I HATE TEACHING LITTLE DIVAS
I love teaching. Its what I do. I love it so much that I have become a work-a-holic. Most of what I do is lots of fun, except teaching the Diva set. They usually are young kids, mostly girls, who think they know it all. I generally do not teach young kids because, frankly, I hate to baby sit. The mothers push their kids into singing and then say that their children wanted it. I don't mind teaching a kid that's at least 13 or 14 years of age, but the younger ones are a chore to teach. They are not aware of what voice lessons are, much less commitment to practice the craft.
I am a professional MASTER TEACHER, and the respect for that title should be obvious. I'm not a beginner and have had great success with the students that I turn out.
These Divas hate exercises, and want to sing what ever they want, and they want to sing NOW! They throw tantrums or sulk if I deny them. I try to weed them out as soon as possible. For example, one little Diva wanted to sing something right away when she came in and she ORDERED me to play the song she wanted. I, of course, said no, and that we had to warm up. She said ok, but her face was getting redder and redder and she started crying and she left the room for 10 minutes, with mother following. She calmed down, I let her sing the song she wanted and then I said that I would no longer be her teacher. Again the tears, but I was adamant. I guess there is only one dictator in the room, and I was it. This is one example of the horrors we as teachers have to face teaching little Divas.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Profile: VIKKI CARR
Yes, folks. The lady is still around and better than ever! She has just released her newest CD--Viva La Vida.
Vikki Has been working with me for some time now, and she is as powerful a singer and personality to match as ever! She sells out her concerts and is so adored throughout the world. And rightly so. One seldom meets someone like Vikki, who has paid her dues, to be a wonderful down-to-earth person as well. Even though at times she is tired after a concert, she waits to sign autographs to all who want it. And all do. The accolades she has garnered throughout her life are so well deserved. One never leaves a Vikki Carr Concert sad that she did not sing long enough. She gives all she has, because she loves her fans.......and fans certainly love her.
In my roster of singers, one always stands out.....Vikki Carr. She is the consummate professional. She is always ready and on time for her lesson. I'm always asked...."what is it like to work with Vikki?"
The answer is always "great!'
Manny,
a humble Vikki Carr lover
Yes, folks. The lady is still around and better than ever! She has just released her newest CD--Viva La Vida.
Vikki Has been working with me for some time now, and she is as powerful a singer and personality to match as ever! She sells out her concerts and is so adored throughout the world. And rightly so. One seldom meets someone like Vikki, who has paid her dues, to be a wonderful down-to-earth person as well. Even though at times she is tired after a concert, she waits to sign autographs to all who want it. And all do. The accolades she has garnered throughout her life are so well deserved. One never leaves a Vikki Carr Concert sad that she did not sing long enough. She gives all she has, because she loves her fans.......and fans certainly love her.
In my roster of singers, one always stands out.....Vikki Carr. She is the consummate professional. She is always ready and on time for her lesson. I'm always asked...."what is it like to work with Vikki?"
The answer is always "great!'
Manny,
a humble Vikki Carr lover
I LOVE TO PRACTICE..........LOL
Practicing your singing craft is a lonely task. Its not fun, and is akin to taking out the trash, or something so distasteful. BUT, if you have a goal, a vision of where you intend it be by next month, in 6 months, in a year and make it fun, then, that's a horse of a different color!
One has to know how to practice and WHY you are practicing. Just because your teacher tells you to do something, you have to know why he's asking you to do that. If you knew the reason then practicing is fun, because now, you have a purpose. Now it is fun. Nothing is more fun in practicing than when you know you are getting better and you are in charge of your voice. The power one gets and the confidence you feel when you know you are in charge of your voice and your destiny.
My practice regimen is:
1. practice falsetto. This will strengthen my top and enabling me to mix the bottom to the top much easier. It will also help me build a more beautiful voice and build that bridge to make me sing louder.
2. Practice Chest Register. By working the chest register, I build more ping and ring in the voice, build more power, and combined or coordinated with the top will produce a richer sound.
Ah! I'm stoked! I tell myself, "more....., more....practice more.
3. practice my music in falsetto, to strengthen your topo and make your voice very smooth and beautiful. Practice this way, and you will not ever get tired. Next step....
