Vocalis Pro Blog

SO YOU THINK YOU'RE AN ARTIST?

2011-04-05T10:28:00.008-04:00

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!

OPERATIC TRAINEES

2011-03-06T21:03:00.004-05:00

I hear many people say that choosing opera as a career is foolish because the economy is so poor right now. I think that is foolish. That deters the gifted from even trying to build a career in singing. What a loss to the vocal community to not hear such talent!

Everything is life is difficult. It takes hard work and dedication to become anything you want to be. Look at it as a challenge. If there is something lacking in your singing, then fix it. Find another teacher and approach your vocal problems as a challenge and fix the vocal problems with your voice. How do you know you have a faulty technique? Just listen to the comments from your peers, your reviews.....that will tell you that not everything is not copacetic. Then the challenge begins. Challenge yourself. Make short-term goals and long-term goals.

The challenge means:

That you go and train, and train, and train. train to be the best, not 2nd or 3rd best.

If you know or have an inkling that your voice is not what it should be, seek another teacher, particularly one with great teaching credentials.

Don't let the "nay-sayers" rule your life. You can become a great singer if you work at it.

Attend workshops.

After recitals and operas go back stage and talk with the performers, being very diplomatic, positive and genuinely friendly.

Attach yourself to a few singers and get to know them. They are really fine people, and sometimes they are lonely and want to talk to someone.

Make friends with the singing community. Not only will you learn something, but you will have made great friends and colleagues in the process.

SELFLESS LOVE

2011-02-25T02:48:00.010-05:00

I'M BACK!

I have been away from posting for far too long. Suffice to say, I have gone through major surgery and it has taken me all this long to feel better. I want to thank all you who have sent letters, get well cards, presents, flowers......gosh. The outpouring of love was wonderful. All my life I've given of myself, my time, my money, to others, never thinking about me or wanting anything in return. What I did was for my students and friends, for the love of helping my fellowman. Yes, I have been disappointed too many times, but one gives of yourself not for one's self, but to truly help those who need a hand, need advice, need money. I've always considered myself a giver, not a taker.

When I went into the hospital, only a few people knew of my condition. Finally I told someone and that person told someone, and on and on. The letters and phone calls I received and the visits.....were very surprising, like, "how could you not tell me" and "I would have been here with you if I had known". Yes, some were angry that they were not told that I was going into the hospital. Some were absolutely upset that I did not tell them. Being a private man, I don't like a lot of people to know my business or that I don't want to impose on them, so I just kept quiet. I had no idea anyone cared about me. I SIMPLY DID NOT KNOW ANYONE CARED ABOUT ME! Isn't that amazing? I love these people, have always loved them and truly cared for them. It woke me up and reminded me that life is short, and telling your friends and family around you that you love and care for them is of utmost importance. It's a lesson well learned.

Can I tell you about my best friend, Morgan. She had surgery the week after I did, but she was at my side as soon as she could. Such love, sacrifice and devotion comes from within. She left her two children and husband at home to come and nurse me through the hell I was going through, even though she had just had surgery herself. She cooked, cleaned the house, cleaned and dressed my wounds, gave me sponge baths and sat with me through my ordeal. She saw my hurt, she saw my vulnerability, she saw my tears. When I think of how much she helped me, I get so emotional I start crying again. Mind you, I am not a crier, and it takes a lot for me to cry, and I mean a lot for me to get to that emotional level. What courage she showed. What strength of character. What love and inner beauty she exhibited. Such selflessness deserves more than life itself. I love you, Morgan.

My dad lives with me. He is 82 years old now, and getting more and more feeble. I would look into his eyes and there were always tears in his eyes. He tried to help me ease my tremendous pain which I was going through, but there was not much he could do for me. My dad, with his disabilities and can barely walk, made our meals when he could. It was difficult for him, but he did it, and never complained. He cooked what he could and I was grateful since I could not walk nor stand up. He also walked and fed Max, but with such difficulty. The love for his son was so evident and it hurt my heart so much to see him suffer for me. Such sadness just broke my heart, and again reminded me of the selfless, unselfish love that he showed me. I love you, dad.

Ray: what a great guy. He is one of my newer students and one of the finest human beings there is. Out of the blue he put himself out there and helped me through this ordeal. He walked and fed my dog Max; took me to and from the hospital and doctors visits when my dad could not. He helped me by making up beads and doing the laundry, and those endless sheets and folding them. He cleaned my room and helped me get around when I could barely walk. Even today, he tries to help me. Where this angel came from, I do not know nor deserve, but he has become my friend for being selfless and helpful in my hour of need. Ray: I love you, man!

How can I repay them? The only way I know is to love them more each day and count my blessings that somehow, some way, the debt will be repaid.

I know this blog is not about singing, but I had to explain to you, my followers, why there had been no postings. Next week I hope to resume my postings on singing and music.

CHOOSING A CAREER--WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

2010-06-27T10:27:00.005-04:00

How many of us know exactly what our career path will be? From your family expectations and your indecisions, its very hard to say, absolutely without question where your life path will go. Some of us are lucky. We know exactly what we like and what we want. Some of us are not so lucky. We have all these things that we probably like but are not sure. Some of us want someone to tell us what to do in life. This reminds me of a song by Stephen Sondheim, "Being Alive" from the Musical "Company".

"Somebody hold me too close,
Somebody hurt me too deep,
Somebody sit in my chair,
And ruin my sleep,
And make me aware,
Of being alive.

Somebody need me too much,
Somebody know me too well,
Somebody pull me up short,
And put me through hell,
and give me support for being alive.
Make me alive,
Make me confused,
Mock me with praise,
Let me be used,
Vary my days

But alone is alone, not alive.

Somebody crowd me with love,
Somebody force me to care,
Somebody make me come through,
I'll always be there as frightened as you,
to help us survive being alive."

How I look at it is, if you recognize that you have some kind of talent in some area, try to make that small talent grow and become a big talent so that it will be your career. Sure, one can learn other jobs and perhaps do them well, but there is always that lingering thought that you should have been a singer, poet, computer techie or a well driller. I think one is given something that we are good at, but one must recognize that and take advantage of that talent and nurture and train that talent. The hardest part is, of course, finding out how much money you can make with the career path you chose. Lets say you like making creative clay statues. The hard part is finding a niche for that talent and learn how to make money, lots of money. If it makes you very happy doing that, then that is the career you should choose. Maybe you want to be a musician and you love playing the guitar and don't think you can make any money as a guitar player. My answer to that is be the best guitar player you can be. Find outlets and have your talent shine. Money will come.

I have had some female students that all they want is to get married and have children. I see the hunger in their eyes when they talk about children and a husband and a little house somewhere in the suburbs. If that is your wish, be the best mother you can be, read all the "how To" books you can and be the best mother you can be. Unfortunately, this scenario almost never turns out gloriously. Some of these kids I knew years ago are either divorced with 5 kids, or are on welfare or some other kind of assistance and something went awry in their calculation. Just having children is not a great feat in itself, after all, millions of women do it, but being the best parent/mother that you can be is.

Being young is difficult and knowing that you are off to college in a few years does not make it easy on finding a career if nothing interests you or you don't have any motivation to get you through with your goals.

Again, if you have any talent, use it, develop it, work it.

