American Idol Tryouts- What to Expect

      Last year I tried out with thousands of singers for American Idol. It was definitely an exciting and interesting experience. I've decided to give a detailed account for anyone who has ever wondered what it's like to go through the process. 

       I signed up about two days prior and got an arm band. There was also some paperwork to fill out. On the morning of the audition, I arrived at around 5:30 A.M. to the coliseum where the auditions were being held. Of course, there was lots of traffic getting into the parking lot. Once I parked I got out and followed the groups of people that were walking towards the building. I went by myself, which I do not recommend. It was an exciting experience, and I regret not really having anyone to share it with. I had to talk to strangers and be that overexcited weird girl who talks to people she doesn't know. A role I play quite well I must say. 

       I then found a place in the line outside of the building that was really, more of a corral of people smashed between barricades. I thought I had gotten there early, but there were already about three hundred people ahead of me. Waiting in line was fun! People had guitars and were singing. Every so often someone would break out into spontaneous song, singing their heart out. Sometimes it would make you go, "Ooooo, I stink compared to her," and sometimes it would make you say, "Yes! I have a chance!" If you like music, you would have loved it. My husband would have been ready to jump in front of a moving car. It was what I imagine Woodstock would have been like, only without the grass, and also the "grass". I got to sing and talk and make conversation with random people till about 10:30 A.M. Yes, it was tiring, but also fun and there was a very fun and musical atmosphere, if you can imagine such.
    
      At around 10:30 A.M. They moved us into the actual building. There we found seats according to our ticket numbers. Soon I finally got to see Ryan Seacrest! He came out for about three minutes. What a waste! He was also very very tiny from where I was sitting. They make you sing a song together and jump and wave at the camera- kind of like a dancing monkey. You have to look excited and blah blah blah. After that, there was more waiting. When I say more waiting I mean, MORE WAITING. I think I didn't actually move further in the process until about 2:30 P.M. They did have a snack bar, however by the time I got there, all of the decent snacks were gone. My lunch was a pretzel that did not taste good at all. You're not allowed to bring your own food. During the time we were sitting in our seats, they were calling us up by sections to go down on the floor of the coliseum to audition. You would go four at a time. They would point to one person and then that person got to sing about 10 seconds, if that, then on to the next. At the end they would say yes or no. All four of the people in my group were told no because our voices weren't strong enough. It was good criticism and I agreed with them. 
     
      However, to wait around all day just to be told no was a bit disheartening. Actually, a lot disheartening. That was my first rejection in my time as a singer. Thankfully I got to my car before I started crying like a baby. I think I finished up everything around 3:30 P.M. I immediately went to the nearest McDonalds and ordered one depressed girl lunch- supersized! As I ate, cried, and randomly blurted out rude and vengeful words, I really felt like I wanted to give up on singing. Then I realized, it was all just a learning experience- A painful and time consuming one, but a good one nonetheless. I noticed some of the people who did get picked. I remembered them singing beforehand and noted that they had had lots of confidence. I would say a good singer has to be someone with a lot of confidence. Next time when American Idol comes back, I'm going to give it a shot again. It was a super fun experience and one I wouldn't mind going through again.  
     My advice if you are going to go is, 

• bring a buddy
• bring some confidence
• have fun, see it as a fun opportunity, not your one shot to make it. 
• pick a song you can belt confidently that makes you happy
• Dress uniquely, but not strange
• Be CONFIDENT in you
• Be ready to wait and wait and wait, all day.
• Realize that there are at least 300 people there that can sing as good as you and about 350 that can probably sing better than you, so stand out if you can with your personality and song choice.
• If you get rejected, realize that you are one of thousands of people. Carrie Underwood got rejected too a few times before she was finally told yes.