Posted: 8/21/07
American Idol audition is learning experience for Caledonia musician
By Charlie Warner
Argus Editor
"If I had to do it all over again, I wouldnít. And I wouldnít recommend it to anyone else. The whole thing was portrayed much differently than it really was."
Thatís the way Kelly Bauer, a 2007 graduate of Caledonia High School, summed up her five-day experience when she auditioned for the hit TV show American Idol. Bauer, the daughter of David and Pam Bauer of Caledonia, was one of approximately 5,000 persons who flocked to Omaha, Nebraska to audition for a chance to perform in front of the infamous panel of judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell.
Bauer, a standout high school vocal performer, traveled to Omaha with her grandparents Ray and Judy Stadtler, and cousin Jenna Schmitz full of enthusiasm and confidence on August 7 and returned home five days later with an entirely different outlook on the auditioning aspect of the show.
"I basically spent four days waiting for a 20-second audition. I guess I thought it would be a little more than that. I was certainly surprised at how little time I actually had to perform in front of the showís producers," she noted.
Bauer said she has been watching the hit TV show ever since its first season. Like many young aspiring musicians Bauer dreamed of getting on the show. Because all contestants must be at least 16 years old, and much of the competition takes place during the school year, she waited until she graduated from CHS this past spring and then found out where the nearest auditions were being held.
She and her support team traveled to Omaha on Tuesday, August 7. She got up at 4 a.m. the following morning and was standing outside the large facility where the auditions were to be held by 5 a.m.
"I got there early, but there were already close to 400 people standing in line in front of me."
Bauer stood in line for three hours before she got inside the door. Once inside, she discovered all she could do the first day was register for Friday morningís auditions. So she and her relatives spent the rest of Wednesday, and all of Thursday checking out the sights and attractions of Omaha.
Bauer was up at 4 a.m. Friday morning and standing in line by 5 a.m. once again. The audition process is on a first-come-first-serve basis, and although she arrived early, close to 1,000 American Idol hopefuls got there first.
"I couldnít believe it. There had to be at least 1,000 people in front of me!"
The doors didnít open until 8 a.m. and Bauer finally walked into the building an hour later. Once inside, she and hundreds of other participants were led into a rehearsal hall where they practiced several "American Idol" songs for nearly two hours.
"Some of the contestants were getting pretty horse, after singing for two straight hours."
Around noon, Bauer finally got her chance to shine. She had prepared "Broken Wing" by Martina McBride, and knew she had to sing it acappella (without and instruments). She was led into a large auditorium with small areas divided by curtains. Several producers were seated at a table. She introduced herself and began singing.
"It was difficult to concentrate on my song, since there were other contestants on each side of me singing away, and only a curtain separating us. I got about 20 seconds into my song, and they cut me off. That was it. I was done. I was told I didnít make the cut. It was time to go home."
Bauer admitted it was quite unnerving getting cut off after only 20 seconds of singing. But that was the procedure the judges were using, since there were thousands of persons auditioning. Bauer estimated of the 1,000 who auditioned before her, only a handful received the nod to advance to the next round.
"There was a girl who sang before I did that was awesome. And she moved on to the next round. But there was a guy dressed up like a cow, who couldnít sing. And he advanced. Iíve watched the show enough to know they bring in some real poor performers for the first couple of rounds that are televised. The guy in the cow suit must have been one of them."
Bauer is no newcomer when it comes to performing in front of audiences. She took up guitar in eighth grade and soon joined the popular country band "Tumbleweed, where she played rhythm guitar and sang. She played with Tumbleweed for nearly four years. She has also performed in several school musicals, the high school choir, and competed in district and state music contests.
The American Idol audition was quite a learning experience for Bauer. She learned everything isnít what itís cracked up to be, and sheíll be taking that experience with her to Winona State University.
When asked what she was planning to major in at WSU, she replied, "Iím not planning on majoring in music, but I plan on being involved in music the rest of my life. Thatís the great thing about music, you can always be involved in it in one form or another."
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