American Idol Experience auditioning tips PLEASE!

[troyseyfert]

Hello everyone!
I'm interested in auditioning for the American Idol Experience...I need to know what I'm doing though before I go and thought I would ask you all!

First of all, what do I do when I first get into Hollywood Studios? Do I get there real early, and "walk fast" to the American Idol Experience attraction and get an audition time? Or will I already have a long line of American Idol wannabes???? Can anyone tell me what to expect here???

Also, what have some of you observed or heard about the auditions??? Do A TON of peope audition, or not so much? Do any of you know what they are looking for????

ANY audition tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!!!!

Also, does anyone know what happens when you do make it to a performance show???? Does it end up taking up your entire day???????????? Again, any feedback on this would be awesome!

 

[JeNScHuB]

did you go on the disney site and look it up? I'm not too sure about it but i was under the impression they only do the auditions during certain times of the year.
Hope you do well!!!!!

 

[maccagerl]

did you go on the disney site and look it up? I'm not too sure about it but i was under the impression they only do the auditions during certain times of the year.
Hope you do well!!!!!

You're thinking of the AI tv show,
Auditions for the AI Experience at Epcot are daily, because the shows are daily!

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...traction/AmericanIdolMiniSite/pdf/AI_FAQs.pdf


http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/hollywood-studios/attractions/american-idol/experience/

 

[WDWprincessloyola]

I had similar questions because I am considering auditioning as well. If you try doing a search of the boards of the AI experience maybe you'll come across some of the answers people provided me with there. Also check out the Disney's website for AIE and it has a nice little video which takes you though the entire process.

If I remember correctly you should get there asap in the morning to get an audition time and then you go through the audition process to try to get a spot in one of the preliminary performances where there is a list of songs where you can choose which song you are going to actually perform on stage. The audience then votes at each preliminary performance for their top performer and that performer goes on at the finale show and the chance to earn a AI ticket for the next audition for the tv show. If you make it through all the rounds it does take up a lot of your day.

This is just the cliff note version, there are a lot of steps within the steps kind of thing.

When were you thinking of auditioning?

 

[noritake1]

Hi my 15 year old daughter did this and made it through to the end you can ask my anything you like thanks Jill

 

[WDWprincessloyola]

I just got back and I auditioned for AIE....didn't make it, but here is my experience. lol

I got there prior to the rope drop and there was an AIE team that was taking preliminary auditioners. I met with one of them and basically I sang my 30 seconds right next to the mass of people waiting to get into the park.

I sang "Miracles Happen" from the Princess Diaries. I was immediately asked if I used to sing soprano "back in the day". I told her I had and she said she could tell and that I had a good voice and the song really did fit my range and personality. She went on to say that she wasn't completely sold but she was going to give me a fastpass to the AIE audition. She told me to pick a different song so I would use a deeper chest voice closer to Pat Benatar's "Hit me with your best shot".

Soooooo I hadn't thought of having another audition piece prepared in a lower range. I stood for the rope drop and the only thing I could think of for the audition was Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love of All". Probably not the best choice, but that was all I could think of that I knew the words to and had a lower range. I went in immediately to the AIE audition, sang, and the next person said I had a great, strong voice, but he could tell I was nervous (which I definately was because I didn't feel as prepared) and I should sing more karaoke and audition again later.

So AIE really is looking for strong, talented, potential AI winners. I would suggest to anyone who does the preliminary audition to have two contrasting songs prepared just in case. I did see a couple people go straight from the preliminary audition to choosing their song for the second show audition.

