The Hammond audition

[LyndseyJ]

 

Good Morning, 

 

My daughter who is 10 has been offered an audition for The Hammond, can anyone please offer any advice or let me know what we will be expecting. She is a ballet dancer and takes modern/jazz lessons ( she hasn’t been doing them long)
 

She isn’t a singer so we are a bit shocked to see that she has to sing a song for the year 7 dance programme.

 

we are stressing a little bit. 

[MrsMoo2]

My son auditioned a few years back the parts that were more difficult were the solo and the singing! DS was completely unprepared for the singing so they told him to sing Happy Birthday, and we lost sleep over the solo! 🤣 If she hasn’t been to one before just tell her not to be put off by the competitive stretching in the corridors and the ones who turn up with sheet music for their singing! If you can beforehand, see if her teacher will look over her solo, and to enjoy the classes. My son enjoyed the day, meeting new friends and seeing more boys. They do quite a lot of auditions, think it was one a month from November-May and see about 50 kids at each one. One final point, look at the finance before your daughter sets her mind on it. There are bursaries, scholarships and things but ultimately it’s not a cheap way to get an education. The uniform costs around £500 with shoes and everything.

Lots of luck to your daughter! 
xxx

[LyndseyJ]

1 hour ago, MrsMoo2 said:

My son auditioned a few years back the parts that were more difficult were the solo and the singing! DS was completely unprepared for the singing so they told him to sing Happy Birthday, and we lost sleep over the solo! 🤣 If she hasn’t been to one before just tell her not to be put off by the competitive stretching in the corridors and the ones who turn up with sheet music for their singing! If you can beforehand, see if her teacher will look over her solo, and to enjoy the classes. My son enjoyed the day, meeting new friends and seeing more boys. They do quite a lot of auditions, think it was one a month from November-May and see about 50 kids at each one. One final point, look at the finance before your daughter sets her mind on it. There are bursaries, scholarships and things but ultimately it’s not a cheap way to get an education. The uniform costs around £500 with shoes and everything.

Lots of luck to your daughter! 
xxx

 
Thank you so much for this post, it’s out my mind at rest so much, I want her to go and enjoy it but the singing puts me off lol, her dance teacher is going to help her with the solo 

 

I can totally get the cost of the uniform etc, 😳

[Jan McNulty]

Hello @LindseyJ and welcome to the Forum!

[LyndseyJ]

20 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

Hello @LindseyJ and welcome to the Forum!

Thank you 😊 

[Ruby Foo]

I think an attitude of ‘ I’ve no idea how to sing but I’m going to give it my very best shot’ and performing with a sense of fearlessness and confidence counts for a lot. It probably counts for more than having a magnificent voice because having a fearless and ‘ I’m happy to come out of my comfort zone once in a while’ is a wonderful transferable trait that is immensely helpful in the dance world where adapting to new styles, choreography, ideas, teaching styles is all important. 

Edited October 18, 2023 by Ruby Foo
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[Betty’s mum]

Also don’t be put off by cost of things, if she is lucky enough to get MDS then all dance wear shoes etc are covered each year & school uniform is now basic and very afoardable. 

[Farawaydancer]

11 hours ago, Ruby Foo said:

I think an attitude of ‘ I’ve no idea how to sing but I’m going to give it my very best shot’ and performing with a sense of fearlessness and confidence counts for a lot. It probably counts for more than having a magnificent voice because having a fearless and ‘ I’m happy to come out of my comfort zone once in a while’ is a wonderful transferable trait that is immensely helpful in the dance world where adapting to new styles, choreography, ideas, teaching styles is all important. 

This is exactly what they’re looking for. My dd was very much NOT a singer when she auditioned, but she used a song she knew very well and was confident and had a go, and that’s all they want to see.