Tracey Grimaldi
Actors are collaborative people who thrive on interaction and feedback. Combining my 30 years of film/tv production experience with my 24 years of vocal coaching & workshops, I was first in line when selftapes became a ‘thing.’ I even taught a seminar on selftapes at BroadwayCon. Our studio insert stage has lots of lighting and background options. Shoot your best shot. Don’t go it alone – come on in!
Nine of the city’s largest theatres have new leadership, in a sign of the industry’s ongoing challenges, and also its opportunities.
This article in Playbill.com showed how much new energy is happening behind the scenes, which explains why we’re seeing so many fresh faces on the stage. Will one of those faces be yours soon? I’M ACCEPTING NEW STUDENTS! Email me at traceygrimaldi@gmail.com or click on the red ‘Book A Lesson’ button in my website. See you soon!
https://playbill.com/article/new-york-city-theatre-is-undergoing-a-once-in-a-generation-shift
One of the most thrilling aspects of this season has been the number of Broadway debuts for so many talented performers. Flipping through the bios in the Playbills for The Outsiders, SUFFs, Water for Elephants and many others, I was so excited to see ‘Broadway Debut!!!’ leading their credits. Included amongst these names were past TG Studio NYC students, including Barton Cowperthwaite, Hannah Cruz and Mariah Rieves. They had all been here a while back and had moved on to pursue other training for them but I never stop cheering for anyone who walks through my door. I’M ACCEPTING NEW STUDENTS FOR FALL 2024!!! Contact me at traceygrimadli@gmail.com or click the red ‘Book A Lesson’ button on this website. See you soon!
🎶 Vocal coaches react: Why is the national anthem so tough to sing?
Singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” is a notoriously difficult task, even for seasoned performers.
Broadway vocal coach Tracey Grimaldi told Yahoo Entertainment: “It’s not a song you can sing without really good preparation. It’s an octave and a half, specifically, a range of 12 pitches. You have to know what your first note is, otherwise it’s easy to go off-key.”
That’s especially true when you’re singing a capella (without music accompaniment).
“It’s a really hard song to sing. Everyone knows if you miss a word or a note, which happens because of nerves,” she said. “You can do something a million times in your bedroom, in your shower, but that’s not the same thing as getting out there and doing it in front of everyone.”
“I just wish everybody was nicer to people in general [and] just go, oh well that wasn’t great, then enjoy the game,” said Grimaldi via email. “If it wasn’t great, anyone criticizing her should record themselves singing the National Anthem acapella and post that. If they can do better, they’re hired.”
Liana – ACCEPTED UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN BFA/Musical Theatre – #1 program in the country
Carina – ACCEPTED LaGUARDIA HIGH SCHOOL NYC, Vocal Department – the #1 performing arts high school in the country, perhaps the world.
The ‘Fame’ school.
Abby – ACCEPTED ITHACA COLLEGE Summer Theatre Intensive
Nina – LEAD ROLE – Cinderella, Into The Woods, Random Farms Theater, LEAD ROLE – Cady, Mean Girls, Random Farms, Rehearsal footage of Nina singing “It Roars” VIRAL on TIKTOK, preparing for 1st summer at STAGEDOOR MANOR PERFORMING ARTS TRAINING CENTER
True – ACCEPTED LaGUARDIA HIGH SCHOOL NYC, Drama Department
Beatrice – LEAD ROLE – Audrey, Little Shop of Horrors NEST-M high school, returning to STAGEDOOR MANOR PERFORMING ARTS TRAINING CENTER this summer
Sabina – LEAD ROLE – Hope, Anything Goes, Hunter High School
Sarah (Ohio Virtual Student) – ACCEPTED Interlochen Center For The Arts, Residential Arts Program, Interlochen, MI
Alex (Florida Virtual Student) – AWARDED Mainstage 2024 All-Star Cast, Prince Charming, CAST – Lucas, The Addams Family, ACCEPTED Florida State U’s Summer Musical Theatre Intensive
Scarlett (Maryland Virtual Student) – LEAD ROLE – Miss Honey, Matilda, middle school production
Hannah – Ensemble – Shrek, Bklyn middle school, returning to STAGEDOOR MANOR PERFORMING ARTS TRAINING CENTER this summer
-By Tracey Grimaldi, Broadway Vocal Coach & Audition Prep Goddess
1 – Not having your song book or ipad organized so you can quickly access your music. Save your fumbling and juggling skills for the circus act you do at kids’ birthday parties to make money for your lessons
2 – Not having your song audition cut in the correct key, easy to follow and clearly marked. If the pianist wants to do a Sudoku they’ll bring their own
3 – Dressing like a slob – if you hate to iron, or like me don’t even own an iron, hang your shirt in the bathroom while you shower and the steam will unwrinkle it
4 – Staring directly at the casting director while you sing. It makes them uncomfortable. They’re like exotic zoo animals – don’t upset them
5 – Snapping your fingers in the accompanist’s face to give your tempo. They hate that, they’ll hate you and bad audition karma will follow you to your urn
Need more help? Want to find the perfect audition songs for you? Book voice lessons with vocal coach Tracey Grimaldi or one of the other coaches at TGStudioNYC @tgstudionyc.local
NOW GET OUT THERE, KIDS, AND MAKE MAMA T PROUD!