I got some of the experience. I already knew I wasn't on the path to be the next American Idol

 

[erincon23]

Hi -- my son did this in March and got into one of the performances. For the first audition, you're singing anything you want, and singing it a capella. So prepare at home; if you're really serious about this, record yourself and listen so you can make corrections. You want to make a good impression, so put plenty of energy and gestures into it. Review the list of available songs before you go, so you know what kind of music they're looking for -- your first audition piece shouldn't be something like God Bless America, it should be some kind of current pop or Disney-type song. Then, once you've gotten through, you'll be offered an ipod with all of the song choices. You probably should have selected two or three ahead of time and practiced them at home (again, record yourself, videotape, etc if you're serious). You'll make two choices -- you'll be given a list of what's not available any more (only one person can sing any one song each day, so they don't have two people singing the same song in the finals, so it's possible your first choice may be gone), then you'll sing both choices for a producer or two. They'll give you some critique, and if they choose you, be prepared to name a real AI winner that you like -- they do a taped thing for you if you are chosen to go through, that's all I'll say about that -- and they'll tell you which song you're going to do in the show. If you make it, they'll give you a return time (if you're under 18, be prepared to have a parent with you the entire time). You'll have 10 minutes with a professional vocal coach, who will give you styling and vocal help. You'll get 10 minutes with a hair/make-up person, then you'll have a rehearsal on stage with the other two contestants. Photopas photogs will be taking pix the entire time you're on stage, including rehearsal, and you'll get a special Photopass card with all those photos (sorry, no video of your performance!) that have special borders and items attached.

Just a note -- my son really had the best performance of the day (and it's not that I'm prejudiced, he's been performing semi-professionally for a while) -- he was up against another 16 year old -- but she sang a pretty pop song and he did Bob Seger's Old Time Rock and Roll. She was very good also, not as good a PERFORMER though, and she won. Pop songs seem to go over the best. Don't overreach on your song choice. If you have a chance to see any of the performances before you audition or at least before you perform, that might be helpful. We didn't, and my son would have liked to have seen something before he did it.

Have a great time! Let us know how you do!

Erin

 

[princess63]

Is there any age limit on this, like there is on the show, or can anyone try out for it? I don't have the greatest voice, and I'm well over the AI age limit, but I'd still like to do this just for fun.

 

[erincon23]

Minimum age 14, no max. Go for it! The third person in my son's show was a grandma -- we saw her later with her family, including grandkids, who had urged her to try out.

Erin

 

[FrolloFanatic]

PP said it was at Epcot...Um, it's at DHS.

 

[mcgregml]

Definitely go early in the day! My best friend and I were recently at HS on an early EMH day, when she suddenly decided that she wanted to audition. We got off ToT at about 8:55, and were at the American Idol audition site at 9:00. No waiting, just go on in.

They only accept a limited number of people each day, so go warmed up and ready to sing, because once they've filled all the shows - that's it! When we were there in July there were 8 shows + the finale show so only 24 people a day got to sing for the park audience.

My friend breezed through the acapela audition, but stumbled when it came to the ipod "american idol"-ized portion of the audition. Remember - the songs that you'll be performing will be 90 second arrangements, mostly previously performed on various seasons of idol. She kept going through "Walking after Midnight" on her ipod because she couldn't get a handle on the arrangement which she told me was very different than the kareoke arrangements she was used to. Thankfully, her version of "I Will Survive" was good enough to put her through to the audience show!

Also, one last reason to go early - as people get put through to the audience show in the auditions - no one else can sing that song again that day. So if you've got three songs from the song list you're comfortable with, but those songs are already being performed when you get there - you'll have to try and pick another song on the fly. Go early - not an issue!

Last advice - practice, practice, practice! Break a leg!

 

[auntyjenn]

So, exactly what times are you in for? I'm not sure I understand. If you keep winning you sing 8 times, or are there 8 different shows they pick the best one of and those eight sing in the last one?

-----------Complete random guess, please correct.-----------

1. First audition- 30 seconds, sing whatever you want either at the front gate or whenever you come no later than ?am (the earlier you are the more song choices are left if you make it)
2. They tell you a time to come back, anywhere from 10am-2pm for a second audition. That takes ?hours.
3. If you make that you get hair and voice coaching and come back at ?pm for the first show.
4. If you make that you come back in for the final ?pm show.

Am I close? Can you fill in the number times?

