How To Be a Successful Singer: College and University Musical Theatre Programs

 

AUDITIONING FOR MUSICAL THEATRE DEGREE PROGRAMS

“If you understand others you are smart.
If you understand yourself, you are illuminated".
Lao Tzu

Deciding to pursue a degree in musical theater means you are serious about making performing your job after graduation. These programs are highly selective; only a few spots are available, and there are over 5000 applicants for around 300 spots each year. The competition to be accepted is fierce (as it is in the real world of performing). The sooner you start preparing by taking weekly voice and dance lessons and preparing your audition material, the more you increase your chances of being accepted.

MOST of the students who audition for these programs will not be accepted, simply because they are not well-prepared. That preparation takes years of study, not just a few weeks before audition season. It involves making choices about how you spend your time, all through middle school and high school.

Good grades and ACT/ SAT scores are crucial these days. Even if you are the most talented kid in your high school, your grades matter. A lot.

Begin by researching all the college and university programs available. Research the curriculum and degree programs they offer. You should know the difference between a BA (Bachelor of Arts) degree and a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) degree and how each will affect your chances of success after graduation. Research the faculty at each school-their degrees, performing background and philosophy.

Research the audition requirements for each school: they are all different! Some university degree programs are geared specifically toward training the classical singer. This will not help you if your goal is musical theater. You need to be sure the school you are attending has a degree program in musical theater, not just voice. Make sure the instructors have a track record of actually being successful performers themselves.

Don’t choose only one school and limit your options. Competition is intense, and sometimes choices are made based on factors other than talent. For example, they may be looking for a specific “type” currently needed in their program. Audition for as many schools as you can. Go to the school and spend some time on campus before the audition. Talk to the students in the program to see how they like it and whether the program delivers what they were expecting. This may seem cost-prohibitive because of travel costs, but may well save you many thousands of dollars in the long run, by preventing you from picking a school you won’t be happy with.

The most competitive schools are on the East Coast.  These schools receive thousands of applications every year. Of these, they may audition a few hundred and select as few as ten students. There are always more slots for males than for females, particularly sopranos. The benefit of studying at an East Coast school (New York in particular) is that you can potentially sneak out to audition in the real world of Broadway (although the schools tend to frown on this because they don’t want to lose their students). For this reason alone, it is worth at least making a try for these prestigious schools. Or even a less-than-prestigious school in nearby New Jersey.  

A great way to prepare early for college auditions is to attend summer musical theatre programs. This will allow you to see how you measure up against the competition.  You will be spending 12-18 hours a day for several weeks doing nothing but rehearsing and performing. This experience will tell you if you love musical theatre as much as you thought you did!

Preparation is the key to success in auditions of all kinds.

Take your college auditions very seriously and prepare very early. Ideally, most of the preparation work should be completed by the end of your Junior year. The longer you have been preparing and rehearsing, the more likely you are to give a professional quality audition. You may think you will be fine with a last-minute approach, but your lack of preparation will always be apparent to the auditors. They do know the difference.

To be competitive in college musical theatre programs, you need to have several years’ intensive training in:

VOICE- Invest in private voice lessons with a teacher who understands mix singing. You will need to acquire a long repertoire list in addition to your audition package.

DANCE- Tap, Jazz, Modern, Ballet.

ACTING- There are acting teachers who specialize in college audition preparation. Work with one!

Your audition will include all three areas.

Your college package will be two contrasting songs and two contrasting monologues. However, your repertoire list (singing and acting) must be much more extensive.  You may be asked to perform something from your repertoire list in addition to your two songs.

THE SINGING SEGMENT

Choosing the right audition repertoire is crucial. In a three to five-minute minute audition, you will be expected to show as many contrasting emotions and characters as possible. Choose your repertoire with that in mind. You will perform cuts (not full-length songs) of two songs in differing styles. For example, one ballad and one up-tempo, or one serious song and one that is more light-hearted or funny.

Ideally, one song should show your ability to belt- (or mix and sound like you are belting) up to D5 for females and the other your legit, or head voice. The range of the legit song should be up to at least G#5 for females.

Males should be able to belt or sing in a mix that sounds like belting up to G4-A4 or higher. A powerful high C in a heavy mix that sounds like belt for a male is your ticket in.

Some schools (Indiana for example) place more importance on the “legit” sound for females, and some place more importance on the ability to “belt” (or sound like you are belting, with a strong mix).

Do not choose two songs from the same musical or by the same composer. The songs should be from different periods. One should be copyrighted pre-1960-1965, and one song should be copyrighted post-1965.

Many schools place great importance on a singer/actor’s ability to convincingly portray lyrics from the pre-1960 era- the “golden age” of musical theatre.

CUTS: You need several versions/cuts of each of your songs and monologues. You need:

a) A 32 bar cut (60 seconds or less)
b) A 16 bar cut (30 seconds or less)

THE PROFESSIONAL WAY TO PRESENT YOUR MUSIC

     • Cut and paste only the sections that you want onto one page, printed on cardstock. Two at most. Be sure to show intros, modulations, and tempo changes. This is easier to accomplish if you download the sheet music from musicnotes.com (making sure it is in the correct key). Then you can copy and paste the sections you need on to one page, and print onto cardstock.

     • Put these clean cuts in a non-glare sleeve.

     • Mark key changes and anything else of importance with a RED pencil.

     • Put all this in a BLACK 3-ring binder, 1-inch size or less.

     • Organize and label the contents of the binder in sections with dividers in sections:
          32 bar cuts
          16 bar cuts
          Full songs

     * A bar is a measure of music- the music between two bar or measure lines.

Your binder should include not only the top two songs that you will use for most of the college auditions, but also another ten songs that are equally prepared and divided into 32 bar and 16 bar cuts.

One of these songs should be a pop song, though not one that is super contemporary or extremely stylized. Pick a classic pop song that shows a large vocal range and beautiful singing.

These songs should be just as rehearsed as your top two. Many schools, if they are interested in you, will ask for your other repertoire.

They want to see your interpretation of the song and your connection to the emotion of the song, not a re-hash of someone else’s interpretation. Make sure you have worked on all your repertoire with your voice teacher, and with an acting coachj.

Songs and monologues should be blocked-movement should be planned and rehearsed endlessly before the audition. It’s not necessary to dance, but you should plan and rehearse appropriate movements.

Some schools require one or two classical pieces as well-singing in Italian, French or German is especially impressive. Of course, this needs to be something you have worked in extensively in private voice lessons. The Italian, French, and German art song repertoire is appropriate for this section. If you learned an Italian piece to audition for All-State, use that.

Be sure that any repertoire you choose is something you have sung for a long time and are completely familiar with. Last-minute preparations will cause you to fail in every part of the audition.  Prepare early!

THE ACTING SEGMENT

Monologues

Monologues should show contrasting emotions. You will need several cuts of your monologues (60 seconds, 90 seconds, and 2 minutes). Please choose age-appropriate material that is tasteful. Choose something from a straight play or film; do not choose monologues from musicals. Be sure you have done your research and know the play, the character, the character’s motivation, and what is happening at the moment you are speaking, etc.

A good source for this research is www.musicals101.com.

Don’t try to be shocking or rude by choosing monologues that are in bad taste or that use trashy language. The monologue you choose should be one that made you laugh or cry when you first read it- one that you feel a connection to.

Don’t mime actions such as opening doors. You can bring small (not large) props, and you will be able to use a chair if you like. Stay away from material that uses character voices, accents, etc. Do not imitate a famous person’s performance! Make the interpretation your own.

THE SLATE

Practice your slate every time you rehearse your songs and monologues. For songs, you state your name and the title of the song. Just say the title- don’t give the author, what musical the song is from, or why you choose it.

Say My name is ______ and I will be singing ________.

When you announce your monologue, you will say the name of the piece and play that it comes from, but don’t launch into a description of the character or the scene.

