Marisa's American Idol Audition Training Blog

My First Poll !!!!

Ok, friends. It's time to practice voting. In the weeks to come I will rely on you to tell me what to wear & sing at my audition. This first poll is an important practice run... Let me know which song you think is the best fit for the show, itself--Janis's, Norah's, or Bette's... I will use your feedback to determine what songs I should focus my training on. More polls to come, but for now keep on clicking on!!!

I'll leave this poll up for a few days and return with the results!

{Actually, I took the poll box down--after the election closed, of course!--because it was ugly and messed up the flow of this page. We all know how important flow is, when it come to matters of the voice, right? Thanks, anyway, Pollhost.}

My Lucky Day

Today is the one lucky day that I am in Stockholm. Why is it so lucky, you ask? Because there is an ABBA exhibit at Nordiska Museet (the Swedish Museum of Cultural History)!!!!!!! I'm off to check out what my fellow blonde singers have been up to. Now that auditions are only 50 days away, I am really hard up for wardrobe tips and those Swedes knew how to bring it, in that department...

RIP, Rick James

I keep thinking about Rick James, the "king of funk," who passed away, this week. I do like his music, and I used to love his girl-band, the Mary Jane Girls. I used to sing along to their In My House tape all the time!) But liking the music does not always mean liking the man. So many people wanted to be Rick James (Dave Chapelle, MC Hammer, and so on...), and so many have sampled him. Thinking about all of this has me thinking, in a more political sense about song selection. It can be hard to separate the tune from the auteur, and while I'll have a choice for my first audition song, I wonder how much of a voice I will have in the callbacks and on the show--should I make it that far... I wonder if the folks at American Idol or the Fox Network have any specific political policies regarding the content of their programs...?

Dancin' With Myself

I'm back in SF, today, but I couldn't leave home without doing some last-minute musicological research. I finally watched the Lizzie McGuire movie in which Hillary Duff plays two characters and sings with herself on stage. Ironically, I'd popped in the DVD just after watching a TV special on the Carpenters and their use of overdubbing. I'm really excited to learn about all these performance-enhancing technologies and I hope I'll get my 15 minutes of overdubbing, some day soon... Speaking of Karen Carpenter, there's a woman who understands audition dieting. I don't want to go to that extreme, though. RIP, Karen. My friend Sanjay recommends that I sing her Superstar or Rainy Days & Mondays, for my audition. Keep the tips coming, people. They are grrrreat!

Put Me In, Coach!

OK, now... Not a single person has replied to my ad for a voice coach! What am I doing wrong? Anyone..? None of the listings from the music center panned out. Most of them were old and the one good one was for a woman an hour from here who only offers lessons during the day, while I'm at work. A nice man named Glenn did write to wish me luck in my training and, though he lives in DC, he recommended Dr. Lee Strawn. When I get back to SF, I'll give him a ring and see if there is a match. It seems that Dr Strawn is a bit more on classically-oriented than most Idol coaches probably would be. But, of course, I'm looking to stand out, so maybe that's good...

Boob Tube

Wow. I never knew how much quality music-related programming was on television! I don't have cable at home (remember--"she works hard for the money," which means I'm never home to watch the tube), but being home with my family, I cannot even tell you how many hours I've spent in front of the TV. For someone looking to break into the pop world, I was way behind on my music videos, my reality TV, and even my rock history--thank you, VH1! :) Speaking of TV, I sent a few letters to David Letterman, just to ask him what he thinks I should wear & sing, come October (MY primaries...), but I haven't heard back from him...

I Need A Miracle

For those who don't remember seeing the signs of the ticketless hoping to see their idols, please forgive the Dead Head reference... I've been thinking how sad it is that American Idol is not being broadcast, right now, just so that I can get my fix and take some notes. There is, however, a Pop-Tart-sponsored Idol Tour crossing the nation as I type. Tonight it's Grand Rapids; tomorrow Detroit. On September 26th, it will be San Jose, the tour stop closest to me. Sadly, tickets are a whopping $45, which is just so much for a gal to pay out, especially when she's on a training budget. (I've got Crest White Strips to buy, outfits to select, and voice lessons to pay for!) I don't suppose anyone's got an extra ticket...?