 

[mcgregml]

1. First audition- 30 seconds, sing whatever you want either at the front gate or whenever you come no later than 2pm - I think 2pm was the cutoff on the day we were there

2. They tell you a time to come back, anywhere from 10am-2pm for a second audition. No - read on - That takes - 15 minutes. - My friend didn't audition at the gate since we were already in the park, but the second audition directly followed the first. She had about 5 - 10 minutes of practice time in a very small room with other people who had made it through the first audition, then directly into the 2nd audition which took about 5 minutes.

3. If you make that you get hair and voice coaching and come back at ?pm for the first show. - This depends. If you get put through, they will assign you to a show (11am, 12pm, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). You must show up 1 hours and 10 minutes prior to your assigned show time. One of the other families when we were there had two auditioners - a mother and a daughter. Both made shows, but they made sure to put them in different shows. This means that if you make a show, you'll be committed for a little over an hour and a half after what you've already invested with the previous two auditions.

4. If you make that you come back in for the final ?pm show. - If you are the winner of your show, you will compete against the other winners at the last show of the day. In July, that show was at 7pm although I'm sure that the time of the last show will change as park hours change throughout the year.

Hope this clears up the confusion! Any other questions - ask away!

 

[BabaGanoush]

I have seen my fair share of AIE shows and have participated in the audition process. I have also spoken to several of the cast members in the area. Here are a few tips for those that are serious about it.

1. Arrive early. If you have the opportunity to audition in front of the park at rope drop - do it. Auditioning there does not inhibit your ability to audition again in the facility. It is the only way you can audition twice in a day in hopes of making it to the producer.

2. Audition first thing. As others have stated, there are a finite number of spots available per day so auditioning early only increases your chances. The cast also seem to be in a slight rush to get that first show cast as they need to have those individuals selected by 10 am to get them ready for the 11 am show. Also, this will give you the widest selection of songs - as songs are pulled from consideration as they are cast in the shows.

3. Know the park schedule - if you truly want to greatly increase your chance of getting on the show and then winning, know the crowd level of DHS and how EMH and Fantasmic performances affect it. By auditioning on a "slow" day, you GREATLY increase your chances of making it onto a show. Granted the crowds in the theater wont be as large but your playing the law of averages here. Avoid days that Fantasmic is playing as it greatly increases the total attendance of the park. Also avoid EMH morning days as there is a higher initial volume of guests early in the morning (the time when auditions are held). Do try to hit up days with EMH evenings as a lot of the crowd does not arrive until later in the afternoon as the auditions are wrapping up. Also, the day AFTER EMH evenings at DHS is a great day to audition (regardless of whether or not Fantasmic is playing) because crowd level is crazy low the morning after.

4. Biggest tip for those ages 14-17 who want to audition - Make sure you are with someone older than 17 and make sure there is someone to watch younger siblings if you have them. That means you need two adults... one to go with you and one to be with the rest of the family. The cast is strict about the one support individual in the audition facility rule.

5. Be prepared to surrender up to 4 hours of your day for the experience. That is about the amount of time it takes to go through the audition, show prep, preliminary show, finale show prep, and finale show. Dont let this stop you from enjoying the rest of the park though. Make sure the rest of your family understands how to use fastpass. Also, identify other things you definitely want to do (like TSM) and have the rest of the family do things your not as interested in while you audition.

6. Make sure you have some way of communicating with your family - either by cell phone or nextels or other device. This will allow you to quickly meet up with the family no matter how far you make it through the audition process.

The rest of my tips all have to do with song choice - because it is probably the single most important factor (besides sheer talent) to actually winning the dang show.

4. Know your place/style and stick to it. Don't try to be something your not and definitely choose something you are comfortable with singing. Don't let the producer bully you into a song that you don't want to sing. The producers are looking for a diverse show, so they may try to push you into a song that better suits the entertainment value of the show. They dont want you to sound bad... but they also don't want 3 female country singers in one show. Go early, and allow yourself to dictate what song your going to sing.

