Pierce performers take a crash course in auditioning to land their dream roles

BY ALEC BENNET Reporter

The auditioning process can be a difficult and nervewracking opportunity for new performers looking to make it in the arts and entertainment industry. For Pierce College music students, Ann Baltz’s Masterclass allowed them to get first- hand feedback and practice with the professional musician.

Baltz’s class was part of the LAPC Music’s free Thursday concert series held at the Performing Arts Building.

BY NICOLE KHAIT REPORTER

Kicking off spring with a bang, the first annual Pierce Day gave middle school and high school students a chance to explore what it would be like to be enrolled in a community college on Thursday.

Welcoming over 600 new faces, Pierce also invited community members and current Brahmas to learn about the opportunities that are across the 426-acre campus.

Outreach and onboarding coordinator Julia Mendoza spoke about the significance of Pierce Day, where young students got comfortable with the campus and explored different career pathways for their future.

“We invited high school and middle school students to do career and campus exploration,” Mendoza said. “It really is focused on ninth through eleventh graders because we really want them to start thinking about it earlier rather than later.”

Dean of Student Engagement

Juan Carlos Astorga was adamant about students getting to know the Pierce campus and the supportive community built around it.

“We’re expecting about 650 students from multiple schools,”

Baltz is also an educator who has helped over 3,000 opera performers improve their confidence and stage presence.

One student who had the opportunity to perform for Baltz was Choral Music Education major Hasti Almasi. She hopes she can improve her confidence and performance capabilities outside of her singing skills with Baltz’s advice.

“The mock audition really is for those that want to go into any opportunity that requires an audition,” said Almasi. “This was specifically more for music students, yes, but this can also be applied to anybody.”

The main commentary that Baltz gave performers was based on improving posture and carefully keeping track of the student’s stage presence.

Baltz put emphasis on remembering that every second of the audition process is witnessed by the casting director. Walking in with confident posture and hand placement will always be noticed by the viewer. Even before the audition actually begins, Baltz spent the majority of her introduction reminding the audience that every single second of your audition time truly counts.

Almasi was very grateful for Baltz’s feedback and commentary on her performance. She felt that her confidence using the stage space was better when Baltz gave her a second opportunity to perform the song “Lullaby of Birdland” by George Shearing.

“All the tips that Ann Baltz gave were incredible,” said Almasi. “They proved to be useful for so many different areas.”

Music major Jonah Matos attended Thursday’s mock auditions. Matos said he was impressed with not only the singing skills from those that performed, but also with Baltz’s advice regarding confidence and stage space efficiency.

“I feel like they had such beautiful performances,” said Matos. “They really embodied the essence of what their songs are, and what they represent.”

Associate Professor of Music and Choir Garineh Avakian was hoping to sharpen the performance skills of her students by bringing in a professional like Baltz.

“A lot of our students in music, theater and dance, at some point, have to audition,” said Avakian. “For vocalists, it’s nice to bring in people that actually listen and give feedback on how to audition–what to do, what not to do, what to listen for, how to prepare and how to deal with nerves.”

Avakian believes that the students who auditioned were a great representation for the Applied Music Program at Pierce. While the auditions held were only for practice, the students felt that the advice Baltz gave them was valuable for their music careers.

Astorga said. “Part of what we wanted to do is really highlight and showcase our campus, our Guided Pathways CAP communities, and introduce to middle school students, high school students, and community members what Pierce College offers.”

As it was the first annual event welcoming students to tour the campus and learn about the programs and services Pierce offers, Astorga acknowledged the importance of creating traditions.

“As we create annual events, it's an opportunity to really create traditions,” Astorga said. “I want us to talk about events that are traditions so that we look forward to it. Those of us that work here can then really put our efforts in and recharge our batteries when we see new students.”

Over 20 different booths were set up for students to ask questions, earn prizes, and get free Pierce merchandise. Faculty and staff were on hand to talk about the various classes, services, and departments Pierce brings to the table.

Senior Office Assistant Chris Lauterdale ran the honors transfer booth in hopes of educating students on the benefits of the program.

“We're hoping to encourage high school students to come to Pierce,” Lauterdale said. “We want to show them what we have to offer and of course, the Honors Program is a good way to transfer and get ready for upper division coursework.”

Vice President for Student Services Jason Cifra wished for younger students to explore different programs, meet instructors, and learn about different majors.

“The goal is to really connect with our younger students to help them be career-ready,” Cifra said. “When they know their career early on, they know what they want to major in, but if we can get them onto that track, it’s going to be easier for them. If they are undecided, this is the best time to be undecided and explore.”

Mendoza shared insight into the future events that will be held at Pierce for new and incoming students.

“This is kind of the kickoff to our spring events,” Mendoza said. “We have our Brahma days coming up, and that is focused on our seniors and getting them onboarded. We'll have our Brahma Fest in May, which is a huge event to welcome them onto our campus and get them ready for the fall semester.”

With future Annual Pierce College Days, the goal is to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable on campus.

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