I have a beautiful and talented young singer in my studio. She is 16 years old and boy, can she sing! The vocal talent is pouring out of her and everyone can see it but her. She could be one of the worlds best coloraturas there ever was if only she would just realize what great talent she has. She is a bit lazy, yes, and has no skills in doing things for herself. She grew up in a household with mother and father making all decisions for her and doing everything for her. Being a beautiful child, all she had to do was smile and your heart just melted. She learned that she did not have to do anything because someone would do it for her. That is a wonderful existence, and I would love to try it, but nobody at my house would do that for me. I had to learn to adapt. She now is waiting for someone to give her a career without her working for it. Again, that is also good, but not realistic. Parents have got to step aside and let her flounder for a bit, though hard as it seems without tearing of the heartstrings, but it has to be done, and they are doing well. She is, at the momment rebelling but that's the next step for her recovery. She will become a great singer, I guarantee, but not until she herself does the work and sitting back waiting for something to happen is not the answer. Go, GIRL, Go.....!

Another example of which I'm most proud. A few years ago I had a new student come in for lessons, and I heard this fantastic voice coming out of this kid. He was an actor at Walt Disney World but he could also sing! I really enjoyed teaching him. He was positive, hard working, knew languages, had goals, had a career path and was doing all the other jobs and workshops that all actors do to hone their craft. This guy hated to sleep, because he would lose that time, which was unproductive for him when he could be doing something to advance his career. He was becoming well known in this market, and had a following at Disney. He also did the theater sports venue here in town and again, he was the main attraction. Everything was going well for this kid, because he worked at it.

Every time he came in for a lesson, he would always be making some kind of weird noise with his mouth. He was whistling odd tunes and making other sounds that I finally asked him what he was doing. He replied that all his life he loved making different noises and sound effects. So I asked him, if you like that so much lets explore it as well, and he said ok. Through a friend we got him an audition with one of the local agencies that specialized in voice-overs. He immediately got hired and that turned his life around. He was now doing something that he loved doing and getting paid for it! He started expanding his repertoire of "creature" sounds, babies crying, and frog noises. I loved teaching him singing and he was a great student, and I hated to let him go. He moved to Los Angeles and his career in the voice-over industry went ballistic. Now he has more work than he can handle. He is a well-known artist in Los Angeles and does cartoon voices for almost every cartoon and movie in the industry. What a model for other young students. He had a career path as an actor/singer but, with my intervening, he found out what he really likes doing and, hello, making obscene amounts of money with obscene sounds and loving his life.

I recently saw him in Orlando, and he was happy doing what he is doing, and if I had some part of getting him there, both of us have achieved some phenomenal success. D, you are Mighty!

So. What I'm trying to say is:
1. know yourself
2. be true to yourself
3. if you have some talent, exploit it with all your might
4. nurture that talent, feed it
5. Have goals, short term and long term
6. work at your craft continually
7. Life is short---don't throw it away

OMIGOD!!! I HAVE A NODULE ON MY VOCAL CHORDS!!!

2010-06-13T22:03:00.002-04:00

WHAT DO I DO NOW! OMIGAWD!!!!!

What most people do is cry for a week, go to a doctor, where he will tell you to rest your voice for an unlimited number of months to a year or he will suggest surgery on your vocal chords to remove your node. Most often that will not work, and your voice will always be breathy and the top will never be the same again. He will, after you refuse surgery, after a time, recommend a vocal therapist where he/she will teach you how to talk again!! What nonsense, poo-poo and folderol!! ( I love exclamation points, don't you?)

Before panicking and crying all week, think about this: REHABILITATION!

To avoid this catastrophe you should have been:
1. going to a reputable voice teacher. No? then you deserve nodes.
2. can't afford a teacher? With all that money you spend on frivolous things and not a penny keep your voice healthy, since that is your career, then you deserve nodes

OK: enough finger pointing. This is what you do. FIRST, you have to understand what causes nodules. What really causes nodes is the fact that, in a two register technique you have pushed the "chest register" too high, into the passaggio or break area, therefore compromising the break and the head register that you have, and pushing the head register up higher or totally out of the voice. One starts to hear the voice become raspy, or the voice coming in and out, and totally losing your voice in a very short time. This is the beginning of a nodule on your chords. At one point or another, those who abuse their voice will get nodes, like speakers, belters, and those who constantly are talking too loud and too high.

SECOND: Rehabilitate your voice by putting back the head register you blew out. Now this might take some time, depending on the severity of the crime. But what I do as a voice teacher, besides calming the student/patient, is teach the student how to help himself/herself and give them vocal exercises to do. One has to practice a lot of head register, with no mix, back into the passaggio area using the headiest of the vowels like "oo". Do triads or a 1-1-3 2-1 only on head voice. Sometimes it may be hard, but persevere and the results will be there.

THIRD: another exercise to add the the first one is to do triad falsetto (head voice, no mix) notes "until the cows come home" throughout the voice, particularly on the top of your range. After all, you banged out your voice in that area. Just p0ut the head voice you pushed out. Now, doesn't that make sense?

FOURTH: Starting on a "g" or any note in the middle of your range, using the full voice and do a 1-3-5-8-5-3-1 scale dropping as much weight or chest register going up the scale as possible ending in the passaggio with only falsetto or head register. This is called "stripping the voice" and does wonders for the voice.

FIFTH: Octave chest-head-chest yodel to the top and then back to chest. so its chest/ head/ chest (don't forget to yodel on the top note).

Whatever you do, don't go to a vocal therapist. Every vocal therapist I have known knows nothing of singing and can't help you. Go to a reputable voice teacher. Yes, rest is good and wonderful, but rehabilitation is better along with the rest.

Now, its difficult to tell you how long its going to take to get better. After all, you have been banging the voice for a long time. Nodes don't happen overnight! Just practice using only head/falsetto.

I will not lie, some times you feel like what you do is not helping. Yes it is. If its too slow, you need to see if you are "mixing" the top with chest. If you are, that's a no-no! Make sure its head register or falsetto ONLY!!!! It will take time but after a few weeks you will feel a little better, and after time you will gain your full voice without the need for surgery.

Finally, feel good about yourself. Learn about your voice and how it works and how to keep it healthy.

MUSICIANSHIP 101

2010-03-29T00:29:00.004-04:00

There are so many REQUIREMENTS on being a singer, and one of them is certainly being a musician. Its great to have a voice, particularly a great one, but nothing throws a "wrench at a monkey" (monkey wrench) as not being able to count, or certainly keep a tempo. I find that today's singers can't count and must rely on others to "bring them in". They call themselves singers. For a classical singer, it is death if you do not know how to count a measure. Some of these singers today go by "feel". I have quite a few singers in my studio that are guilty of this disease and the moment I mention "count", one can see panic and the eyes grow big with tension. They think I don't know their "secret". What's worse, they refuse to learn how to count, because "they don't need it", but I'm working on them slowly. Generally, by the time they leave, they have it down. I know that I have to teach them how to count and they eventually do well. Don't get me wrong. I love my students and have a great rapport with them and often I also feel a sense of accomplishment when they stand on their own knowing that they did it "all by themselves." Inside my mind, I'm clapping.