Say My name is ____ and I will be performing _____ from the play __________.

Say your name clearly, so they understand it. Smile and look happy to be there, even if you are nervous! And NO DISCLAIMERS, EVER! No auditor wants to hear excuses such as I’m usually better than this, but I have a cold/didn’t get much sleep/got lost getting here etc., etc., etc. Don’t say anything about all your challenges.  Just focus on the task at hand- giving the best audition you can, at this moment, with all the challenges you are facing.

Good training for life.

REHEARSE YOUR SLATE

Video-record, your slate, critique yourself and do it again (and again). This is an excellent way to see yourself as others see you.

TIME LIMITS

Time limits must be observed.  Your entire audition is 3-5 minutes. Often there is a “timer” at the audition with a stopwatch, and you will be cut off if you go over time. If there is not a specified time limit, keep the song length short. If you choose a lengthy song, you will be cut off before you finish. Show them what you can do as quickly as possible. Show as much range and power and dynamic contrast as possible in the shortest amount of time possible, and the auditors will love you for it.

THE DANCE SEGMENT

The dance part of the audition takes place in a class setting. For the dance portion of the audition, wear professional dance attire, not sweats or shorts. Bring the correct shoes: ballet slippers, jazz shoes, tap shoes, and character shoes. You will get a warm-up (which the whole group does together), a ballet combination, and a jazz combination, which are taught to the group and then performed in groups of four or five.

Keep your hair out of your face, wear professional dance attire, and do not chew gum. Be professional! If dance is not your strongest skill, do the best you can, graciously and with a smile.

Be willing and be teachable. Don’t stop the class or ask a lot of questions that slow the process down. Just do your best. They know that every student who auditions is not a prima ballerina-they want to see if you are teachable and humble. Some schools such as Florida State, University of Utah have challenging dance auditions. If you have not taken ballet, jazz, modern, and tap, you need to enroll in those classes immediately.

AT THE AUDITION

Be sure you allocate plenty of time to warm up before you go to the audition, and plan to arrive WAY early. Getting there at the last minute or late because you got lost or overslept or there was traffic or any other reason is unacceptable. You should travel with a steamer, nebulizer, and recording of your vocal warmup and song accompaniments.

WHAT TO BRING

     ♣ A big bag with your dancewear and shoes, water, nebulizer, audition clothes, portable bluetooth speakers, and recordings of your vocal warm-up and song accompaniments.

     ♣ Your black three-ring binder with all 12 songs: your top two choices, plus ten more. Have a second, backup copy of this binder at all times.

     ♣ In your binder, you should have your headshots, bio, repertoire sheet, and extra copies of your letters of recommendation.

Be sure to save all sheet music and backup tracks to Dropbox so they can be downloaded if needed.

MOCK AUDITIONS

Mock auditions with your voice teacher and a hired accompanist will do wonders. You should video record these sessions, taking note of improvements needed. Have the accompanist make mistakes purposefully. Often in a real audition, the accompanist can hit an incorrect note, play too fast or too slow, or even stop playing altogether.

You need to be able to sing well, no matter what. Rehearse everything from your entrance and exit, the slate, and the “smile and say thank you” after the song or monologue. The more times you do this, the better your auditions will go because you will be prepared for the challenges.

WHAT TO WEAR:

Dress professionally. The auditors judge you based on your appearance before you even open your mouth. Do not dress seductively or too casually. Be professional and conservative. Choose a wardrobe that reflects who you are, as well as perhaps suggesting your character in the songs and monologue you choose. Solid colors are better than prints. Be subtle rather than wild. Don’t wear shoes with really high heels or pointy toes. Never dress casually in jeans or flip-flops. Wear your hair back from your face so the auditors can see your eyes.

BE POLITE

Manners go a long way. Be polite to everyone, from the person who opens the door to the accompanist. Don’t snap your fingers or tap your foot to indicate tempo to the accompanist.  Instead, quietly sing a few phrases to the accompanist to give them the tempo. Set the tempo on a metronome phone app and play a few clicks before you step out on the stage, to make sure you aren’t rushing.

