Putting Together an Audition Book
If you are a vocalist and are putting together a true audition book, you have a lot of work to do. This is not a process of grabbing whatever song you can find that you know and throwing it in your book. No way! In fact, you really have to take your time with every song you choose.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Is this in my range?
Does it show off my range?
Does this song show off a certain type I would play?
What shows would this be right for?
If I can’t do a whole song, does this have a strong 16 bar cut?
Can I relate with what this person is singing about?
Do I like the song?
After asking yourself these questions, you will prevent yourself from having songs that do the same thing. This prevents that pointless debate of which song to sing at an audition. On top of all of this, you will eventually end up with a a lot of songs in your book. A country musical asks for a country song - and you need to have an uptempo and a ballad in that style. What about a 50s musical or what if someone wants you to sound like Janis Joplin? What if you are auditioning for a Disney Princess or a witch? What if you are auditioning for Rent?
See what I mean? A lot of work goes into an audition book. As you grow older, the songs that were once right for you change regarding your look or increasing/decreasing vocal range. Putting together an audition book takes a lot of time, energy, and … work.
