Perform, Perform Perform!! If you want to make it in the music industry, get your name out there! Now is a perfect time to take advantage of Master classes, festivals and local venues. Although, these may not 'get you famous', they are stepping stone for your career. These performance opportunities help you to become comfortable with performing in front a live audience.
Be prepared, take a chance and perform-you never know who you will meet. Happy Singing/Performing -Gracenote Studios As we transition to the lovely season of Fall, it's always good to check in with our bodies to see how we are feeling. Alot of people say during this time of the year, their eyes or throat are extremely dry. There skin is being affected and some people even feel more tired than usual.
Although, I'm no Doctor, the advice I can give from over my years of experience is take care of yourself! Drink plenty of water, breathe deeply and support your sound so your voice isn't hoarse by the end of the day. Drink lovely lemon and ginger tea to help soothe the throat, but it will also build the immune system!-DOUBLE WIN!! Take Vitamin C whether it is from the lovely Florida fruit (the orange), or in powder form, whatever works for your body! Eat lots of green leafy vegetables for so many incredibly important nutrients and remember to take Vitamin D. Vitamin D is a hormone and is crucial to our bodies. Being Canadian, we tend to be depleted of this essential hormone during this time and as we transition into Winter. You can always check your vitamin D levels by going to your Family Doctor, it is something you have to pay for, but it isn't too expensive. As always, taking care of your body is important not only as a professional singer, but for anyone. Happy Fall! Keep Singing, -Gracenote Studios In my first blog post about this topic, I discussed the importance of LISTENING. As a budding artist it is important to hear different genres of music and maybe pick up on the type of style you like as a singer. In part 2, I will discuss the MOST IMPORTANT PART OF wanting to become a professional singer; that is patience, practice and performance. These 3 simple "p's" will get you where you want to go.
First, have PATIENCE with yourself, you are embarking on a great endeavour and it takes time. It takes time to find the right vocal coach, to get your voice where you want it to be, the acceptance of that and then patience when one of your performances doesn't go as planned (and it will happen...). PRACTICE- as a famous Vocal coach I once went to said, "You are the Olympic athlete of the vocal world." Looking back and having so many years of training, I do agree. Most people do not realize how much breath and energy go into singing. I know of one woman who used to run long distances and has found that singing in her local choir has needed just as much energy. To be an athlete you need train right, eat right, and rest right; same thing for singing. Start with a good warm up (scales, arpeggios, breathing exercises, lip slurs, body movement to release tension, vowel shapes), ear training, sight-singing, warm ups to help build vocal muscles. Then, Start with a nice easy tune or Vocalise and then dive into Repertoire. Ask yourself about your tone, pitch, accenting, phrasing, emotion, dynamics, control, expression, etc. I would also say to learn both Classical and non-Classical approaches to singing. The foundation you get from Classical singing is wonderful, and dare I say, exponentially important to your voice building. One more thing, DON'T OVER PRACTICE! You did read that correctly. I must admit I am guilty of this. In the early part of my career I used to practice four to six hours a day with minimal breaks in between. It wasn't until I had great flute and voice teachers who consistently said, a professional musician should only be practicing about 2 hours a day, and in 45 minute blocks. You are putting stress on your body, so you need to give it time to rest. I have attended conferences where people have discussed having major voice issues from practicing too much, as well as attending Flute Conferences where a well-know artist of Flute and Dance had practiced so much that he actually acquired an impairment of his body that affected the neurological messages from his brain to his fingers! This impairment had ended his 40 year career and it became his mission to let artists know not to practice for too many hours a day. It's about accurate and efficient practicing, not about the length of time you practice. Words I live by. Hone your craft and skills, dedicate the time, it takes people years to a become good singer, but I would say a good 3 to 5 years of training is sufficient before you start performing in public and then a lifetime of perfecting it. That's not to discourage you, but more so to encourage and see the excitement of music and being a singer. There's always so much to learn!! Lastly, PERFORM.....'cause that is what you want to do, right? Start small- in front of family and friends, at school, church groups, join a choir, open mic nights, senior homes, hospitals, children's hospitals, whatever you can think of, and then build your way up to sing at more public venues like your local bookstore or cafe. I would wait until you have a few performances under you belt before you post anything on Youtube. You want to be as professional as possible, so learn your craft first and then promote yourself. So, you've implemented the 3 p's, but you want to take it to the next step, you want to be famous (Lights, Camera....) Awesome, but before you get there, people need to know you exist..... Next post, the razzle and dazzle of being an artist.................PUBLICITY!!! Happy Music Making! -Gracenote Studios Halton Hills, Ontario Below is an article from the famous American singer, John Legend. He discusses the impact teachers had on him while dealing with the psychological and emotional fall out of his parents divorce. As a teacher, I am reminded quite a bit that not only are we dealing with the instruction of music, but so much more in our students lives. Teaching is a wonderful profession, but there is something about being a Music Teacher and realizing for some students', music class is an escape from life for a moment. This is one of the reasons WHY MUSIC EDUCATION is so vital. He gave an inspiring graduation speech at his alma mater, The University of Pennsylvania, earlier this year, and now John Legend is opening up about the obstacles he faced on the road to his Ivy League education.