A few years ago my dad and I taught this tenor. He has quite a fine voice and we felt that he needed a lot of training and he worked hard at being a singer. He studied with us a few years and then had a chance to go study in Europe Well, he returned this week for a visit and sang for us. His voice is much better but as usual his musicianship was still lacking. I started playing an aria for him and he took off, expecting me to follow him. Now I have sung this aria hundreds of times, and coached it about as much, but I would not budge on the tempo. I'm sure he was frustrated, since he wanted to do well for us, but I would not give in and made him follow me. Oh, I can be a nasty! As I told him, great singers count, they know when to come in. You should learn this discipline. Those singers who believe that rests do not matter or that the orchestra should follow them is absurd! Vocally he had grown, but his musicianship was a bit disappointing. Since he had always had this great voice, and I had hoped, after 4 years he would conquer counting. Before he left, he couldn't count too well and we tried to help him but it was tough for him to get the concept of time, counting, and rests. Well, he still does not have the concept down perfectly, but bless his heart, he tries very hard.

I remember my dad telling me that "some of my best sounds were the rests", and, of course, I took great umbrage to that comment, but after awhile, I had to concede that point. Sometimes, dads are right. So now I tell my students........and the cycle goes on.

I was fortunate that all through junior high, high school and college I was either in band or the orchestra. Playing a euphonium meant that there would be plenty of rests, and If I lost count, I looked at the conductor to bring me in, and good conductors will do that, but don't rely on them. Take the bull by the horns and learn to count. It will make you a valuable musician.

I remember when I was at the University of Alabama. Each day, I had to walk home after my last class or practice, which was about 25 minutes. I remember counting and keeping rhythm as I walked all the way home. I did that several times a day and with my right had I did the beat patterns. After 4 years that rhythm was so instilled in me that I would never get off the beat. Somehow, it has always been with me all these years, and is still a part of me. I remember practicing with the metronome.......a lot. I used the metronome to practice piano, scales, vocal passages, and some days, I would just put that darned thing on for quite a while and listened to the different tempi and memorized each setting of the metronome. I know, to this day, how fast mm 110 is, or how slow mm 40 is.

POP SINGERS: PART 4 OF A 5 PART SERIES

2010-03-13T20:59:00.006-05:00

In formal music schools, one is taught that:
1. to be a rock singer, it takes 3 years , depending on where you are vocally
2. it takes 3 to 5 years to become a pop singer
3. it takes 5 to 7 years to become a "Broadway" singer
4. it takes 7 to 15 years to become an opera singer.

In all my years of teaching, I maintain this is correct, with the caveat that it always depends on where you are vocally. To become a great pop singer these are the years of training required. The problem is, most singers don't want to study that long. They want instant success. Sometimes it is not so easy to fix a pop voice, since so much damage was done to the voice in trying to push that voice before it was ready. Training is training, and hopefully you have found a great teacher to take you on this road.

The problem with some pop singers is that they are content to be mediocre. I enjoy students with drive and purpose. I enjoy the challenge of making a so-so voice into a great voice. But something always gets in the way. I think that trying to make a living and having a family closes a lot of avenues off for many people. Some promising careers are shot down before they begin to make their mark.

Although as a pop singer, one does not always have to have a great voice. It seems that look, and hype are more desirable than actual talent. I can site hundreds of singers who are up there that have no talent,and have a dinky voice but can create hype or buzz with their personna. That often becomes the "talent".

Therefore, to be a pop singer one has to have a look, some gimic, some stage presence, be able to dance or move very well, and finally, something resembling vocal talent. We all know these singers. Being beautiful, or handsome and trim is, I think, the best asset to have.

OPERA WANNABEES

2010-02-28T20:18:00.006-05:00

I attended 2 concerts this weekend, an opera and a recital, and...............

Distressed, I am, to hear such puny singing this weekend. I cannot believe that today's singers are so technically poor. Surprising, but these singers think they are great! This is a mystery to me.

I grew up in the 50s and 60's and at that time, opera singers SANG WITH HUGE VOICES, and it was wonderful. I can still hear Birgit Nilsson singing Brunhilde at the Metropolitan Opera! Omygod! That was a voice! Now, these small, "instant voices", as I call them, are all over the stages of the world. I refer to "instant voices" as to those singers who study for a few short years and by pushing or "hurrying" the process of really learning how to sing, their teachers produce tiny constricted voices. Although the singer is working hard to produce a sound, all that he/she can muster is a mezzo forte! One can only hear them if they are electronically amplified.

These puny sounds permeate the operatic world. Whats wrong with the General Managers of Opera? They are hiring young singers with tiny voices who really have no business gracing the operatic stages of the world.

This weekend was a bust. I'm bored with tiny voices trying to sing opera. I say, go to a voice teacher who know something about singing and learn how to sing with a low larynx and some chest register connection. Operatic singing is not pop or Broadway singing. Wake up, people!

SINGING AND BREATHING---THE REAL STORY

2010-02-07T11:00:00.006-05:00

So! You are starting voice lessons, eh. How many times have you been to a voice teacher and he/she tells you that the voice comes from your "tummy area" or the diaphragm? Having taken biology and knowing where the voice box is I have been, like you, mystified. But, in an effort to learn how to sing well, we follow these foolish teachers, knowing full well that he/she is "cracked in the head". That's how all or most of us begin singing lessons..

I could never understand how the diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle right under the rib cage separating the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity would help me sing better! I thought it was connected to the larynx somehow, perhaps by a string, since my teachers used the "pull the string out of your back just like those dolls who cried "mama" when you pulled its string. when I asked how that was possible, my teachers got mad, so I dropped it in hopes that they were right. They were not.

The diaphragm is an organ for breathing, not singing. During inhalation, the diaphragm contracts, thus enlarging the thoracic cavity. This reduces intra-thoracic pressure: in other words, enlarging the cavity creates a vacuum that draws air into the lungs. When the diaphragm relaxes, air is exhaled by elastic recoil of the lung and the tissues lining the thoracic cavity in conjunction with the abdominal muscles, which act as an antagonist paired with the diaphragm's contraction. Furthermore, it goes UP AND DOWN, not IN AND OUT!! That should be our clues, but again, since we did not know anything and we were gullible students, we followed like lambs, right along the wrong path. They told us that first you have to understand breathing and if you did not breathe well, you would never sing well. Son-of-a-gun, I did all those stupid belly exercises like everyone else, like having my teacher sit on my stomach and I should push him up.....ooooo, that was tough. And the books on my belly, the more the merrier.....ooooo, that was fun! And pushing yourself from the wall, belly to wall......Oh, I could go on and on. But.....

Here it is in a nutshell. What you are training is the musculature in the larynx. You are building muscle to help you achieve a coordinated tone from top to bottom. There are 2 basic muscles--the arytenoid or Chest muscles and the crico-thyroid muscle, the "head register" muscle. What I do to strengthen those muscles is do chest register muscle exercises and head register exercises and then co-ordinate them, knowing that one goes through the "passaggio" or break. Thats it! I do believe in support, and I do use the abdominal muscles to "connect " with the voice, but I work with the advanced singers on support and who have their registration fairly well together. Its simple but difficult to do since it takes time to strengthen these muscles.

