Saturday, January 28, 2017

How to have a great audition...

Hi Again!

This weekend we came home with our director, Ms. Cabaniss, and she has been giving us some advice about how to have a great audition so we thought we would share with you!

1. Arrive on time. Just because your audition isn't until 5:30, doesn't mean you should show up then. You should be there earlier just in case auditions go faster than expected, people drop out or someone else arrives late. If you are ready to go when called, you will make a better impression.

2. Warm-Up. Take some time to warm up your body and your voice. It may feel silly, especially if someone else is watching you, but in all seriousness, this is important. Your voice will thank you.

3. Do your research. Make sure you know your lines, your music and the character you are interested in performing. The more prepared you are, the more confident you will be on stage.

4. Make eye contact, stand up straight and speak with projection. Even if you are not confident, doing these things will make you appear confident. Spread your feet shoulder-width apart. It will make you feel more balanced and in-control.

5. Focus on the important parts. The Directors will be scoring in some of these key elements: Projection, Articulation, Stage Presence, Ability to stay on key, character work and development, and musicality.

6. Be prepared for a range test. You will be doing a range test which is very simple. Don't overthink it and be warmed up, and it should be no sweat. Don't worry about your voice cracking! That's just the end of your range.

7. Smile. If you seem like you are having a good time, then everyone will have a good time. Being in a musical is fun so have a good attitude and your confidence will soar!

8. Encourage Others. Want to feel confident and also build rapport with your future cast-mates? Then encourage those around you. Don't isolate yourself or bad-talk auditions. It is fine when you are warming up or focusing in to ask for space, but throughout the audition process, smile and cheer on others. This will help you feel more comfortable and it will also help later in the rehearsal process.

Ms. Cabaniss's Best Tips for Warming Up: 
1. Do a mindfulness exercise: Here's an example of a guided one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEzbdLn2bJc

but, you can also just isolate yourself with music and focus on your breath. Even a minute of this can allow your mind to clear and for you to focus.

2. Stretch your limbs: arms, legs, torso just like you were about to go for a run.

3. Open and close your mouth several times as large as they go and as small as they go. Then rub your hands across your jawline to warm-up these muscles.

4. Hum gently. Move up and down the octave. Don't overpush, just a slight buzz.

5. Do some tongue twisters by repeating the following words: Unique New York, Red Leather/Yellow Leather, Big Black Bug.

6. And if you are not feeling awake, then do some jumping jacks or hops in place to get the blood moving and circulating.

7. Don't over-rehearse. Practice, but don't drive yourself nuts. It will come off fake or you will be so bored that it will show during your audition.

And don't forget: Make sure your audition form is filled out online and make sure to familiarize yourself with the songs for callbacks just in case you get a callback! We are! 

Break a Leg!! 


Friday, January 27, 2017

So...you're saying auditions are next week?

Yep! They are!

We are so excited to cheer on our friends! Ms. Nave and Ms. Cabaniss, our directors, have been hard at work today planning for auditions and going through solo singing parts so that we have everyone assigned for all the roles! We can't wait to see whose names are going to be in those spaces!



We hope you will work hard this weekend to prepare for your auditions!

Have a great weekend!

Love,
Roxy and Rocky

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Welcome!

Hi! My name's Roxy and I am a Fox!
And I'm Rocky the Raccoon!
Welcome to our Blog!

So it may seem pretty silly for a fox and raccoon to be writing a blog, but we wanted to chance to share with you some of the cool things that go into producing a show like Cinderella! This blog will be used to share information with our family of students, their families as well as our community! It's a bit like being behind the scenes all the time! So we hope you'll join us for our blog updates at least once a week!

JCHS's Cinderella auditions are only a week away and we are so looking forward to watching the auditions and cheering on our new friends as they try out! Remember to try your best, smile and work hard. We can't wait to meet everyone!

Love, 

Fox and Raccoon