The Sound of Music Auditions: Spotlight on the Yeungs

Next up on our blog for The Sound of Music Auditions series we have the Yeungs!

Josh Yeung’s parents:
What was the main reason your child auditioned? 
Singing and music have always been a big part of Josh’s life. Josh sang in the school choir as well as the Hong Kong Children’s Choir for 5 years. He enjoys performing and is in fact a Drama King, as we always call him.  This passion became even stronger after he had participated in Oliver! last November. Ever since, he has never stopped singing wherever he goes. And then one day, Josh sent me a link, which I later found out that it led to the online registration for the audition of The Sound of Music. He told me that he really wanted to try it out. Seeing how much he had gained from the last YAF production, we trust that this will just be another memorable experience for him. His dad and I always encourage our sons to pursue their dreams and be happy. If this is what he enjoys doing and makes him feel good, we feel that we should give it a go.

What did your child get out of the experience? 
Apart from gaining confidence, recognition and self-assurance, Josh also learned choreography and got life lessons from Director Jonny and Lindsey.   And with many rounds of eliminations during those 3 days of auditions, he also learned how to deal with stress and at the same time, gained precious friendships and had loads of fun!

Were there any challenges that you or your child faced? 
I guess the biggest challenge for us was how to keep a calm mind when we were surrounded by hundreds of parents & auditionees who were nervous and competitive.  And when competing with all these talented young people, it is easy to lose confidence and start thinking less of himself.  So I had to constantly reassure Josh that he just needed to relax, enjoy the process and give his best.  Most importantly, we always pray beforehand and let God lead the way.  Even though he might not get picked in the end, he can still bring home wonderful friendships and memories.

How did your support your child throughout the process? 
I think I must have read the 'Audition Briefing & FAQ’ for at least 20 times to make sure we didn’t miss out on anything important.  In order to protect his voice, I urged him to dress warmly and go to bed early.  I also made him honey drinks and gave him his daily dose of Vitamin-C so he wouldn’t get sick so easily.  During those 3 days of auditions, I had to reschedule all his usual activities and let him have undivided time and attention for these auditions.  Eliminations can be stressful.  I needed to remind him that no matter how the result turns out, he is already a winner in our eyes.  All our friends and relatives are indeed very proud that Josh has made it to the final 39!   He’s our No. 1 Superstar and I’m always his biggest fan!

I would like to thank HKYAF and Lindsey for their dedication in promoting Arts and Music to Hong Kong young people.  They have done a FANTASTIC job!!  We are truly impressed by their talents & professionalism and we are grateful for this wonderful opportunity.

And now superstar Josh!
What I enjoyed most in the auditions was...
having to meet so many amazingly talented people such as the Director and other finalists.  I learned so much from them by observing their facial expressions, voice projection and body movements.  I also enjoyed doing choreography.  It was great fun to dance in groups.

I found the most challenging part was...
having to sing very high notes in some of the songs without going out of tune.  It was especially hard when I was a bit nervous.  On top of that, I had to memorise the lyrics in about 15 minutes and then perform it in front of hundreds of people.  It was challenging but a great experience.

To prepare…
A week into the audition, I had been practicing on singing and did a lot of vocal warm-ups.  I was also careful about what I ate, made sure I had a balanced diet and drank lots and lots of water!  In the meantime, I just kept myself relaxed and went to bed early.

Oh I’ll never forget... 
how nervous I was singing solo in front of so many people!  But I LOVE It!!  It makes me feel good about myself.  Hope I’ll get more chances to do that in the future and gradually build up my confidence on this.

My top three auditioning tips are...  
#1 Drink PLENTY of water but NO sparkling drinks.  #2  Go to bed early the night before so you’ll be bright and alert.  #3 Relax, always smile and be extremely ENERGETIC!!

My favourite musical is....
THE SOUND OF MUSIC for sure!!  There’s no other musical that is as famous and popular as this one.  People around the world must know a song or two. It gives you LOVE and HOPE. Singing the songs makes me happy but I think I’m driving my family bananas by humming and singing non-stop in the house.  =D