Just remember when first phonating:

1. stand up straight
2. lift chest high
3. breathe through the nose
4. lower the larynx and keep it in a low position
5. set the glottis
6. sing "on the air"
7. relax the jaw and tongue, keeping the tip of the tongue barely touching the lower teeth
8. remember to lift the soft palate naturally as you go higher
9. support the tone, using the abdominals

NOW YOU ARE READY TO SING!

THE TIP JAR"

2010-01-04T13:40:00.005-05:00

TODAY'S TIP # 2: MAKE A SCHEDULE!

Put your life on a schedule. Schedule a block of time each day at the same time if possible. Look at it like a bank deposit and you will know how much practice time you have accumulated. Your voice will grow with "interest."

How much should you practice? Ideally, professional singers should practice about 4 to 6 hours a day, breaking up that time into several manageable sections. You can start with at least 2 hours per day and increasing that time as needed.

THE BROADWAY SINGER, 2ND IN A 5 PART SERIES

2010-01-03T20:18:00.006-05:00

THEN, singing on Broadway used to be easier than it is today. First of all, you didn't have to have any high notes and you did not have to dance. You just had to be a good actor to be hired on Broadway with a modicum of vocal talent. life was good. You had a job--ON BROADWAY!! Ah! "Those were the good old days".

In those halcyon days composers wrote music with a basic range of an octave for actors and actresses so that these performers were not taxed. That was it! If there were any dancers in the shows, the dancers danced, and the singers sang. Singers did not have to participate in too much dancing, unless they wanted to or they looked good up there dancing! There were only singers and there were dancers. The two never "twained". Dancers danced, actors sang (to the best of their ability). Surely the talent was there, but music was not so important then. Big numbers were the norm of the day. This was the big moment for the dancers. Now....

NOW you have to be a triple threat to get by on Broadway and you have to act, sing and dance! And ..... the music is getting more difficult with higher notes, stretching the singer higher and higher. Actors started taking voice lessons and dance lessons in order to compete with the dancers, who were already taking voice lessons and acting lessons trying to get to do a major singing role! Singers made more money. Dancers got paid very little, so the dancers were pushing the actor/singers out of the way. It was a cat fight!

TODAY you have to be a great singer with great chops and great personality to stay on top of the heap. As in today's commercials, well known personalities, movie stars, TV stars started moving into Broadway, pushing the "legitimate" Broadway performer out of the lime light. Of course, they brought in more money, but often times, the theaters needed to amplify the singers. The days of Ethyl Merman were over. "Sing to the last seat in the house" was gone. Technology came to Broadway. I wonder how Broadway survived before amplification?

The same thing happened in the operatic halls. Smaller voices were hired, which were cheaper, and more amplification was needed. Bigger voices demanded more money, the "instant singer" was in with less cash, the bigger voices out. Cecilia Bartoli, endowed with a very small voice, could not be heard at the cavernous Metropolitan Opera and had to be amplified along with many others. This week I read that the New York City Opera will no longer amplify any productions starting in 2010! This is wonderful news. Bigger voices are coming, both to the operatic stage and the Broadway Theaters.

To be a "Broadway" performer, you still have to take voice lessons, dance lessons, coachings to become successful. Indeed, singers like Kristin Chenoweth are highly successful because of their classical/operatic training. I still believe that if you want to be at the top and stay at the top, you have to study and build your instrument and use it properly. If you sing well, act well and dance well, the possibilities are endless. How many times have we seen a Broadway performer head off to Los Angleles and become a movie star! It used to be that Broadway stars were for Broadway only, but the performers of today are so versatile that you see them in movies, theater, tours, commercials, voice overs, etc. Think of the money they're hauling in!!!

One never stops working on your craft. If you become complacent, others will pass you by because you have become stale with no dimnensions. You need to grow, see your dreams become a reality, and build your career from a broadway performer to a mega star,. There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.

THE "TIP JAR"

2009-12-31T23:17:00.004-05:00

TODAY'S TIP #1: PRACTICE!

Why practice? Because, if you don't, there is someone out there hungrier, more talented, more experienced and more drive than you. If you want to make it to the top, make singing your priority and practice, practice, practice!!!!!!!

SO! YOU WANT TO BE A SINGER? A 5-PART SERIES

2009-12-27T19:55:00.011-05:00

THE FIRST TOPIC OF THIS SERIES IS: THE OPERA SINGER. Each of the following topics, The Classical Singer (Lieder), Broadway Singer, Pop Singer and Mariachi will be published each Sunday night. Please join the forums.

Learning to sing, no matter what style of singing that you choose, is a difficult road. Starting at a young age is always helpful, but along with that, the future singer has to have the tools necessary for a distinguished career in this field.

The life of an opera singer is a wonderful life, with lots of travelling, carrying of lots of luggage, books, cooking utensils and clothes with you. Basically, the life of a singer is the life of the Gypsy, going hither and yon plying the goods of the trade you have chosen. There are operas to perform, operas to learn, rehearsals to attend, fittings, there are concerts, lectures, recordings, the adulation of fans, the wonderful press releases, the glowing reviews......ah! what a life! There is nothing more satisfying than being on stage and singing so wonderfully that you have the audience in the palm of your hands, and then the cheering....

To get there one needs: A voice!

Make sure you have talent. One ingredient I feel is so necessary is "soul". Soul means so many things to many people, but what I mean is that you need to have the facility to interpret and feel what you are singing and performing from the heart.

I often get calls from parents wanting their 6 year old to take voice lessons. This is definitely too young to start voice lessons. They need to be in a chorus, perhaps at school or at some church. Kids need to sing naturally and not be pushed in a series of voice lessons. The youngest students that I take is usually about 10 years old, but only if they are talented. By that I mean that they can match pitches, have a pleasant voice, but most importantly, being sure that they love to sing and not be pushed into voice lessons by mothers and fathers. With these students I work on just singing, with little technique training. Since I only teach hour lessons, sometimes these kids are tired at the end of the lesson. I take some time to talk about styles of music, explore those styles and find out where their interest lie. Usually, at this age, its Disney songs, or pop tunes, so I sing a lot with these kids, with a close eye on technique along the way, like building a good strong head register first and then work on the chest voice later on. The reason for this is that the passaggio for all students is at e and f just above middle c on the piano. One has to take care that no chest register is pushed into that area (see blog on Registration).

The earliest recommendation from most teachers for voice lessons is after the voice changes, around 13 or 14 years of age. The problem with that is that some singers have, by the time they are twelve or thirteen they already have gone through the voice change. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate each student individually and make the right recommendation.

To get there one needs: Drive!

No, I don't mean a car.....I mean personal ambition, wanting, thirsting for knowledge. How many times do singers come into my studio without any drive, don't know what they want. Knowing that these singers will never get anywhere unless I push, pull, nudge, cajole, hoping for a breakthrough in their "drive mechanism". I don't know where I got the drive, but I know that early on I did not have much of it, until I finished college. I knew about drive and ambition, and hard work, and I finally put them to good use. As parents and voice teachers, we have to reach way back and find something to light a fire under these kids. Sometimes, these kids have this fantastic voice, but I can't alone get them there. I guess they need to find what's important in their life, go at it 100 percent and try not to be second. Take chances, work hard, practice, learn about your craft by reading, attending lectures, recitals, watch videos of operas, get involved.

