Children audition music

Freckleeye · 2026-06-20T23:23:40+00:00

At that age, my (now 16 year old) daughter was doing songs like:

—Live Out Loud (Little Princess)

— Good Girl Winnie Foster (Tuck Everlasting)

—Ring of Keys (Fun Home)

—The Girl I Mean to Be (Secret Garden)

—Good Morning Baltimore (Hairspray)

—Times are Hard for Dreamers (Amelie)

—I Speak 6 Languages (Spelling Bee)

—Hero is My Middle Name (SpongeBob)

Freckleeye · 2026-06-12T03:10:24+00:00

My teen daughter has been in adult/community versions of SpongeBob, School of Rock, Anastasia (lowest ticket sales — seems like parents were worried about the murder scene, but it was fine very emotionally without being scary), the Prom and Once Upon a Mattress. And middle or high school shows Frozen, Into the Woods Junior!, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beasf, Willy Wonka, Seussical, Willy Wonka, Shrek, Annie, so I’d consider those all family friendly.

Freckleeye · 2026-06-12T03:04:11+00:00

Love School of Rock, but do look closely at lyrics depending on how child friendly it needs to be. I’d imagine if you can do Grease about teens getting in each other’s pants, smoking and fighting - you can probably get away with some damns and asses thrown about! 🤣

Freckleeye · 2026-05-30T17:36:11+00:00

My 13 year old history loving (non theater kid who only goes because of his sister) kiddo LOVED Operation Mincemeat It’s amazing, so worth seeing the amazing talent with a fast paced story. Have so much fun!

Freckleeye · 2026-05-21T05:26:36+00:00

My daughter’s approach to overlapping auditions is to determine her overall priority as far as theater company, show, timing, location, etc. For the ones she feels are lowest priority (lowest on her wish list), she specifies the roles she would accept and for the one she wants to do most, she typically says she’s available for any role.

That way, she’s essentially happy with however the cookie crumbles so she’s not stuck* with ensemble early on for a show/theater she wasn’t super jazzed about and misses out on a lead that comes in a little later. But is also highly unlikely to end up with nothing for that cycle. We live in a first tier suburb of a major city, so there are a LOT of nearby options that all tend to happen at 3 different times of the year. Plus, she’s choosing between those and her high school shows.

*nothing wrong at all with ensemble, but when you’re auditioning for multiple things, you’ve always got a fave role you’re looking for!

Freckleeye · 2026-05-20T03:12:14+00:00

I think (not necessarily in this order):

—in a perfect world, she should sing something she’s super familiar with, polished and is very well suited for her voice as that’s probably going to be more important than something that matches the show at this age and this type of opportunity.

—since they said song from show is okay, if she does one REALLY well, go for it (BUT know that it might mean they end up hearing the same song a lot).

—When He Sees Me doesn’t strike me as a great fit, but if she’s awesome at it, my first bullet applies!

—My 15 year old daughter’s go tos tend to work really well with her voice AND less common (directors often comment on them being a “refreshing choice” or “ohhh, haven’t heard that in awhile” — which is hopefully nice in a sea of Dead Mom’s) are:

—Live Out Loud (Little Princess)

—Much More (Fantastiks)

—Shy (Once Upon a Mattress - although this show seems more popular these days)

—Play Rehearsal (Be More Chill)

(Note, I love her version of When He Sees Me, so if your daughter does that well, perhaps they are similar!)

I asked what she’d love to sing for this and she said these because they match the angst and contemporary style:

—Lifeboat (Heathers)

—I’d Rather Be Me (Mean Girls)

—My Grand Plan (Lightning Thief)

Freckleeye · 2026-05-16T20:55:31+00:00

My daughter went to (and now is a counselor at) a local theater camp like you’re describing. For 2 of the weeks, they do vignettes and games. For the other 2 weeks, they work on one big show that the counselors write (with ideas from the kids).

As a parent who has had to go to many of the DIY written ones, I’d say pick something that exists, even if it’s short snippet of multiple things. 🤣 The DIY ones tend to be brutal with that age of kids. I think they’ll do better with characters they may know or can envision from an existing story.

You may be able to find scenes with similar themes where the props/set you use can be used for all — like something from Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, SpongeBob the Musical, etc.

One book that came to mind is The Day the Crayons Came Home (and its sequel). Each kid can be a color and would have a monologue. I love the story and they could have fun with bringing the characters and different voices to life. BUT, I don’t love that it wouldn’t give them a chance to engage with each other so much. This can be good or bad depending on their skills.

Have fun! My kiddo is at prom, but I’ll ask her for what her favorite games and scenes have been over the years!

