Studying the Song - Audition Prep and Musicianship for Musical Theatre

Are You Singing the Truth? A Refreshingly Organic Approach to Interpreting Songs w/Enrique Toral

Master voice teacher and operatic tenor, Enrique Toral, shares his refreshingly organic approach to interpreting a song and singing it with YOUR true voice.

Have you ever struggled to find your unique voice? Or, maybe you’ve worried that you don’t sound as good as your favorite singer or cast recording?

Enrique Toral, a performing artist who has won acclaim across the United States and Europe, pulls back the curtain on his own vocal pedagogy and how he works with singers to find their true voice by singing the truth of the song. He talks about the time he lost his voice because he was hearing someone else’s voice in his head.  He also lets us into his own process of preparing music, with many of his rehearsal habits involving mind work and not vocal work.

I also picked his brain in particular about falsetto – especially, how men can access falsetto in a healthy way – as we start to see shows like Hadestown make more demand of this technique on actors.  

If you’re looking for your true voice, the one that ONLY YOU can produce, then press play, and take a listen to this episode TODAY.

Xo,

Korrie

 

Connect with Enrique at www.enriquetoral.com for information on voice lessons and his upcoming performances.

Visit www.korrieyamaoka.com for FREE RESOURCES and sign up for the Studying the Song Email List for weekly resources about auditions and all things vocal styling!

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Forget About the High Notes and Focus On CREATING CONTEXT

Today, I’m talking about the power of CREATING CONTEXT for your audition song, and how it trumps all the high notes and vocal gymnastics you could ever sing.

Join me as I talk about “the moment before,” plot conflict, what your character desires, and how your character changes over the course of a show – all in the name of creating a beautiful, three-dimensional character who is on a JOURNEY in your audition song.

My friend, your audition is NOT about the high notes.  It’s not even about YOUR VOICE.  It’s about telling a STORY.   The story comes first, the character’s journey comes first.  That is the reason you are on stage in a musical.  And if you can do that, then you will move the creative team and have them in the palm of your hand.

If you’re ready to take your audition to the next level with the power of CONTEXT, then press play, and let’s get into it.

Xo,

Korrie

Visit www.korrieyamaoka.com for FREE RESOURCES and sign up for the Studying the Song Email List for weekly resources about auditions and all things vocal styling!

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EMAIL - For coaching services or questions about the podcast, email me at studyingthesong@gmail.com.

What Makes a Great Audition Song? Here's MY LIST!

Here are the 10 things I’m listening for when I’m looking for a great audition song.

As a musical theatre singer, you are constantly in the process of auditioning and putting yourself in front of creatives. 

You’re looking at audition notices to find out what to bring for the music portion of the audition, and even though they may be pretty specific about what you should bring (e.g. 16 bars from musical theatre post 1960 or 80’s pop song not from a theatre show), you can still be left wondering what the best song choice from your book fits that description.

Enter, THE LIST.  When I’m helping a singer pick out the best song for their audition, I have a list of things I’m listening for – 10 traits that I think make a great audition song, specifically a great song for the specific show their going out for. 

The secret?  It’s all about helping the creative them envision YOU in their show.  Help them see that you can sing the score, play the character, and tell the story that they’re telling.

Ready to get the inside scoop on the THE LIST that will help the creative team envision YOU in their show.  Press play, and let’s get into it.

Xo,

Korrie

Visit www.korrieyamaoka.com for FREE RESOURCES and sign up for the Studying the Song Email List for weekly resources about auditions and all things vocal styling!

Interested in working together?  Visit my website for pricing and booking information.  I’d love to meet you!

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Tune Into Your INTUITION and Get Out of Your Own Way

Start tuning into your INTUITION and figuring out what your heart, body, and spirit need in order to get back into the creative flow.

Have you ever procrastinated on a project or gotten anxiety about pushing record on your self-tape?  Maybe you're  crippled by thoughts like “why is this so hard?,” “maybe I’m not meant to do this?,” and “maybe I’m not good enough."  Are the things that usually to bring you joy suddenly burdensome?

