Director

I have 4 yrs playing the clarinet and have been using a Rico reed size 3, but my band director told me to change to Vandoren and to size 3 1/2 , but when I play I have this ugly airy sound. How do I get rid of it??

First of all, Vandoren reeds are much harder than Rico reeds, so you should have gotten a size 3 Vandoren. Other than that, you just have to build up the strength in your mouth to be able to play such a stiff reed. If you really want to get rid of it faster, you can take VERY high grit sand paper and rub it across the reed, going with the grain of the wood. Try not to take very much off at once, because you can always take more. This will make the reed softer, and hopefully get rid of the airiness. Other than that, you just need to use it for a while. It usually takes me about a week and half to get used to a stronger reed. If you don’t want to sound airy during class, you can practice with the Vandoren at home until you get more used to it. Hope this helps!

How can I present a movie idea to a director, can I contact his agent would that sound reasonsable.

A producer is the person you want to talk to, not the director. The director is just a hired hand. The producer is the one who puts up the money. And producers don’t have agents. I doubt if directors have agents either.

The Sound of Music is one of the director’s favorite musicals. What song would really impress him to even give me a chance at the part of Leisl. Also, do I fit the part? I am 15…5’6…long dark brown hair…soprano 2/alto 1 voice. I know Leisl is always a thin girl, but is there a chance a heavier girl could play the part?

First of all, there isn’t a song that will guarantee that anyone will get any role at all after auditioning. Your weight may or may not be a factor depending on how the director "sees" the character as Liesl (correct spelling of the name). You are brunette–maybe they want a blonde. Maybe the director knows of someone he has worked with before that he feels would be "perfect", and is just holding auditions to go through the motions or to find an viable alternate in case Choice 1 isn’t available. Maybe his daughter wants the part. You just never know. The director may decide to cast an actor trying out for one part in a role that the director feels would be better suited. Did you know that Tom Felton, the actor who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, actually tried out for Harry Potter? What if he said "no thanks, I just wanted THAT part"?

There are many, many factors that go into casting that has absolutely nothing to do with talent or ability or even fairness.

I don’t want to discourage you from trying out–you should try out for anything they’ll let you try out for if you are interested in theatre–but don’t be crushed if you don’t get exactly what you hope for (and be thrilled and prepared to work your butt off if you do).

Meanwhile–audition songs. Leisl is very girly and flirty. One of her songs is "I am Sixteen" where she sings that she just have to have some big strong smart boy tell her what to do (ugh!). Whatever. It’s the time the play was written, as well as when it took place.
So suggested songs that are kind of LIKE that (both thematically, melodically, and similar in vocal range & style):

"I Enjoy Being a Girl" from "Flower Drum Song"

(you don’t have to belt this song out for it to be effective–it usually isn’t)
"How Lovely to Be a Woman" from "Bye, Bye Birdie" (the introductionary verse is missing from the video, but you probably wouldn’t sing it in the audition)

Find the sheet music (buy it–it’s in copyright). Get the music in the correct key for you to sing it. Practice it with the actual piano accompaniment, because it is different singing with just a piano than it is practicing to recording with the vocal still on (or even with a karaoke track).

Make sure you check the details of the audition. Some want you to prepare more than one selection, or just a few bars. Some auditions will allow you to use a recorded accompaniment (no vocals of course), some require you to bring that sheet music for the audition accompanist. Some auditions want you to sing acapella (but do so only if they request it–it’s harder to sing without any background music than most people think it is–that’s why there are so many bad American Idol auditions).

Practice, practice, practice. If there are any similar songs (show tunes) that you know, you may choose to polish these up for the audition rather than trying to learn something new. Do your best, and hope for the best! Keep trying out, no matter what!

One other important tip: In musicals, singing is also acting. If you can sing with the right sort of personality and emotion appropriate to the song it will weigh heavier on casting decisions than someonw with a beautiful voice but who is bland and clueless when it comes to interpretation. Make sure that your diction is clear–I’ve gotten parts simply because they could actually understand the words I was singing! Don’t forget to open your mouth! It seems obvious, but a lot of young singers imitate pop singers who barely part their lips when they sing and deliberately slur everything together. Works for pop–not for musicals!

One source fo sheet music (key choices and available for immediate printout when you pay)

http://www.musicnotes.com

There are many other sources of digital sheet music online (as well as songbooks, etc from other sources–consider having a coleection or two of Broadway songs you can use for auditions in the future)