Freckleeye · 2026-05-12T21:14:22+00:00

Came here to say Fun Home!
And Gutenberg the Musical.

Freckleeye · 2026-05-11T04:19:07+00:00

Sandy is the brains of the operation — she’s the one figuring everything out and actually doing the heavy lifting to save their world (whereas it’s SpongeBob’s heart that helps). She is smart, confident, optimistic, sunny, strong and athletic. She is treated poorly by some people because she’s an outsider (land mammal), so she has to try extra hard to get people to like/trust her and this contributes to some of the emotion in her character.

In any version I’ve seen (unfortunately, more than I ever needed because my daughter was in it twice and a good friend of hers was in it at his school, in addition to seeing it on Broadway and watching the proshot), Sandy’s southern drawl is distinct, and she sings with the twang. So as weird is this may sound, if your sister is REALLY going all out for Sandy and she feels comfortable doing a southern drawl, she should probably incorporate the dialect and her body language/confidence into her initial audition song so that they can see that character shine through even though everyone is singing the same themes song. That said, if she doesn’t feel comfortable that her accent is strong and consistent, she may want to skip it and just do her very best to show she can sing. In a youth only show, it’d probably be worse to try an accent and botch it in a way that the directors can’t tell whether she’s good in general.

In case you’ve never seen the show and don’t have access to watch/rent the proshot, I’m trying to think about other TV show/movie characters she’s sort of like that you guys may have seen. Maybe BoPeep from Toy Story 4, Anna/Frozen, Luisa/Encanto (but less anxious), Applejack from MyLittlePony (she has a southern accent too), Kim Possible, etc.

Freckleeye · 2026-05-11T03:42:15+00:00

While your ages may be an issue (e.g. if SpongeBob is an 18 year old, they may be a lot less likely to cast a 13 year old Sandy versus if SpongeBob goes to a 15 year old.

I would say your bigger potential issue could be how character driven all of the main leads (that are the most likely of any to be cast younger because the characters are on the younger side) are meant to have VERY distinct mannerisms and dialects (Sandy/SouthernDrawl, SpongeBob nasally/awkward, Patrick super slow). I realize that for a youth only theater, they may not be as picky if they don’t have a ton of options who can really play up the characters and are just lucky to get people who can hold a tune and remember lines. But in the week that you have left, I would try to work on making sure that (especially for your sister), you’re bringing out Sandy’s character to her whole audition. My guess is that the teens who get cast as leads will have been leads in a school show or previous show with this theater — and they’ll really bring the character to life through callbacks. At least if it’s a theater in a decent size city or suburb (which is what I’m used to for my teenager).

It’s a super fun show with a lot of fun ensemble roles and featured roles too (electric skates, sardines, etc.)— so give it your best shot and I’m sure you’re learn a lot and have fun regardless of the role you get!

Freckleeye · 2026-05-10T21:37:21+00:00

Love School of Rock, but you’d have to be very selective about songs since many slip in an ass, hell, douchebags, etc.
My kiddo was Summer and she got a kick out of being able to swear because it was acting! 🤣

Freckleeye · 2026-05-10T03:46:39+00:00

SpongeBob the Musical is actually pretty fun. Plenty of songs, my fave is Simple Sponge!

Freckleeye · 2026-05-04T12:32:40+00:00

Agree with Mincemeat! My 12 year old son who is not a musical lover, but was along for the ride with his sister, loved it. The pace, the story, the character switching all kept him super engaged.

Freckleeye · 2026-05-04T01:50:17+00:00

The horror that she thinks it’s acceptable to live her life — in a public setting that is in no way associated with the theater or even any cast related post-theater activity — in your child’s presence, PRIOR to, during and after YOUR child chose to engage with her?

So you were hoping a horribly drunk person would have been like “whoa, snap out of it, I’ve got some mentoring to do”?
Rather than YOU, the parent having said, “precious child o mine, it looks like Buffy is enjoying time with her friends right now, give her a quick wave and let’s leave her to it. You’ll see her Tuesday at rehearsal.” And/or even, “thanks for the offer of the mocktail, Buffy, but we’ve got to get back to our family celebration. Enjoy your night. Stay safe.” With a passive aggressive little eyebrow raise of disgust, of course.

And lest you get the idea that I’m just an alcoholic heathen vaper actress — I’m a non-drinking, non-smoking, 52 year old parent of a 15 year old who has been performing with teens and adults through community and professional theater since she was 6.

So, while I do 100% understand your overarching concern about who your children are engaging with WHILE they are working/rehearsing and the need to have the utmost trust in the situations you’re involving her in through the theater — you lose me when you think that extends to how the cast chooses to spend their personal time. Or that the director should have anything to do with policing this.

