Neeee-eeeewwww Voice Excercises

"So, what are we working on today?" asked my voice teacher at this morning's much anticipated lesson. I immediately presented him with my list of audition notices as well as the requirements for each. I was determined to make the most of my hour-long lesson.

For the first audition requiring 16 bars traditional B-way (ballad or up tempo) to show range & reflect style of the show, NO POP or ROCK - he suggested I start with "Journey From The Past" and "Someone to Watch Over Me"

I sang the latter for him, and it needed a bit of help since it is a song that is supposed to sit more legit. I have been utilizing a more pop/belty sound in recent years, so my legit sound is in need of a reawakening.

In order to help this, my teacher prescribed a few neeeee-eeew vocal exercises - one of which involves making a neeee-oooo or neeee-eeeeww type sound in a voice mimicking a sob. The point of this is to help tip the larynx forward to give a more clear and supported sound on my high notes. I am to practice this exercise at least once a day for a minimum of 10 minutes. It's a pretty fun exercise and there's even a silent version of it that I can do on the subway or walking around the streets of Manhattan. I've already started practicing this bizarre sound around my boyfriend - the audible one, not the silent one because, what's the fun of that? ;-)

Moving on, we examined some material for another show that is asking to see, hear, touch and feel 16 bars of a pop song or musical theater pop song showing range. For this one I practiced a little "Smash the Mirror" from The Who's Tommy. Btw - have you heard that the original Broadway cast is reuniting for a one-night concert revival of the show on December 15th? How awesome is that??? Tommy is probably my all time favorite Broadway show & "the role of the mother is a dream role of mine" I revealed to my teacher, so it goes without saying that I love singing "Smash the Mirror."

Another audition piece down, my teacher suggested that we tackle a piece that it entirely new to me: "You're Gonna Dance With Me, Willy" from the lesser known musical, "Hazel Flagg." It's a tricky little bright and up beat musical theater song, which once again required a few exercises to oil the chords and un-stick some notes, however, once I got on a roll I really started to jive with it.

There's no doubt that I have a lot to work on in the next couple of weeks to prepare myself for some auditions! I definitely have my work cut out for me, but my book is starting to look really good. On an amazing journey, together we ride!