds faster. You’ll know you’re warm when you start to sweat. 2. Release tension. Tension is a singer’s worst enemy. Yoga or deep stretching before you sing will show you where you’re holding tension. Don’t hold your breath and try to push past your limit. Gently exhale deeper into each stretch. Your mouth and jaw should open and close freely, your facial muscles, lips, tongue, neck, and shoulders should move without tension, and your eyes should be relaxed and alive. 3. Don’t “take” a breath. When we speak, we […]

12 Jaw-Dropping Singing Tips

The secret to musical theatre success
Success in the musical theatre actually has less to do with music than you might think.  It’s not even required that you be a great singer.  Harvey Fierstein, Elaine Stritch and Rex Harrison are notable examples.  What they have in common, besides the fact they would never get past the first audition for “The Voice” is, they’re very good actors.  The beauty of their tone isn’t enough to win our hearts but they succeed with their ability to communicate and the strength of their personality. Though acting ability is paramount, a good singing voice rules the number two spot for what you need to succeed as a musical theatre performer.  The roles you can play without serious singing chops are few. The goal of combining great acting with great singing is the reason I fell in love with this craft.  For me, there was no greater goal and I worked […]

The Secret To Musical Theatre Success