Ian Meeson was born in Blackpool U.K. and song writing is his hobby. ‘Training young students for many years and understanding their hunger for challenge, I decided to write this album of new audition songs, most of which were written specifically around the artistes qualities. I believe that there is a style for everyone in this collection, and hope that the backing tracks and sheet music will assist performers to explore their vocal ranges and acting/comedic qualities. The songs should be utilised accordingly, with the accents and phrasing being adapted for the individual, thus showing them off to the full! All the Artistes on the album have worked hard at their craft, and therefore achieved great things, a good example to all aspiring Musical Theatre performers out there. Have Fun..!‘ Ian Richard Wetherall and Dominic Halpin are passionate about their work, we met whilst working together on music for the International Dance Teachers Association Syllabus. They were both eager to start on this new project and welcomed me with open arms when work commenced on the arrangements and styles in 2009. Little did we realize how much work the project was going to need, organizing all the singers, the musicians, sheet music, tracks, advertizing! Wow! It’s been a busy time! I have been a singing teacher for some time now, and have always had a passion for varied challenging songs. This project has been very exciting from the outset and working with amazing performers, some of which are ex students of mine, has been an absolute joy! Here’s a bit of info about the recording days, in the order in which the songs were recorded. Andrew Ahern, ‘Follow Your Dreams’ Andrew and I had been working on this song for some time, as I wrote it for him for his graduation from college, and at that time we were both entering a new direction in our lives, so the song was rather apt for us both. He sang it for the first time in the college show and due to a really bad cold, he struggled with the performance which was really sad. We were then a little apprehensive of the songs range requirements. However, we were determined to persue the song, if only to challenge some of those great tenors out there! On the 18th October 2010 we recorded the vocals, Andrew was amazing in the studio, and considering we had changed some lyrics half an hour before, ‘in the car’, the track you hear now, was mostly recorded in one take, this was a great moment for Andrew too, as it confirmed his great ability. After a four hour exhausting drive home, I rested with the confidence that we had started something special! George Rixon, ‘Queue of Life’ Monday 8th November 2010 was the day for ‘The Queue Of Life’ to be recorded, and what a dark cold British morning it was as I set off to pick George Rixon up from her house in Nottinghamshire. I was fortunate enough to meet George when she was training at college, her comical timing is amazing and I love the way in which she can survive singing the longest line in the world, without taking a breath, most of the time because she forgets too! ‘The Queue Of Life’ gives George the perfect opportunity to show her talents off to the full, she is also a fantastic ‘all round’ teacher too. We practised ‘in the car’ for her recording session, and didn’t stop talking all the way there either, as we’re both good at that! As soon as she sang the first line, the studio was laughing, and I continued to laugh until the session was over. I then drove her to her theatre school, where we reflected on the day. I was fortunate enough to sit in as she taught one of her ballet classes. Her students are very lucky! Hayley Tamaddon, ‘Thin Ice’ Hayley and I go back to our childhood where we both trained together in Blackpool as ambitious children who couldn’t get enough of showbiz! I’d not seen Hayley for some time and then she got in touch with me asking for any old photos of us for her to use on ‘Dancing on Ice’ 2010, which of course, she won! Since that day we kept more frequently in touch, and after seeing her skate on the live show and chatting with her about our love for writing songs, I decided to write one for her. ‘Thin Ice’ was created, and within minutes she new it backwards, and in several accents! We met at the studio on the 5th Jan 2011 to put the vocals down, and as soon as she opened her mouth I knew this was going to be great. We quiried which accent to use on the CD, but eventually the unanimous decision was ‘Northern’. We laughed throughout the day, as Hayleys comedic acting skills surrounded the studio, then we both went to Sheffield and there I took my seat in the stalls to watch her play the lead role of Peter Pan at the Lyceum. A talented lady who is great fun, and extremely hard working. A good example to all those young budding performers out there! Olivia Phillip, ‘The Good Singer’ I taught Olivia from when she was sixteen, and she used to get frustrated at why she wasn’t amazing, and had no vibrato!! Well that was then, and ‘The Good Singer’ is now!! What a voice, and a great girl too. I picked her up from B’ham International on the 26th Jan 2011 for her to record the song. We changed loads of bits ‘in the