To get there one needs: Piano Skills!

In order to be a first class musician, you really have to have some piano skills. Practice scales so you can play your own music instead of having someone else teach you the parts. This is so lame. Although learning the piano is best for singers, you can learn other instruments if you choose, but it all comes back to the piano. If you can play your own melody, you don't need anyone to help you out. Spend some time with a piano teacher. Learn the piano. You don't have to be a virtuoso, but hone your piano skills enough to keep your head above water. It is so necessary. Yes, its hard playing the piano, but the rewards will come very soon.

To get there one needs: VOCAL TRAINING!

If you have followed my previous posts, you know how I feel about voice lessons. Don't be lazy! Commit to better yourself so that you have the opportunity to become a great singer. I know that there are those out there saying that you don't need a voice teacher and that they are a waste of time and money. I have actually heard this! Yes, there are pros and cons to this subject, and there are those good voice teachers and bad voice teachers, like there are good doctors and bad doctors, etc. And, yes, I know that there are those teachers who are a menace to unsuspecting young voices but get off the couch and get involved. Take Voice lessons.....you could only get better. Always be aware of these pitfals and "caveat emptor"....buyer beware. But take a chance, and if that teacher is not moving in the direction you want to go, go elsewhere. There are a lot of great voice teachers out there. Ask other students, friends, comrades.

VOCAL REGISTRATION-THE REAL STORY

2009-12-20T20:56:00.013-05:00

VOCAL REGISTERS: a term that sends many voice teachers scrambling, usually in fear, as to what is meant by “Registration”. Almost every teacher I know has their own way of teaching, probably because there are more voice teachers out there that one can shake a stick at. Some are “snake oil” peddlers, and some are quite legitimate. I myself have been to a few voice teachers and have been dumbfounded at the lack of knowledge these so-called “voice teachers” have. Some teachers teach their techniques right out of science fiction. Whether you as a teacher use the register technique or not, what matters in the end is that the student sings well, no nodules or harm is done and the student knows that he is progressing.

Some of these techniques are funny if they weren’t so sad. I knew a teacher who had me do his technique which he developed himself. Its called the “Lotus Position” which has the student standing or sometimes sit in a “lotus flower position” and with your hands as if you were praying to a Hindu God. After you’ve breathed in deeply and correctly, you were prepared to sing. If you didn’t sing well, the” Lotus Position” was misaligned! I went through this and it was frustrating as Hell. What does sitting in a strange position have to do with the vocal mechanism?

Some teachers have their singers “draw” the tone out of their mouths with their hands forming an “oo” vowel. You were supposed to do this for an indefinite period of time. I knew one teacher in her forties who had been doing this for at least 20 years, and her voice was still small and crummy. What’s funny is that the students believe this malarkey. Singers are so trusting sometimes and believe a person in authority. What’s sad is that these students are quite intelligent! It boggles the mind. These singers could only sing Purcell and Arne. Their voices never got big enough to handle other types of music.

Then there are those pushers from the diaphragm --push out and tighten the butt cheeks. Whoa! What you heard was a constipated sound. I won’t go there…. If that wasn’t enough, some teachers who try to find the head register by having their students tap their heads and sing “who, who, who” to "feel” the head register. Tapping their head?? I always assumed that the voice came from the voice box.

Other teachers tell their students to bend over and try to find the head register. Sometimes, when all else fails, I sometimes do this but as a last resource. Sometimes it works, what can I tell you. That’s the name of the game. In this business, we, as teachers have to try many weird things to get to the end result. But, come on, weird is weird and no basis in fact.

Oh! The diaphragmatic singers, or the the belly pushers as I call them, have often ruptured diaphragms by pushing too much on that nebulous area, which, incidentally, is an organ for breathing not singing. The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle right below the rib cage, and it goes UP AND DOWN! Its part of our autonomic system helping one to breathe---not sing! I do believe in support, but support by tightening the abdominals to keep that feeling of connection, or grounded to the voice.

Its funny how this works, but it does. I think support is necessary, but not with the diaphragm. But some proponents of support make singing all about support. It is not. Singers have been told by their teachers that they were not supporting correctly because tones were not produced well. If the student had supported “well”, then he could have been the greatest singer in the world. Funny, those teachers who championed diaphragmatic breathing were lousy singers themselves. I made the connection right away. Unfortunately most didn’t. I wonder how all this nonsense got started, but, needless to say, all the pushing and pulling and tightening does not matter a hill of beans if the registration is not well coordinated and the voice built with ample amounts of chest and head register ln a coordinated manner.

The lateral breathers and the back breathers, called “Intercostal Breathing” have to “open” their backs to get more tonal support. This is too much work and the tone is not of good quality. One looks hunched over and the working of the those muscles just to sing is ludicrous. Again, the voice is produced in the voice box. Not your back, not your diaphragm, not your belly, not in the "mask".

To top it all of, there are those teachers who tell their male singers to take their shirts off so they can see their abs! Oh, NO NO! This is another chapter altogether, about ethics and the code of conduct. The stories go on and on, and I’m more amazed at the lack of knowledge these teachers have.

The worst is that these teachers ruin voices or voices with great potential. It’s a crying shame. Like any business, there are so many charlatans so "caveat emptor". Sure, no one has the right answer, and this business is not an exact science in terms of usage. Scientifically, it has been proven that there are only two registers—the “Chest Register” and the “Falsetto Register”.

The chest register, inapropriately named because the voice is not produced in the chest, but the vibrations experienced in the chest or thoracic cavity are the result of bone conduction. They are neither produced nor resonated within the chest cavity. The tones originate and are resonated within the laryngeal pharynx. Cornelius Reid in his "Dictionary Of Vocal Terminology" defines this “Chest Voice” sound as “to those tones qualities which respond to high levels of intensity in the lower pitch ranges. Functionally, these qualities result from the parallel positioning of the vocal folds by cricothyroid and arytenoids muscles in a “thick” adjustment."

In laymen terms, I like to make teaching simple since I have students who know nothing about the mechanics of voice that simplicity is the best avenue. What I do is to isolate the chest register from the “falsetto” by asking the student to place his/her hand on their chest and with the resulting “resonance” they understand where and how the chest register feels. Then I ask them to put their hand on their head and feel the chest and ask if they feel the “resonance”. I then ask them to produce a heady “hooty” tone and see if the feel the resonance and the immediate response is yes. For me, this is the beginning in understanding registers for the beginning student, how it sounds and how it feels. If you have too much coordination with the head register, the resulting vibrations aren’t going to be felt much.

To say that the arytenoids (chest register) are the basic muscles groups comprising of the transverse arytenoids, the oblique arytenoids, and the cricoartyenoids is quite confusing for the beginning student, much less the advanced student. I try to keep it simple most of the time. But, sometimes, there's a student who really wants to know, then I take out the big words and confuse the heck out of him. When tensed, these muscles are responsible for yielding tone qualities recognized as “chest voice” This last statement is meaningless unless you have studied the vocal musculature, and since you can’t see these muscles working to produce a sound you have to rely on an expert ear to help you out. This is why the teacher has to know how to coordinate certain sounds to effect a vocal change. Its these times that make it fun and exciting, but eventually we go back to simple explanations and as time goes by, increase his knowledge and understanding more and more about how the voice really works. Nothing is more satisfying for a voice teacher to know that one more student has learned the complicated craft of singing.