Song ideas, anyone?

Last night I went to a birthday party for my bandmate, Marc Horowitz. I got to talking with some of the more musical folks and many of them suggested that I sing a song that I have written, for the audition. My sense is that the song needs to be very recognizable and should either be a classic or a very contemporary pop hit. Someone suggested that I start listening to Aretha Franklin 24/7...

I'm open to suggestion. Feel free to post a comment with song ideas. I have a higher/soprano voice and tend to enjoy spirited ballads.

Eventually I will post MP3s and take votes. I'll do this for my wardrobe, too... Thanks for your feedback!

Let the Training Begin!!!

Hi, there. So I started keeping this diary before I registered this blog, which means that the posts below are a little outdated & they are coming to you in one post, but here it is...

FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2004

Today is a GREAT day. My band had a concert, last night, and it seemed to go pretty well. On one of the songs I got a bit nervous (we had debated doing it and there were some pretty complicated cues for my bandmate to follow) and my voice warbled, but I received so much great feedback. I was also nervous because it was the first time that I’d invited many of my friends to hear me sing, but they all said such flattering things and even today some have called & e-mailed saying things like "Wow, it was a great surprise to know that you could sing like that." I’ve tended to keep my musical life private (I’ve been singing in choirs & bands since I was 9) but lately I want to make it a much bigger part of my life.

But this good feedback isn’t the biggest reason that today is such a great day. Today is SUCH a great day because something I’ve been wishing for forever has finally happened... They raised the age limit for auditioning for American Idol!!!

I couldn’t get much done at work, today. All I could think about was auditioning for Idol. I’ve been a closet Idol junkie since before it came to the US. I lived in London when Pop Idol was a huge hit and I’ve been glued to the screen ever since--even for the Junior edition! So it is thrilling to me to think that I might now, at age 27, have a chance to audition for the show. Afterall, I’ve gotten pretty settled into my life as an art critic & curator, which I love, but I’ve always regretted not pursuing music. Of course, this means that I need to begin training immediately because the San Francisco auditions are less than three months away, on October 5.

I really need to work on my voice with a coach and I feel like I need help in other areas, too... To become a true American Idol, I need a bit of a makeover--hair, physique, complexion, wardrobe... all of these are on my checklist, now.

As of today, I am officially in training. I will post regular updates here...

SATURDAY, JULY 17, 2004

Ok, so I’ve had an evening to sleep on it. I am SO excited about training for the audition, but there is a strong possibility that I won’t even get one... The Idol website says that SF auditioners can get in line as of 6am, on October 4, but being in line on time, even being first in line, does not guarantee that I will get an audition. (Check out the photo of the long audition line that I found on the Idol website!) The producers will walk up and down the line and pick people out based on their appearance, style, and singing ability. I really need to work on all of the above, then. And my goal, now, is to even GET an audition, let alone make it to the final 10... And I’m really dwelling on what my audition song will be, though I’m eager to discuss it with a trainer.

SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2004

I haven’t done much, in the way of training, today, and I’m feeling pretty guilty. Of course, I am singing in every free second, but I still have not found a vocal coach and I put off going to the gym. I'll never get an audition if I don't change my metabolism! :)

I had lunch with a musician I respect and talked about getting together to play music, along with some other musicians whom we like, but I feel a bit conflicted about this. Should I focus on my solo training? Will "jamming" with others take away from that, or is it all good for my voice & understanding of music? I just enjoy singing so much and there is nothing in the world like the high of falling into synch with other musicians.

After lunch I decided to rent a DVD of a 1979 Blondie concert (in Glasgow), to see if I can pick up any tips on performing live or looking like a pop star. Debby Harry is so amazing. Of course she is famous for having a certain sense of style and attitude, but she can truly sing and I so look up to her. I can’t believe that I was only two years old when she gave this performance--which, by the way, is great. Perhaps it’s the rebirth of 80s fashion, but I can’t help but notice that we have almost the same hair & fashion sense. (I’d love to recreate her outfit for a music video!) I wish that, alone, would bring me closer to being pulled out of the lineup and into an audition...