Dear Erda:
I’ve recently started back doing auditions, and have found the trends are changing. Normally, one would be advised to wear dark colors (dresses for women; suits for men), but in the last few auditions I have seen brighter colors, men with no ties, women in pants (even those who are not auditioning with pants roles in mind) and cocktail dresses.
I am giving a master class to African-American singers in a month and I am gathering my lecture presentation. Do you have any advice in regards to proper audition apparel? Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
Gwendolyn Brown, contralto
Hi Gwendolyn:
I’ve never heard of anyone (except maybe overweight people) being advised to wear dark colors for auditions. There’s nothing wrong with wearing bright colors as long as they don’t distract from your performance. A neon orange and lime outfit could be over the top, but a lovely red dress could be perfect.
Recently, I’ve heard of people being advised not to wear black. This is nonsense. Wear what looks and feels good. But remember, just because many people are wearing certain outfits doesn’t mean they’re good. The guidelines I offer are these:
1. Whatever you wear should first and foremost be comfortable, clean, well-fitting, flattering, modest, current, and in good repair.
2. Your clothing should not distract from your performance; for this reason, it’s wise to avoid controversy. Women should avoid sleeveless blouses, open-toed shoes, and anything overtly sexy, such as plunging necklines, slits up to there, overly tight clothing, and short-short skirts. Men should not wear jeans, casual pants, caps, or any kind of casual footwear. You want people to remember your voice and your performance, not what you wore.
3. Formal attire, including cocktail dresses, is never appropriate, unless you are doing an evening competition that specifies formal dress. Nothing looks more provincial than showing up for an audition in cocktail attire.
4. Generally speaking, women should wear dresses, suits with skirts, or a skirt/blouse combo, unless they are principally pants roles or concert singers. I also think older women can look very sharp in a smart pantsuit with a pretty scarf. Personally, I prefer jewel-toned dresses in a beautiful fabric that moves well for just about any woman. Dramatic types can get away with beautifully tailored suits, but keep it in a soft, feminine fabric, or add a flowing scarf—you don’t want to look too Wall Street.
To take it a step further: if you’re a dramatic voice type, don’t show up in a floral print. If you’re a soubrette, don’t go all Goth and scary. If you’re a heroic tenor, don’t show up looking like Gilligan. You should strive to reflect the image of who you are as a singer and the kinds of roles you do. It’s just good marketing.
5. It’s fine for men not to wear ties. They needn’t wear suits either; but they should look just as polished and put-together as the ladies. A pressed pair of dressy khakis with a button-down shirt and tie; a more casual suit worn unbuttoned with a stylish shirt and open collar or turtleneck; a slim sweater tucked into dress pants, which shows off a nice physique—all these are fine. The same principle applies to men as it does to women—reflect the kinds of roles you are trying to get.
6. It’s also fine to suggest (just suggest, mind you, no costumes please!) a particular role you might be auditioning for. If you’re auditioning for Carmen, maybe you want to dress just a little bit sexy, with your hair down. If the “Hoffman” villains are what you’re attempting to invoke, look a little villainous in a sharp all-black suit.
7. Hair should be well groomed and out of the face. Men should take care to groom facial hair. For women, makeup should be modestly applied and should not distract. Save the glitter for your night out on the town.
8. Jewelry should be kept to a minimum—again, it’s there to enhance, not distract.
9. There are exceptions to every rule. Some personalities are larger than life and their unconventional dress is so much a part of who they are, it works for them rather than against them. But such an image cannot be manufactured. It’s sort of like a nickname: it’s something bestowed by other people—ones you give yourself always come off as lame. If you have to think too hard about creating an over-the-top personality, chances are it won’t work for you.
10. Finally, as I tell my own students: Don’t wear anything to an audition that you would consider wearing to a club, the beach, a sporting event, or Saturday morning at home.
Both the December and February issues of my free newsletter, which is archived on the Singers’ Resources page of my site at www.thebusinessofsinging.com, address the topic of professional dress and image. The October issue has an article by a director who frequently auditions singers, titled “Dress for Audition Success.”
