In auditions, you want to make the pianists job as easy as possible which means preparing your sheet music. These three simple steps will go a long way in the audition room!
Step one - Getting the sheet music
Once you've chosen your song, you need to find the right sheet music! Ask a singing teacher or pianist to help you find the right key for the song. It might be the case that the original key is fine but if it is too high or low you might want to change it.
We recommend getting sheet music from:
These sites give you the option to change the key when you download it but make sure you sing it through with a pianist before your audition so you know what it sounds like!
Step two - Cutting your sheet music
Auditions often only want a 90 second cut so it is important that you choose the best bits to show you off. Cut any repeated sections in the song as we want to see range.
If you imagine a common song structure being:
VERSE 1
CHORUS 1
VERSE 2
CHORUS 2
BRIDGE
CHORUS
END
An easy cut here, would be to cut out VERSE 2 and CHORUS 2 which would cut out half the song. Or you might want to start at VERSE 2 and go through to the end. It's up to you how you cut it but make sure the piano music lines up.
Mark on your sheet music using brackets to show what the pianist needs to play and cross through any cut bars. If you cut full pages, take them out completely so it's easy for the pianist to see. Make sure you explain the cut to the audition pianist before you sing so they know what to expect!
Step three - Taping your sheet music
Tape the edges of the paper to the next page so it runs in a long line. Make sure they don't overlap otherwise they won't fold properly. Watch the handy video below!