Musical theater is a great way for singers to up their game, expand their horizons and gain valuable performance skills.

But whether you’ve played the lead in every major production that’s rolled through your town or you’ve only just started thinking about hitting the theatrical stage, it all starts with the audition.

You can generally find everything you need to know about musical theater audition opportunities in your area online.   Just google ‘your city’ ‘musical theater auditions’ and you should have a few links that will get you started.  Late winter/early spring is a popular time to cast shows for the summer season so February is a good time to begin your audition planning.

There are basically three types of musical theater opportunities:

1. Fee based (usually children’s theater organizations who charge you a fee to participate and receive some theater training)
2. Volunteer (generally community theater organizations for older kids through adults) and,
3. Paid (for Equity actors, which are basically union members)  Some theaters may also offer paid parts to non-equity actors.

Every theater organization has their own rules for the audition process, but here’s a basic breakdown of the two most common:

• Casual Audition: May allow you to sing with a karaoke track or acapella.  Doesn’t require a bio or headshots.  May ask you to recite a prepared monologue (solo act).
• Standard Audition: Will require a bio and headshot (more on that in a bit).  Will also require you to bring marked sheet music for an accompanist to play 16 bars for you to sing along to.  Will generally require you to learn a dance step and perform it as well as reading from a selection provided for you.

So what is the best way to prepare?  Here are a few tips to make sure you’re ready for any audition;

Always have two pieces of music prepared: a ballad and an uptempo song. You never want to audition with a song from the production you’re auditioning for so it’s good to build your song list as time allows.  Depending on the types of auditions you’ll be taking on, buy sheet music and mark 16 bars of the chorus (or another part if it highlights your ability better) or buy the karaoke track to have on hand.   Why do you need both types of songs?  You may choose a ballad and be asked to sing something more upbeat or visa versa.  Either way, you’re prepared!

Prepare a bio. Even if it’s not required, it will help to sell your talent to the decision makers.  A bio should include at least your name, age, height and weight at the top.  Below, it should list ANYthing you’ve done that has made you a better actor/singer.  Generally this would be names of productions you’ve been in, the organization that put it on and the part you played.  If you’re slim on experience, expand on the bottom section, which should include other public singing/speaking experience and special education like voice instruction and dance classes you’ve taken.  Why all the extras?  It may just be your mad karate skills that tip the scales in your favorite for the new Karate Kid Musical (no… that doesn’t really exist.)

Include a picture/headshot. This can be as simple as a nice snapshot of you in the upper right hand of your bio sheet or a full 8×10, if you happen to have one.  Actors who pursue paid roles generally have an 8×10 or a photo card, which is usually a postcard sized photo sheet showing them as different characters.  It’s not necessary to have either of these for most volunteer auditions, but if you’re competing in a large market (LA, NY, Chicago, San Fran, etc.) for equity roles you’ll want to have one.

BEST ONLINE RESOURCES FOR AUDITIONING FOR MUSICAL THEATER

Get Your Music:

Musical Theatre Audition: Invaluable for it’s searchable database of audition songs by gender, age, style and more. (click the ‘songs’ button) LOVE that it tells you which songs are overused in auditions.  Avoid those like the plague.  Directors are so tired of hearing them that it really works against you.

Music Notes: Purchase and download sheet music to audition with.  This is the only site I’ve found that includes a ‘Hear It’ button so you can actually listen to the arrangement and double check that it’s in a good key for you and let’s you transpose it if it’s not!  That’s HUGE.

Total Sheet Music: Also allows you to listen and download sheet music.  No transposing, but a great library of stuff to choose from.

The Karaoke Channel: Claims to be the worlds largest karaoke library.  They do have a ton of good stuff.  Click the link and get six free songs when you purchase six.

iTunes Store: They must have the worlds 2nd largest library of karaoke tracks.  Easy to search and download.

Get Audition Info:

BackStage: Good resource for union and equity actors to see who’s auditioning for what.  Requires registration.

Stage Agent: Also geared toward union and equity auditions, but some community theaters are listed.  Requires registration.

Auditions Theater: Not a very well organized site, but includes both non-equity and equity auditions and an email list.

Other Resources:

Google Directory of Musical Resources: A long list of organizations that provide related resources for auditioning.

DMOZ Directory of Audition Resources: Much shorter list, some repeats, but good stuff.

Have a question?  An audition story?  A resource to add?  Leave it in the comments section below.

Now, get out there and audition!

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy

If you are a lawyer, there will always be another lawyer you view as more compelling than you. If you are a mechanic, there will be another shop that pulls in more money than yours. If you bake, someone will always have a new design you never thought of. And yes, if you sing, there will ALWAYS be someone you view as much better than you. Ask any ‘great singer’. They probably have a few names in mind right now.

I have to tell you, as a voice teacher I think there aren’t enough ‘successful’ singers trying to become ‘great singers’. But as a parent, I totally get that we want to encourage our kids without giving them false hopes when we’re not sure they can achieve what they dream of. Besides, as someone who also forks out the cash to have others teach my kids different skills, I get that we all want to make sure we’re investing in the right areas.

If you’re paying for your kid(s) to be involved in the arts, whether it’s voice lessons, instrument instruction or theater, it’s probably because you saw a spark of talent in them and an interest that you want to support.

Most kids won’t become ‘stars’ as we think of it. Even the really, really good ones! So are you wasting your time?

Never! When you see that your kid might have a talent for something they’re passionate about and you support it, you’re teaching them crucial life skills. You’re teaching them that when they have an interest, they have to work hard to get better at it and see where that leads them. They have to learn to deal disappointment when they don’t get the solo or the part they wanted. They have to learn how to deal with others who will challenge their views of themselves and their abilities.

And guess what happens along the way? Many of those kids whose parents didn’t think were strong enough to outlast the competition will work harder than you expected. They’ll dig in where you thought they’d lose interest, and they’ll become artists in their own right. Some WILL lose interest and move on to something else, and something else…and something else, until they find a passion they find worth working for. But some will discover that being involved in the arts is a big part of a fulfilling life for them. Some will use what they learned to make a good side income throughout their adult lives. And others will use their childhood experiences to springboard a full time music career; which in today’s market is approximately 18 months.

We all want our kids to succeed. But we don’t know what success will look like on them. They might just surprise you and become the ‘great singer’ other kids think they can never become. But even if they don’t, they will know what it means to be supported in discovering whichever dream is right for them. And they will learn that it’s always worthwhile to take the journey to see where the road will lead.

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy

Ring Leaders Belong at the Circus

Last time we talked about how the right place for praise, so today we take the high wire over to the other side of supporting your kids talent; controlling their performance.

One of the telltale signs that a kid has a stage parent is that constant look back to their parents to see if they did something right.. or wrong. It makes me so sad when I see it.  I didn’t have a stage mom.  But as a traveling 4 year old in a family trio with my sisters, I had a ‘heavy handed’ father who would usher us out of the van into sound check with his thumb firmly in one of our necks, back in the van, back out for performance, etc.  And he kept an eye on us every second of it.  One of my earliest memories was thinking of myself as a caged monkey with a mean zookeeper.  I never want my kids to think of performing that way.

You see it in that nervous smile from the stage that whispers, “I hope they didn’t think that note was off” or “I can’t believe I forgot to (x, y, and z)”.  Whether it’s over-directing the rehearsal, endless fussing with stage clothes or leading your kid around to meet all of the ‘important’ people every spare moment you have, when your kid spends more time worrying about what you think of how they behave or perform than they do enjoying what they do, they will never truly be able to enjoy the gift they have and the hard work they’ve put into it.

I know, you have to prepare, you have to practice and your kid needs your help.  All true and valid.  Sometimes it’s not a far slide from supportive and energetic into a little controlling and manic.  I’ve had to pull myself back from that edge a time or two myself.  So what do you do if your support is turning into a three ring circus act?

The best way to stop (or never start) over directing your kid is to know they’re in good hands, besides yours.  Do your research and find qualified instructors.  Ask to meet them with your kid and see if they get along.  Your kids won’t absorb much even from a very talented teacher that scares or bores them to death. You have to be impressed with the teacher, but your kid has to like them.

Once you’ve got instructors that you trust, let them do their job.  That means if you have a question about how they should sing a certain part, or move during the instrumental, you ask the instructor.  Then you DO what they suggest.  Even if that means biting your lip so hard you don’t want to talk anymore.

One sure way to stress out your kid is to keep listing the things they need to change or improve on.  So even if your tips come straight from their instructors and your heart filled with love, gage when and where to mention them.  Let them know you’ll give them input once they’ve run through the song two or three times or make a list of things that comes to mind while they rehearse (limit it to 1 item for every 3 years of age) and leave it with them to go over on their own.  The next time they rehearse ask if you can sit in.  Then make sure you balance out correction with specific things they did well.  They more ownership and pride your kid takes of their practice and performance, the more motivated they’ll be to grow and take more creative risks.

