Falling off a Log...

It seems that people are having so many problems finding repertoire to suit them. When I wrote the book Successful Singing Auditions I created the FOAL Process (that's Falling off a Log to the uninitiated) to deal with this.

I thought that having the structure of a book to write in was a good place to introduce a new process for choosing songs that suit you. I have to say that having created the process in 2000, I've been using it ever since for all sorts of different projects. I even found my brother several years' worth of birthday presents by running the FOAL Process on him!

Finding the things that you do so easily (it's like falling off a log) can boost your career or even make you change your focus. An interview with Hollywood actress Kari Wahlgren in the papers last week demonstrated this only too clearly.

Kari had moved to Hollywood from a stage career in Kansas. She worked behind a desk, answered phones and taught to make ends meet. And she did auditions.“I think I had a particularly rough on-camera audition, and I found myself thinking very negatively, and I didn’t like how negative I was getting about the whole process — and about living in L.A. in general.” “And I thought, ‘You know, I really have to change my attitude or I’m never gonna make it in this city.” So I decided I would take a little break from on-camera auditions and just focus on my voice work.”

She had found her FOAL area, and the work started flowing. Now most of her work is as a voiceover artist, with credits including "The Wild", "Super Robot Monkey", and the video game version of "From Russia With Love". All in all, her voice has featured in more than 100 animated films and video games.

Having established herself in a comfortable area, she's more ready for those on-camera auditions. “I think you have to get to a place where you enjoy the journey, because you have to audition so much, and there are so many things you don’t get,” she says. “You really have to enjoy the process.”

Absolutely! Check out the Successful Singing Auditions book for the whole process behind finding your FOAL areas.

Visit http://www.vocalprocess.co.uk for the latest downloads:
the Vocal Process eZINE (free electronic magazine)
86 things you never hear a singer say (free ebook)
Looking at a Voice (endoscopy video download)