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Identifying your unique strengths is key to success. Knowing where you shine will inform almost every artistic decision you make: (1) what roles to pursue, (2) what audition materials to use, and (3) how you present yourself to the world/industry/public. In an earlier blog entry about audition song selection, I touched on the idea of showcasing your unique strengths. But, what do I really mean by that? Here’s how I work through this with my students.

To state the obvious, your unique strengths are those assets and abilities you have that make you stand out from the average.

Now, how on earth are you supposed to know what your unique strengths are? What an awkward question.

That’s where a coach comes in. Having an outside professional, whether me or someone else, work with you on identifying your strengths can help bring needed perspective and clarity to this question. You may not have heard a bunch of people in your city sing or perform, so how are you supposed to know where you fit? Your coach has, and can bring that knowledge to the table. For example, I once told a student who was auditioning for a rock musical, “the panel is going to hear over a hundred pretty girls who can sing. But they aren’t going to have that many who can sing a rock song like you, so let’s feature that in your audition.”

What qualifies as a unique strength? By “unique” I don’t mean “only one in the world;” I mean more than or higher than average. When I ask my students what their unique strength is, I’m often provided with this answer: “singing!” To which I teasingly respond, “singing what?” and that’s when I get the blank stare.

To successfully identify your unique strengths, you will need to get specific. There’s a ton of amazing singers out there! What are YOU specifically good at? Can you belt up high like a gospel singer? Are you so powerful you don’t need a microphone? Do you have a rich, velvety lower range? Can you spit out “Speed Test” faster than anyone? Can you move anyone to tears with your heart-wrenching ballad?

Of course, you may not have a unique strength related to singing. What other possible unique strengths are there? How about look – do you look particularly young or old for your age? Are you particularly tall or short? Can you tap dance? Play a musical instrument? How about dialects? The possibilities are endless!

So, what are YOUR unique strengths? Once you know what they are, you can begin to feature them more and really start elevating your auditions and performances.

Break a leg out there!

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Great news! You found out your local theatre is producing your favorite show, and YOU are going to audition!

First things first – what song are you going to use for your audition?

I help my students answer this question ALL THE TIME. I thought I would share how we figure this out together.

Our goals (all equally important):

  1. Selecting repertoire that shows off the performer at their very best.
  2. Connecting with and encouraging the panel to feel something.
  3. Making it easy for the panel to picture the performer in the role.

First and foremost, the universe must start with the audition notice and its requirements.  It is essential to only look at repertoire that is appropriate for the audition.  If it says to only audition with material from the show, your preparation/selection will be quite different than if you can come in with anything.

Second, if you were cast, where would you best fit? What role is best for you? This is the role that is best suited to your voice and your acting abilities, not necessarily the most fun role or your favorite role. This is where outside help can be very helpful; as humans we can’t always be objective when it comes to ourselves and where we best fit. It is also helpful to have an understanding of your unique strengths – what can you do that only a few others or no one else can?

Third, it is time to research.  Assuming you have a large universe of options, there are many, many different directions you can go using the information collected above.  I encourage you to start with your preferred role – have any of your vocal twins ever played the role or one of the similar roles you identified?  If so, this is a very good sign you are targeting the right role.  Make a list of all songs that your vocal twin has performed (or at least you can find on YouTube) of the same lyricist/composer and their contemporaries. 

Then, next level: which songs on the list match up best to the role you want? If the role you want mostly sings belty torch songs about love, then those are the songs on the list you want to focus on.  Same if it’s all patter songs in the role. 

Finally, in which of the remaining songs can you find the strongest opportunity to connect with the panel?  Make them laugh, make them cry, make their jaw drop, some sort of stand-out moment that you can deliver well.  You want to make the biggest possible impact; when they are sorting through all of the headshots at the end of the day, you want them to see you and say “Oh! He was the one who made me cry!” Or laugh, or think about a song differently, etc. This is the opportunity to show your unique strengths and make an impact!

Using these steps, you can find an audition song that will allow you to shine your very best, connect with the panel, and make it easy for them to picture you in the role. I help my students stay booked using this formula – and now you can too! Get out there and break a leg!

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Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a beginning singer, it’s important to know who your “vocal twin” is – and you can definitely have more than one!

Who is your vocal twin? Your vocal twin is a well-known performer who:

  • is within ten years of your age;
  • has a similar vocal range and style to you; and
  • plays or has played roles that would be a good fit for you.

The purpose of finding your vocal twin is not to copy their every move; in fact, I highly discourage it. When it comes to repertoire selection, however, your vocal twin can be a goldmine!

It can be so overwhelming to pick a song for your audition book. “Golden Age Tenor Ballad” is unhelpfully generic and will generate a thousand results. However, if your vocal twin is Gavin Creel, take a look at what Golden Age repertoire he’s done, either as part of a role or in concert. His YouTube channel could help you map your audition book and find those songs that sit perfectly in your voice because he’s found the songs that fit perfectly in his.

It’s important when selecting your vocal twin(s) to be honest with yourself about your sound and to get outside opinions if possible. It can be very challenging to separate the type of singers you love to sing along with from the singers who actually sound like you. Believe me, I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I do not sound like Mary Bond Davis or Bebe Neuwirth (much to my chagrin). I’m a soprano and my training is more classically based, so my vocal twins are singers like Audra McDonald and Kelli O’Hara. While we wouldn’t always play the same roles, their catalogues have been fantastic resources for me.

When it comes to selecting repertoire, the sheer volume of options can be so overwhelming. By finding your vocal twin, you help narrow the path to the perfect audition song!