Typically, auditionees focus almost entirely on how deliver the actual material, whether spoken monologue or song. However, there are other factors at play that can either enhance or undermine the experience of the audience (or audition panel) the performer. To create a professional piece of theatre for your song, take into account the following: The […]
Here are the questions I ask myself when I am assessing a song performance, whether it’s by a professional singer, by an actor, or by an actor who doesn’t think they can sing, or may not be very musically reliable. We can use these questions to assess our own performance. We can also learn a
Singing for Drama College Auditions (Part 5 of 6) – Assessing your song performance Read More »
Purpose Expect to work hard Research the song’s context A song is a dramatic monologue Fit the time limit (possibly 1-2 mins) Musical considerations Work the words 1. Purpose To sing an unaccompanied song in character using physical and vocal expression: In other words, play a character who is singing their thoughts and feelings, instead
Singing for Drama College Auditions (Part 4 of 6) – Acting a song Read More »
Make sure you have read Part 1 of this series first, to get an overview of how the singing element fits into the audition process for actors (not music theatre performers). Work out how much of the song you will sing for your audition version: work out cuts so you know what you would include
Singing for Drama College Auditions (Part 3 of 6) – Song choices (more tips) Read More »
On this website, you’ll find five blog entries that I’ve called ‘Singing as storytelling’. I wrote them originally for singers to read. But the lessons apply equally to actors who have to sing for the purposes of a dramatic role they are playing. This is because the job of the singer or the singing-actor is the
Singing for Drama College Auditions (Part 2 of 6) – Singing as storytelling Read More »
Jule Styne (writer of ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’, ‘Three Coins in a Fountain’, and ‘Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!’) famously said: “A song without words is just a piece of music.” The singer’s job is to make sure those words both be heard, and also be understood. That’s not just
Misheard lyrics and mondegreens Read More »
After a performance, we may go through a whole range of feelings. We need to allow those to subside before we do any serious evaluation of our performance. We should assume that we will experience one or all of … Elation Depression Apathy Disorientation Aggression or irritability (towards ourselves or others) … over the next
Taking a step back after a performance Read More »
Copyright law is internationally upheld as a fundamental right for composers, lyricists, librettists and writers (referred to collectively in this article as ‘creators’, and publishers for good reasons. However, these creators and copyright holders typically lose out financially to the practice of people copying or distributing (e.g. emailing) unpaid-for copies of the music instead of
Music and copyright (or “Stealing from musicians is ok, right?”) Read More »
My singing students are well acquainted with my teaching model for singing lessons, and this summary is a reminder for them of the core concepts. It serves as a draft outline of a book I would like to write about what I have learned and teach about singing. I don’t know whether the book will ever
A to J model of singing Read More »
Some teachers (including me) use a mirror in singing lessons, and encourage the use of a mirror in practice time. There are pros and cons to this. Although I use a mirror in lessons, I always suggest that singers get used to working without a mirror as quickly as possible.
Is a mirror useful for singing practice? Read More »
