“What if you could easily learn the tools to be a
BOLD communicator? - Singing or Speaking...”

Last weekend I attended the Music Theater Educators Alliance annual conference where I presented the Morganix Method to my learned academic colleagues. More about that in another entry.

Two of our guest speakers talked about what they were looking for - and not looking for - when auditioning potential actors for their theaters. Their comments are listed below. Most of these comments I have heard from other casting directors and managers, so you can take them to heart.

Here are some don’ts and do’s of auditioning.

When auditioning DON’T

… do anything just for shock value! Make sure everything you do is justified in the song or script.

… swear!

… do monologues about suicide or abortion. Over-done, over-acted.

… use gratuitous emotion just to show your ‘acting.’

… perform a pratfall to get attention or to be memorable.

… do something (monologue or song) new just because it’s new.

… prepare ONLY the songs in your book. Be ready to sing whatever they put in front of you or ask you to sing.

… SCREAM your monologue.

… wear inappropriate clothing. A low-cut dress with large polka dots, not good especially if you’re doing a Shakespearean monologue.

… wear torn jeans or a t-shit with a large logo. It’s distracting.

… learn just the melody line of your songs. Learn a harmony line or 2 also.

… lying! Don’t put anything at all on your resume that is a lie. If you don’t read music, don’t say you do on your resume. If you don’t tap dance, leave it off your resume.

… take rejection personally. It may have nothing at all to do with you.

… use 8 bars of recitative in a 16 bar audition song.

When auditioning please DO

… songs that are contemporary and popular.

… make every word and movement count by giving it meaning.

… show diversity of craft.

… act the song! This casting director said that the biggest failure he sees is actors performing a great monologue who then turn to zombies when they do a song.

… live the monologue, live the song.

… have a song you can rock out on.

… the audition as though you are doing it for the second time!

… give out contact information that will be good for several years to come. The company may not need you for the current season, but remember you and want you 2 years from now. (He said that has actually happened!)

… dance like a man if you are a man.

… make judicious eye contact. Make a connection with the auditors.

… be authentic.

… be polite, be honest, be charming and

BE YOURSELF!!!

Please let me know if I can help you prepare for your next audition! Just shoot me an email info@VocalPowerTools.com and I will get back to you quickly.

Hello!

This is my very first blog entry ever! I’m very excited about starting a conversation with my students, clients, singers and speakers everywhere! Please consider this a forum for discussion of all things vocal.

This entry was sparked by a comment made by a voice student yesterday.

“Sally, your technique makes singing so simple, it’s cry-worthy!” (as the tears well up)

RaY RaY Pine, singer/songwriter

And why not? Why shouldn’t singing be simple? If I could answer that, I could retire! Here are the obvious factors:

Body tension

Poor body alignment

Pre-conceived notions of how you should sound

The thought that physical effort will “help” the sound come out

Plus many other factors that are all rooted in physiology and the resulting psychology.

The human body, barring congenital defect or system-altering accident, is a perfect vocal instrument from the moment of birth. The universal sign that birth has been achieved is that loud cry of protest from the newest occupant of the planet, boldly announcing her arrival.

So if this is a perfect instrument, why do we need to study how to use it well? Because we learn from others who have bad habits, then life begins to burden us, and when we don’t hear the result we want from our voice, we begin to manipulate and push and grab to make a sound.

So take the pressure off yourself, get your body back into alignment and begin speaking on pitch, speaking with meaning and your body’s brilliant, natural responses will begin to take over.

Much more on this discussion in my next blog entry.

To watch some videos on this subject and others, please visit http://www.youtube.com/user/sallymmorgan and feel free to contact me with comments!

Breathe,

Sally