"I was 10 years old when my parents got divorced," he tells PEOPLE. "It's a pretty common story in America, and it's a pretty tough time for kids, especially if they're still at home in the middle of growing up." Acknowledging that "seeing his family fall apart was a traumatic moment" in his life, the "All of Me" singer says he's thankful he had his teachers to fall back on. "It was important to have teachers and counselors at school who could give emotional support," says Legend, 35, who is working with Turnaround for Children in the hopes of improving in-need public schools through teacher training. "All of these people took extra time to show me that they cared and were going to hold me accountable." Over the years, the Grammy winner has visited several schools in New York that have received training from the organization. "It's exciting to know that they see a real difference … in test scores and morale," he says. "[The students] were really happy and felt like there was much more support for them." Legend himself was homeschooled for several years, then went on to finish high school in the public education system before graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with an English degree. "One of the most determining factors of your success in life is whether you stick with something," he says. "Finishing school is a manifestation of that." 7 *Article is sourced from People.com "What do you want to be when you grow up?", "What do you love to do?", "A Singer." These are two questions I often ask my students, and the answer I usually receive. It is great to have ambition and dreams of something great, like being a performing artist, but there is so much more to it then just going on stage and singing. The next few blog posts will look at some of the components needed to become a professional singer. First I would say: LISTEN! Even before you begin formal singing lessons, this is something you should-Listen to as many singers and genres of music that you can: Country, Pop, Jazz, Blues, Roots, Classical, Opera, Native Throat Singing, African, Indian, Iranian, Asian, etc., as many cultures as you can-why? Because you want to be exposed to as much music as possible, but also, to expand your ability as a singer and not get stuck in one genre. It is great if you are able to sing, Blues, Country and Pop; or Opera, Pop and Musical Theatre, or what every combination you want. However, in saying this, although expanding your singing capability is important, I would focus on one of the 3 genres to be your strength, it is better to excel at one and be well versed in a couple others, then to be mediocre in 3 genres. For example, Kelly Clarkson (first American Idol) was seen mainly as a 'pop. singer', but has also crossed over into country. Taylor Swift came out more as a pop/country singer. Being able to 'cross over' is a great asset as a professional singer. So, go to your local library if need be, or free streaming sites, or download off itunes and listen to great artists, like Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joe Williams, Nina Simone, Carly Simon, Carol King, Simon and Garfunkl, Sarah Harmer, Serena Ryder, Melissa Etheridge, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Areatha Franklin, Jane Monheit and so many more. Listen to where they breath in the song, how the slide their notes, how loud or soft they go, if they draw out the phrase, if they use a 'character voice', try to harmonize with them, etc. Listen to the music behind the artist as well. STUDY IT, ANALYZE IT, IMITATE IT. Music is not just about writing chords with beautiful melodies or harmony, it is the essence of delving deeper into one's soul. By touching ones emotions that are hard to feel, and yet, are so necessarily needed to be free with one's self. Music is not just words on paper, but it is the stories of our lives to be told and honoured, to be shared and to be helpful to anyone who would like to listen. It is an imprint of a moment in time for the story teller to give to an audience as a lesson, or a lesson for the singer. Singing is what connects us, to our mothers' in lullaby's, to our fathers in gentle tunes, to our relationships with our brothers and sisters dancing in the living room. Music is a part of our daily lives in the chirping of the birds, the movement of a river, the wind in the trees, or the rustling of leaves. Singing-making music is part of the soul's expression; an honour to have and to hold and to express. Express your diversity and discovery. -Anonymous |
AuthorGracenote Studios- a professional music studio created by a woman passionate about teaching others to find their music within! Archives
September 2020
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