21 Best Audition Songs For Kids & Teenagers

Updated May 2024: Calling all tweens and teens! Performers come in all shapes, sizes, AND ages, so I think it's time we take a minute to put together a list of twenty great audition songs for those actors going to a musical theatre audition who are looking for songs for kids or those in high school. Take this time in your life to pick songs you love, relate to, and can perform! Here's a list of age-appropriate songs to get your wheels turning if you are feeling stuck on what to sing. Break legs!

Check out some great audition song options for kids of all ages and find out how to pick the perfect audition song if you're a kid or teenager for community theatre, school shows and more!

Audition Songs For Children 8 and Under

If you are under the age of eight and already auditioning that is already impressive to the people casting, so make sure you sing something you know all the words to and that you love a whole lot! Some good choices would be:

Anything Disney - "Part of That World", "When You Wish Upon A Star", "Beauty and the Beast", "Just Can't Wait to Be King", etc. "Castle on a Cloud" is also always a safe choice.

Any song you love - When you are this age they want to make sure you can perform in front of people without being too nervous, and they want to make sure you can carry a tune. So if singing a song makes you feel confident, sing it!

Audition Songs for Children 8-12

This age group probably has the greatest difference in songs, because some twelve year olds could still play eight year olds and others could play sixteen year olds. Pick a song that feels right for you and that showcases what ages you could reasonably be asked to play. Here's a list with a full range of age-appropriate material.

"Quiet" - Matilda

Matilda the Musical is a musical based on the 1988 children's novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. It was adapted by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and directed for the stage by Matthew Warchus.

"Good Girl Winnie Foster" - Tuck Everlasting

Tuck Everlasting is a musical based upon the American children's novel Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. It features music by Chris Miller, lyrics by Nathan Tysen and a book by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle, with direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw.

"Everlasting" - Tuck Everlasting

Tuck Everlasting is a musical based upon the American children's novel Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. It features music by Chris Miller, lyrics by Nathan Tysen and a book by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle, with direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw.

"Water in the Well" - Violet

Violet is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and libretto by Brian Crawley based on the short story "The Ugliest Pilgrim" by Doris Betts.

"If Only You Would Listen" - School of Rock

School of Rock is a rock musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater and a book by Julian Fellowes.

"The Place Where the Lost Things Go (Reprise)" - Mary Poppins Returns

Now an adult with three children, bank teller Michael Banks learns that his house will be repossessed in five days unless he can pay back a loan. His only hope is to find a missing certificate that shows proof of valuable shares that his father left him years earlier. Just as all seems lost, Michael and his sister receive the surprise of a lifetime when Mary Poppins -- the beloved nanny from their childhood -- arrives to save the day and take the Banks family on a magical, fun-filled adventure.

"Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun" - A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story: The Musical is a stage musical version of the 1983 film A Christmas Story. The musical has music and lyrics written by Pasek and Paul and the book by Joseph Robinette. The musical takes place in the 1940s in Indiana and focuses on a child named Ralphie, who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas.

"Electricity" - Billy Elliot

Billy Elliot: The Musical is a coming-of-age stage musical based on the 2000 film of the same name. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around Billy, a motherless British boy who begins taking ballet lessons.

"Edelweiss" - The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.

"Ring of Keys" - Fun Home

Fun Home is a musical adapted by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori from Alison Bechdel's 2006 graphic memoir of the same name. The story concerns Bechdel's discovery of her own sexuality, her relationship with her gay father, and her attempts to unlock the mysteries surrounding his life.

"My New Philosophy" - You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a 1967 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts. The musical has been a popular choice for amateur theatre productions because of its small cast and simple staging.

Audition Songs for Teenagers

Teens definitely don't have it the easiest when it comes to picking audition material, because honestly not many roles are written for real teens to play. Many times adult actors will be hired to play teen roles because minor labor laws are a pain, BUT there are obviously a few exceptions to that rule. Here are some great songs written with teens in mind that you could definitely bring in to an audition. Just remember, if you are choosing a song to sing, make sure you know the meaning behind the song as well as all the lyrics and notes!

"Picture Show" - Parade

Parade is a musical with a book by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. The musical is a dramatization of the 1913 trial and imprisonment, and 1915 lynching, of Jewish American Leo Frank in Georgia.

"Puzzlement (Reprise)" - The King and I

The King and I is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel, Anna and the King of Siam, which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s.

"Dead Mom" - Beetlejuice

Perfect for teen girls! Beetlejuice is a musical with music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect and book by Scott Brown and Anthony King. It is based on the 1988 film of the same name.

"Try Me" - She Loves Me

She Loves Me is a musical with a book by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock.

"Bye Room" - John & Jen

John & Jen is a musical with music by Andrew Lippa, lyrics by Tom Greenwald, and a book by Lippa and Greenwald. It is a two-person show about the relationships first between a brother and sister, John and Jen, and then, after John is killed, between Jen and her son, also named John.

"Live Out Loud" - A Little Princess

A Little Princess, The Musical is a musical with music by Andrew Lippa and book and lyrics by Brian Crawley, based on the 1905 children's novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

"Proud of Your Boy" - Aladdin

Aladdin is a Broadway musical based on the 1992 Disney animated film of the same name with a book by Chad Beguelin, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Beguelin.

"Almost There" - The Princess and the Frog

Hardworking and ambitious, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) dreams of one day opening the finest restaurant in New Orleans. Her dream takes a slight detour when she meets Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), who has been turned into an amphibian by evil Dr. Facilier. Mistaking her for a princess and hoping to break the spell, Naveen plants a kiss on poor Tiana -- thereby turning her into a frog as well. The pair hop along on an adventure through the bayous to seek the help of a powerful voodoo priestess.

"Dance With You" - The Prom

The Prom is a musical with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Bob Martin and Beguelin, based on an original concept by Jack Viertel.

"What It Means To Be A Friend" - 13 the Musical

13 is a musical with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn. Following a move from New York City to small-town Indiana, young Evan Goldman grapples with his parents' divorce, prepares for his impending Bar Mitzvah, and navigates the complicated social circles of a new school.