Since I started this website, I have received many emails from people of all ages asking
questions about singing and the music business. I thought it might be helpful to other
singers-in-training if I posted some of those questions, along with the answers I gave. I
can only answer these as a classical musician, with the assumption that those asking are
ultimately interested in classical singing. If you have a question, please read this page
first, to be sure that your question hasn't already been asked and answered below...
Voice lessons (teachers, fees)
What do I need to do to become a good artist? ...what kind of resources
do I need to have? I know I'll need vocal training, a manager, and lots of experience.
What else should I do? This is my dream to become a singer and record albums on a major
record label. Any advice or suggestions you have for me would be appreciated so much...
-W., Alto age 14
You sound very impatient to have a career - but keep in mind that very very few singers
"make it" at such an early age, and if they do, then their careers often burn
out before they're even 20 years old! Don't let thoughts of Brittney Spears and Charlotte
Church discourage you - you don't have to be discovered when your 14 to have a career in
music. Instead of focussing on getting a record deal, why not focus on your love of music
and try and find an outlet for it. A gospel or jazz choir would be great for you, and if
you're talented, you'll start getting solos with the choir and you can move on from
there.Your singing should come from your love of music, not from your desire to be rich or
famous or have big record deals! Good luck, and have fun with it! I'd be interested to
know if you find a choir to join, and how you enjoy it!
I am in a school choir, I have had many solos, I am in the process of making a
demo, but my parents don't support me at all. My Mom thinks I am
good but I think that she doesn't want me to get my hopes up. How do I convince them
into believing in me? Where do I get started with the demos and how do I get the
public eye on me?
-K., grade 9
From your letter, I'm guessing you're in high school or junior high, and want to sing
pop music. Unfortunately, that's not really my area, so I can't tell you how to get
noticed or how to get a demo - I sing classical music mostly, and you usually have to
audition in person rather then submit a demo tape for those kinds of gigs. I would think,
though, that you should probably commit some time to singing/playing with a band and
getting more performance experience before you start thinking about demo tapes.
What I can say for sure is that you have lots of time - you don't need to
"make it" before you're twenty, and if you did you would probably burn out
before you were twenty-five. Take a few years of voice lessons, stick with the choir, and
enjoy the music! You should sing because you love to make music and express yourself with
your voice, not because you want to "get noticed" or be famous. I don't
blame your parents for cautioning you - they are probably aware of how difficult it is to
make a career as a musician, how competitive it is and how few people really succeed. I
think the only way to "prove it" to them is to show them how commited to it you
are - if you have to take a part time job to pay for voice lessons, then so be it.
Sacrifice some of your leisure time (not your study time!) to make time to learn to sing
and to get a band together... if that's what you want. If you're still in school, there's
still lots of time to decide whether you want to have a career in music. I
wouldn't worry about pursuing it professionally until you're finished school.
I would love to work as a musician but how do I get started?
-T., age 12
I would suggest that the best place to start as a beginning singer is usually the
choir in your local church, school or community. You can start to get familiar with
reading music, hearing harmonies and singing with other people without the pressure of
getting up in front of everyone. You'll meet other people interested in music, and you
might even get opportunities to perform solos with the choir which can lead to other solo
opportunities, if that's where you want to go. Not to mention that choirs are really fun!
The next step, if you want to take it, is to start taking voice lessons!...
How can I find a voice teacher? How will I know if they're the
right teacher for me?
-K., age 20
To find a teacher, try asking any musicians you know, or even better, any singers, if they
can recommend someone. Ask your choir or band director if they know of anyone teaching
voice lessons in your area. Call your local university or college music department and ask
if there are any senior students who are taking students. Or (if you live in Canada or the
US) call or email your local chapter of NATS (the National Association of Teachers of Singing)
and ask for a list of voice teachers in your area. I have also included a list of
teacher-finding websites on my links page.
Don't assume that the first teacher you go to will be "the one" for you. Make it
clear that you would like at least one trial lesson before you commit yourself.
