A small disclaimer: I'm a teen girl and my range is around mezzo soprano, so I don't have a ton of advice for people with lower voices; but these tips are still good to keep in mind when picking a song, no matter what your range is! :)
Ok... I used to have SO MUCH trouble with this. Picking an audition song can be tricky for an endless number of reasons. You want the song to be similar to the style of the show's music. It also has to be a song in your range. AND you don't want it to be a song that makes the casting directors annoyed or bored because they've heard it a million times before! There are so many things to keep in mind when choosing an audition song, but I think I've got ya covered.
First, learn more about the show you're auditioning for. If it's a revival or any sort of show based on an original, try listening to the soundtrack. Learn as much as you can before stepping into that room so you look like you know what you're doing. You never know what the casting directors might ask you! You might be on a time crunch, so this research can take a super short time. Like I said before, just make sure you seem well-versed about the show and its characters :)
Next, filter out the songs you know they aren't going to want to hear. A VERY short list of songs to stay away from during the process of finding one (there are definitely more but I won't bombard you in this short post!) -
"Defying Gravity" or "Popular" - Wicked
Requiem - Dear Evan Hansen
"I Dreamed a Dream" and "Castle on a Cloud" - Les Mis
Dead Mom - Beetlejuice
Gimme Gimme - Thoroughly Modern Millie
Memory - Cats
Any song from Annie
These are all amazing songs. I know it's super tempting to pick one of them, but DON'T DO IT!! These are prime examples of the songs I meant when I said the casting directors might get bored/annoyed. I'll never forget the time I walked into an audition and sang Dead Mom from Beetlejuice. Surprise surprise, I didn't get the role!! It's such a fun song, but Sophia Anne Caruso's voice is so distinctive, so when I sang that they probably just imagined her voice instead... I mean, totally go for whatever song you want if you truly believe it's at perfection. Don't let ME stop you! But if you'd like to dig further and find something a little more unique, I really recommend it.
I won't give you a list of shows or songs to look for, because the possibilities are literally endless. You can do a song from any show you want, no matter how old or new it is, but try to steer clear of the ultra-popular songs. If there is a show that you love but the song you want to do is too overdone, check out the rest of the soundtrack. Chances are, there will be another song from the show that's less famous that will be awesome to learn and audition with.
Also, make sure your song fits the theme of the show. For example, if you're auditioning for Hello Dolly, don't sing a song from The Adams Family! I think it's somewhat self-explanatory; just be smart with your song choices.
Creating a book of songs is beneficial, and it doesn't have to be that difficult. Having a voice teacher or coach can make it easier to start finding songs if you're new to it, but totally not necessary. If this is something you love, the process will be fun! Watch as many shows as you can, on YouTube, or wherever else you can find them. There's a streaming network called BroadwayHD, which has all kinds of shows, including Bye Bye Birdie, American in Paris, and Falsettos. It costs money, but there's a 7 day free trial! If you can't get your hands on enough shows, listen to soundtracks on YouTube. Research. Google is EVERYTHING!! I guess what I'm trying to stress here is that we have so many resources at our fingertips, so why not take advantage of them?
Xo, Weezy
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