College auditions

[GetBackUp25]

I am getting to the point in my life where I'm starting to think about theater programs and colleges to audition for. The trouble is I can't find a song to use. I want to have a song that really shows off my acting and singing ability but I'm an alto and Gypsy, Cabaret and Chicago are pretty much overdone.

Does anyone know of any good "showstopper-y" audition songs for altos that aren't from overdone shows or The Alto's Lament?

[AwesomeDanny]

When you're auditioning for a college, it's different from auditioning for a role. They want to see you shine through, and so it's best to choose a song that you can really connect to, even if that's not the show-stopping song.

I would highly recommend you check out the forums on collegeconfidential.com which, you will find, have much more to offer on this subject than you can really get here.

[Llenelle]

Well what did you want to do? (classical/contemporary, Uptempo/Ballad, etc.)

My advice for contemporary musical theatre songs is to look on newmusicaltheatre.com and watch some clips of those songs. They also have a button where you can view music by voice type! Really work the acting in the songs you choose! :) You can also look up shows by using wikipedia and youtube, that's what I usually do.

[GetBackUp25]

I want to do something contemporary because I feel contemporary theater is much more alto-friendly. I'm okay with either a ballad or an uptempo although I feel like I sing ballads better in general.

[erinrebecca]

You're going to need more than one song for college auditions. Every school has different requirements and you should be diligent about following them carefully, but I've never heard of school that doesn't require at least two songs be prepared. Ideally, you will have more than that ready because they will often ask to hear something else from your 'book'.

[GetBackUp25]

Thanks to your help and a lot of other sources, I have finally found an uptempo and a ballad that both work for my range and aren't overdone (as far as I know):

Uptempo: A Trip To The Library from She Loves Me
Ballad: I Know The Truth from Aida

Any thoughts?

[tobiasragg]

Those are strong choices. AIDA might be a bit tired but if you can kill it, go for it. I would suggest adding at least one more uptempo and ballad as you start to build your 'book'. Ultimately, you should have at least 6 songs with cuts that you can whip out of your bum whenever you feel like it. These are first steps.

[BwayTday]

I hate to discourage you, but those are both pretty well-known/ might be overdone. But in terms of contrasting pieces, those are great choices! You want to avoid really overdone stuff because you don't want to annoy the faculty, I don't think either of those will elicit that reaction though. If you're good, it shouldn't matter in the end.

I agree that you'll need more though. Nothing would be worse than them asking for something else, and not having anything.

[Brave Sir Robin2]

1. Doing something from a classic/older musical like SHE LOVES ME shows that you aren't just from the WICKED generation, but also serious about musical theatre.
2. Of all of the AIDA songs, the one you chose is one of the least tired.

Good luck! If you're doing Unifieds, be prepared that you can do walk-up auditions. I didn't do any, but if you have time, they could be good for experience. Just have extra copies of SAT/ACT scores, trascripts, and resumes. I didn't have any of these, so I did not audition. Look in to the details, but Unifieds were super fun! I just did college auditions this year (well it will be last year in an hour), so if you have any questions feel free to PM me!

[GetBackUp25]

I have a couple other uptempos: Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee from Grease, 100 Easy Ways To Lose A Man from Wonderful Town and It's A Perfect Relationship from Bells Are Ringing

My other ballads are: The Winner Takes It All from Mamma Mia, Kindness from Bright Lights, Big City and U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D from Starlight Express

So, would any of these make better picks than the two I have already mentioned and which two would you recommend I should pair together?

[ExpressTracks]

These are all great songs. If you need to add any songs to your book you can go to www.expressmusictracks.com and get tracks to learn your song to!

[justabwaybaby2]

You're probably going to need a contemporary song and a classic song - one uptempo and one ballad - so I would start looking for a classic music theatre song too.
My suggestion is look at some old musicals that Judy Garland was in - there are some great songs for altos that she's done - they won't be overdone (unless you do Over the Rainbow or The Trolley Song) and there are a lot to choose from.