Apart from helping you improve your singing, your teacher should help motivate and inspire
you to practice, and should guide you into repertoire that suits your voice. After you've
been studying for awhile, most voice teachers will also give you a good idea of how much
potential you have to be a professional singer, and will help you decide if and when to
start doing auditions for professional "gigs".
...I was wondering, on average, how much do voice lessons usually cost?
-M., age 14
Voice teachers vary widely in their lesson fees, depending on how long they've been
teaching, how much and at what level they perform, where they are located, etc. Some
teachers charge astronomic fees simply because they are well known in their field, and are
in demand, so people will pay as much as they ask!
I would guess (not knowing your area) that you could pay anywhere from $30/hour up to
$200/hour for voice lessons. Some teachers will let you take half hour lessons for $20 or
$25/half hour. 'Hope this helps!
I would like to know what is a good age to start a child in voice
lessons?
-M.
It's usally best to hold off on voice lessons until a child is at least 10 or 12
years old. Often children will benefit more from singing in a good choir with other kids,
rather then taking serious lessons in vocal technique before their instrument is ready.
Perhaps he could take lessons in piano or another instrument to learn how to read music
and recognize harmonies etc., and start voice lessons later on?
...my range is still bothering me. It's seems like I can barely
get higher then middle C sometimes. Are there any excerises you can give me to work on my
range? Thanks again for all your help!
-W., alto age 14
It's hard for me to give you advice when I can't hear your voice or observe your
technique. Most of the time range problems have to do with lack of breath support and/or
relaxation of the throat. So keep your throat nice and open, as if you are yawning,
especially when you are approaching your upper range. Relax your jaw, lower your
tongue, breath deeply... and keep a good even flow of air. Don't panic about going higher,
because that's probably what keeping you down! Just concentrate on it being easy, light
and free.
As for exercises, after your breathing warm-up, move on to gradual three and five note
scales going up and down on vowels like "ooooo" "ahhhh" and
"eeeeee". Start on F below middle-C, (F-G-A-Bflat-C and back down), and move up
a semi-tone after each scale. Keep focussing on relaxing & dropping your jaw,
loosening your neck and throat, and breathing deeply from your stomach. Even if you are an
alto or a mezzo-soprano, you should be able to sing comfortably above C _above_ middle-C,
so keep inching your scales up with each session, and your range should improve.
How can I strengthen my voice on the higher end of the scale,
where I loose my power??
-R., Singer/songwriter
Again, a hard question to answer, without hearing you and seeing your physical
habits. I would suggest that you practice in front of a mirror and observe what you do
when you're singing. Is there any tension in your throat, tongue or jaw? That is usually
where range problems develop. Keep a relaxed, open, balanced posture, Breath deeply into
your stomach, and when you breath out to sing, concentrate on relaxing your throat keeping
it open while you sing higher scales. You might be in the habit of closing your throat
when you get up high, in an effort to squeeze out the sound - that tension only cuts off
your sound. Think of sighing out those higher notes - try doing slides or
"sirens" to ease your way up there.
"How can I get over the debilitating problem of nervousness
when I try to sing in front of people?"
The problem of nerves is very common for beginning singers, and most of the time
experience is the best remedy. The more performing or singing you do in front of people,
the less nervous you will feel. Lessons with a voice teacher will increase your confidence
because you'll have positive reinforcement and you'll get used to singing in front of your
teacher. You could also try singing in lower pressure situations like in choirs, or with
your family, or by forming a singing group with some of your friends.
Relaxation is very important to proper singing technique, so make sure you do some body
warm ups to loosen up your muscles before you actually start your vocal warm up. Try
stretching, bending over and letting your torsoe hang down, moving your head and neck
around to loosen up those muscles, and only start vocal warm ups when your body feels
relaxed. When you start to sing, don't jump right in to singing a song - take some time to
sing some quiet scales on "vvvv" or "nnnn", so you're not focusing so
much on how you sound, just on getting your voice warmed up.
... is it possible to have a career in music without singing opera?
I love classical music, and I've performed songs by Mozart, Handel etc., but never
opera. Is it possible make a career out of concerts and oratorio work?
-K., Mezzo age 18
Well, opera is where the big money is for a classical singer. It sounds harsh, I know, but
it might be difficult to make a living as a concert/oratorio singer unless you did
something else, like teaching, on the side. Anyway, you're so young yet, that you won't
really know where your voice is going for another 5-10 years. You may well sing opera once
your voice matures - you could probably start looking at some lighter Mozart and Handel
opera arias even now. Just be patient, and don't sing anything that feels too heavy or too
big for your voice. Your teacher should be able to guide you into repertoire that suits
you, and give you progressively challenging repertoire to help your voice develop.
I`m studying opera singing in Yugoslavia, and when I graduate
in summer 2000, I want to continue my studies, hopefully in Canada. What
should I do? How can I get more information?
-S., age 23
There are a few good opera training programs in Canada. The University of
Toronto, McGill University and the Royal Conservatory of Music all have very good
opera/voice programs. Try searching for them on the internet and write, email or call them
for application information.
Can you tell me where I would be able to find auditions for singing??
I have looked, I have surfed, I have read musicians' magazines, I have read the papers, no
luck!
- L.
First of all, what type of singing do you do? If you are a classical singer, I would
suggest that you check out the billboards at your local university or college music school
- they often have current postings of auditions. Another source for classical music and
musical theatre auditions is the performers union websites and hotlines - I don't know if
you're in Canada or the US, but here in Canada it's Actor's Equity, and a lot of
auditions, especially music theatre, are posted by this union. You don't necessarily have
to be a member of the union to have access to this information either, although a few of
the auditions are restricted to union members. Just call up the local branch and ask if
there is an audition hotline - they will also likely be able to suggest other audition
sources.
Another source (if you are an opera singer) is the Opera America Career Guide for Singers, which lists contact info and audition timeframes for hundreds of opera companies and young artist programs throughout Canada and the US. You can find out more info on their publications and subscribe through their website: http://www.operaam.org
Also, sometimes as a classical musician you have to make your own opportunities - call up the people you want to sing for (i.e. conductors of choirs or orchestras that perform oratorio and opera, directors of music theatre) and ask when and if they can hear you, or when they hold formal auditions, and who you can send your resume to. Always get the audition co-ordinator's name and position title so that you can refer to them directly and correctly.
One last option is to audition for an agent who, if they take you on, will represent you and be responsible for getting and arranging auditions for you. It's a lot easier to get in to audition for some companies if you have an agent, so if you are serious about performing for a career, this might be a good way to get your foot in the door. But do some background research on the agent to find out what kinds of artists they represent, and if their roster already has a lot of your "type" you might not get as many opportunities because of competition within the agency.
I hope this helps! Every good wish for your singing - I'd love to know how things turn out!
What is it like being a professional singer? How do you spend your
day? - B.
Contrary to what some people believe, being a professional musician is not all
about image or "getting noticed." There's a certain amount of luck involved in
getting a break sometimes, but as the saying goes "luck is when preparation meets
opportunity." Being prepared means practicing every day - and most classical singers
spend 99% of their singing time practicing and rehearsing, and less than 1% actually
performing, especially at the beginning of their careers. You can't go into it just
because you want to light up the stage, or be noticed and admired, because most of your
time won't be spent on stage. You have to love making music, and expressing yourself with
your voice.
Aside from all the practicing, being a singer involves a lot of "administrative" work: keeping your biography, resume and promotional photos up to date so that you always have them ready for auditions, keeping up contacts with other musicians, as well as conductors and directors, making travel and accommodation arrangements for shows and auditions, arranging advertising for some performances and keeping friends and family informed about what your doing next. For me, an important part of my career at this stage is maintaining my own website, because it serves as a virtual portfolio for both professional and personal contacts.