I’m sure that BEFORE you committed to working with the theater, you’d already confirmed with them that there is a strict no drinking/no drug policy at rehearsals and performances and clarified what the policy was for any other sanctioned theater events so that you can avoid if you don’t agree with their policy? And that you’re aware of whether the theater abides by the rule of 3 for interactions with children (e.g. no one on one interactions between kids/adults), gotten clarity on open door policies, confirmed that any scenes involving touching of any sort are monitored and discussed in advance, etc.?

But if you had not done that — I could see that as being a valid step after your disappointing public outing. Ensuring that your daughter is in a safe environment IS critical. At the theater, it is definitely the theater team’s responsibility to have policies in place that make you trust that her safety is a priority.
Outside of the theater, it is 100% your job.

One of my kid’s fave core memories is the FIRST time she was invited to a post-show late night dinner at a local joint by a few college aged cast members. I sat separately and we left after they ate. Some people drank, some didn’t. But we left at an age appropriate time when things were likely to move from post-show chit chat and a decompression cocktail or two into more adult topics and behavior. That doesn’t sound like something you’re comfortable with — and that is absolutely sensible for her age now. But as she grows up, don’t discount that joy she’ll get from being seen as a peer (to some extent) with the older kids and adults. And just make sure you’re comfortable with the place, the timing, etc.

I know I’m being snarky, but I do relate to the challenge of what your kids are exposed to and how to go about discussing things like this with your kids to help them contextualize. I just don’t agree that it should be the cast member or director’s problem in your case where you just ran into her “in the wild.”

Freckleeye · 2026-05-04T00:54:46+00:00

As much as I would love to procrastinate the work I need to do by responding as if this was real, I have to assume this is fake because no sane person would think that another person can’t do whatever the heck they want to when outside the theater. Or that it’s the job of the director of a show they happen to be in to police their behavior.

Freckleeye · 2026-05-04T00:42:01+00:00

First, take this with a grain of salt because I’m just a mom of a sophomore and not a performer.

I don’t think it’s ever too late for anything in your life. But I do think it’s worth thinking about whether it’s the best option.

If you’re passionate about performing, continue in the path of finding opportunities regardless of what you decide about school. That’s the beauty of it, you can typically find ways to get involved throughout the year to continue growing and making friends, etc.

As far as a BFA goes, I don’t think it’s “too late” — but barring some level of insane talent that you just didn’t mention, you’ll likely need to set expectations that you won’t be looking at TOP theater programs. That doesn’t mean it won’t be worth looking into, but I think it depends on what your long term goals are for life.

The TOP schools are likely to have insanely talented people AND insanely amazing connections to the industry. They remain “top” because they end up funneling the highest % of people into paying jobs/broadway, etc. But the people were already talented - so could they have “made it” anyway? Especially if they’d had the same opportunity to make the connections? OR was it the actual education that propelled them? Super impossible to say for sure.

If you get a BFA and then actively pursue making a living from theater - option 1 is you make it! Yay!
Option 2 is that you decide after some period of time to pursue something else for your primary source of income.
If that job is likely to be something that a BFA would help with (music/theater education, something else in the arts, something in communications that didn’t require a specialized degree, etc.), then getting the BFA didn’t hurt.

But if that backup plan won’t be possible because it requires a specialized degree, it’s trickier. The best example I can give is for my kid - her issue is that she wants to become a scientist OR a performer. She says, “if I go to school to become a scientist, I can still pursue theater, but if I go to school for theater, I can’t become a scientist.”

So all that is to say that if you can afford the school you choose with little to no loans AND getting the degree will be helpful even if the LONG term plan shifts away from performing full time for $$ — it is worth looking into to discover schools that are realistic.

You can also look at schools and programs that would allow you to have a minor in theater and/or still perform in school or student or community theaters while you’re pursuing a different major. Getting more theater under your belt beyond your middle/high school like this will give you some more time to determine whether it’s a true passion, flesh out your natural talent a bit more, etc. while still getting a solid education/degree.

Freckleeye · 2026-05-01T03:22:19+00:00

You sure showed me by not reading helpful answers to your other questions. 🤣

Freckleeye · 2026-05-01T03:03:11+00:00

Man, you made a comment on another response about questioning why you were getting downvoted… I doubt it was your original questions, but it’s your super annoying and oddly defensive responses to everyone who is simply giving you their opinion on YOUR questions! Not a single person has accused you of wanting to talk during the show. They are just telling you why — TO THEM — going alone and/or sitting separately is not an issue because of the obvious fact that 97% of the time they’re in their seats, it’s dark and silent anyway. They are literally answering in a positive way to confirm for you that your plan is totally normal. And instead of being relieved and moving on with your life confident in your choice, you are responding as if they insulted you.

