Thank you for your interest in auditioning for the Dynamics! Your audition is your first step to a future of fun, new exciting places, memories that will last you a lifetime, and of course lots of singing. Auditions this semester will be held on three consecutive days Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, September 7th, 8th, and 9th, 2008 from 7:00pm to 10:00pm in the Herter Building. If you look at the map to your right you will see a big red dot, this is where the auditions will be held. As you walk into the building there will be signs posted directing you to the audition room. Please take time to look over our web page which explains what to expect and how the auditions work. Candy and Bottled Water will be provided at the Audition. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us at dynamicsacappella@gmail.com

Auditions are held at the beginning of each semester. Look for posters they will be everywhere (usually in your bathroom stall (hey it works!). We will usually set up an information table in the campus center the week before auditions. There you will get a chance to meet some of our members and ask more questions about the group.

Auditions begin with a first round which usually lasts two or three days and they take about five to ten minutes at the most. We will lead you through some simple scales and test your range. After testing your range we will put you through a very simple pitch matching exercise. Then, we ask you to sing a short prepared solo, just a verse and chorus. The most important part of the solo is that it shows your voice and style. Please do not pick difficult songs that strain your voice or your range.

After the first round, there are one to two callback rounds, where you get to learn parts of Dynamics arrangements, and sing with the Dynamics. We may also ask you to sing another prepared solo to demonstrate your personal style. Despite the fact that these are auditions, it's also time to get to know you, and for you to get to know us and the way we work.

At the end of auditions week, we whisk the new members away on a glorious weekend retreat to an exotic locale. Decisions are highly dependent on what voice parts the group needs for the present semester. So if for some reason you don't make it once, definitely come back and try again! We have members who auditioned a few times before making it, and this is the same for every a cappella group. So please feel free to approach any of us, and say hi!

FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS

Below is a list of questions we’re used to fielding every year. While it’s by no means comprehensive, it’s a pretty fair sampling. If you’ve got a question for us that we haven’t answered in this FAQ, please e-mail Andrew (Our General Manager): not only will he answer it, but he’ll also post it here. Don’t be shy — the worst thing that you can do is not ask.

THE QUESTIONS

1. How many people are you looking for?
2. Which voice parts are you looking for?
3. What sort of experience do I need in order to audition?
4. What are auditions like?
5. Are auditions hard?
6. When will the callback list be posted?
7. What if I get a callback?
8. Okay, so how do I find out if I’m in?
9. What happens if I don’t get in?
10. What’s the time commitment like?
11. Is being a Dynamic worth it?

THE ANSWERS

As far as auditions go we don’t think in terms of numbers. If we like ten people, we’ll take ten people; if we like only one person, that’s the way it’s going to be. We tend to have a group of around sixteen to eighteen people, but that’s also a pretty flexible number.

We’re not thinking like that, either. While we’ve got certain needs in mind, we certainly don’t set quotas or anything. If we like the way you sound and we get along well with you, it doesn’t matter how high or low you can sing.

None.

Our audition is simple: first, we’ll sit down with you and talk for a few minutes. We want to find out what kind of person you are, and we’ll ask you a few questions. Don’t worry, we’re not going to quiz you or anything — we just want to get to know you. After that, we’ll ask you to sing some scales. First, we’ll see how low you can sing; then, we’ll try your upper range. If your voice cracks, we understand — it probably happened to us, too — just give it your best shot. After we check out your range, we’ll play a few notes on the piano and ask you to sing them back. It’s just a matter of listening and repeating what you hear — there’s no deeper meaning eluding you. Finally, we’ll ask you to sing 30-45 seconds of any song you like. It ought to be a song that you like, and one that shows off your voice — but other than that it’s entirely up to you. Since this is an an A cappella group there will be no accompaniment, but you can certainly ask for a starting note and we’ll play it on the piano.

Our auditions are reputed to be the least stressful and most fun of any group on campus — we like it that way. Think American Idol without Simon (without any of the judges, for that matter, since we won’t critique you or anything). You ought to know going into your audition that we have a great time listening to you sing, and we’d like it to be as much fun for you as it is for us.

We will be e-mailing the people who have received a callback as well as those who have not. If we’re not deliriously tired, we’ll also try to throw the callback list onto the website before we crash.

Well, first of all, congratulations — you’re almost there; you ought to be proud of yourself. Don’t worry, one of the Dynamics will call you and make sure you know where to go and what to do. But just in case you don’t have a pen and paper handy, here’s a rundown of what happens at a callback: first of all, a callback is about an hour long. For the first 20 minutes, you’ll be in a private rehearsal room with a Dynamic who will teach you the appropriate voice part to a section of one of the songs in our current repertoire. Once you’re solid on your part (yes, you’ll be able to use the sheet music)we will bring you to where the rest of the group will be waiting. We’ll chat for a few minutes, and then we’ll warm you up by having you do the same range exercises as before. We’ll ask you to bang out a few rhythms, and then it’s time for the big dance. Remember how you learned your part to a section of one of our arrangements? You’ll be singing it a total of four times — the first two times, there’ll be one Dynamic on each voice part singing along with you (including someone on your own voice part). The third time, the Dynamic on your part will drop out at some point. The final time, you’ll carry the part by yourself — and you’ll love it. Remember — that’s what we’re all about. We do this because we love it. We hope you will, too.

Don’t worry, you’ll know.

Well, don’t be thinking about that! Seriously, though — we’ll still talk to you. We’ll ask you to come to all of our shows. We’ll have huge amounts of respect for you for giving it your all. We’ll ask you to audition again next year.

Pretty significant. We rehearse seven hours a week, spread over three nights. But, of course, that’s not all: we perform on and off campus, we travel all over the country , we record studio albums, we compete internationally, and we hang out alot. Probably tonight. And while that sounds a little bit daunting, it’s not too much to handle. You can still do other extracurricular activities while excelling in your coursework. We know. We’ve done it.

Ask any of us, and you’ll get minor variations on the same answer: damn straight; for sure; heck yes; word. We wouldn’t be doing it if we didn’t absolutely love it.