WAAPA et al and 2 minute songs

I have been told by a number of people that 2 minutes is about the time you get for the song you will perform...(and maybe a second song)


Can WAAPA auditionees verify this ?

Question is... do most people 'rearrange' (ie leave out bits) of the song they are going to perform so they can include 'the big bit'


and if you were successful could you give an indication of songs that you used


Thanks a million

Yes, they say 2 minutes each song but you do seem to have a bit of leeway there. I did the certificate course a couple of years ago, and I got through a total of about 8 minutes for my two songs for the first round. For the callback they cut me off halfway through the second.

There actually are a lot of nice short songs out there, and heaps more that you can quite successfully cut down. A lot of the older ones just repeat the chorus for example, and you can cut out half the song right there.

It's probably a good idea that if you have a song that you just love, but it runs over time, to at least make the effort and cut some stuff out. Just make it a sensible cut, and try not to interfere with the dramatic flow of the song too much.

What voice type are you? If you like I can make a few song suggestions.

Thanks Tiger

This is actually for my daughter.... she has quite a range but is basically soprano

She has a few ideas already

One is 'A New Life' from Jekyll and Hyde

and she wants something a bit faster for another choice

I got through to the callback stage last year and they heard both my songs... even though one of them was slightly longer than 2 minutes.

After that, they heard my monologue and cut that short (although I suspect it may have had something to do with my dismal acting)

I sang "It's a Fine Life" from Oliver, and ending up omitting a couple of the verses and gave the accompanist directions as to which parts to repeat and so forth. They didn't seem to mind this and I think they enjoyed it better than my ballad.

try to give the accompanist a copy of what you want them to play. The Professional Singers Audition books series tend to have decent edits because the arrangements are designed for short audition requirements.

nice tip thanks Erica