car’, again! And in true Olivia style she was great in the studio. We listened to the track about a hundred times on the way home and chatted and laughed constantly, oh… apart from when we stuffed ourselves with well earned McDonalds! Olivias career is going to be very exciting, watch this space! Amy Bravington ‘Once’ Amy was another ex student of mine, and Richard and Dom met her whilst working on a ship. When they mentioned her name, it reminded me of her great voice, so I gave her a call..! It was the 23rd February 2011 and we met at the studio. Amy has an elastic chest voice, and as a vocal coach for cruise ship companies she understands the difficulties in the song ‘Once’. When she arrived at the studio, I could see that she was nervous, which wasn’t like her, but it was then that I realized how challenging this song was! It’s so easy for me to ask the singers to sing the songs, but at times I can be blah-say of the requirements of the material! Amy’s face said it all when she arrived, as if to say, thanks for this responsibility! That made me smile. She nailed it of course, with perfection, and we reminisced of old times, as the song was mixed. Another great day, and another great voice! Twinnie Lee Moore ‘Genie’ I picked Twinnie up from Manchester Piccadilly railway station on the 2nd March 2011 and of course, we practiced ‘in the car.!’ I wrote this song particularly with Twinnies voice and style in mind. She oozes style and I love the way in which she gets really involved with the songs that she sings. She has vast experience in Musical Theatre so I knew that the session would run pretty smoothly. A song writer herself, Twinnie and I listened to each others material on the way to the studio, and after arriving, within just over an hour ‘Genie’ was recorded, we made a few changes to the melody, but all in all it was how I originally wanted it. Twinnie then spent the rest of the session posing with one of Doms guitars while we started mixing the track! I then took Twin to Manchester airport as she was flitting off somewhere else in true Twinnie style, I then drove home. A day like that, makes the hours and hours of driving worth while, ‘Genie’ is fab! Thanks Twin. Matt Wilman ‘I Didn’t Know’ When I started work on this project I wanted to involve Matt, I had previously trained him at college when he was younger and have been very proud of his achievements to date, he’s a great company man with a great talent. It was the 28th March 2011 and this session had to be recorded at Strongroom studios in London, which was cool, as the likes of Busted, Craig David and Sophie Ellis Bexter had recorded there, so we thought it good enough for us!!! Matt got into the song straight away, and as I had written it for his style of voice he nailed it within minutes. It was good to catch up, and I know that this song will inspire lots of young male singers out there to challenge maintaining that top G..! Ben Jennings ‘Auditions are..?’ After lots of different ideas and approaches with this song, we decided that we wanted a true cockney voice, with the poularity of characterized musicals such as ‘Our House’, ‘Oliver’ etc. being at the forefront. Ben is good friends with Matt Wilman, and when I explained to Matt what I wanted, within seconds in walked Ben, Perfect! A true Professional, totally prepared and chilled throughout the session, he bought the song to life. This song is extremely difficult but Ben perfected it through his experience and great acting ability, I love it, and I hope that people are brave enough to give it a bash at Auditions..! Mitch Miller ‘Two of a Kind’ Being a teacher for some time now, I got the idea to hold an audition for colleges to send third year pupils to attend at Pineapple studios. The song in question was ‘Two of a Kind’ and I wanted an inexperienced amazing vocalist to sing it. The audition was great, the boys were all incredible and so willing and polite, it was an absolute joy to audition them. Mitch Millers turn came, and he politely said his name and humbly waited for the intro, when he started singing I got goose bumps, and I could feel that everyone else in the room was feeling the same. Mitch sung the song word perfect, with the phrasing spot on, bearing in mind they had only learnt the song in about half an hour! Mitch recorded on the 13th April 2011, and when I picked him up from the station he still couldn’t believe that he was actually going to be on the album. This was the perfect vocalist for this song, very talented, humble, with the future awaiting! Jodie Jacobs ‘My Child’ I saw Jodie as ‘Serena’ in ‘Fame’ previous to working on the album. Her performance was memorable, so much so, that five years on when I saw her in ‘Footloose’ I was still amazed by her voice and great acting ability. Lindsay Tierney introduced me to Jodie and her enthusiastic approach towards everything in conversation solidified my decision for her to be on the album. Whilst busy on tour Jodie kindly took the time to come to Manchester and record ‘My Child’ on the 14th April 2011, as soon as she started singing I knew that this track was going to be special, she acts from the soul and gets totally stuck