When you can provide the support to see what your kid does with their own talent, you will both have front row seats to your own greatest show on earth.

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy

Hyper Positive Praise is for Potty Training Puppies

“Yay.  Everyone’s clapping.  Yay.  Everyone commented on how adorable my kids was (clearly they see the resemblance to my side of the family).  Yay.  Everyone said that was SO good that I’m now sure we’ll be a You Tube sensation by tomorrow and be signed by Friday.”

Do we all like praise?  Almost as much as the chocolate inside the candy shell.  Is there a purpose for it?  Does the candy shell live only for itself? But when you surround your kid (or yourself, for that matter) with praise absent of qualified critiques (defined in just a moment, hang in there) you are creating an unsustainable self image that can leave your kid unable to deal well with healthy competition, or the malicious tactics of the kids of other stage moms.

One of the things I teach my students is the difference between an opinion and a critique, because understanding that will completely change what you choose to absorb and how it affects you as a performer. I’ll go into that in greater detail another day, but for now just think of it this way; you should regularly seek out the critiques of those who have either had more experience than your kid and/or those who have accomplished something your kid wants to accomplish. If you’re like most people, you’ve just excluded most, if not all of your kids fan club.  And that’s important if growth is your goal.

Whether you want a critique from a voice or dance instructor, a performance, acting or styling coach or an independent artist that’s made a splash on the internet, there is a right (and wrong) way to go about it, none of which includes asking for a serious critique in a packed house before or after a performance.  If someone you respect seeks you out and gives you input, great.  But the best way to get thorough, honest input is to ask for a consultation.  Some will charge for this service (especially instructors, since that’s what they make their living doing).  Others will not.  But always honor their time by checking.  Then schedule a time to meet and have them give an opinion in the area they specialize or have experience in.  You may want to bring a DVD of a recent performance or a website address if you have video online.  Bring promotional materials if you’re talking about marketing or building a fan club.  You get the idea.  Then LISTEN to what they say.  Oh, and make notes.

Whether you love or hate what they say, keep the notes and try some of the things they suggest. As opportunities present themselves, add more qualified critiques to your stack.  If you think the instructor is way off, get two more critiques from similar specialists, and see if a pattern of comments evolves.  It’ll be an indicator of where your kids strengths and weaknesses really are.  And if you do this once a year, you’ll be able to gauge progress reliably.

Don’t stop encouraging.  Still bring the flowers after the performance and take a whole hard drive full of pictures.  But help your kid learn that while praise may be one of the rewards for their hard work, an honest assessment is crucial to getting better at what they love. And you’ll both have more to clap about in the long run.

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy

The Urban Dictionary defines stage moms as “Pushy, obnoxious, crazy mothers who force their kids to act, model, or enter beauty contests, usually turning them into emotionally scared adults who hate their parents.”  And while I can’t imagine any parent goes down that road with any great intention, you and both know there are plenty who have arrived there, or at least are visiting one of the rest stops along the way right now.

Hey, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with supporting, even promoting your kids.  In fact I think there are way more parents who ignore or discourage their kids talent or dreams then there are true stage parents.  But the supportive type tend to fall into two distinct categories;

1.    Over zealous stage parents you want to run away from, or,
2.    Parents who are afraid of becoming over zealous stage parents you want to run away from.

The truth is that neither really offers the best support for your kid.  Like all great things in life, there must be a balance; except in yoga where I’m convinced it’s always safest to keep limbs near the floor at all times.  Speaking from experience, here. So how do you find balance in supporting your kids creative side?

In the next few posts we’ll hash it all out in practical ways you can start using right away, including how to praise your kids accomplishments in the way that helps them most, how to lead them to and through opportunities and just how involved you should really get.

Got a comment or a story?  Love to hear it.  Click the comments button and share away!

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy

them?  You might be, if…..

1. You purse/wallet includes your kid’s business card
2. You’ve bookmarked the casting process to every talent show on television
3. You introduce yourself as manager, voice and acting coach, photographer and choreographer.
4. You’ve never met a family vacation that didn’t include a performing opportunity.
5. You have your kids resume committed to memory and find it the perfect icebreaker at parties.
6. Your christmas cards include your kids website address.
7. When your kid finishes singing you take a little bow inside.
8. You only joined Facebook to join your kids fan page, which you also started.
9. For Christmas your kid got a karaoke machine with their name neatly bedazzled on the microphone.
10. You’re online right now looking for ways to promote your kid.

Got one to add to the list?  Click on ‘Comments’ above.

Next time we’ll take a look at how to support your kids withOUT becoming a stage mom (or dad).

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy