The Sound of Music Auditions: Spotlight on the Zhous

Last but not least in our The Sound of Music Auditions series, we have the Zhous!

Parents of Michelle:

What was the main reason your child auditioned?
Michelle has loved to sing and dance since she was very little and always enjoyed performing in drama/ballet shows, carols and HKAPA junior concerts etc. Among all the performances that she has done, we knew playing a part in Oliver! produced by HKYAF was something she loved the most. She often tells us about the songs, dances, fun and friendships she had with the Oliver family and how much she misses them. Michelle spotted The Sound of Music audition in the Oliver brochure and asked if she could go for it. Knowing what she is passionate about, we were also very excited for her and gave her our full support.

What did your child get out of the experience? 
We saw Michelle put great thought and effort into her preparation:
A week before: she discussed and decided what food, drinks and snacks she would pack, what clothes and shoes she would wear. Since she had a bit of a cold and block nose after New Year, she made sure she dressed warmly, talked quietly and had plenty of sleep for voice protection.   
Each night before the audition: she rehearsed lines, songs or choreography for the next day, got her clothes (with numbers pinned) ready, set an alarm and reminded us to set ours too to make sure she would be up bright and early the next day.

We were glad to see our 9-year-old becoming so self-disciplined and well organised (especially setting our alarms as a buffer) for the audition.

Were there any challenges that you or your child faced? 
For Michelle, as there were many rounds of eliminations, she got really upset when she saw friends or someone from the Oliver! family get eliminated and would become nervous. We reassured her not to worry about the end result and just to focus on things that we knew she is fantastically good at.  

As parents, since we witnessed how Lindsey (Director of HKYAF) and the HKYAF team embraced everyone in Oliver!, and together with the world-class London production house and the experienced director/crew, we had no doubt that Michelle was in safe hands and would have a great time auditioning with other budding talents. A big THANK YOU to Lindsey et al for your great work nourishing young artists in Hong Kong.  

How did your support your child throughout the process?
Physically, we made sure Michelle ate and slept well to maintain vocal health and good energy levels from 9am – 6pm each day across the 3 days. Emotionally, we told her no matter what the end result may be, she is the best and we are proud to see her go this far. Michelle also received lots of cheers and support from friends, families and teachers - we are grateful for their warm wishes and prayers.   
 
And now our superstar Michelle:

What did you enjoy most about this experience? 
I most enjoyed meeting a lot of different talented people like Jonny and the other children who made it to the final round. In the audition, I learnt how you should express yourself while you’re performing. I also enjoyed seeing a lot of my friends from Oliver!

What was the most challenging thing?
Seeing a lot of my friends getting eliminated after each round and having to remember the choreography and lyrics for the different songs in 15 – 30 minutes were the hardest things. For me I was quite nervous and confident at the same time, but I thought it was a really good experience being in this audition.

How did you prepare in between the various auditioning days/sessions? 
A week or two before the audition, I was learning the songs that the children in the von Trapp Family sing by watching the movie several times. For the rest of the time I would just rest my voice and talk quieter. I had to drink a lot of WATER!!! I didn’t eat any fried or junk food before the audition to keep my voice nice and clear. 

What will you remember the most? 
I will remember that when I was on that very stage singing the song on my own, how nervous I was, I was basically SHAKING!!!!! After I sang by myself and we got off the stage, I felt really confident and I was really glad that I actually did it.

What are your top 3 auditioning tips for other young people? 
1.           Have a lot of ENERGY!!! when you get up on that stage.
2.           Drink a lot of WATER!!! before the audition.
3.           Have a lot of REST so that the next day you will have a lot of ENERGY!!!