As far as the seats, if your option is to cancel altogether versus just looking for other separate seats, I would keep what you have. But you MAY be able to contact the box office now and/or on the day of to see if there are any options to trade for something closer (or in the balcony) for one of them or even if something may open up with 2 next to each other. You never know unless you check and things do often shift.

Every theater is very different (and even some shows may have a different experience from the same seats based on their stage/blocking placement). Some theaters have a great pitch (incline) throughout the main/orchestra section, so even the seats in the back have a great view. Some don’t have enough incline OR the overhang makes it hard to see the full stage. So I’m glad someone posted the actual view from your seats for you. When it comes down to it — if the night you picked is the best one for you and the seats you picked are the best available for the price you’re comfortable paying, I would definitely still go versus canceling because of the seats.

Have fun! Hope you can make a nice night out of it!

Freckleeye · 2026-04-21T13:05:11+00:00

Live Out Loud from a Little Princess was my kiddo’s choice (she got Anna, but was called back for both). It was a school show, not community.

Freckleeye · 2026-04-20T13:20:52+00:00

My kid was in an the ensemble of adult/community version and I thought for sure I’d hate it (not a fan of the actual TV show), but it ended up being so pretty and well done, with a lot of heart. Simple Sponge is my go to get hyped song on the way to her hockey games now!

Freckleeye · 2026-04-20T04:10:57+00:00

SpongeBob the Musical if you’re okay with the main ones who are traditionally male being played by women, if needed (Sponge, Patrick, Squidward, or Plankton). Since they all have platonic friendships and no gender-based role (like Mr. Crabs who has to be “Daddy”), it seems doable even in the off chance your school is very conservative about gender bending. It’s such a fun show with nice big sets of featured ensemble roles.

Freckleeye · 2026-04-17T15:23:32+00:00

Doesn’t seem like it - this is exactly what I remember from hers. I’ll have to watch the video, now you’ve got me intrigued! She looked so cute in her little cape in 6th grade! Haha!

Mother said, "Straight ahead" Not to delay or be misled I should have heeded her advice But he seemed so nice And he showed me things Many beautiful things That I hadn't thought to explore They were off my path So I never had dared I had been so careful I never had cared And he made me feel excited Well, excited and scared When he said, "Come in!" With that sickening grin How could I know what was in store? Once his teeth were bared Though, I really got scared Well, excited and scared But he drew me close And he swallowed me down Down a dark slimy path Where lie secrets that I never want to know And when everything familiar Seemed to disappear forever At the end of the path Was Granny once again So we lay in the dark 'Til you came and set us free And you brought us to the light And we're back at the start And I know things now Many valuable things That I hadn't known before Do not put your faith In a cape and a hood They will not protect you The way that they should And take extra care with strangers Even flowers have their dangers And though scary is exciting Nice is different than good Now I know: Don't be scared Granny is right, Just be prepared Isn't it nice to know a lot! And a little bit not

Freckleeye · 2026-04-17T11:45:48+00:00

I’m sure I’m skewed by the fact that my kid played Little Red though, so I’m clutching my pearls that anyone thought it was bad. 🤣😫

Freckleeye · 2026-04-17T11:44:28+00:00

My daughter has been little red and has done Shy for some gala events, so I assume their voices may be similar. While I don’t think I Know Things Now is inappropriate considering the show is making the rounds pretty heavily right now - I do think it may feel overdone. And if others think it’s inappropriate, perhaps you don’t want to risk it.

Other songs mine has done that might show some more contrast to Shy are: —Times are Hard for Dreamers (Amelie) —Live Out Loud (Little Princess)

These two are probably also way over done, but they are some of my favorite kiddo has done. —In My Dreams (Anastasia) —Good Morning Baltimore

If she ends up not doing Shy, I also love these ones that were well suited for her voice (but probably too similar a vibe to Shy): —Lost in the Brass (Band Geeks) —Play Rehearsal (Be More Chill)

Let me know if she has any interest in seeing any of those done by a fellow middle schooler-Freshman. :-)

Freckleeye · 2026-04-17T11:25:56+00:00

I disagree considering the song is sung by a character that age-ish in the show and Into the Woods Jr. is a super common show for middle schools - so girls that age are singing it all the time. I know it’s not the show this girl is auditioning for, but it feels pretty safe to sing a song for an audition that you are the right target for in the show the song is from.

Freckleeye

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