Your music should be cleanly copied and placed in non-glare sleeves front-to-back in a small black 3-ring binder, so the pianist does as little page-turning as possible. Don’t bring a huge neon orange binder with every song you ever sang in it. Do not bring chord charts, books, music with only a melody line, or music that is in the wrong key.

Choose material that is not extremely difficult for an accompanist. They may be seeing it for the first time, and you will not get the chance to rehearse. Point out any ritardandos (places where the music slows down) in your sheet music. If something goes wrong during the audition, don’t glare at the accompanist: just finish the song as if nothing happened. Be professional.

Do not choose to sing a cappella- use the accompanist. You can always choose to bring your accompanist if you feel more comfortable auditioning with someone you have rehearsed with.

Abide by the time limit restrictions. The auditors will know if you go over your time limit and you will not be perceived favorably, no matter how well you sing. 

Stay within the physical boundaries designated. Don’t get too close to the auditors or interact with them during your monologue. Use your fourth wall! Don’t invade their space. This makes them uncomfortable. They need some distance from you to be able to observe you.

Don’t be overly assertive or cocky-be polite and confident but not arrogant.

Acknowledge the auditors with a smile and an agreeable expression, but don’t initiate conversation or ask how they are doing. Don’t look straight at them while you are singing.

Things that can adversely affect the auditors’ impression of you include poor grammar, chewing gum, unprofessional clothing, hair, and makeup, poor posture, nervous hand movements, wandering eyes, or swaying around when you sing. (You need to video record yourself many, many times while rehearsing your audition material to eliminate nervous habits like hand movements that you aren’t even aware of).

Be polite and respectful to your fellow auditioners but don’t be overly social. Focus on your audition and save the socializing for afterward- don’t allow yourself to become distracted while waiting to audition.

On the other hand, don’t be a diva.  Be a team player. Show that you are confident but teachable and humble. It will pay off!

Often, you will be asked: Why would you like to attend this school? If you have done your research homework, you will be prepared to answer that question. Read their website. Know about their faculty, recent shows, successful alumni, etc.

Smile and say thank-you at the end of the song/monologue section of the audition and exit quickly. Don’t linger hopefully. Don’t ask them how you did, or anything else.

Do NOT post on social media. Negative comments on social media are often spotted. Some schools will research your Facebook and Instagram accounts to see what kind of person you are. Refrain from posting ANYTHING on social media about your audition.

UNIFIED AUDITIONS

Auditioning is a numbers game; the more auditions you do, the more likely you are to land a spot. So don't audition for only one or two schools. You need to count on doing at least 20 auditions to land a spot at a top school. If you just audition for your top choice school you may be very disappointed. You simply might not be the type they are looking for this year!

Unifieds are a great way to audition for numerous schools, all at one time. They occur in January and February in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. For information, please visit www.unifiedauditions.com. 

You must research each school’s website individually to determine their particular requirements.  Register for your Unified audition through the schools’ website.

In addition to the numerous schools that officially participate in unified auditions, some schools show up unofficially, and you will be able to do a walk-in audition for them.

A great option to consider is studying abroad.  You can audition for UK schools at the New York City Unifieds. Consult UCAS (University and College Admissions Service) at www.ucas.com. Tuition (9K per year) is covered by student loans that are only required to be repaid once the graduate makes over 21K per year. At greatly reduced tuition rates, UK schools only take three years to complete a degree. Such a deal!

PREPARING EARLY

The earlier you start preparing your vocal and monologue material, the more professional you will appear. Don’t even think about choosing a song or monologue any less than six months before your audition. And then rehearse them until you are sick of them, and rehearse some more! I can’t say it too many times.....work with a professional voice teacher who will develop your voice and help you choose the material. For years, not weeks.

You will also need to work with a professional acting coach to prepare for the monologue segment of the auditions. Select material based on their recommendations, not on your favorites. You need professional guidance here.