There ere are only 2 registers, the so called “chest register” or muscular arytenoids action and “head” or “Falsetto”, caused by the action of the cricoid muscles. In effect, by using the “chest register, the chord thickens and elongates, while the falsetto shortens and thins caused by the cricoid muscle.

"FALSETTO" and “Head Register” are terms used interchangably to denote a falsetto-dominated tone. The term "head voice" means that the falsetto-derived or mixed with chest is a coordinated tone while the "falsetto" is purely that--no mix.

Falsetto, Italian for “false”, describes a quality or where the throat appears to be the chief organ connected with the production of sound called a throat voice, termed in Italian, “falsetto.” The fact that the two register mechanisms can either be separated or combined in a variety of ways has led to difficulties with respect to nomenclature. What do you call it? Falsetto, mixed voice, the middle register, head voice, mixed register? Suffice it to say, for clarity’s sake, there are only 2 registers, chest register and head register (or falsetto).

In producing the falsetto, one has to understand that there is no arytenoid (chest voice or register) connection, and the tone quality sounds “false”. The reference is made to a pure, isolated falsetto or one in which the cricothyroids are tensed without engaging a counterpull on the part of the arytenoids. The falsetto sound has an extremely “breathy” and “hooty” tone quality, in its pure form. The falsetto is literally a false tone. When tones become clear and the range extensive, the tones can be swelled and diminished and the falsetto can no longer be said to be pure. That is, with the addition of the arytenoids in any form, the voice is said to be mixed or coordinated and no longer falsetto.

As every singer knows, we come upon a strange phenomenon as our voices begin to grow. There is a place in our voices that something "funny" happens. That's the dreaded PASSAGGIO!!! or in English, “passageway:” an early frame of reference used to indicate that portion of the tonal range, or “break”. The break is, in all voices, whether male or female, in the same place, between E and G,(above middle C for females and above 3^rd space C for male singers.

The problem is that if the head register is not smooth enough or strong enough, and singing high notes with great ease is impossible or they are thin and reedy. It is necessary to “cross” from the chest voice to the head voice smoothly and evenly. Exercises to smooth that area of the voice abound, and should be practiced daily. Some singers feel that the break is on E, others, depending on the weight of the tone, feel its at F or F#. In any case, it must be understood that the passaggio is a weak part of the voice and crossing that area one must take special attention in your daily practice regimen to smooth it out. Practicing falsetto triads through this area is very helpful.

Every singer "covers" to a degree or other. COVERING is necessary but covering in the passaggio area for all men is at times too much cover and is primarily used to make a change of resonance adjustment by “darkening” those vowels phonated in the area of the primary register “break” (E—F# above middle C), and also the so –called “upper break” in women’s voices, lying an octave above, in order to avoid tone qualities which are commonly perceived to be “too open” or “yelly”. Covering is generally used in conjunction with “closed” vowels, e.g., oh, oo. It is also used when singing sotto voce, or when a “darkening” of the tone quality is appropriate as an interpretive effect.

Covering plays an important role in the development of vocal skills, since it confronts problems related to either the strengthening or the vigorous use of the chest register (a process which unavoidably energizes that mechanism, causing a widening of the gap between it and the head voice), and the need to bridge the passaggio with reasonable facility. Since a proper bridging is the final and most difficult stage of technical development, coordination of the two mechanisms must be approximate rather than precise for the considerable period of time. For this reason, covering, which effectively addresses itself to the problem of register transition before the basic mechanisms are capable of fine tuning possesses a function of great importance which should not be ignored.

To sum up: when approaching the passaggio, raise the soft palate and the tongue, lower the larynx and apply more head register to the tone, being careful that the tone is “heady” but with a smooth transition to the upper register.

When one speaks of the “OPEN THROAT”, it is meant that the larynx is lowered or in a state of low repose. This is most desireable since it creates more resonance in the tone, thus making the sound louder and richer, meaning there is more resonance.

In a nutshell, teaching voice is not easy, and knowledge is gained by experience, trial and error for the most part with lots of luck, lots of gnashing teeth, lots of lack of sleep. Some students are easy to teach, others, with registrations so tight that it takes time to undo some of these muscular sets.

Learning to sing is not easy, but it makes the voice teacher's life that much easier to know that the student and the teacher are partners in this journey. A commitment has to be made by the singer FOR the singer not to miss lessons, come prepared, take what he's learned and start applying it immediately. Taking voice lessons is part and parcel of being a singer, and each lesson is precious so don't throw it away. Canceling lessons because friends came into town, or you have to go shopping for Christmas presents or birthdays, or have to go to a party.......no! What a shame it would be if you missed the one day that a breakthrough was going to happen!

An EXERCISE VOICE LESSON CD is available for your voice type. The cost is $15.00. Send me a note to: manjan44@yahoo.com

PRETENDERS VS PROFESSIONALS

2009-12-17T15:50:00.007-05:00

Writing this post has been interesting, because it gave me a chance to vent one of my pet peeves. It is not aimed any one specifically, but is a combination of a lot of friends, students and colleagues. If you can use this information to light a fire under you, then I have succeeded.

There are two kinds of performers....the working pretenders and working professionals.

Pretenders are those who play at being singers. They take just enough voice lessons, dance lessons and acting lessons to get by. Sometimes they reach a certain level of mediocrity and that's enough for them. These pretenders have no drive and expect to either get by on looks or a minimum of talent. They often wonder why they are not at the top. They prefer to enjoy life, going on vacations, going out to dinner, taking trips here and there, having dinner parties, buy lavish gifts for friends and call themselves singers. I have seen many of these singers who have had some talent, and I see then giving up on a career, and I see them working at the mall or at some other job that is meaningless. They have "settled" on some kind of drudgery kind of life. One has to have goals and the drive to achieve them. If you do not have either of these, try to get them. They are so important in any career.

On the other side of the room, there are the professionals.....those who come to voice lessons, don't miss a lesson and generally ask for an extra lesson. The are always honing their craft and they want to be singers or actors or dancers and they will do anything to get there. They ask questions, they go to concerts, they read, and, oh my, they practice!

When I was living in New York, the pace was hectic. Everyone I knew was a working professional. We were all going to voice lessons, dance lessons, drama/acting lessons, coaching lessons. We went to concerts, and after wards we met with each other at coffee houses, restaurants or each others' apartments, discussing the singers, the repertoire, and we talked about technique, high notes, and we tried to figure how each singer was doing a high note or talk about breath control. We went to piano recitals, voice recitals, the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera, Concerts at the New York Philharmonic. We were busy being professional musicians. For me, there were so many parties and things to do that I did not have time to enjoy myself. Maybe I should have, but the wealth of knowledge of the singers would not have been there. I was busy practicing, and so were many of my colleagues.

In New York, I never met any pretenders. We were all working professionals. We were working to get better, auditioning, finding an agent, get management, build a career. While in Europe, everyone in my circle of friends was also doing the same thing, working at our craft. it was a 24 hour career, from early in the morning to late at night when you went to sleep. Career was on our mind.