into material. Jodie bought the song to life, as previously I had only heard myself singing it in falsetto! She delivers the song perfectly with every vocal texture and emotion telling the story beautifully. Jodie was a great find! I was very lucky to get her on board. Lindsay Tierney ‘The Bride’ I taught Lindsay at college and she was an absolute joy, always working so hard, she deserves the exciting career that she has. Lindsay came around to my house to learn the song when she was on tour and in B’ham, and then we recorded it very badly on my mac, which was funny! We then officially recorded ‘The Bride’ on 14th April 2011 sharing the studio time with Jodie, the song is much harder than it first sounds, but Lindsays immaculate pitch is a joy to hear live. It was a great day, we ate cakes and the girls sung beautifully. Lindsay was great, as always, and an amazing dancer too. Talented girl! Clare Burt ‘Similar People’ Clare and I worked together in Cats when I was 17! Goodness knows how long ago that was! Clares talent as a singer and actress is amazing and her extensive career is proof of this. I knew that Similar People was absolutely perfect for her, and hoped she would do it for me. She was busy in a new Musical at the National, but she found the time to come and record. My luck was in, when we recorded on Tuesday 26th April 2011. Clare weaved her way around the phrasing and character with total ease, and the recording session in London was a breeze. Time was getting close for the album launch and Richard and Dom suggested that I sing the male part. This was certainly not my first thought, but as I knew it so well, and apparently sounded good with Clare on the guide track, I recorded the male part in Manchester, it’s quite weird listening to the track now to think we were singing in different cities! I’m thrilled that Clare was part of this project, and if you see her advertized anywhere, go and watch! Ian Meeson - Composer / Lyrics Ian trained at Theatreworks College, and with the vocal coach Ian Adam in London. His credits include lead singer on the re-release of the hit song ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ with ‘Queen’ guitarist Brian May and EMI Records. This included performances on Daytime Live ITV, Friday Night is Music Night Radio 2, GMTV, h.TV Wales, and Granada Reports. His first Professional dance engagement was Dance Captain in ‘Robin Hood’ at the Bradford Alhambra Theatre and then the role of ‘John’ in the National Tour of ‘Peter Pan’ starring Windsor Davis, followed by a U.K. tour as Dance Captain for the ‘Gala Trade Launch Campaign’ and the ‘Stars in Their Eyes’ live show at the Blackpool Arena. He then joined the West End Production of ‘Cats’ where he worked with choreographer Gillian Lynn and director Trevor Nunn as the original ‘Mungojerry’ to perform the Broadway ‘Mungojerry and Rumpleteazer’ number in the U.K. The shows re-vamped Production was launched at the ‘Cats Royal Gala’ before ‘HRH Princess Margaret’. Ian then appeared as ‘Napthali’ in the London and U.K. Tour of ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ with Phillip Schofield, the West End Production of ‘Fame’ as a swing, before playing the roles of ‘Rusty’ and ‘Flat Top’ in the West End Production of ‘Starlight Express’. Ian also appeared in the ‘Fleets In’ Drury Lane, ‘The Voice Concert’ Centre Stage Theatre, TFI Friday Channel 4, and Talking Telephone Numbers ITV. Ian then played the ‘Narrator’ in the Cirque Musical ‘Eclipse’, he was Assistant Choreographer and Dance Captain, and also co-wrote the original score and lyrics for the Production Soundtrack. Performances followed at the ‘Royal Gala’ before ‘HRH Prince Andrew’ at the Globe Theatre, and Principal vocalist at the ‘Royal Variety Performance’ before ‘HRH The Prince of Wales’ at the Lyceum Theatre, London. Ian then became part of the original creative team as head of Musical Theatre at Theatreworks College in Blackpool, and there he produced ‘A Premiere of Song’, a production of his own compositions, he also vocally arranged and choreographed various Musical Theatre pieces for the in house Productions and Corporate events. He was also a member of the Tap training team for the original ‘Billy Elliot’ London cast. Ian is now a ‘Fellow and Examiner’ for the International Dance Teachers Association, and co-devised their ‘Musical Theatre Syllabus’. He is also a member of their ‘Theatre Craft Syllabus’ faculty, and has Choreographed and Lectured in Musical Theatre throughout the U.K. for various events including ‘Move It’ at Londons Earls Court. Ian was on the panel of judges for the ‘All England Dance Finals’ in London, and the ‘Street Dance Medalist of the Year’. He qualified as a singing teacher with the London College of Music in 2005 and is a member of the ‘British Voice Association’, he is also the author of the vocal study ‘Sing Sing Sing’, a book which guides teachers in voice coaching alongside dance training. Ian now is Principal of ‘CGL Arts’ theatre schools in the Midlands, and recently Choreographed the Musical ‘A Chorus Line’ at the Lowry Theatre Salford, and the Broadway Musical version of ‘Peter Pan’ at the Lowry also.