In today’s episode, I share my own story of facing anxiety and resistance.  I talk about how I was afraid to sit down to record this podcast episode and how I overcame that anxiety by asking the simple question - why are you resisting this?

When you ask this question, you start tuning into your INTUITION and figuring out what your heart, body, and spirit need to in order to get back into the creative flow.

If you want to get out of your own way and start tuning into your intuition TODAY, then press play right now.

Xo,

Korrie

Visit www.korrieyamaoka.com for FREE RESOURCES and sign up for the Studying the Song Email List for weekly resources about auditions and all things vocal styling!

Did you enjoy today’s episode?  Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen!

3 EASY Ways to INSTANTLY Sing Better

Do these 3 things and you WILL instantly sound like a better singer.  EVEN IF your range has decreased, even if you’re feeling out of shape physically, these 3 techniques will have you sounding more professional immediately.

I’ve been hearing from so many singers that they are having anxiety about “getting back out there” in the audition scene and on the stage.  Not only are they feeling that their voices are rusty and have lost range, but they’re not sure they can handle the scrutiny and stress of going to auditions, being judged, the constant trying to prove themselves.

This last year has been a welcome relief for many people, a time when they were able to put down the constant low-level anxiety they felt about auditioning and trying to “make it” as a performer.  It’s been nice not to have that insecurity insistently buzzing inside of us at all times. 

But, now that we’re seeing audition notices going up and you might be thinking to yourself, “do I want to pick that up again??” 

I’m guessing, no, you don’t want to pick anxiety back up. 

But, if you want to perform, you do need to pick up your daily practice back up.  You need to start singing again.

So, let’s get you some easy wins right off the bat.  That’s what today’s show is about. Let’s give you a few things you can remind yourself of that will INSTANTLY make you sing better and sound better and feel closer to the singer you were before this pandemic. 

Yes, three super easy things to implement right when you start singing your songs again.  And NONE of them relate to your range or how high you can belt or how long of a phrase you can sing.  Those things require stamina that is built over time.   

Today’s techniques can be done by ANYONE any level of singing.  And, they are three things that we all need to be consistently doing in our singing and can be reminded of, even if you’re an experienced singer.

Ready for a few easy wins?  Then press play, and let’s get into it.

Xo,

Korrie

Visit www.korrieyamaoka.com for FREE RESOURCES and sign up for the Studying the Song Email List for weekly resources about auditions and all things vocal styling!

Did you enjoy today’s episode?  Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen!

SHOW BREAKDOWN: Hadestown

If you’re interested in auditioning for Hadestown or being on the creative team for a future production, then check this episode out.  I break down the musical score, talk about each character and their vocal requirements, give you a list of artists to look at for audition material, talk through a summary of the show, and give a little background on the creative team.

Whether you’ve listened to the cast album already or are just hearing about this show for the first time , today’s breakdown will deepen your insight into what this show is about and what the creative is looking for when casting.

I’ve also created PDF called Hadestown Show Breakdown Sheet for you to print out and use as you look for music and prepare for the show.  Just visit the resources page on my website, and you can download it for free.

Press play and let’s dive into the magical, mythical world of Hadestown!

Xo,

Korrie

Visit www.korrieyamaoka.com for FREE RESOURCES and sign up for the Studying the Song Email List for weekly resources about auditions and all things vocal styling!

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Episode 10. Create a Career that Makes You Come Alive w/Kathryn Lounsbery

From being a self-described ‘cancer’ happy just doing her own thing to a piano-playing comedienne headlining at The Comedy Store, Kathryn walks us through how she created a career for herself where there was no established path to follow.  In this interview, Kathryn reveals the quotes that changed her approach to creativity, how to craft a cabaret show that is completely unique to YOU, what she’s looking for from vocalists in auditions, and the overarching importance of authenticity in your performance.

Kathryn is incredibly insightful and generous and she dropped some amazing truth bombs during this interview that had me ready to get out my OWN notebook and do THE WORK.

If you’re not sure how to combine all your interests, skills, and talents into one beautiful, aligned career, then press play and take a listen to this episode!

 

Xo,

Korrie

Visit www.korrieyamaoka.com for FREE RESOURCES and sign up for the Studying the Song Email List for weekly resources about auditions and all things vocal styling!

