Bad choices – we’ve
all made them. Maybe it was ordering the salmon instead
of the chicken, taking the bus instead of the subway,
or maybe it was singing “I’m Too Sexy” at
your Carousel audition. Bad choices happen, but while
a judgment error at the restaurant or in transit
might upset your day it won’t usually cost
you a job. Choosing the wrong song can.
I’ve been amazed over the years at how often
I’ve heard poor song choices being performed
at auditions. But the frequency with which I find
myself standing outside of an audition room and saying, “What
were they thinking?” seems to be increasing.
Maybe those people weren’t thinking. Sometimes
nerves, the desire to impress or being unprepared
makes us draw a blank, forcing us into a song selection
that seems perfectly logical at the time but in retrospect
was completely ill advised. I’ve made a few
blunders of my own along the way. One audition in
particular haunts my memories (or should I say my
nightmares).
I was doing a reading of a show. The musical director
of that show was also the musical supervisor of a
show that was running on Broadway at the time. After
working together on the workshop for a few days he
thought that I was perfect for a part in the Broadway
production. He told me that they were holding auditions
in a few days and that he would get me an appointment.
I was thrilled. This guy liked my talent, thought
I was right for the role and was making sure that
I would be seen for the part. I had visions of another
Broadway credit on my resume dancing in my head.
As the audition neared the musical director told
me that they needed someone who had very strong high
notes and asked what I planned on singing for the
audition. I’m a high tenor and had several
prepared songs at my disposal but each song that
I suggested to him was met with distaste or indifference.
I wanted this job but I felt like I was running out
of options.
The day of the audition finally came and I found
myself at the studio still undecided on what to sing.
It was at the height of this pressure situation that
I made what seemed like the most logical decision
at the time. I would do one of the songs in my audition
book but I would transpose it up so that it would
have the high notes that the musical director was
looking for. There obviously wasn’t time for
a full transposition but I would write the new chord
symbols in above the music and I’d be set.
The job was as good as mine.
You’ve probably heard someone say that your
audition starts before you enter the room. On that
day, it’s probably safe to say that my audition
ended before I entered the room. I walked into a
room filled with the musical director, the director,
the composer, the lyricist, the writer, the choreographer,
the casting director and a handful of assistants
and proceeded to give one of the worst auditions
of my life.
While my knowledge of musical theory is very good,
I made my first mistake when I wrote in some wrong
symbols in my haste to quickly write in the chords.
My second mistake was in assuming that the accompanist
would be able to transpose on sight with just the
help of chord symbols. In my defense, I’ve
come across several talented pianists who can do
just that – unfortunately this one couldn’t.
The notes that flew from her fingers bore not even
the slightest resemblance to the song’s intro
that I knew and loved. I was lost but unwilling to
admit error or to risk the embarrassment of starting
over so I jumped in and started to sing. I sang the
melody I had sung so many times before, only now
a minor third higher.
But as the song progressed the accompanist’s
confusion and my confidence took diverging paths.
She valiantly struggled to decipher my impromptu
chord scratchings and my aplomb shrank away and cowered
in the shadows of my ineptitude. I think there may
have been two moments in the song in which she and
I were actually together and delivering sounds that
could be deemed pleasant to the ear – one was
a rare moment of non-dissonance near the beginning
of the chorus and other was when we both stopped.
At the song’s end I laughed an embarrassed
laugh and tried to make a half hearted joke about
the carnage that had just taken place but was unable
to solicit even the faintest smirk. Remarkably, and
perhaps out of pity, they asked for a second song.
This time I sang something tried and true in the
proper key and I nailed it. But it was too late;
the damage had already been done.
I didn’t get the job. I never even got another
audition for the show before it closed. I had relied
too heavily on the whims of the musical director
and had taken his suggestions as gospel rather than
believing in myself and going with the material that
I had prepared and knew that I did well.
I’m sure you’re probably asking yourself, “What
was he thinking?” Well, hindsight is 20/20
and what I was thinking was that I wanted a job.
What I wasn’t thinking about was doing my best
and making smart decisions. It was a tough lesson
to learn.
I don’t want you to make the same mistake so
next week I’ll give you some suggestions on
how to be your best at each audition and on making
sound choices.
