Crafting A Cut Assignment Instructions

many thanks to Andrew Byrne! check out his website!

So now that you’ve chosen a couple of songs, it’s time to arrange them into useable audition cuts.
Following the instructions below, create both a 32- and 16- bar cut with your chosen pieces to create the
most effective audition performance.

Important Points:
1. Cuts you make must create a self-contained story: the bars you select need to make sense to your
listeners out of context.


2. 16 Bars: This should be about 30 seconds in length.


3. 32 Bars: This cut should last about a minute, not much longer.

Things to Consider:
Use unexpected sections of a song: The last portion of a song is usually a good choice for a short cut,
but you should also consider different parts of the song; it shows you think outside the box and often it will
give you more levels and story to work with. But sometimes, the ending is best. :)

Vary the dynamics: Singing loud, louder, loudest seems like a good idea, but when your listeners have
heard a lot of “loud,” giving them “softer” can distinguish you (and be a nice gift on a long audition day!).

Craft a satisfying musical ending: If you’re using a part of the song other than the ending, create a
musical resolution that feels complete. This may mean changing a chord or two, or doing some creative
cutting and pasting; pop/rock songs often need this treatment, since “repeat and fade” doesn’t work so well
in an audition. If you’re not a musician, find a vocal coach to do these edits for you.

Be careful with optional high notes: To show more range, actors often put optional high notes into their
16 bars, especially if it’s supposed to be their “best 16 bars.” But it doesn’t always work….
• Up-tempos will generally support an added high note better than ballads.
• Changing the melody of pop/rock and contemporary pieces can be effective, but messing with the notes
in a classic musical theater song usually sounds wonky.
• Make sure the added high note is meaningful - does it heighten the dramatic moment, does the musical
moment support it? 


Arts and Crafts:

• Cut and paste, literally. You want to create sheet music allows the accompanist to read without have
jump around or ahead.
• If you can’t leave the first page intact, be sure to copy song title, show, composer/lyricist and other helpful
clues for the accompanist.
• Mark specific requests for an accompanist - Start, End, Ritard, Colla Voce and fermatas - in red ink.

Always thank your accompanist!