Do you have a website? A demo? A great headshot and resume isn’t enough anymore! Casting directors are increasingly relying on digital media submissions to prescreen who they invite to audition. They first review the video and/or audio files before looking at emailed or snailmailed headshots. Sometimes they don’t get to those at all. This is a huge time and money-saver for casting, who are eager to avoid spending lots on space and accompanists for auditions. So… get cracking on your site and demo. You may have some material already, if any of your past performances were video recorded. There are website templates you can plug into to build your site, if you have the skill and patience. I lack both, and am grateful to Patrick Sasso for building this site. Pat also does web design, audio and video demos for actors. He’s super nice and affordable. And by all means, if you have any decent video of yourself performing, put it on Youtube!
What makes a “good” song? A good audition song? When is a song a good audition song? Some songs work well in a cabaret set but don’t work in an audition room or translate beyond our small theatre community. Certain songs strike an emotional chord in many people, others are more unique to a particular songwriter, individual or a smaller segment of the population. Simply put, some songs are so personal they can seem indulgent. When I think of examples of pop songs that connect on a large scale, I think of Billy Joel’s “Just The Way You Are.” Who doesn’t want to be cared for unconditionally? Or Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely?”… Anyone who has had a baby or even held one can relate to the wonder of new life. Eric Clapton wrote a universal anthem for loss and mourning with “Tears In Heaven.” And of all the amazing songs to come out of our Broadway songbook, “Seasons Of Love” from Rent has broken through every barrier to ask – and answer – what love is.
This week 2 new students came into the studio, referred by their agents. 1 was an actor, the other a young folk singer/songwriter who was a recent TV talent show finalist. Neither had any vocal training or had ever been to a Broadway musical audition. Both had appointments for major auditions that their agents had set up. I had 1 hour – that’s it! – with each to prepare them. I had to boil 6 months’ worth of technique into about 20 minutes, then help the actor pick 2 contrasting songs for his show, the folk singer learn 2 songs from the lead role she was about to be seen for. I knew it was unlikely, under these circumstances, that either would book the roles. But I wanted to make sure they still felt their lesson was a valuable experience and that the audition process would not be scary. Well, here are their comments:
“Didn’t get a chance to tell you about the audition. It went really well. You totally prepared me for everything. He loved ‘The Midnight Hour’ and then he asked if I had something longer and I gave him the Sinatra. Thank you so much! There was no room for nerves because I knew what was coming.
🙂 I will back in town in a week and a half and as soon as I get a check I want to start my lessons!”
—-
“First of all! Thank you so much for getting me prepared for the audition. In just an hour you helped make singing 100 times easier for me and I’m so grateful for that. I didn’t get the part, but they did say it was a pleasure meeting me and they liked me but I just wasn’t right for the role. So overall good feedback. There were only nice things said and that makes me proud of myself! Thank you so much again!!”
Please be on time. Do not come up early, as you may interrupt someone else’s lesson. Be respectful of my time, your fellow students and your own career development in scheduling lessons and keeping your commitment!
48 hours’ (2 business days) notice required for cancellation or 50% lesson cost. Canceling with less than 24 hours’ notice (1 business day) requires payment in full. Every effort is made to reschedule. Exceptions are made (once per student) for sudden contagious illness or callbacks.
The life of an actor is complicated in this stressful city! Cancellation policy is not meant to penalize, but to encourage students commit to their studies, make progress, and respect the instructor’s time. Let me know immediately if there is any potential conflict or you are not feeling well. If you are contagious, we’ll reschedule. If you are not contagious but your voice is less than 100%, come to your lesson. You’ll develop strategies for off days, as you will have to perform under similar conditions when committed to performing in a show.
Students who attend weekly lessons and don’t let anything distract them from their progress vastly improve their chances of booking professional work.