Dress seems to be an ongoing topic of interest to singers, but remember: don’t get too caught up in the “rules,” no matter what the issue at hand. If you can make it work, go for it. Singers spend far too much time worrying about the little details. I guarantee you, if you audition barefoot wearing a burlap sack and you perform brilliantly, the panel will be interested in you!
All the best,
Cindy
Dear Erda:
I have a question for you concerning management. I am presently with an agent and am concerned about a recent situation. I make it a point to contact opera companies and other leads and refer them to my agent. I mentioned this to my agent and she was furious, saying that it was her job and not to do this again. I had no problem in the past with other agents about this, and am a bit confused. I thought I was being helpful and keeping on top of things. What are your thoughts?
Thanks,
Ann
Dear Ann:
It sounds to me like you have a good agent. There’s a very good reason she does not want you to contact opera companies on your own: It doesn’t look good for either of you. It makes her look as if she’s not doing her job, and it makes you look like you are either unmanaged or don’t have a good manager, which reflects badly on you as an artist.
Also, if you are contacting venues on your own without having conferred with her first, you have no way of knowing whether she has already initiated contact or what kind of dealings she’s already had with them. She may have a particular method of representing you or an image of you she is selling, and by doing an end run around her, you may have messed up work she’s already done on your behalf.
The point of having a manager is to form a lucrative partnership with someone who expertly handles all business aspects and allows you to concentrate on the artistic side of things. As unmanaged singers know to their great frustration, having management confers some sort of silent stamp of approval. Someone thought you were good enough to add to their roster, good enough to depend on for a portion of their own livelihood. Someone, who presumably knows voices and the market well, has faith in your artistry. In short, companies, which are so pressed for time, are more likely to hear you because they see you as less of a risk for wasting their time: you’ve been pre-approved. When you circumvent your manager by contacting venues on your own, you’re sending mixed signals.
While I applaud your pro-active approach to getting work, I believe you need to redirect your energies. You absolutely should be intimately involved in your own business of singing. You should be in regular contact with your agent and as part of your business plan, the two of you should have an established strategy that you review regularly; but understand that you have delegated certain aspects of your business to your agent. Let her take care of them, unless you are dissatisfied with her work. (In that case, you two need to have a little talk; if you remain dissatisfied, it’s time to look for another manager.)
Instead of contacting venues, confine your activities to researching them, and pass that information on to your agent with a request to set up an audition, “if appropriate.” She should be willing to discuss why she is or is not putting you up for certain auditions and strategize with you if you aren’t getting the volume or results you desire.
The exception to this “no direct contact” rule is if you already have an established relationship with an administrator, conductor, or director. In that case, you certainly can and should keep in touch as appropriate, with notes, or e-mails, or even phone calls, depending on the level of formality of your relationship. If you hear about potential work with that person’s company, it’s not inappropriate to mention you’re interested. But that’s all you do—mention it, and if they react favorably, ask if you should have your agent call. Then turn it over to her. Also, keep your agent apprised of these personal contacts, including a general description of what was said. It may help her in her dealings on your behalf.
It sounds to me as if you and your agent need to sit down over a cup of coffee and discuss mutual expectations, as well as goals and strategies. You’re buying, by the way. And you might throw in a slice of cheesecake. Nothing says “Oops, my bad!” like a nice slice of New York cheesecake.
All the best,
Cindy
Dear Erda:
In the September issue, you answered “Mr. Frustrated” about his quest to retain his current teacher even if he should return to college.
I thought you might be interested to know that some schools will allow the teacher to become an adjunct faculty member, especially if the student seeks this from the school and the teacher has university-level teaching experience or the equivalent. The student could pursue this with any potential university to which he would apply.