Be organized. For each school, you need to create a spreadsheet with the appropriate dates and deadlines and contact information including application deadlines, audition dates, contact personnel, financial aid deadlines, and early decision deadlines.

Gather your letters of recommendation early (you will usually need 3-5 of these; they can often be filled out online). If there are multiple audition dates, select the earliest one possible, not the last possible date. Auditors are human too and are usually very tired at the end of audition season.

Start building your repertoire early. You need many different styles represented in your singing and acting repertoire. This is why I say you need to start preparations years, not weeks or months, before the audition process. You should be able to perform ten songs with appropriate cuts IN ADDITION TO your standard two contrasting songs.

Of course, there is life after college auditions! You need to start preparing for the real world of auditioning.

In a professional audition your repertoire list might also include:

     ♣ A comedic and a dramatic classical monologue. The classical era includes Greek classics, Shakespeare, and Restoration-era monologues.

     ♣ A comedic and a dramatic modern monologue. The modern era includes Williams, Inge, Miller, and Shaw.

     ♣ A comedic and a dramatic contemporary monologue. The contemporary era includes Wasserstein, Wilson, Henley, and McNally.

     ♣ A monologue from a musical. Pick one that is age appropriate!

     ♣ A classic musical theatre ballad and a classic musical theatre up-tempo song. The classic era includes Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George, and Ira Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart, and Rodgers and Hammerstein).

     ♣ A modern musical theatre ballad and a modern musical theatre up-tempo song. The modern era includes Lerner and Lowe, Herman, Jules Styne, and Loesser.

     ♣ A contemporary musical theatre ballad and a contemporary musical theatre uptempo song. The contemporary era includes Sondheim, Webber, Wildhorn, Lippa, Guettel, and Larson.

     ♣ A classical aria and a piece from an operetta. Arias could come from operas such as La Boheme or an art song from the 26 Italian Art Songs and Arias book, and operetta includes The Merry Widow by Lehar.

     ♣ A patter song that shows your ability to execute rapid language.

     ♣ A pop/rock song. NOT a rap song. Choose something melodic that shows a wide range and your ability to mix and sing powerfully in the upper register, such as a Mariah Carey song- IF you can do the riffs and runs cleanly and in tune. If you are not an exceptional R & B stylist, choose a power ballad like a Celine Dion song if you are female or a Steve Perry (from the band Journey) song if you are male.

     ♣ A 1940’s era big band song such as Cheek to Cheek.

     ♣ A 1950’s-1960’s rock song such as Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers, or Cryin’ by Roy Orbison, that show lots of range.

     ♣ A country-western song such as Stand By Your Man by Tammy Wynette or Crazy by Patsy Cline.

The more of these you can include on your repertoire list for college auditions, the better. If it’s listed on your repertoire, you will need to be prepared to perform it at any audition.

Can you see why you need to start vocal and dramatic study early? This is a lot to know, and you can’t acquire professional levels of these skills overnight! Guess what that means? You have to determine your priorities early if you want to succeed in music.

You have to make your training and practice a priority, even at the expense of fun school and social activities that are time draining. Even at the expense of TV, Facebook, and other social media, and after-school activities. If you are serious, that is what you will choose to do. If you are not serious enough about it to make those kinds of choices, the chances are very small that you will get into a good college Musical Theatre program.

There is only so much time in the day, and if you want to succeed you need to prioritize your time. Those who are successful have done exactly that, and they can tell you that you won’t regret giving up your fun but time-wasting activities one bit, if by doing so you become a successful Broadway star!

PROGRAMS TO CONSIDER

Degrees in musical theatre and commercial music are becoming more popular and attract large numbers of students (over 5000 per year) competing for extremely limited spots (roughly 300) in top college musical theatre programs.

It’s not absolutely necessary to have a degree to succeed in the music business, but the right college program can help you hone your skills and prepare you to take the next step professionally. When selecting a college program, If becoming a professional musical theater singer/dancer is your goal my strong recommendation is that you try to locate yourself in a city where you will be able to audition for professional productions while attending classes. Although the schools usually discourage this because they don’t want to lose their best students, you can maximize your time in school to start making inroads into your future.

