Should This Song Go in my Audition Book?

Ah, here we are, back to the sacred “book.” As I have previously mentioned in a previous blog post about audition books, a singer’s book should only be filled with relevant, wonderful songs that you can whip out at a moment’s notice. Over the years, I have learned quite a lot about which songs fit me and my voice well and which ones should stay in the “miscast” pile. I thought I would share some of that wisdom here.

You must become ruthless with your elimination of songs - not every song that you love will be a good audition song. You also need to be aware of the different genres you have covered in your book already, to avoid too many of the same type of song. So, when you are adding to your book, or maybe even creating it for the first time, ask yourself these questions.

•  Do I know it like the back of my hand?

•  Does it tell an interesting story?

•  Does it have a beginning, middle, and end?

• Does this song fill a void in my book? Meaning is it a genre or style that you do not have at all or only have 1 song in?

•  Is it in my range?

•  Does it show off my voice in the best way possible?

•  Is it overdone?

•  Can the accompaniment be sight-read easily?

If you can answer “yes” to all of these questions, and check all the boxes, then YES it should absolutely go in your book! Good job finding an awesome song for yourself!

If you had to answer “no” to even ONE of these questions and cannot check all of the boxes, then most likely, NO, it has no place in your book. There are exceptions every once in a while, but if you are unsure, consult your voice teacher/audition coach before using it in an audition.