What to Expect at Your Audition

What to Prepare

We are so excited that you are coming! Your audition will be friendly and chance for you to share your voice with us. At your audition you will be asked to:

sing a short a capella song of your choice (a portion of a song is fine). There is no pianist at the audition to play for you.
sight-sing a short, simple musical passage (note: the ability to read music is valued in this choir, but not essential. This part of the audition will show us where you are in your growth as a musician – and how we might work with you toward growth!).
echo back short melodies that the conductor will play on the piano or sing to you.
sing some scales and vocal exercises along with a piano which will showcase your vocal range – played by the conductor on the piano.
complete a 1/2 page long note and basic terminology identification sheet. A poor result on the this portion will not exclude you from participation in the choir; it is merely in place to help us to determine where you are in your growth as a musician. The youth choir will contain singers with a wide variety of experience. On top of vocal potential, the conductors of the youth choir look for many things in your audition including a positive attitude, a flexible and open learning style, and a willingness to grow and develop as a musician.
prepare and sing Abide with Me (verse 1 only) on your voice part. You can audition on more than one voice part if you choose. Click to view score.

Tips for Success!

Before you audition, sing your chosen song to a friend or family member and ask them to give you some feedback.
For your solo song, choose something that showcases your vocal technique, tone, and range. A folksong, national anthem, or classical piece with a good melody is always a great choice. Pop can be okay for an audition, but be very careful that your choice shows off your skill as a singer. Too many repeated notes/a static melody or a limited/very low range won’t demonstrate your vocal abilities well.
Re: Abide, if you are not a strong music reader, look on YouTube/Google for part-specific recordings and you will be able to find a recording of just the soprano part, or just the tenor part, etc. Sing along a few times to learn your part and that should work great!

These audition guidelines are inspired by the audition criteria of the Vancouver Youth Choir.