Orlando is not like New York, certainly, but I see more pretenders than I've ever seen in my life. They come into my studio, never practicing, just doing enough to get by. Most work for theme parks and with this little bit of voice they think that they will get somewhere, be a star or something. What do they know of hard work? They are comfortable. Some just want to come so that I can play their audition songs for them before they go to the audition. Then they wonder why they did not get the part. I think that mediocrity breeds mediocrity.

THE AUDITION NIGHTMARE

2009-12-13T16:26:00.012-05:00

In every aspect of our professional life, one has to "audition" or "interview" for a job. Its all the same. The same butterflies, the same lack of sleep, the same dry mouth, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera! When the time comes for the audition or interview, we are a mindless wreck and therefore we don't do our best. While interviewing for a job comes only a few times in your life, depending on your situation, the classical singer/Broadway performer profession audition is a little different. We have to audition for certain opera companies, a church job, a chorus audition, a touring Broadway show, etc. Sometimes we have up to 3 or more auditions per day, and somehow, most of us don't learn anything, perpetuating the same problems. Some performers have an easy time auditioning, but most of us still struggle. We need to approach the audition with confidence. For performers, its not enough that we have to lie to make our resume fatter, but we, as singers or actors, have to back it up! If you are sick or don't feel well, please cancel or have a back-up plan.

These are some rules that I have set not only for myself but for my students to follow:
1. Treat your audition as a performance
2. Know your limits
3. Be prepared, know your material backwards and forwards.
4. Don't gab while waiting for your turn.
5. Focus on the job at hand
6. Exude confidence

While these rules are common sense, you would be surprised how many people break these rules and allow either of these rules to take over your audition and ruin it. Nerves are nothing but lack of confidence: lack of confidence in your voice, your appearance, you, you, you. Stop thinking about "you" and start thinking of being the character you are singing about. You have no control in the outcome, so why torment yourself? I, after many years of auditioning and beating my head against the wall like "Why did I do that?" "Why did I sing that aria?" "Why did I do that monologue?" Why did I wear those clothes?" "Why, why, why!" Don't beat yourself down. build yourself up with confidence by being prepared and follow the rules stated in this article. Know the rules and start training yourself tor a presentation of your talent--the performance of your life.

Once I realized that auditioning is a way of life, It became a "job", just like a 9-5 job. As performers, our 9-5 job begins about 9am and if there is a performance at 8pm, our 9-5 becomes a 9-11 job. This is why we train. This is our job. Auditioning is part of our job, our 9-5 job. Treat your audition as that and your auditions will go smoothly. One more thing,--once the audition is done, move on. You can dwell on it for a half hour but that's it, only to figure what worked, what was positive and what was negative and make a note to self that for the next audition you are going to do something else or add something else, or if you felt good about the audition. That's all. Move on.

I have seen students come into my studio on day of performance with pale complexion, and "deer in-headlights" eyes. Stress can kill, so avoid it. follow the rules and work on the rules and you will be successful.

Knowing that auditioning is "hell Day" for most of us, by applying the basic rules of auditioning, your "hell day" will become a "swell day". Auditioning will be fun once you have the confidence in yourself. You have to enter an audition with confidence. You have to realize that you do not know what they are looking for, and if you did, you have no control on you being picked. You don't know what the director wants. You may have some parameters on the character, but I have found that no matter how well you sang and how well you nailed that audition, you may not get that part. Why? Because there are so many factors inherent in the casting, like personal preference, height, color. Generally the leading lady or gentleman are picked before you ever got there. I have been at auditions where I have sung very well and sang better than the guy they picked. It is not fair, but that's life. Sometimes I have found out that the tenor they picked happened to be a friend of the director or had worked with him on a few projects. Its always the politics. so no matter what you do, or how well you sing, you might and you might not get the job. Knowing this, I use the audition for my purposes. I practice for the next audition, hone my audition techniques. I make that audition a performance. If nothing else, they will remember me! I always get even.

Lets take each rule one by one:

TREATING YOUR AUDITION AS A PERFORMANCE
When its your time to audition, don't just stand there and sing. Perform! Become that character. Make your audition memorable. Use your hands, your face, your body, to become that character, that voice. Concentrate on what you are singing/saying. focus on that character, that emotion, the motivation. If you come out of the audition exhilarated and don't feel awkward about it, then you have succeeded. It's the first step into winning more and more auditions.

KNOW YOUR LIMITS:
Don't pick music that is way beyond you vocally, or age-wise. Know who you are as an actor and singer. In the operatic world, if you are a light tenor, don't sing anything from Tosca. Stay within your vocal limits. Audition for the roles that are right for you. although I like to push myself into larger, meatier roles, I'm careful not to overtax myself vocally, because if you undertake an extremely heavy or light role, you might damage your technique, and back to the voice teacher you go. If you are a Broadway singer/actor, go for your body type, don't do Shakespeare for your monologue, wait until you are 50 or so.

BE PREPARED:
For any audition, you should know :
1. what you are singing about.
2. who you are singing about.
3. the background of the character (read supporting material--do your research)
4. know about the style you are singing about

DON'T GAB AT AUDITIONS:
Audition time is a time for setting your mind at ease, going over your material in your mind. Talking while waiting for your time only tires out your voice and you are not focused on the job at hand.

FOCUS:
Focus on the audition, not what you are having for lunch, or other trivia. Save your energy for "the performance"

EXUDE CONFIDENCE:
Confidence comes from knowing your material, knowing your voice, knowing your limitations, and winning audition after audition, until you make it to the top. Confidence is job one. By following these simple rules, confidence is just a step away from success. Let your personality shine!

To summarize: enter the audition with personality, oozing confidence, putting everyone at ease. (auditioners can smell fear.) Remember, they want to hire someone who can do the job. Don't come to the audition with "hat in hand" or apologetic, or with excuses. Forget that. Focus at the job on hand. Get on with it and PERFORM! PERFORM! PERFORM!

Young Gifted Singers

2009-11-29T20:46:00.035-05:00

In our society there has always been that young gifted person, whether he is a musician, a singer, pianist, cellist, tennis player or a great mathematical genius. In our "everyday world", we accept these young geniuses and marvel at how young, how smart, or how clever he or she is. We even celebrate their accomplishments.

When I was growing up, I had heard of these young "phenoms" : college at 11 years of age, a great gifted pianist, a great tennis player, etc. Somehow, it is accepted, even today. A classical musician is accepted as a talented gifted performer. A great example of this is Mozart, who from a very early age was writing operas, symphonies, piano concertos. But a singer? "Oh, no, you will hurt your voice if you sing an aria with a high 'C', they mourn", or "you will have a short career if you sing that aria." How many times did Placido Domingo hear that, or Renata Tebaldi, or Nellie Melba.....the list goes on and on, but they continued to have great careers, thumbing their noses at those nay sayers.

The question is, "what are we to do with these young phenoms?" Oh, we could discourage them, take away their pianos, their golf clubs, their tennis racquets, or, to get even, we could send them to public school! We could, but most of us encourage these talents, nurture them, even if we don't understand them. For the gifted singer, it all comes down to one thing--registration. If the teacher knows anything about registration and how the two registers work, one will never have any trouble with the voice. The trick is knowing when to back off the top, when to give more, how to sing through the passagio correctly, and utilizing in tandem both registers correctly.

