You did a great audition. You’re confident you’ll get the job, get into that prestigious apprentice program, win the big scholarship, or get into that particular school. You couldn’t have performed better. So you’re understandably devastated when you’re not selected.
What was the problem? You may be surprised to know that what you sang may have been the biggest factor in the adjudicators’ decision.
Step by Step
Learning to sing is a sequential process—but what is the best sequence?
Every field has a body of fundamental information—building blocks—that are basic knowledge in the study of that discipline. Information is presented and learned in a sequential order, proven over time to be effective. In arithmetic, such a sequence would be learning to count, add, subtract, multiply, and then divide. No one would think of learning division before learning addition.
The teaching and study of vocal repertoire has no obvious, standardized, or completely necessary sequence that all professionals agree upon. Unlike the limited solo repertoire of many instruments, singers have practically endless repertoire choices.
Even though most voice instructors teach elements of singing in a sequential way, they may have quite differing opinions about the appropriate sequence of those elements. One teacher may have beginning students work on posture and breathing. Another teacher might believe it best serves beginners to feel an emotional connection with the words, and that technical elements will take care of themselves with time. Each of these teachers might find the other’s repertoire selections for a given student to be completely inappropriate.
The majority of voice teachers choose repertoire with the intention of creating the perfect next step on each student’s path to full vocal and musical development. One teacher’s idea of the optimum spacing between a student’s stepping stones, however, is sometimes larger or smaller than what another teacher thinks best. Professionals may also disagree about the arrangement of a teacher’s steps.
A closer spacing of steps on the path avoids skipping steps along the way, which can lead to vocal problems. Teachers who advise students to wait several years before approaching certain literature are not trying to hold back their students’ development. Rather, they are considering the students’ vocal health and career longevity, as well as their preparation for becoming competitive in the job market.
Choosing the Right Repertoire
Since repertoire selection is such a highly subjective topic—with voice teachers, coaches, and directors differing in opinions and views—how can you select repertoire that shows your talent and pleases the judges? What do judges want to hear?
Consider these guidelines for selecting a winning audition program:
*1*
Sing something simple and sing it well.
Simpler is always better. No adjudicator will be offended when you choose to sing a less demanding piece if it is sung beautifully, with sensitive attention to detail. After initial assessment of the quality and size of your voice, adjudicators want to see how well you execute every minute detail. No matter how beautiful your voice, even a slightly sloppy interpretation turns off an educated listener immediately.
Additional considerations:
• Choose music you can sing as flawlessly as possible. Strive for perfection when you perform.
• Sing in tune. Adjudicators expect you to sing in the center of every pitch.
• Pay meticulous attention to every small detail of your repertoire. In florid passages, sing every note clearly and cleanly. Rhythms should be exact.
• Know your music inside out.
• Make sure your pronunciation of foreign languages is perfect. This cannot be stressed too strongly.
*2*
Select repertoire appropriate for your age as well as for your level of musical and technical development.
Adjudicators agree that the most frequent and egregious problem they encounter in auditions is singers presenting repertoire that is too difficult or from a heavier Fach than appropriate. The singer often attempts to “muscle” the voice into something bigger than is natural or healthy and to sing “too heavy.” Over time, this habit can lead to vocal damage.
Just because you can sing all of the notes on the page does not mean the song is right for your voice type or current level of technical development. The vocal line’s tessitura, the phrase lengths, the dynamics, and the song length all factor in to the mix.
Avoid singing extremely difficult literature or music intended for heavy, mature voices until you have advanced to a professional level. Singers often persist in singing a piece with the same technique they used when studying the piece for the first time. Even with vocal maturity and a solid technique, muscle memory can cause excellent singers to revert to old habits. This is reason enough to avoid singing pieces that your voice will “grow into” later.
Additional considerations:
• Difficult repertoire often reveals more weaknesses than strengths.
• Because you can “get through” a piece does not mean you should perform it.
*3*
Sing arias from operas in which you could believably perform the entire role now.
No matter how well you sing arias from Carmen, if you are a fair-skinned, blue-eyed blond, your repertoire choice may be deemed inappropriate. This doesn’t mean you can’t sing these arias, but one of these may not be the best choice for your starting piece. If judges ask you what additional repertoire you are prepared to sing, offer such arias then. Let the judges decide what they want to hear.