5. There are definite power songs. Meaning - when sung well, they have the notorious ability to defeat other well done songs. If you can identify and sing well one of these songs, you have a definite chance of winning over the audience. Many of these songs have the ability to "belt it out" which can really show off the voice and win over the crowd. Examples include Go the Distance for guys and Reflection for girls (notice that both of these are traditional style Disney songs... hmmmm.... wonder what a Disney crowd would like... hmmmm).

6. If you are wanting to win, avoid up-tempo or party songs - stick with ballads or mid-tempo stuff. Why? Because they better show off the voice and that ultimately wins the competition more than showmanship. Also, you can take more vocal liberties with the slower variety.

7. Only sing a song from the disco or latin sections if you are there to have fun and don't really care about winning... because you wont. Also, any current music by a Disney star should be avoided - the songs just dont compete well against stronger tunes.

8. If you are female and can truly pull off R.E.S.P.E.C.T. - go for it. Because you will win. But you have got to BRING IT. Otherwise the crowd will turn on you. And they only want to hear that song done one way - and that's Aretha style. But man... if you can bring that soul and growl... be prepared to have the crowd go crazy.

Hope this helps.

 

[auntyjenn]

Perfect perfect! Thanks.

 

[Shleedogg]

Hello everyone!
I'm interested in auditioning for the American Idol Experience...I need to know what I'm doing though before I go and thought I would ask you all!

First of all, what do I do when I first get into Hollywood Studios? Do I get there real early, and "walk fast" to the American Idol Experience attraction and get an audition time? Or will I already have a long line of American Idol wannabes???? Can anyone tell me what to expect here???

Also, what have some of you observed or heard about the auditions??? Do A TON of peope audition, or not so much? Do any of you know what they are looking for????

ANY audition tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!!!!

Also, does anyone know what happens when you do make it to a performance show???? Does it end up taking up your entire day???????????? Again, any feedback on this would be awesome!

I got there at 8:30 on an EMH morning and there were people right in the front of the park to the left, just past guest relations where the big truck is. I had to sing for him on the spot. I then had to go fill out a form and was taken to the AI area and got to sit and listen to an ipod and pick my songs. Then I was taken to a room with a producer and sang 2 songs while he played with my "levels." Then I got a video of Ryan Seacrest (sp?) and the producer told me I was going to be singing in that show.

I was told anywhere from 200-400 people audition every day and only 21 are picked to compete in the shows. There was no line when I went. There were a few people in the Coke lounge though by the time I went in for my 2nd round.

They are looking for a belter and a lot of charisma. I am a classically trained soprano, think opera and this has always been something I've secretly thought about. Belting is out of my comfort zone but they insisted I use my belt completely. No head voice at all. As for the charisma, they really want you to interact with the audience; you have to be really comfortable on stage.

If you get chosen to perform, you get 3 fastpasses that you can use for anything in the park and are told to come back an hour before the show. When you come back you're sent to vocal coaching and hair and makeup and then for a rehearsal 30 min before the show. They walk you through everything you'll be doing. It's a great experience, I recommend it to everyone. Win or lose, it's an incredible experience to be able to sing for over 1000 people! I also felt like a mini-celebrity that day. People were coming up to me all day telling me that they voted for me, it was pretty cool.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Good luck!

 

[goofy4tink]

Hi -- my son did this in March and got into one of the performances. For the first audition, you're singing anything you want, and singing it a capella. So prepare at home; if you're really serious about this, record yourself and listen so you can make corrections. You want to make a good impression, so put plenty of energy and gestures into it. Review the list of available songs before you go, so you know what kind of music they're looking for -- your first audition piece shouldn't be something like God Bless America, it should be some kind of current pop or Disney-type song. Then, once you've gotten through, you'll be offered an ipod with all of the song choices. You probably should have selected two or three ahead of time and practiced them at home (again, record yourself, videotape, etc if you're serious). You'll make two choices -- you'll be given a list of what's not available any more (only one person can sing any one song each day, so they don't have two people singing the same song in the finals, so it's possible your first choice may be gone), then you'll sing both choices for a producer or two. They'll give you some critique, and if they choose you, be prepared to name a real AI winner that you like -- they do a taped thing for you if you are chosen to go through, that's all I'll say about that -- and they'll tell you which song you're going to do in the show. If you make it, they'll give you a return time (if you're under 18, be prepared to have a parent with you the entire time). You'll have 10 minutes with a professional vocal coach, who will give you styling and vocal help. You'll get 10 minutes with a hair/make-up person, then you'll have a rehearsal on stage with the other two contestants. Photopas photogs will be taking pix the entire time you're on stage, including rehearsal, and you'll get a special Photopass card with all those photos (sorry, no video of your performance!) that have special borders and items attached.

