I received a lot of traffic and interest from my audition on my post about my audition experience for the very first season of Mark Burnett’s production “The Voice”. You can read it here http://blog.libbylavella.com/2011/02/04/audition-the-voice-mark-burnett/. And, now that the next round of auditions are scheduled I’ve been receiving new questions. I am going to address the crux of all of these inquiries here.
I received an email today from Darlene Davis. Darlene is concerned she is not original enough and that she should perhaps consider singing something more well known. Also, Darlene is worried that 6 weeks is not enough time to prepare. These are all valid concerns and I understand them, however these are things that are out of ones control. 1) You are who you are, and if you attempt to be anyone other than who you are, even if you make it through to the next round of auditions, it’ll be hard to sustain a disingenuous persona for the length of the show and it most likely won’t get you very far. Better to be who you are 100% than be willing to bend to whatever you think will “get you noticed”, because that never works. Never. 2) The audition is in 6 weeks. Can’t be changed. So, all you can do is prepare. Sing the songs that you know you feel comfortable singing and that show off your voice as best as possible. Account for things like nerves and distractions and sing something that is easier for you rather than harder. Trust your instincts and go with “yourself”.
I also got an email from Jessy, asking if she could bring her husband. As far as I know, you can have someone with you in line, but once you go through to the audition room you will be asked to go alone. However, my advice here is to go alone anyway.
Hope this is helpful. There is obviously a lot of anxiety surrounding auditions and I am 100% sympathetic to this. I’ll be creating a little post about auditioning and helpful tips to prepare and get through it.
Good luck and may the 4ths be with you. 
Lavella xx
I ran across this post searching for audition info on google. I also read the one from last year that was a play by play of what to expect and that was VERY informative. I tried out for American Idol in 08 and it was a great experience. My audition for The Voice is at the end of March and I am so excited! I have 3 songs picked out so far, and will be selected one or two more since you said you had five songs picked out. I want to be as prepared as I can =) Will you be auditioning this season as well?
Aubrey, Thanks for reading and for your positive feedback on the information. I know for a fact that this season they only suggest you have 2 songs picked out and prepared to sing, I’m just always overly prepared! I am not auditioning this season. I am however having a blast helping all my students prepare for their auditions. Good luck!
Thanks for responding Libby =) I like to be overly prepared too. I practice all day every day, except at night so I don’t wake my kids up. =P Glad to hear you’re having a blast with your students. How long have you been a voice teacher?
I’ve been a voice teacher in Los Angeles for 12 years. If you’d like to know more I have added information on the “about” page and am slowly collecting testimonials on the “testimonials” page. Good luck to you!
I auditioned for The Voice this weekend and did great! I channeled the pressure and excitement into my performance and it was probably one of my best. However, I did not get a call back. Actually, only 2 of the 300+ people that went before me got sent to the next level, and there were some AMAZING voices trying out. In my group of 10 there were 3 (including me) that were really good, but I guess we just weren’t what they were looking for. The experience was great and a lot of fun, so I don’t regret going for a minute!
I am thinking about auditioning in Minneapolis, MN. They will be there July 14th and 15th. I have had very little private vocal training though.. maybe a few months worth? But I love to sing and am constently singning. I was in choir for a year also. Do you think I would still have a shot? I mean, I have read many peoples experiences and it sounds like there have been some amazing singers that haven’t made it through. I was also thinking of maybe auditioning as a duet group with my cousin. She is a few years older than me… we are just teenagers. Do you think my chances of making it through (if at all) would be higher as a solo singer or duet? Any other tips would be much appreciated. Thank you!
HI Libby! Thank you soo much for posting this. I am 16 and am trying out on july 21st. The problem is, I still don’t know what to sing!! I was considering Katy Perry’s Thinking of You, do you think it’s too overdone? I have a different voice – I can belt but my voice has kind of a twang, akin to Ingrid Michaelson or Colbie Calliet and can do vocal scales well and with ease. What other songs do you think might be good for my voice? I’m sorry, I know it’s hard to judge considering you’ve never heard me sing but I was wondering if you had any suggestions (Thinking of You suits my voice, and I’ve also sung Black Velvet by Alannah Myles and Skyscraper by Demi Lovato if thats any help lol!) I’m really nervous as I don’t have much time to prepare :/ Thank you so much for the help!
- Sara
It is astounding how many good singers don’t get through. I had 3 students for season 3 auditions make it through the final producers audition, 20 producers in the room…5 songs, the whole bit. Didn’t pass. Amazing talents, all of them. Remember, it is a show about singing, but it is also a TV show. There is the element of “casting”. They are looking for characters as much as they are looking for singers. It is impossible Megan for me to know whether or not you have a shot without hearing you or knowing you. All I can offer you is that you should show them who you are 100%…your style, your voice and your passion. I wish you luck.
Hi Sara, see my reply below!
Thanks so much for sharing. I have my audition on Sunday, 7/22. Very excited!
Jennifer! Thank you. I hope your audition was a good experience for you!
My audition is February 9th for The Voice is it better to change a song just a little bit so I can show uniqueness or should I just keep it oringinal. Should I also take 3 songs prepared just incase I make it through the first round of my audition? Do the songs have to be kareoke type? sorry for writing alot but I feel like your advice is great.
Hi Mario, Check out my blog post here and it should answer some of your questions. If you watch the voice, and in particular the blind auditions, you can see how drastically they cut up a song and alter it for the sake of two things; cutting down on time and getting to the best bits. Think about your song choice that way. For instance if you’re going to do She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5, do one verse and one chorus and do the ones that sound the best. Different words in songs produce different sounds and some sound better than others. However, don’t change the words and re-write the song. Keep it original in that sense, but sing it in a style that reflects you. What I mean by this is think out of the box. Did you see Melanie do Toxic by Britney Spears? That’s what I mean. Make sure you choose the right key. Yes, have more than one song prepared. This is mandatory. Be prepared to sing with a backing track and without. Above all they want to see and hear your style and hear your voice. They are the most important things to think about. Good luck.
My daughter made it past the first audition last week in Atlanta. Her call back is tomorrow at noon. She has 5 songs prepared and is wondering who / how many judges she will be singing for?
JJ, if this is her 2nd audition, after the open call, then her second audition will be most likely (always subject to change) in front of two – three judges and will be filmed. She’ll be taken in in groups of 5 – 10 and called in order. If it’s the 3rd audition she may be in front of up to 20 people and be asked to sing anywhere from 1 – 5 songs. Good luck to her!