4. combine or coordinate your registers with arpeggios and octaves to build a bridge from top to bottom, bottom to top, as smoothly as you can get it.
Ah! I'm more stoked! I'm sounding great. Doing this every day for at least 4 hours is great. Now you are a singer!
5. Practice hard passages in falsetto and then try to coordinate those registers, being careful that the chest does not take over the top. Think of the voice as two pyramids, one right side up and one inverted, with the peak at the bottom. In other words, as you go up to the top, there is less chest, and the lower you go there is more chest register, but beware......do it smoothly from one register to the other, but keeping them coordinated.
Ah! Now I'm really, really stoked! I can actually sing!!! What fun. Now think of the phrasings. Practice crescendos and decrescendos. Practice support with the abdominals (not the diaphragm). Think of the climax of the song. Make it meaningful with all the shadings and control you can muster. Now you are an artist! Pat yourself on the back. Now you love practicing! Welcome to that rareified atmosphere that few achieve.
One has to know how to practice and WHY you are practicing. Just because your teacher tells you to do something, you have to know why he's asking you to do that. If you knew the reason then practicing is fun, because now, you have a purpose. Now it is fun. Nothing is more fun in practicing than when you know you are getting better and you are in charge of your voice. The power one gets and the confidence you feel when you know you are in charge of your voice and your destiny.
My practice regimen is:
1. practice falsetto. This will strengthen my top and enabling me to mix the bottom to the top much easier. It will also help me build a more beautiful voice and build that bridge to make me sing louder.
2. Practice Chest Register. By working the chest register, I build more ping and ring in the voice, build more power, and combined or coordinated with the top will produce a richer sound.
Ah! I'm stoked! I tell myself, "more....., more....practice more.
3. practice my music in falsetto, to strengthen your topo and make your voice very smooth and beautiful. Practice this way, and you will not ever get tired. Next step....
4. combine or coordinate your registers with arpeggios and octaves to build a bridge from top to bottom, bottom to top, as smoothly as you can get it.
Ah! I'm more stoked! I'm sounding great. Doing this every day for at least 4 hours is great. Now you are a singer!
5. Practice hard passages in falsetto and then try to coordinate those registers, being careful that the chest does not take over the top. Think of the voice as two pyramids, one right side up and one inverted, with the peak at the bottom. In other words, as you go up to the top, there is less chest, and the lower you go there is more chest register, but beware......do it smoothly from one register to the other, but keeping them coordinated.
Ah! Now I'm really, really stoked! I can actually sing!!! What fun. Now think of the phrasings. Practice crescendos and decrescendos. Practice support with the abdominals (not the diaphragm). Think of the climax of the song. Make it meaningful with all the shadings and control you can muster. Now you are an artist! Pat yourself on the back. Now you love practicing! Welcome to that rareified atmosphere that few achieve.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
MUSICAL PHRASINGS
One of the most important things about being a singer is the interpretation of phrases. When one speaks our inflections go up and down, depending on the meaning. For instance: If you are whispering something to someone and you don't want anyone to hear, you lower your voice, keeping inflections up or down, depending on the meanings. Same thing on singing. In classical music, interpretation of phrases is so important, and it is that that separates the artist from the singer. In pop music, levels are mostly all in one level. There are a few artists that actually know how to feel and sing a phrase. Classical musicians, from their first lesson, are generally taught to shape a phrase. If one is singing in a foreign language, we have to literally translate each word, word by word, know the meaning and interpret what the composer or lyricist meant. That is the measure of a true artist.
Example: "When the moon peaks over the mountain, all the world is aglow.
It seems that as we sing the phrase, its easy to breathe after mountain, but the phrase does not end with mountain. It ends with "aglow". A singer has to breathe after "aglow", not after "mountain". By reading it this way: "The world is aglow when the moon peaks over the mountain". The intensity must continue between "aglow" and "when" to keep the phrase alive.
If you call yourself a singer, you must call yourself an interpreter because you are interpreting someone Else's thoughts and feelings.
