Hello my name is Betsy and I'm a singing teacher at TakeLessons. Today we're going
to talk about some of the best audition songs for Altos in musical theatre.
We'll cover a mix of Broadway, Disney, and classical songs as well as which
songs you should have avoid because they're overdone in auditions. So stay
tuned and don't forget to click our link in the description box to try our free
online singing classes. So in choosing a good audition song for an alto it's
important to realize what you're auditioning for first of all and what
voice type you are second of all. There are a lot of songs out there that are
written for huge belting Altos and just really showstoppers but there are a lot
of songs out there that are written for a softer alto voice. So let's say you're
a younger Alto and you want to show off maybe that you're developing into a
belter. Johnny one note is a great song, has a number of B flats right in
the middle of that range. That's not too high. It's a good idea to take a look
at yourself and realize your personality. Am I the funny lady, am i a comedian? Maybe
I wouldn't choose a song that's more serious or a ballad; I would choose
something that's fun or I can kind of act out. If I'm maybe more reserved and
shy I might go with something that's a little bit more a ballad or something
that I can kind of take my time with. There's a lot that you can choose from
from the alto songbook too that haven't been done over and over and over again
and you can kind of incorporate your personality a little bit more into that
audition. So if you are a younger Alto it's
important not to do something that's so overdone like Rain on my parade or
Defying gravity. A younger Alto just doesn't have the lung support and the
diaphragm control to do that like a professional singer in their 30s or
40s would. You're gonna create vocal strain, you're gonna hurt your vocal
cords. It's really important to work with a teacher and pick something that is
appropriate for your voice, especially as its developing, isn't gonna hurt it. Just
because it's a pretty song and you like to sing along with it in the car
doesn't necessarily make it a good audition song especially if that's not
the voice type that you're bringing to the stage. So we had talked about things
not to do - don't sing Rain on my parade - but one that you could do is The music
that makes me dance. It's a beautiful song from the same show, people are
familiar with it but again it's not overdone and it isn't owned by a
different character. Another good one would be Wherever he ain't from Mac and
Mabel. This is a great score, again a show that's done but it's not overdone,
probably the director knows it but isn't maybe done it in the last ten years,
and probably no other young Altos are going to be singing it, so it would be a
good choice for you. Another fun song that would show off your
sassy side would be How about a dance. It was from Bonnie and Clyde. The show
itself didn't really take off and so it's possible that another person
wouldn't be auditioning with that. Fortune favors the brave from Aida
would be a nice choice if you want to mix a little bit more of that classical
tone into your audition. It's not that ragtime up tempo, so if you want to go
for a role that's more like that, that would be a great song to use at an
audition. Another fun one if you're auditioning for kind of a femme fatale
is think of Grease. There are worse things I could do is a great song to
audition with; it really lets your personality show. You can be a little bit
sassier in there and kind of show off that side.
If it's an older or more of a belting role - A mother doesn't matter anymore
from Bye Bye Birdie, something that's gonna really be a showstopper, show off
that big belting range that you have, use your chest voice, really just let it all
out. I like to recommend Somewhere from West
Side Story because it's not done as much as the other songs so again you'll stand
out a little bit and you will kind of be able to show off your range. If you're a
soprano who can belt it's good to audition for belting roles but if you're
a mezzo or an alto with the range it's great to show off your higher notes
because that might put you in a different place in a director's head. So
there are great songs in the Disney songbook that are perfect for Altos or
young Altos to audition with. Poor unfortunate souls from Ursula is
fantastic because you can really show off if you have comedic chops or kind of
act it out or just get that villainous type vibe going.
Pocahontas' Colors of the wind, Just around the Riverbend aren't done as much
as songs like Frozen and Moana, so it's gonna set you apart, especially as a
younger actor. Another good one would be the role of Megara from Hercules. The
song by Susan Egan. She sings I won't say I'm in love and that's a great song
because it's not that light bright soprano soubrette role that everybody
else is going to be auditioning with.
So as an alto auditioning for something more classical you have to realize one
of two things - if it's going to be a musical theatre you can look for kind of
an alto or something that's going to be a mixed belting role or maybe a little
bit more lyrical but also you have to realize that as a classical singer
you're probably going to be looking for a mezzo-soprano piece. Mezzo soprano and
contralto are the operatic or classical terms for what an alto or a belter would
be for musical theater so it's the same voice type. It's the same vocal range
they're just called different things so don't be afraid to sing a mezzo soprano
piece thinking that you're an alto, In choirs you're listed as an Alto, in
opera you're listed as a mezzo soprano, so you do have the range and you can
sing something like that. There are a number of roles in opera that are
written for young women to perform but they're actually male roles so it's
called a pants role. Pants roles are great for auditions so if you want to
find something, Mozart did it a lot. Those are great for auditions
and they would be right in your range. One would be Voi che sapete from The
Marriage of Figaro which would be wonderful for a young mezzo soprano to
sing. It wouldn't push your range, would be great. Another one would be from
Vanessa and it's Must winter come so soon? That's a great one because it's in
English and Barber wrote it so it's an American composer. If you're a young
aspiring classical singer maybe not tackling a different language would be
very helpful. Another one that's in English would be from Percel. When I am
laid in earth from Dido and Aeneas is a great song just because again you're not
going to be tackling a different language and a new style of singing. Just
some general tips for having a good audition as an alto - it's know your voice
type. Are you a strong belter? If you are, show that off. It's great to have those
big notes and really be able to let them wale at the end. It's really important to
realize where your breaks are, to study with a voice teacher so you're not
straining your vocal cords and you're belting properly. If you have a softer
voice choose those ballads, choose something that's going to maybe show off
your acting ability rather than if you don't have
a big belting range. If you do have higher notes choose something that shows
those off, do something that goes up into your head voice or does that quick
switch from a mixed belt into your head voice. It's important that you realize
where your strong points are and show that because you only have 32 bars to
let them know exactly what you're capable of. The other thing is you really
want to paint yourself into the role that they want to see. So are you being
the funny lady, are you being cast as the lead, is the lead in Alto? You want
to give the director exactly what they need to see to put yourself in that
position and get cast as that role. Can you think of any other good audition
songs? Leave a comment and let us know. And if you enjoyed this video consider
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