Musicals, student shows, and other performance endeavors often bring out students with starry eyes. But auditioning can be a stressful situation for you and the students. Here’s 9 tips for auditioning elementary music students for solos, musicals, and other performing opportunities to make it go smoothly for everyone.

1. Bring a buddy

Having someone else in the auditions is a great idea. It helps you not look like you’re playing favorites, helps you back up decisions, and parents can’t claim you are leaving out their child on purpose. I loved having the Pre-K aide/lunch lady help me out. She knew the kids really well but didn’t work with them in a classroom, and like me, watched them grow from year to year. She knew which students made big strides from their audition the year before as well because we auditioned them together for years. Having input like that was really beneficial!

2. Have a rubric

Essential. Set what info you want to look at: stage presence, emotive, diction, technique, in tune, projection, etc. Grade the students and make comments so if you have someone come and as, you can back it up. Do not just go with a feeling of how the audition went. Write it down.

3. Pick easy material

Pick a simple song with a decent range for students to sing. Instead of teaching a new song, or one from the show, have students sing something like My Country Tis of Thee or Happy Birthday. Have students read a short funny poem to see if there is inflection, etc. For your younger students, you will need to chat with the teacher about reading skills if you are having them read something.

4. Have parent permission

Some parents want to know about extras their kids sign up for. Maybe they can’t make the show. If you are running out of class rehearsals, parents need to know ahead of time. It’s better to make sure parents agree before you assign a child a huge role to find out they won’t be there because great-grandma is turning 90 and everyone is going to Florida for the week.

If there is any financial commitment including things like costumes that students might need to provide (even if it’s as basic as a specific color shoe), that needs to be told ahead of time. You shouldn’t have students purchasing costumes but if there is something they need to provide, they need to know.

Send home letters with a part that must be returned for a student to participate. If a student is interested, they’ll make sure it gets home!

5. Set expectations

If all students won’t get a part, make sure you include that in the parent info letter. Remind students before you even start the auditions. If you are doing a multi-grade performance and younger students don’t get speaking roles, let them know before they have dreams of being the star. State when rehearsals will be.

If you are auditioning for a talent show, make sure you have clear expectations of what the students must have prepared. EX: The act must be ready to be performed as is, they need to provide sound backing and props if necessary, music must be school appropriate, etc.

Have parents sign a contract so that if you have an issue, you can remove a student if unfortunately needed. Include behavior as part of this contract as well as missing rehearsals, sportsmanship, failure to learn part/lines/music/etc.

6. Prep for what the audition entails

Take out a little of the unknown and help students know what to be prepared for will help calm some nerves. Is this just for a solo in a song or is it an audition for a performing ensemble? Or is this an audition for the school musical?

What they have to do, who will be there, what they will be asked to do and how you will help them. Things like: I will play you a starting note on the piano, or an intro on the piano, you will read a poem for me. Mrs. XYZ will be there with me. We will be in this room.

7. Break up parts, have understudies

Can you add more opportunities? Add them. Split lines, add extra speaking parts (ex: when a crowd is talking, give more students specific lines, or have them be a planned person in the crowd). If it is for a solo that will be performed a couple times, assign multiple students so they all get a chance at a different performance. Add understudies to students who may be younger but performed really well. Give them a chance to run rehearsals, and know what it looks like. (Let their parents come to one to watch too).

8. Announce gently

Yes, disappointment is part of life, but for some students this will be one of those first BIG disappointments. Post the results gently, let students ask questions. Send an email home with the cast, and reminders to help adults talk to their children about disappointment, being a good sport if they got a big part, and reminders that everyone in a show is important even if they didn’t get a part.

9. “Sportsmanship”

Don’t let kids be sore winners. Teach students how to support. Remind students EVERY part is important. Remind students that there will be other chances. Enforce it.

Looking for more about planning concerts? Check out these posts:

• The Elementary Music Concert Guide https://mrsstouffersmusicroom.com/the-elementary-music-concert-guide/
• How to Plan a Concert Backwards https://mrsstouffersmusicroom.com/how-to-plan-a-concert-backwards/
• Concert Etiquette and Communicating it to Families https://mrsstouffersmusicroom.com/concert-etiquette-and-communicating-it-to-families/

I hope this has given you some ideas to help auditioning go more smoothly!