Just a note -- my son really had the best performance of the day (and it's not that I'm prejudiced, he's been performing semi-professionally for a while) -- he was up against another 16 year old -- but she sang a pretty pop song and he did Bob Seger's Old Time Rock and Roll. She was very good also, not as good a PERFORMER though, and she won. Pop songs seem to go over the best. Don't overreach on your song choice. If you have a chance to see any of the performances before you audition or at least before you perform, that might be helpful. We didn't, and my son would have liked to have seen something before he did it.

Have a great time! Let us know how you do!

Erin

Very similar to my 15 y/o dd's experience. She also had the best 'performance' but the girl who won sang a more of a ballad type song, but had no stage presence. A ton of people stopped my dd in the park, after the show, to tell her how much they loved her. That was worth the price of admission.

I have seen my fair share of AIE shows and have participated in the audition process. I have also spoken to several of the cast members in the area. Here are a few tips for those that are serious about it.

1. Arrive early. If you have the opportunity to audition in front of the park at rope drop - do it. Auditioning there does not inhibit your ability to audition again in the facility. It is the only way you can audition twice in a day in hopes of making it to the producer.

2. Audition first thing. As others have stated, there are a finite number of spots available per day so auditioning early only increases your chances. The cast also seem to be in a slight rush to get that first show cast as they need to have those individuals selected by 10 am to get them ready for the 11 am show. Also, this will give you the widest selection of songs - as songs are pulled from consideration as they are cast in the shows.

3. Know the park schedule - if you truly want to greatly increase your chance of getting on the show and then winning, know the crowd level of DHS and how EMH and Fantasmic performances affect it. By auditioning on a "slow" day, you GREATLY increase your chances of making it onto a show. Granted the crowds in the theater wont be as large but your playing the law of averages here. Avoid days that Fantasmic is playing as it greatly increases the total attendance of the park. Also avoid EMH morning days as there is a higher initial volume of guests early in the morning (the time when auditions are held). Do try to hit up days with EMH evenings as a lot of the crowd does not arrive until later in the afternoon as the auditions are wrapping up. Also, the day AFTER EMH evenings at DHS is a great day to audition (regardless of whether or not Fantasmic is playing) because crowd level is crazy low the morning after.

4. Biggest tip for those ages 14-17 who want to audition - Make sure you are with someone older than 17 and make sure there is someone to watch younger siblings if you have them. That means you need two adults... one to go with you and one to be with the rest of the family. The cast is strict about the one support individual in the audition facility rule.

5. Be prepared to surrender up to 4 hours of your day for the experience. That is about the amount of time it takes to go through the audition, show prep, preliminary show, finale show prep, and finale show. Dont let this stop you from enjoying the rest of the park though. Make sure the rest of your family understands how to use fastpass. Also, identify other things you definitely want to do (like TSM) and have the rest of the family do things your not as interested in while you audition.

6. Make sure you have some way of communicating with your family - either by cell phone or nextels or other device. This will allow you to quickly meet up with the family no matter how far you make it through the audition process.

The rest of my tips all have to do with song choice - because it is probably the single most important factor (besides sheer talent) to actually winning the dang show.

4. Know your place/style and stick to it. Don't try to be something your not and definitely choose something you are comfortable with singing. Don't let the producer bully you into a song that you don't want to sing. The producers are looking for a diverse show, so they may try to push you into a song that better suits the entertainment value of the show. They dont want you to sound bad... but they also don't want 3 female country singers in one show. Go early, and allow yourself to dictate what song your going to sing.