A good case in point is MARCO DEL RIO, my last featured artist, is a gifted singer. I have worked with him since he was 11 years old. We struggled through the "changing voice" and now he is a tenor, with low notes and high notes. Although he is only 14, he can sing as if he were 25, with a high "C" and beyond. I worked solely on the head register with him, strengthening the head and when the voice was ready, I started applying the chest register and coordinating them together. The result is that the chest register is big, bright and warm and the top is bright and ringing.

I will have a new posting later this week on his new sound. You will hear the before and after the change. You judge.

I have another young phenom, a gifted coloratura soprano with great high notes and a wonderful voice. At competitions, she doesn't win because the judges say she has a beautiful voice, but warn her that she shouldn't sing big arias so soon. How does one define "big"? Is it an aria the judge can sing? Is he judging the voice like a normal 14 year sings or as as a gifted singer who is way beyond her years voice? Truly, these singers should be rated solely upon the singing, how well it was sung, not on her age. The age of the voice at it matures should be the norm for them.

Casey and I have been through the easy arias and its time to move on to more difficult repertoire. She is 14 years old now and she started singing with me when she was 12 years old. Everywhere she goes she charms everyone with her voice, but there is always that old worn out warning........

I am talking about CASEY J. BROWN. She is a beautiful young lady, with great career aspirations. Like all young singers, she does not know how good she is and how good she is going to be. She sings as if she were a 25-30 year old singer. I say, what is wrong with that? What is so wrong about being gifted? We should nurture these young gifted singers instead of scaring them to death with these old wife's tales. Rarely do I find a voice teacher who knows how to teach voice. The students of mine who are already out there teaching are doing a great job. Carolyn Fallin, a former student, has a voice studio in Los Angeles and doing superbly. She knows how to teach and has earned the respect not only of her students but the community at large. It is our mission to teach well, so that our students can continue the legacy founded by Douglas Stanley, William Vennard, Cornelius Reid, and Kenneth L. Nielsen. We owe these great pedagogs who came before us a debt of gratitude.

If I were pushing her voice with too much chest too high, that would be something else. I'm building the voice from the ground up, strengthening the chest and the head voice, mixing the two. She can sing arias like "The Bell Song" , "Musetta's Waltz", "Caro Nome", Juliette's Waltz" and many more with ease. I let the voice dictate to me how much weight the voice can take, and as the voice slowly matures, I keep adding more strength or mixed chest to the top. What kills a lot of singers is that they carry too much weight between C4 and A5 then the top begins to waver, get shrill, then the voice starts on a downward slide. There have been so many sopranos that started out great and in a few years they were gone. If one is careful, the voice will tell you how to proceed and the singer will have a healthy voice for many years to come.

Practice.........ah, that dreadful word! What lengths do we go to avoid it. Singers find that practicing is not in their vocabulary. They have so many other things that they have to do, other than practice, probably because it comes so easy to them and its easy to sing, so why should they work at it? Sometimes its laziness. Gifted singers are very prone to this malady. They try to just "get by" because most times, they can, and if this talent, if known early, were channeled correctly would not be a problem in their teen years and beyond. Yes, its not easy to practice, but one has to make time to practice. To me being second is not an option. If you are gifted, relish that, and practice, practice, practice.

THE FEATURED ARTIST this week is Donn Lamkin. Donn has been working on and off with me for many years, and he has a fabulous operatic voice, quite large and booming, which he uses at will. He is the "Voice Of Disney" at Orlando's Walt Disney World. His is the voice you hear over the loud speaker...."Ladies, and gentlemen, boys and girls......". Listen to that next time you are at Walt Disney World. Donn has been the host of many shows at Disney, but does an interesting "side gig".

For many years, Donn had been vocally impersonating Neil Diamond. He kept asking me for years as to what to do with this talent. As his voice teacher, I was aghast that he would do this to his voice, but finally he wore me down and I gave him my blessing. Today, he has a show, "DiamondRocks", a wonderful show featuring the works of Neil Diamond with performances on cruise ships, concerts in New York, and Florida. I went to his last show and boy, what a treat. It just seemed that the show was over in a half an hour, but it was and hour and a half short! It was so enjoyable. Everyone one was on the aisles singing and dancing and making it a memorable night!

Read his fabulous review in the Daily Sun for the show that he did at the Villages. Also, check out his Facebook page and start following him. For all of his latest and updated events go to his events page.

THE NEXT POST IS ABOUT REGISTRATION, WITH A GENERIC VOICE LESSON WHICH YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AND PRACTICE. PLEASE BE SURE TO "TUNE IN".

“The Changing Voice, a Jekyll and Hyde Monster”

2009-11-16T10:03:00.002-05:00

As most of us know, when we hit puberty and those hormones kick in, we not only change personalities, but also our bodies change and, for singers, embarrassment strikes out of left field. As boys, we are no longer sopranos and without warning, disaster strikes fear in the heart of us. For girls, the voice cracks, as well, but only if the voice is low by nature. I tend to categorize young Jeckylls and Jeckllyns as “long-necks” and “short-necks”. That is, if you are short, and have a short neck you will be a tenor or mezzo and long necks make basses and sopranos. This is because the length and thickness of the vocal chord. Of course this is not scientific, but in my observations, that seems to be the trend. Then again, there are those “odd” fellows who throw a monkey wrench in my theory. Just think about it.

The changing voice is a challenge to teach, because not only do you do the exercises that will eventually clean up this catastrophe but also the student is sometimes reluctant to sing too much because it sounds terrible and it will crack and it plays havoc on our ego. So I have to devise a program in my mind to help the student get over this problem and participate with me and the lessons and after a few months, the planned exercises are working and he/she is determined to get over this problem as quickly as possible. It might take a year, maybe two or three, but the student sees the light at the end of the tunnel and he/she is willing to work over the problems.

What I do with the changing voice is make sure that the head register gets stronger and stronger, because the pull of the chest register is prevalent. Whichever register is stronger, I work on the opposite register, making sure that the balance between the chest and head is achieved. I generally know what this caterpillar will become…I just have to have the patience and expertise and work the weaknesses and strengths.

A case in point, our FEATURED ARTIST this month is Marco Del Rio. Check out the video of Marco performing live at a Mariachi Conference in San Jose, CA. He began studying with me when he was 11 years old, a soprano voice for sure. I knew that his voice was going to change within a year and he was going to be a tenor (short neck), so I worked on the head register to put the strength in place so when the voice started to change he would not have a “cow” and I wouldn’t pull out the little hair that I had. The program was in place and the exercises were chosen for his type of voice. As a soprano, he sang with a lot of mixed chest at the top and little by little his voice changed and dropped and he lost his top. He was distressed, and since he already was singing professionally as a soprano, his self esteem went way down, but I persevered, encouraging him by letting him know that we all went though this caterpillar/butterfly, Jekyll/Hyde syndrome and we survived. He idolized Stephen Carrillo of Mariachi Cobre and I let him hear Stephen when was 12 years old and he immediately felt kinship with Steve and he accepted the fact that he also would live to sing at another sunrise.

NEXT FEATURED ARTIST: DON LAMKIN---DON’T MISS IT!