Did you enjoy today’s episode?  Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen!

RESET Your Audition Book with these 5 Questions

Can every song in your audition book pass this 5-Question test?  If not, your book might actually be stopping you from booking gigs.  That is NOT what you want!

Today, we’re going to RESET your audition book so that it is working FOR you and not AGAINST you. 

I’m going to walk you through 5 questions that you must ask of every song in your book.  If you can answer all YES’s, then you can keep the song.  If not, you’ll pull it out of your book so you can replace it with a song that will be all YES answers.

You might be thinking, I spent SO long collecting these songs, I don’t want to just get rid of them.  Don’t worry!  You won’t have to.  I understand that your audition songs are the result of lots of research and painstaking practice. 

But, do you really want to keep them in your book if they’re not moving you toward your goals?  NO!

You want a book where every song is chosen for a specific purpose and is helping you book the work you want to book.

In this episode, I’m going to help you completely reset your book and get yourself on track to start auditioning again WITH PURPOSE.

 

This may be a little painful at first, but I promise you that, when your book is full of songs that only say YES to these questions, you are going to be more confident in your auditions, and you’re going to start booking work that is more fulfilling to you as an artist.

Press play and let’s RESET your audition book

Xo,

Korrie

Visit www.korrieyamaoka.com for FREE RESOURCES and sign up for the Studying the Song EMAIL LIST for weekly resources about auditions and all things vocal styling!

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How to Cut Your Pop Song to Show Range and Tell a Story

Learn how to pick out the most important moments in your pop song so that you’re telling a compelling story and showing your vocal range.

At first, it can seem like there are infinite options and how do you figure out the best one for your audition.

But, once you know the song forms, you’ll discover that there are really just a few options to pick from and the whole process is really quite simple.

In this show, I’ll dissect the 4 basic song sections - Verse, Chorus, Bridge, and Prechorus – and tell you how they function lyrically and musically in the song.

I’ll also tell you how you can implement them for a 16 bar cut and a 32 bar cut, and we’ll look at specific song examples to illustrate it in action.

My goal is for you  to be able to make your own cut of your pop song WITHOUT an accompanist, creating a storytelling arc that features range and hits the bigger vocal moments of the song that listeners expect. 

You’ll save loads of coaching hours and money, if you’re able to do this BEFORE your coaching sessions.  Then, you can use your time together to double check the cut and finesse any transitions.  And then actually WORK on singing the song!

Press play and let’s start creating your ideal pop audition cut!

Xo,

Korrie

Visit www.korrieyamaoka.com for FREE RESOURCES and sign up for the Studying the Song Email List for weekly resources about auditions and all things vocal styling!

Did you enjoy today’s episode?  Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen!

The #1 Missing Ingredient in Your Rock Audition? -- ATTITUDE

In this episode, I share the 6 Main Attitudes of Rock Music that should form the foundation of your rock auditions. 

Ever wonder why your rock auditions are missing the mark?  You’ve got the right song, the right cut, the right range, the right pop “isms,” but there’s still something that’s “off.” 

I see this all the time in students, and it can be super frustrating for them because they seem to have it ALL TOGETHER.

What’s that certain something that is missing?  I call it ATTITUDE.

More than just being “angsty” or “sexy” or “groovy,” ATTITUDE grows from something much deeper.  Attitude is your world view.  How you walk through life everyday.  Your demeanor, your disposition, the ways you interact with the world. That banner that you raise up high and say, “this is what I stand for.”  That’s attitude.

In rock music, performers’ attitudes and world views can be boiled down to 6 main archetypes - the Rebel, the Seductress, the Life of the Party, the Sage, the Epic, and the Confessor.

Join me as I discuss each of these archetypes in depth and give you the exact inner monologues you can use in your own audition.

Press play and let’s discover which archetype you are most aligned with!

Xo,

Korrie

Visit www.korrieyamaoka.com for FREE RESOURCES and sign up for the Studying the Song Email List for weekly resources about auditions and all things vocal styling!

Did you enjoy today’s episode?  Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen!