Many pageants do not have a talent portion of competition however; if you are competing in the Miss America pageant then you will definitely have to perform. If you have decided to sing as your talent, then choosing the right song could be a frustrating process. Don’t worry, because we are here to help you.

Can You Sing?

First of all, you need to have a voice. It sounds obvious but unfortunately girls who do not have a voice sing all the time. Inside the Miss America system the talent portion of the competition represents 35% of your overall score. Translation: if your talent is not on point then do not expect to win the crown.

Secondly, the song you choose should say something about you. The song should remind you of a personal experience such as love found, love lost, goals achieved or a problem overcome. A song that pierces who you are as an individual will elicit emotion that will draw the judges into your performance.

Is the Song Consistent With Your Theme

After you find a song that you can emotionally relate with think, “Does this genre coincide with what I am trying to market to the judges?” If you are a southern bell and everything you are presenting to the judges from your dress to interview expresses that then do not come out singing an R&B song. Better suited would be a country or gospel song that is if you are marketing yourself as the traditional southern bell. Keep a consistent marketing theme throughout your pageant.

Whatever you do, make sure the song is within your vocal range. If you like a song, and it stirs you emotionally yet the range of the song is outside of yours…you will ultimately hurt your chances of victory. You do not want to choose a song that you’re going to have problems with.

Practice Makes the Performance

Oh, and don’t forget to practice, practice, practice. Do not just practice singing the song, practice performing the song.

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Thomas Barnette is a pageant vocal coach who is responsible for the music production and arrangement of many of prominent state and national titleholders. The day I spoke with him he had 9 hours of back to back voice lessons and mock interviews that booked his day solid. Below are my questions and his responses to help you perform the best vocal talent possible.

Steven: Who have you worked with in the past?

Thomas Barnette: I worked with the past 3 Miss Georgia’s including Chasity Hardman, who was a talent preliminary winner and the first runner up to Miss America, Kristen White, Miss Black USA,  and several other Miss Georgia USA’s on image and interview.

Steven: How do you suggest pairing a song with a girl?

Thomas Barnette: The girl has got to emotionally connect with the song. If the contestant cannot emotionally connect with the song they will not be able to sing the song to the best of their ability nor will they be able to engage the audience and more importantly the judges.

Steven: What is the difference between singing the song and performing the song?

Thomas Barnette: The song that the titleholder selects has got to mean something to her. When a girl is singing the song in a pageant she has got to be willing to be vulnerable before the judges and crowd. If they want to do well in the talent portion of the competition they have to emotionally open up and show people who they are.

Steven: How do you connect the girl emotionally to the song?

Thomas Barnette: Truthfully, that is something that cannot be taught, an emotional connection can only come from within the girl. She has got to ask herself, “What makes my heart sing?” She needs to think about her biggest dream and to visualize what that dream looks like and then find a song that tells the story of her most intimate dream.

Steven: So what is the X-Factor to selecting a song?

Thomas Barnette: 2 things to consider: Can the song showcase your talent? And can the song be professionally composed inside the minute and a half time restriction?

Thomas can be contacted at thomasbarnette@mindspring.com.

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