How to Prepare Sheet Music for Live Auditions

One of the responsibilities of the auditioning actor is to bring in sheet music for the accompanist at an audition. I've been behind the piano at auditions for thousands of performers of all ages. I've seen it all. One of the most memorable was when an actor came in without any sheet music and asked me, "Do you know the song, Stay, by Rihanna?" I gave them

Picking out the best sheet music

If you are bringing in a song for a pianist to accompany you, it is vital that the sheet music is readable and playable. The best practice is to meet with a pianist and have them play through your book while you sing. They will let you know if there are any issues with the sheet music and can also mark up the music with any additional information that might be necessary for consistency. You want that music to sound as similar as possible at every audition. If you are starting in the middle of a song, it might be missing key information like tempo, dynamic and style.

Typically, finding sheet music that has been published by reputable sources will have a better outcome. Most of these charts would have been vetted by a professional musician at some point in its creation. If using a song from a Broadway show, best bet is to use the actual PIANO/CONDUCTOR or PIANO/VOCAL score. An exception to this would be that some conductor scores include other music cues and aren't built to have a piano represent the band or orchestra. This may result in the accompanist not playing what you are expecting or having difficulty sight-reading the music.

Extra staves can sometimes be distracting when sight-reading.

Many older scores are handwritten. While playable, they aren't easy on the eyes for sight-reading.

Chord symbols can be helpful when sight-reading. However, if it is only chord symbols, the interpretation may vary.

While all of these charts are playable, there will be differences in how each pianist accompanies you in the room. Audition accompanists are not only sight-reading the scores that are placed in front of them, but also predicting and responding in realtime what the singer is going to do. They are there to help you succeed so make sure to help them succeed as well.

Audition Cut Checklist

1. The song title is printed on the cut. (Especially if you are started in the middle)

2. The music is in the right key.

3. The initial tempo and and tempo changes are clearly marked.

4. Start and end points are clearly marked.

5. Any internal cuts are clearly marked.

Example - Someone To Watch Over Me

This is just to give an example of how you might notate some of those things we've talked about. Different musicians will notate things differently and that's great! The importance is clarity. Feel free to comment and questions or your own thoughts about cutting audition songs.

Happy Singing! Patrick