Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

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Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/16/06 at 1:37pm

Hey you guys, my name is Kay, and I recently did the intensive pre-college summer program doing Musical Theatre at Carnegie Mellon..it was amazing by the way, lol..but what i was wondering is..umm..my singing teacher while i was there (Claudia Benack) who is an amazing teacher, she has many students on broadway, one of which being Megan Hilty in 'Wicked', she said that only a black girl should sing this song at auditions, white girls arent allowed, they shouldnt sing it...she said not many schools would like to see a white girl singing that song, and she does admissions for CMU...i will definetly take her word for it, and i know that there are some songs that could only be sang by one race..but i was wondering what u guys think...

Bye
Kayla

- Im sorry to bring up the whole race/colour thing...but i was just wondering..

KAYS "Being fearless means busting down those walls of fear & being who you are, not who someone else thinks you are. People like to put others in a box & tell them what they can & cannot do or who they can & cannot be. No one can tell you who you are & what you are made of, only you yourself know what you are made of, & only you yourself can do the work to become who you want to be."

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/16/06 at 1:43pm

First, alot of my friends who went to the Chicago unifieds last year, said that so so many white girls were singing it.
Secondly, I agree with your teacher, I don't think it's appropriate for white girls to sing songs specifically written for black characters. Especially a song like "Your Daddy's Son" which has so much to do with the era, and with a black woman's struggle in within the context of the show and history.
So I don't think it's appropriate. But I am sure there are millions of songs out there that you could sing :)

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/16/06 at 1:47pm

I was at a state festival and saw a 15 year old girl sing Your daddy's son I was loike ok...... umm.... Really didn't know what to say!

Fear no more the heat o' the sun, Nor the furious winter's rages; Thou thy worldly task hast done, Home art gone and ta'en thy wages: Golden lads and girls all must, As chimney-sweepers, come to dust. ~Cymbeline

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/16/06 at 1:56pm

Hey, ok, thanks you guys...but just to clear this up, im black, and very ethnic...i come from Barbados, I was asking cause one of my friends wanted to sing it...and i was thinking about singing it aswell for unifieds..is it a very popular song?

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/16/06 at 1:56pm

VERY popular

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/16/06 at 1:59pm

ok, thanks...i guess not then

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/16/06 at 2:21pm

You should maybe look at some music from Dessa Rose as Ahrens and Flahrty (sp?) wrote that song too and there are some songs that pertain to specifically black women (LaChanze played the role off-B'way last season) if you like they're music.

Cheers,

Christopher

www.christopherviolett.com

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/16/06 at 5:14pm

If the CMU admissions lady says not to sing it, then I wouldn't sing it for your CMU audition. SO many people have different opinions on this. I say if you can sound great singing it, and you can feel it emotionally go for it. Why can't us white girls sing a song like that when a girl of any race can sing, lets say, Back to Before from the very same show. It's not fair.

It shouldn't matter. If you can pull it off, then do it. Although the song is overdone. I wish it weren't, it's such a beautiful song.

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/16/06 at 5:15pm

Dessa Rose is still pretty recent to be singing from, but as it shouldn't be that popular to audition with, if you can really kick butt on a song from it, I'd say go ahead!!

Basically, my rule is that if a character absolutely HAS to be a certain race for the show (ie, RAGTIME), if you're not the right race, you probably shouldn't sing the song. If it's usually played by someone of a certain race, but it's not important to the story, I say it's fair game.

best of luck Musicaltheatregurl!!!

"grace, you're stuffed in a box getting rid of ass plaque. let's face it, this evening is a bust."

#10

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/18/06 at 11:44pm

LOVE The Claudia.

She's my voice teacher, but she can be wrong, just so you know. She's got a definite opinion on everything.

It's a very popular song, but if you can sing it, and I mean SAAAAAAANNNG it, then by all means, do it. It's a tough song, technically and emotionally, but if you have it, then go in there and blow them away.

Don't do it if you can sing it only on a "good day". You never know what will happen the day of the audition.

Good luck!

Personally, I think I have too much bloom.

#11

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/18/06 at 11:52pm

EXCELLENT advice from lostleander.

ya know....i agree with you most of the time. i like that about you, lostleander.

"grace, you're stuffed in a box getting rid of ass plaque. let's face it, this evening is a bust."

#12

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/19/06 at 9:30am

AH. I hate when people say "well i can hit that note...on a good day"

PSH.

#13

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/20/06 at 11:07am

lol....thanks you guys, and thanks lostleander...Yea, lol Claudia is amazing, i wish she was still teaching me...

Thanks you guys..

#14

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/20/06 at 9:22pm

Kayla!!!
I was at CMU w/ you!
this is one of the many Jessicas! haha
We were in the same drama lit class.
I want to go back there now!!!

#15

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/20/06 at 10:53pm

i did the CMU precollege program last summer. twas amazing

for "professional" auditions like college, do songs for parts you could be playing. the schools like to "type" people...so if you're white, don't sing "your daddy's son" or "summertime" to name a few

#16

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/21/06 at 12:37am

Rule of thumb: Don't sing "Summertime" - no matter what race you are.

If you are white, it just sounds stupid.

If you are black, it sounds as if you were too lazy to find something more interesting, and chose the most cliche' "black girl" song out there... of you are an"American Idol" fan who thinks Fantasisa Barrino is cool.

#17

re: Have to be black to sing 'Your Daddy's Son?'

Posted: 8/21/06 at 8:13am

hey Jessica!!!..how are you?
lol, and yea i know summertime is a no, no...but i willl still consider 'your daddys son'....thanks you guys!

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