How to Audition for a Choir

I find out about most auditions through facebook.  Lots of choirs have websites but will often post auditions as events on facebook.  I also follow and “like” a lot of audition pages so often I will get the same audition notice a couple of times.  Occasionally I hear about auditions through word of mouth and sometimes if I hear a choir I like I will look them up online and find out when they are doing auditions.

For this most recent audition, I found out about them on a facebook audition page.  I looked at the audition requirements and read about the group on their website and thought I would be a good fit for them (and them for me).  They do mostly a cappella songs (think Pitch Perfect) and so I knew the music would have an extra level of challenge to it.  It would also require good music reading skills, a good ear and commitment (all of which I know I have).

I sent out a request for an audition by email and got my time slot booked.

This is always the hardest part of any audition for me, whether it’s for choir, opera or musical theatre.  I want to pick a song that a) shows off my voice and abilities b) I know really well and c) is in the appropriate style of music.  Since this was an a cappella group that does mostly pop music, I knew I had to pick a pop song.  When I do opera or musical theatre auditions, I have a few songs that I know pretty well that I can brush off and polish up to meet those 3 criteria.  However, I know very few pop songs from start to finish.  Sure, I can sing along with the radio but I usually end up mumbling half the words or getting distracted when I have to pay attention to driving.  Could I have gone in with an opera aria or musical theatre song?  Sure – but that’s not what they were looking for.  They were looking for someone who knows pop music and can sing with others and blend in, they weren’t looking for an operatic soloist.  So I knew I needed to pick a song that showed off my voice and I could remember all the words to.  I had a few options in mind but I admit I left this decision to the last minute and didn’t really start rehearsing my song until 2 days before.

Not all choirs will do this, but in some cases they send you a piece to rehearse in advance that you sing at the audition.  This is mostly done with higher level, more advanced choirs, so don’t be intimidated.  I chose this choir because I wanted a challenge; keep in mind that most choirs do not require you to learn music in advance.   I received the song and a midi file and decided to learn the soprano part.  I knew that at the audition they would be singing the other parts along with me.  I always take the time to mark up my score to highlight important information:  I take a highlighter and draw big pink lines around important markings like repeats, first and second endings, tempo etc.  If there is a tricky passage I write the subdivision of the beat over the bar.  If there are unexpected notes or intervals I write them above the bar.  Then I begin the process of learning the melody, rhythm and text.  If a recording exists I will listen to that a couple of times.

I requested a noon audition (on a Saturday) so I would have plenty of time to get up, have breakfast and coffee, warmup, get there and park.  I prefer not to audition in the morning:  for one, I’m not a morning person and also my voice is less warmed up than if it were later in the day.  Speaking and singing are both done using the same mechanism so if I’ve had the chance to talk throughout the day I will feel more warmed up.  (Speaking can be part of your warmup – assuming you speak in a vocally healthy way and don’t speak excessively throughout the day).  I warmed up by reading some texts out loud for 10 minutes, doing some vocal exercises and humming.  I always drink lots of water the day of the audition as inevitably my mouth will get dry right before.  I don’t get terribly nervous before auditions (this is my hobby, not my livelihood) but I’m always concerned with doing my best.  Sometimes this makes my throat go dry or I have trouble breathing as deeply as I should.  On this particular day I had a bit of phlegm in my throat.  This is the gross part of singing – dealing with phlegm!  The way I deal with this is by drinking lots of water and gargling.  I also do some warmups in the higher end of my range (a voice teacher told me to do this once to get rid of phlegm, I’m not entirely sure it works).  I also practice silently squeezing my vocal folds together a couple of times and swallowing.  Gross!

I chose an outfit to wear that was sort of business casual.  I didn’t want to show up in jeans and a t-shirt but I also didn’t want to show up in a ball gown or pantsuit!  For a choir audition I usually dress nicely, but not fancy.  (For a musical theatre audition, I will wear something athletic as there is usually some choreography to learn.  For an opera audition I will wear a dress or skirt and blouse with heels).

I left an hour early, drove over and kept humming and gently singing on the way, and drinking water.  I decided to pay for parking because I didn’t want to stress out about finding a spot and have to possibly walk several blocks and arrive at the audition sweaty.  Another gross part of auditioning – dealing with sweat!  (Side note: The parking ended up being $7 for less than an hour!)  I went to a restroom that was close to the audition room but not right beside it (I didn’t want them to invite me in without a final trip to the bathroom and look in the mirror).  I peed, checked that there was no food in my teeth, blew my nose, (gross), got out my information form (which I had filled out in advance) and went to sit down outside the audition room.

The audition went pretty well.  I flubbed some lines in my song but just kept going because that’s what you do.  It was my first time performing that song and I believe you never truly know a song until you perform it.  They did some range checking which was fine, and we chatted about the choir and what it’s like singing with them.  We sang the prepared material and I know I nailed that part.  My concern when I audition is not that I lack musical abilities but that they see me as a right fit for them.  If auditions were won just on ability to read music I would get all of them, but there are other factors to consider.

If I don’t get accepted into this choir I will just keep auditioning for other ones.  Like I said at the beginning: it’s a numbers game.  The more auditions you do the more likely you’re going to get the part!

What do you do before an audition to prepare?