Additional considerations:
• Sing arias from operas in which you could sing all the arias for that role.
• Sing arias that are all from the same Fach.
• Take into account the age and physical characteristics of the character.
*4*
Select pieces that will be familiar to the adjudicators yet are not overly performed.
Finding a balance between obscure but not overdone is the key here. Neither your musicianship nor your abilities can be accurately or adequately assessed if the judges don’t know the repertoire. Therefore, refrain from singing obscure or avant-garde pieces. At the same time, judges may give you scant attention if you sing something they have tired of hearing repeatedly.
Additional considerations:
• Learn what repertoire is frequently performed by attending masterclasses and open auditions. Ask teachers, coaches, and directors for their opinions.
*5*
Select music you are passionate about and are emotionally invested in.
Auditioners and audiences will notice your connection and passion with the music you present. The dramatic aspect of your performance can often make that small difference in making you truly memorable among thousands of singers. Focus on sharing the music with your listeners and bringing them joy through your music making.
*6*
Sing music you feel absolutely confident about.
You will subconsciously communicate anxiety if you are fearful about any aspect of your pieces. If you can sing your song with only one dynamic level, you feel you’re “on the edge,” or you are nervous about singing any part of it (high note, sustained phrase, etc.), you should either sing the song in another key or remove it from your program. You sing your best when you feel completely comfortable.
*7*
Practice singing your audition program many times in front of an audience before an audition.
There is no such thing as over-practicing. It is extremely risky for your first public rendition of a piece to be in an audition or performance situation. Each time you sing your program, little glitches will appear. Such problems often occur in unexpected places, including passages that have felt secure in the past. These can throw you while performing. The remedy? Practice. You’ll become confident that you can solve problems in a split second, keeping the performance running smoothly. Security comes through knowing you are prepared to handle anything unusual that happens during the performance.
Additional considerations:
• For at least some of your rehearsals, re-create an audition scenario.
• Practice your program in the hall where the audition will take place, if possible.
• Invite a small audience to listen.
• Sing in the clothes you will wear for the audition.
• Practice entering and leaving the stage and announcing yourself and your pieces.
• Ask your listeners for feedback.
• If your regular accompanist will not be playing for the audition, be ready for anything by practicing with pianists you have never rehearsed with.
*8*
Sing music in transpositions that work for you.
Changing the key of your piece even as little as a half step up or down can make a tremendous difference in your comfort level. (This does not apply to opera and oratorio arias, which are usually required to be sung in original keys—yet another reason to choose your arias wisely!) The full beauty and resonance of your voice will emerge effortlessly when a piece is in the right (comfortable) key for you.
Songs are like shoes. While it is possible to wear shoes a size too big or too small, they will become painful quite quickly. Perfectly fitting shoes allow you to move confidently and effortlessly. Likewise, music that “fits” will feel effortless and secure in your voice.
How can you tell if a piece is in the optimum key for you? A key is generally right if you feel free to sing expressively. Dynamic contrasts and musical sensitivity are difficult, if not impossible, to achieve when music is set too high or too low for your voice.
*9*
Take note when adjudicators give repertoire suggestions or indicate that something you are singing does not serve you well
Feedback from seasoned professionals is invaluable. Auditions are important learning experiences, especially when you are given repertoire suggestions. If several judges comment that your repertoire is too heavy or advanced for you right now, take that advice to heart.
*10*
Expose yourself to a wide range of performances.
Widespread exposure to other singers’ performances and the repertoire they sing will assist you in learning about “appropriate repertoire” for singers of all voice types in varying stages of development. Enrolling in a university with a large graduate program in voice and opera will allow you to have the guidance of teachers who have had extensive “real world” experience.
Outside of academia, it is uncommon to have such intensive exposure to such a quantity of repertoire, as well as to singers of various levels, abilities, and voice types. If you live in an area where there are few opportunities to hear live performances or work with teachers who are actively involved in the profession, do your own research before selecting literature so you can avoid singing music too advanced or heavy for you.
The next time you prepare for an audition, follow these guidelines—and have fun selecting a program that you are excited about and that allows you to perform comfortably and to the best of your ability, while satisfying even the pickiest of judges.
