AUDITION FOR TOP SHELF vocal

Do you enjoy singing modern vocal music? Are you looking to join a community of fun, engaged, and talented singers? Are you into indie, pop, R&B, and performing challenging, exciting 4-8 part arrangements? Are you available on Tuesday evenings between 7-10 PM?

Top Shelf Vocal is in search of talented members to expand our mixed a cappella group and we’re auditioning ALL voice parts + vocal percussionists! We are looking for singers with the ability to sing in a variety of styles, with and without vibrato. You are invited to audition by video submission by Monday, January 22nd at 11:59 pm PT.

AUDITION DETAILS

To audition, please submit the form to the right, including an audition video. Review the instructions below for the video:

1. To get a sense of your range, please record yourself singing scales going up and scales going down on any syllable you’d like, and stop singing once you can’t sing any higher or lower.

   Suggestion: for scales going up, sing “eeee-aaahh” and use your chest/mix voice as high as you can, and then flip into head voice and continue. For scales going down, sing “yah yah yah yah yah”.

   Don’t be shy, just go for it, we know the extreme ranges aren’t always gonna be pretty!
   

2. Voice part-specific instructions

   • If you are primarily a solo/part singer (S, M, A, T, Bari):
     Please record a video of yourself singing two contrasting solos (verse + chorus, around 30 seconds each), unaccompanied. We want to hear you at your best, so have fun and pick songs that are in your comfort zone. No musical theatre or classical pieces, please.
     

   • If you are primarily a bass singer:
     Please record a video of yourself singing a simple bass line using bass syllables (dm, doom, bm, ba, etc.) of a known song of your choice (suggested songs, “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King, or “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5)...
     
     ...and a bass vocal solo. Think along the lines of Josh Turner’s “Your Man,” or “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” but it can be a song in any style. We just want to hear you sing a low range solo with lyrics. For both of these demonstrations, we’re looking for tone, pitch accuracy, and style. If you have a solo voice in a higher register, we would also like to hear that.
     

   • If you are primarily a beatboxer/vocal percussionist:
     Please record a video of yourself doing a 30-second demonstration of straight-ahead beats and fills and 30 seconds of freestyle beats. We want to see that you are comfortable holding down a consistent tempo and groove. Please also perform a simple beat at a comfortable tempo along with a metronome.
     

3. Please upload your video audition as one video file. Your video can either be in one complete take OR edited together. The audio must remain raw and untouched – no EQ, compression, reverb, or pitch correction of any kind. We want to hear you as you sound in the room. Keep your video simple! For example, recorded on a smartphone works great, just no handheld selfie mode (Please set the camera down and take a few steps back).
   
   If you are recording your video with a webcam, make sure to adjust your microphone input level so that the sound doesn’t distort. On a Mac, go into System Preferences > Sound > Input tab and lower the input volume.

Due date

Auditions are due by Monday, January 22nd at 11:59 pm PT.

If you have any questions, please email info@topshelfvocal.com

CALLBACKS

We will notify all who audition about callbacks via email, and will confirm the date & time for callbacks with everyone selected for the next round. Prior to callbacks, we will send you short sections of our current music for you to practice beforehand. In addition, if you would like to showcase another skill, for example, if you’re a part singer who can also beatbox, or scat, do sound effects, throat sing, etc. you may have the opportunity to show us!

We will also have quick introductions to the group, warm-ups, and sing through some selections of the songs from our repertoire together. We want to see your ability to blend with the group as well as get to know you personally. Results will be sent via email.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Membership in Top Shelf Vocal is subject to membership dues per 6-month period (currently $175). Dues will supplement gig earnings to cover Top Shelf's operating expenses, including director fees, room rental, website, professional video or audio recording, etc.

Because we rehearse in person, all members of Top Shelf Vocal are vaccinated, and we ask that new members be vaccinated as well.

Break a leg and we hope to see you soon!