College can be a nice place to expand, learn, and grow, but after you graduate you are basically on your own. So use those years wisely. Position yourself near New York if at all possible, and sneak out and do every audition you possibly can.

Getting the lead in your high school musical might be a good indicator that you have talent, but a college degree program and success in the world of musical theater are much more demanding. You need to be a “triple threat”-functioning at a very high level of skill in singing, dance, acting, and stage movement. You don’t get this degree of development overnight. It takes years of hard work.

You need to be extremely versatile in your ability to sing and dance in different styles of music; musical theatre roles today cover the gamut from classical sounding legit roles to hard rock singing and gospel.

Your appearance and type play a large role in whether or not you are selected; being overweight might cause you to be typed-out of the ingenue roles, for example, even if that is your vocal quality. Get into the best physical shape you can with healthy food choices (no processed food or fast food, lots of vegetables and fruit, and no sugar) and lots of exercise.

One caveat about studying voice in any music degree program: you may be assigned to a voice teacher (who might be only a TA or grad student) who knows little or nothing about teaching mix. This happens more often than not. To keep your voice functioning at its best, you need to keep your vocal technique strong by studying privately off-campus or virtually with a teacher who understands mix. Otherwise, you might come out four years later with a degree and a broken voice. It happens all the time.

Some well-regarded programs:

• University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

• AMDA (American Academy of Dramatic Arts). You do two years in New York and two years in Los Angeles.

• Carnegie Mellon School of Drama – Pittsburgh, PA

• NYU/Tisch (New York, NY)

• University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)

• Oklahoma City University (Oklahoma City)

• University of the Arts (Philadelphia, PA)

• Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (Cincinnati, OH), University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music – Cincinnati, OH

• Elon University (Elon, NC)

• Boston Conservatory (Boston, MA)

• Ithaca College (Ithica, NY)

• Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY)

• Otterbein University (Westerville, OH)

• Webster University (Kansas City)

• Pace University (New York City)

• Point Park University (Pittsburg, PA)

• University of Hartford - Hartt School

• Pennsylvania State University (Pennsylvania PA)

• Northwestern University (Evanston, Il)

• Montclair State University (Montclair, NJ)

• Roosevelt University (Chicago, Il)

• Emerson College (Boston, MA)

• California State University, (Fullerton (Fullerton, CA)

• Shenandoah Conservatory (Winchester, VA)

• Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA)

• Marymount Manhattan College (New York, NY)

• Florida State University (Tallahassee, Fl)

• Coastal Carolina University (Conway, SC)

• Baldwin–Wallace College (Berea, OH)

• Ball State University (Muncie, IN)

• Barry University (Miami Shores, FL)

• Boston University (Boston, MA), Boston Conservatory

• Brigham Young University — Provo (Provo, UT)

• Catholic University of America (Washington, DC)

• Indiana University Bloomington (Bloomington, IN)

• Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY)

• New York University (New York, NY)

• Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)

• Pace University (New York, NY)

• Pennsylvania State University—University Park (University Park, PA)

• Point Park University (Pittsburgh, PA)

• Rider University (Lawrenceville, NJ)

• SUNY — Purchase College (Purchase, NY)

• University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL)

• University of Redlands (Redlands, CA)

• University of the Arts (Philadelphia, PA)

• Wagner College (Staten Island, NY)

• Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music

• Sheridan College! (Oakville, Ontario)

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC DEGREES

If you are looking for a commercial music degree program, I recommend the Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles (http://www.mi.edu), as well as Berklee in Boston. Berklee also has excellent online courses in songwriting and the music business. Contact them at http://online.berklee.edu. Florida State and Belmont also have commercial music degrees.

WATCH THE WEBINAR: HOW TO MAKE IT TO BROADWAY, WITH FROZEN STAR MCKENZIE KURTZ

https://youtu.be/OVVhRh4MJ64

 

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