Classical singers like Maria Callas, Montserrat Caballe, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf are magnificent interpreters of music. In pop music, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett stand out. They have a unique way of sing a lyric. One may have a great voice, but it all becomes boring if you do not feel anything the singer is trying to express.
One of the most important things about being a singer is the interpretation of phrases. When one speaks our inflections go up and down, depending on the meaning. For instance: If you are whispering something to someone and you don't want anyone to hear, you lower your voice, keeping inflections up or down, depending on the meanings. Same thing on singing. In classical music, interpretation of phrases is so important, and it is that that separates the artist from the singer. In pop music, levels are mostly all in one level. There are a few artists that actually know how to feel and sing a phrase. Classical musicians, from their first lesson, are generally taught to shape a phrase. If one is singing in a foreign language, we have to literally translate each word, word by word, know the meaning and interpret what the composer or lyricist meant. That is the measure of a true artist.
Example: "When the moon peaks over the mountain, all the world is aglow.
It seems that as we sing the phrase, its easy to breathe after mountain, but the phrase does not end with mountain. It ends with "aglow". A singer has to breathe after "aglow", not after "mountain". By reading it this way: "The world is aglow when the moon peaks over the mountain". The intensity must continue between "aglow" and "when" to keep the phrase alive.
If you call yourself a singer, you must call yourself an interpreter because you are interpreting someone Else's thoughts and feelings.
Classical singers like Maria Callas, Montserrat Caballe, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf are magnificent interpreters of music. In pop music, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett stand out. They have a unique way of sing a lyric. One may have a great voice, but it all becomes boring if you do not feel anything the singer is trying to express.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
SO YOU THINK YOU'RE AN ARTIST?
What makes an artist stand out? What makes an artist special? What makes an artist great to watch? Communication!
These are all valid questions. I think, what most people say, is that an artist has that "Je ne c'est quoi". Its something unknown but something that makes us like this person or that person. Some singers just make me fall asleep. Others keep me riveted and make me feel that they are singing and talking to only me.
I can tell immediately when a singer comes into my studio. We warm up by vocalizing, maybe singing a passage of some music to cement the way I want that passage sung, particularly if we are working through the break area. And technically, the artist does it well. Then I say, after working for a half an hour on technique, "lets sing this song." This is when the true singing artist comes out. I can see the wheels turning in the singers brain and an obvious change takes place. He/she SINGS! He usually leaves the vocalizations behind and sings from his heart, forgetting about technique. Oh, he does use what we were just talking about, but he incorporates that into what he/she is trying to sing. When one sings, we basically have to forget about technique and let the emotions and feelings come out. That to me is the essence of a great singer. No matter how poor or how good the voice is, he/she sings with feeling, with connection to the audience, and he emotes with what he has as a vocal instrument. When a singer does that, I know he/she is going to make it.
I have singers that have been studying with me for years, but they can never leave technique out of the mix. Yes, work the voice and build it., but when you sing, you sing. Forget about technique and use what you have as best as you can and COMMUNICATE!
These are all valid questions. I think, what most people say, is that an artist has that "Je ne c'est quoi". Its something unknown but something that makes us like this person or that person. Some singers just make me fall asleep. Others keep me riveted and make me feel that they are singing and talking to only me.
I can tell immediately when a singer comes into my studio. We warm up by vocalizing, maybe singing a passage of some music to cement the way I want that passage sung, particularly if we are working through the break area. And technically, the artist does it well. Then I say, after working for a half an hour on technique, "lets sing this song." This is when the true singing artist comes out. I can see the wheels turning in the singers brain and an obvious change takes place. He/she SINGS! He usually leaves the vocalizations behind and sings from his heart, forgetting about technique. Oh, he does use what we were just talking about, but he incorporates that into what he/she is trying to sing. When one sings, we basically have to forget about technique and let the emotions and feelings come out. That to me is the essence of a great singer. No matter how poor or how good the voice is, he/she sings with feeling, with connection to the audience, and he emotes with what he has as a vocal instrument. When a singer does that, I know he/she is going to make it.
I have singers that have been studying with me for years, but they can never leave technique out of the mix. Yes, work the voice and build it., but when you sing, you sing. Forget about technique and use what you have as best as you can and COMMUNICATE!
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