Eric Walton knows his stuff! He has many ideas of songs for your book that are not overdone and fit your voice and personality. More importantly, he helps you to find the story behind each song and make it personal for you. He is very encouraging, very helpful, and I love being able to work with him!
Emily Bodkin, actressPerforming With Joy
I think of auditions not as job interviews, but as performances. Every I time I get to play, whether its a big career-making moment or accompanying auditions in a rehearsal studio, I remember how lucky we are to be "playing", not "working", for at least part of our living. To that end, when I work with singers, I try to impart that great performance comes from joy. A good 16-bar audition can bring joy to everyone in the room, besides being good business.
Working With Patience
Many singers mention how comfortable they are with me, how patient I am. I take very seriously the task of being nice to people, but besides that, I actually enjoy going through the steps necessary for learning a song. The most basic elements of music are also the most important, and in teaching basics we can come to a greater understanding ourselves. As my piano teacher once said when another teacher complained of having to teach basics: "Basics? All there is is basics!"
Transposition
I can transpose at sight, at the piano. This is especially handy when trying out a new song, to find the ideal key for a singer's voice. The last thing you want at an audition is to showcase notes that are out of your range.
Song Preparation
I am adept at music notation software. In my studio I have the facilities to produce, transpose, and edit musical notation. Too often good auditions are marred by poor notation. When the pianist has to wonder what happens next, the audition suffers. Rather than scribble all over a xeroxed page, I recommend producing a quality and correct score from scratch. In just 30 minutes, I can do this on the computer. The score will say exactly what you need for your audition. In addition, once the score has been created, cuts for shorter or longer auditions are easy to produce, as well as copies in other keys.
Studio
I have a studio in Astoria, Queens, just off the N/W line, with a digital piano, mirror, and a scanner/copier. It is within easy walking distance of Astoria Park and the Bohemian Beer Garden.
