No matter how long you have been singing for or how many years of singing lessons you have under your belt, the auditions room can be a daunting place. Whether it’s to get into a local choir, a performance group or show, it automatically gets our brains racing; how do I prepare my voice before performing, how do I choose the best audition songs, how do I keep my nerves under control on the day, and so on. Luckily, we have a whole host of professional singers and vocal tutors at our fingertips, so we asked some of them to give us their top tips for singing auditions.
Be Authentic and Do You!
It can be hard not to compare yourself to other singers, especially the ones whose songs you decide to use for an audition! It’s important to remember to play to your strengths and remember that we are all unique. After all, only Beyoncé sounds like Beyoncé (though we would all like to get some of Bey’s musical prowess!) and only you sound like you. Our Head of Singing, Bernadette Doyle says,
There’s two things I usually recommend to singers before an audition. A) Be authentic! Remain true to yourself as a singer and put your own stamp on the song you perform. Don't feel you have to emulate or ad lib like crazy - just do you! and B) research a wide range of repertoire to find a song that hasn’t been sung to death that also really suits your voice. If you’ve heard this before, it’s because it’s true. In an audition you want to be remembered, so think about the whole picture and choose the song that best shows off your personality, vocal ability and range. Good luck!
Give Your Voice a Break
Sometimes silence is golden, which City Academy Singing Tutor, Lara Eidi completely agrees with.
The day before an audition I recommend complete silence… the entire day! It really helps, not just to rest the voice, but also psychologically.
A full day of silence might be easier for some than others, but try to rest your voice as much a possible and use the time to get into a good headspace about the upcoming audition.
The Audition Starts with the Preparation
If you’re a seasoned audition goer the next tips will probably be ingrained in your preparation ritual, but if you’re heading to your first audition listen up! Amplified Choir’s MD, Lauren Ronan explains the importance of showing up prepared.
First of all, be friendly and talk to the musicians. They are an important part of your audition. Also, make sure you come prepared. Bring your sheet music, know your key and your tempo. This will make everything go much smoother.
Another preparation tip is to drink water 4 hours before your audition. Gulping down water just before singing won’t really have any impact on your voice, so make sure you pre-hydrate.
Relieving a Bit of Pressure
It’s normal to want to be rewarded for putting a lot of time and effort into preparing for an audition, or anything for that matter. Sometimes this can translate to you putting pressure on yourself, which can make it harder to keep those nerves under control when the time comes to actually sings. City Academy Singing Tutor, Elliot Clay’s audition tip is the perfect remedy for anyone who struggles with nerves!
It’s not all about you. The people you are auditioning for have a problem that they want you to solve. In fact, they are desperate for you to be the one who solves their problem, because it means they can stop looking. Remember this, as realising that there is a bigger picture takes the pressure of you and lets you get on with your audition.
So, if you’re going to an audition in the near future you will hopefully have some new tools in you preparation and performance arsenal!
If you are looking for singing workshops and and singing lessons in London, City Academy offers singing courses across a range of levels; from beginners through to specialised genres and songwriting.
