Find out about who will be judging the audition and make sure the intended audience is understood. This will not help the quality of the singing, but it will help the auditioning singer know the type of singer the directors, producers or employers are seeking. This will also help in choosing the right song and mood to create in the audition: an audition for a cabaret singer will probably not succeed if a country-rock song is sung; similarly, an audition for a dinner-club singer should not be attempted with an operatic piece. Audience appropriateness must be considered.
Practice the chosen song and commit the lyrics to memory well before the audition date. "Your Personal Singing Guide" reports that marking out vocal expressions, accents and breathing points in a song is important and will be a determining factor in the audition results. On the day of the audition, go through the song a couple of times prior to leaving the house. Once at the audition location, try not to go over the song too much. Doing so can create tension. Do a vocal warm-up instead.
Even if a singer has spent hours in preparing for an audition, it is recommended to warm up immediately before the audition. This will help to calm nerves and give you confidence. Most importantly, warming up will avoid a singers' voice cracking or breaking during high notes or other difficult parts of a song, which can happen with a "cold" voice. Go through the scales or hum: this is often the difference between a good audition and a terrible one.
Additionally, shaking out arms and legs will release tension, as will blowing the lips together and opening the jaw wide. Nerves and tension create a 'freeze' effect in the body, and this needs to be released for the vocal chords to work at their best.
Dressing well for an audition is essential for the jury to remember the image of the singer as well as his voice. Confidence in the way the singer walks can also make a good impression. However, when only required to sing, auditioning singers should not try choreographing their songs. There should be no blocking, clapping of hands or snapping of fingers. This can look very unprofessional if done in a forced manner and can distract from the attention on the vocals.