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May 13, 2009 by Jan Klump

A few audition thoughts

Jeff Brown just offered the best audition advice for me to share:

I’ve listened to hundreds (perhaps thousands) of auditions over the years. I think the biggest “tip” I can offer is not to over-think what they want. Show them – as accurately as possible – what you ARE, and see if it fits. If not, don’t take it personally.

Read that again, folks. It isn’t personal when you don’t get in a show. Everyone is rejected. Often. When you get to the professional level, there may be 300 people who look or sound just like you at an audition. Casting directors have lots of choices. A small fluke may be the reason you get the role or are rejected. Learn to handle rejection or get out of the business.

Jeff points out that you need to show who you are. When you are preparing for auditions, let’s make sure that you can show just what YOU have that is unique — the one trait that most of the others won’t have.

May 12, 2009 by Jan Klump

When you are singing in a choir

Of course, you don’t want to be so animated that the audience focuses just on you. You are a part of a group. You are sharing with us as a group. However, it is so frustrating to go to a choral concert where all of the singers look bored. You sound bored, too. I realize that often – with young singers especially – this is a result of your being very self conscious. Well, singers, you would be less self conscious if you focused on the words the lyrics are trying to express. Let me repeat from my last blog: Every song is a one act play. How do you want us to feel when we hear a song? Happy? Sad? Warm and cuddly? Angry? Those are just a few possibilities, but surely you don’t want us to feel bored. Please, care about the lyrics of your song and let us see that the words mean something to you.

I often tell voice students to “open your mouth and move your lips.” You’ve been practicing talking without moving your lips since kindergarten when you realized that if you wanted to talk to the person next to you in school, you didn’t want the teacher to see you. By high school you have that art down pretty solidly. When you are singing, it is time to open your mouth and move your lips. It lets the sound come out to us instead of staying inside your head. You look like you are doing something, and your face becomes more expressive. You share the experience with your audience. That’s a good thing.

And finally, a word about posture and arms. I know we all feel as if we must look like apes when we stand with our arms at our sides. You won’t look like an ape. You will look professional and poised. A choir with members slouching, arms in front of them (in the fig leaf position) or behind their backs (called the Columbo back when he was on TV) looks as if you are a ragged bunch and not a well trained choir. Your director can’t do this for you. You must stand as if you have something wonderful to share with us. You can do it.

May 10, 2009 by Jan Klump

Talent and Preparation

So often you hear after a high school performance, “Those kids are all so talented.” Well, maybe they are, but if the performance was more than mediocre, it is because they rehearsed and practiced a lot to polish their work. Talent helps, but it is a relatively small part of the total package and performance is a total package.

Sometimes singers don’t realize they have to be actors. Every song is a one act play. If you heard the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and Chorus last night, when the tenor soloist walked to the front of the stage and sharply turned his head in reaction to what he was hearing, suddenly the drama of the piece really came into focus. He made one move, the audience laughed and he had our full attention. It was a fine moment. He also sang very well.

We’ve watched Darrell Hammond work. Do you think he takes a look at someone he wants to imitate, and he just does it? Darrell studies over and over the speech patterns, the movements and I don’t know what all to make it work. Hours and hours of study. Comics try out their material over and over again to see what works with an audience. And, rarely to you hear Darrell sing, but he wore out the warm up tape I made for him to vocalize with when we were in NYC (before the age of CDs.) I had to make him a new CD not long ago. And this is from a student who isn’t singing for his profession.

There is a lot of mediocre performance in music and theater happening everywhere all of the time. I don’t object to that. Even dabblers deserve the chance to perform. But ask yourself how good you want to be when someone says, “You are wonderful. You should be on Broadway.” I’ll teach dabblers. Some people are studying voice because it makes them feel good. That’s a good reason, and we can have a good time if that is all you want to do. However, if you want a career in music and/or theater, let’s talk about the work. Years ago I prepared a high school student who won a full college scholarship to study music. I was concerned as he thought music should be “just for fun.” I feared the university had made a bad decision giving him such an award. Fortunately, when this student got to college, he discovered that it was fun to work at the craft. He has gone on to have a successful career both as a performer and director in opera.

I don’t turn away students based on talent. I get just as much pleasure teaching the student who comes because they “can’t carry a tune” as I do from the student who shows professional potential. I only ask that you think about your reasons for being here. You can, by the way, change your mind about those reasons. Your goal doesn’t have to be cut in stone. Just ask yourself if you want to settle for mediocrity. It’s more fun if you want to do your best.

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