5. There are definite power songs. Meaning - when sung well, they have the notorious ability to defeat other well done songs. If you can identify and sing well one of these songs, you have a definite chance of winning over the audience. Many of these songs have the ability to "belt it out" which can really show off the voice and win over the crowd. Examples include Go the Distance for guys and Reflection for girls (notice that both of these are traditional style Disney songs... hmmmm.... wonder what a Disney crowd would like... hmmmm).

6. If you are wanting to win, avoid up-tempo or party songs - stick with ballads or mid-tempo stuff. Why? Because they better show off the voice and that ultimately wins the competition more than showmanship. Also, you can take more vocal liberties with the slower variety.

7. Only sing a song from the disco or latin sections if you are there to have fun and don't really care about winning... because you wont. Also, any current music by a Disney star should be avoided - the songs just dont compete well against stronger tunes.

8. If you are female and can truly pull off R.E.S.P.E.C.T. - go for it. Because you will win. But you have got to BRING IT. Otherwise the crowd will turn on you. And they only want to hear that song done one way - and that's Aretha style. But man... if you can bring that soul and growl... be prepared to have the crowd go crazy.

Hope this helps.

Yep....would completely second that. I also suggest that people go to the show a day or so beforehand...just to see the facility. It can be intimidating, to say the leaset!!

I got there at 8:30 on an EMH morning and there were people right in the front of the park to the left, just past guest relations where the big truck is. I had to sing for him on the spot. I then had to go fill out a form and was taken to the AI area and got to sit and listen to an ipod and pick my songs. Then I was taken to a room with a producer and sang 2 songs while he played with my "levels." Then I got a video of Ryan Seacrest (sp?) and the producer told me I was going to be singing in that show.

I was told anywhere from 200-400 people audition every day and only 21 are picked to compete in the shows. There was no line when I went. There were a few people in the Coke lounge though by the time I went in for my 2nd round.

They are looking for a belter and a lot of charisma. I am a classically trained soprano, think opera and this has always been something I've secretly thought about. Belting is out of my comfort zone but they insisted I use my belt completely. No head voice at all. As for the charisma, they really want you to interact with the audience; you have to be really comfortable on stage.

If you get chosen to perform, you get 3 fastpasses that you can use for anything in the park and are told to come back an hour before the show. When you come back you're sent to vocal coaching and hair and makeup and then for a rehearsal 30 min before the show. They walk you through everything you'll be doing. It's a great experience, I recommend it to everyone. Win or lose, it's an incredible experience to be able to sing for over 1000 people! I also felt like a mini-celebrity that day. People were coming up to me all day telling me that they voted for me, it was pretty cool.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Good luck!

We were never offered FPs...maybe next time. But I have to say that my dd had the same comments you had.....less classical voice, more pop voice. Considering that is something she has been trying to get out of her voice, it was pretty funny!!! And she can belt...she did 'Our Song' and did a nice job. She loves being on stage....and it shows. I'm thinking that the next time, in two weeks, she should choose something more ballady vs upbeat. And keep it in a mezzo range where she is turning out to be strongest.
Some very good tips here guys...hopefully those wanting to audtion for the first time are paying attention.

 

[ZeroToHero]

Quick question - do they have different versions in different keys for the songs? So if a tenor and a bass were to sing the same song (on different days of course), it would be made to sound more on their level?

 

[teacup princess]

ANY audition tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!!!!

A chicken costume......

A chicken costume always helps; they won't even notice your voice. You'll breeze right through.

 

[mcgregml]

Quick question - do they have different versions in different keys for the songs? So if a tenor and a bass were to sing the same song (on different days of course), it would be made to sound more on their level?

No - everythings is pre-recorded in one key only, so you need to be able to sing in pretty much the original key. The only time there may be more than one version of a song is if it was been performed more than once on American Idol in the past - then there will be a "regular" version and an "alternate" version.