Something else is vitally important: It is considered unethical by both NATS and the New York Singing Teachers Association (in New York City) to study with more than one teacher at a time, unless one has the express permission of both teachers. It sounded like you weren’t absolutely sure that the situation of studying with one teacher behind another’s back is unethical, but it is, in fact, just that. If it is at all possible to clarify this issue in another column, it would be very helpful. Students need to understand what ethics are about, and all teachers (not just those in NATS or in NYSTA) need to understand the ethics of the profession, as well.
The Code of Ethics has been in existence since 1936. Here is the exact quote from the NYSTA Code of Ethics:
“It is unethical for any teacher-member to accept a person as a pupil, knowing that the person is at the time studying with another teacher, unless the teacher gives consent to this arrangement.”
I always enjoy your great column—full of common-sense advice and good will. May the gods continue to bless your wonderful guidance!
Yours truly,
Jeannette LoVetri
Director, The Voice Workshop
Dear Jeannette:
Thank you for writing, for your kind words, and for the excellent idea regarding teachers becoming adjuncts.
I have to confess that I have given a lot of thought to your stance on the ethics of teaching a student who is studying behind the back of another teacher. You may well ask why I would have to give such an obvious ethical question so much consideration. It’s because I can think of at least one situation in which I don’t believe it was unethical for the student to work with an outside teacher behind his university professor’s back.
I suppose it just goes to show that there can be exceptions to every rule, because studying behind a teacher’s back is a very, very bad idea for any number of reasons. Most young singers don’t have the savvy to size up different techniques or to study them “a la carte,” picking and choosing what works for them. Indeed, few singers do. Furthermore, it creates a morass of lies, stresses, and problems for the deceitful singer; and it certainly places the teachers in question in a terrible situation when they find out. It would be completely unethical for a teacher to attempt to lure students away from colleagues, encourage students to be deceptive, or to allow a deception they were made aware of to continue.
You are absolutely right that singers as well as teachers need to be taught ethics. Singers also need to be taught how to identify and choose a good teacher, and to stand up for their right to a proper education, so that when difficult situations arise they will have the knowledge, tools, and personal fortitude to rectify them without resorting to unsavory ethics. Institutions should support singers as well. It should not be a problem for singers to switch voice studios if they are unhappy with the education they are getting—as long as they don’t abuse the privilege. I changed studios twice as an undergraduate—and the third studio was the charm. It was a nerve-wracking experience, and one of the teachers refused to have anything to do with me until I had graduated and made a success of myself. But if I hadn’t insisted on switching, I might not be singing today.
Singers take a risk in choosing teachers. The price a singer pays for working too long with an incompetent or misguided teacher may be as high as that singer’s potential career. Beginning singers, no matter how well they research, often do not have the tools to distinguish between good and bad teaching. They may not discover it until they have been studying for some time and have built in bad habits that are extremely difficult or impossible to dislodge.
In the case of my colleague, whose teacher retired towards the end of his studies, some might say that he should have transferred to another school, if he couldn’t find another teacher he felt was suitable when his request to continue work with his former teacher was denied. I say that—so close to graduation and otherwise happy with the education he was getting—this student did what was necessary for his vocal and financial survival. He is now singing at the Met.
In the case of Mr. Frustrated, he wanted to continue studying with the teacher with whom he was making good progress, but also felt he needed to go back to school. He had control over the situation from the outset, and I agree with you that there would have been no excuse for him to enter a potentially unethical situation or to place his teachers, knowing or unknowing, in one. (He did not, in fact, deceive his teachers, nor did he have any intention of doing so; his question was about whether it was possible to study with two teachers at once).
Sadly, a number of teachers in positions of power are unworthy. Organizations like NATS and NYSTA do a great deal to establish high professional standards and to help students identify quality, ethical teachers. Educational institutions should exercise more vigilance in this area as well. But the bottom line lies with the singer whose career is at stake. Singers who hope to become professionals must be proactive about their own educations and their careers. I will be writing more about this and other related issues in my upcoming book, The Student Singer’s Starter Kit, a handbook for aspiring music students and their parents.
