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Why Aren’t You Singing?

February 14, 2010 By voiceclubcoach 2 Comments

“Singers sing!” It’s been my mantra for as long as I can remember. And I have to admit to having been confused by singers I’ve met in the past who aren’t, well, singing. “Isn’t that what singers do?” I thought.

Maybe I get it now. After just recently getting back on my feet after a year long medical recovery, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the day I would get back out there and start singing again. But it’s different this time. I’m pretty sure it’s directly related to one of the very few things I remember from my science class; a body in motion tends to stay in motion and a body NOT in motion tends to think of excuses to stop them from ever getting started. Ok, I don’t remember it EXACTLY, but the premise is the same!

It IS harder to get out there and get singing if you’re not doing anything. It’s especially challenging if you have moved to a new place or don’t know anyone involved in the local music scene.

But here’s the BEST news: once you get started, you’ll find more opportunities to sing and the momentum will start to carry itself; as long as you don’t STOP!

I am now the proud owner of more new audio equipment than I need to get out there and start singing again. I’ve bought resources and done research on my next project, but I’ve found it’s way harder this time to just kick my own butt out the door and start SINGING again. So if you’re stuck, I so empathize!

Do you sing? Do you miss it? Then there are no more excuses!

Here are some ideas to get your ball rolling again:

Not ready to solo yet?

Join an ensemble, team or choir at your church
Join a community choir or musical theater group
Check your local chamber of commerce and parks and rec department for group singing opportunities that are open to the public

Confident in your ability but not sure where to start?

Check craigslist for bands in your area looking for singers
Get some karaoke tracks, a mic and a small powered speaker and volunteer to sing community centers, malls, community celebrations, fairs and festivals (just call to see who to talk to and record yourself singing a couple songs at home so you can prove you can sing)
Record yourself singing the Star Spangled banner and submit the audio to your local sports teams. Even major league baseball team require little more to consider you for the slot. And you get in to the game free!
Audition for musical theater in the biggest city nearby every opportunity you get. Even if you don’t get the part, the experience of preparing and auditioning will sharpen your skills
Offer to sing solos at your church
Put together a business card to sing at wedding and renewal ceremonies (with either karaoke tracks or an accompanist)

Know some other musicians?

Do a web search and see what restaurants/venues in your area hire bands that do the kind of music you like. You only need a small acoustic group to get booked. Put a set together, practice, record a couple of songs at home and start looking for bookings. If you’re new, you probably won’t get paid, but the experience and the exposure just may get you future paid gigs.
Contact state fairs and community festivals. Almost all have smaller side stages they try to fill with a variety of music (not usually paid, but great experience and exposure).
Make sure your musician friends know you’re looking for singing opportunities. They will tell the other musicians they know and you might just be singing backup with one band one weekend and lead with another the next. Remember, the lead singer is bound to go on vacation or get sick eventually, so scope out your favorite groups and learn the music so you’re ready when the opportunity arises.

www.thejazzchick.com

So why aren’t you singing? It’s time to get back in the game.

As for me, I’m off to sing some love songs at at restaurant for Valentine’s Day; me and my sexy, sexy mic that, no honey, I didn’t really need but makes me want to sing even more.

One gig leads to another. And that’s how singers sing!

Share where you’ve been singing or make your pledge to get going right now in the comments section below!

Filed Under: Blog, Get Out There, Promote Better Tagged With: building a band, find solo work, musical theater, sing the national anthem, wedding singer, where to sing

Why X-Factor Will Be Better for Singers Than American Idol

January 13, 2010 By voiceclubcoach 3 Comments

Get your Simon fix while you can. Season 9 of American will be one of your last chances to see the brutally honest Britt as a judge on American Idol. That’s because Brittan’s own X-Factor is coming to the states in fall of 2011.

Sure it’s a bit to wait, but the it will be worth it when you consider the differences between the two reality show styled talent contests.

AMERICAN IDOL

X-FACTOR

Age Limit:

Type:

Performance:

Training/Support:

16-28

Solo acts only

Acapella, then live band

Song and wardrobe selection, performance direction once in top group

None

Solos, duos, groups, you name it.

Soundtrack

All of those, plus personal mentoring from the judges themselves

Rumor has it Paula Abdul might be back for this one, but either way the show format that has launched European stars like Leona Lewis is sure to make a dent in the Idol audience and the talent pool.

So if you thought you couldn’t get a shot at your dream because of your age or because you’re not a solo act, now’s the time to ramp up your training and get out there and perform as much as humanly possible. This is your last chance workout! Oh wait, that’s another reality show.

Filed Under: Blog, Get Out There, Perform Better, Promote Better, They Did WHAT? Tagged With: American Idol, auditioning, Leona Lewis, Paula Abdul, reality shows, Simon Cowell, singing contests, X-Factor

7 Places to Sing for the Holidays

December 1, 2009 By voiceclubcoach Leave a Comment

The holidays provide arguably more opportunities for singers than any other time of the year. It’s a great time to gain more public singing experience and stretch your styling skills.

I’ve been singing publicly for the holidays since I was four, but due to a medical condition this is the 2nd holiday season I’ve been able to perform. I remember all the holidays when singing places seemed like such a hassle. But those opportunities challenged me and gave me great experience.

So make time to invest in your vocal skill this holiday season and give the gift of improvement to yourself. Here are some places you should be singing this holiday season:

Join a community or church choir.

Nothing can compare to being a part of a large scale musical experience. Every singer should do it from time to time. And holiday time is the best time of all!

Sign up to be a part of a holiday musical.

Chances are, someone’s putting on a rendition of A Christmas Carol or other holiday favorites. Audition and hone your acting AND singing skills. Check community theater organizations, your school or church for information.

Volunteer to sing at your community tree lighting ceremony.

Become the talk of your town. Contact your local chamber of commerce to find out how and have a demo ready.

Carol in your community.

Look for community groups for organized caroling events or just grab some friends and family and hit the streets of your neighborhood, senior homes or malls (get permission for that last one if don’t want the mall cop to steal your holiday cheer).

Perform at a party.

Offer to sing with tracks or simple acoustic accompaniment during a friends party and hone your styling skills while entertaining the crowd.

Sing for family at a holiday gathering.

Whether you’d rather clean dishes than sing in public or you love the limelight, there’s no friendlier crowd than your family, especially when there’s gifts and food involved! Prepare a few numbers ahead of time and ask the host if you can share them during your get together. Everyone love the gift of music during the holidays.

Record your own Christmas album.

There is no better place to critically hear your skill level than when you record. Get better and make free gifts by recording your own versions of Christmas carols. If you have a Mac, add your soundtracks to Garage Band (included in iLife) and record your own vocals and backgrounds. There are easy to use tutorials to get you started. If you’re a PC fan try Audacity (free downloadable recording program, also for Mac, but Garage Band is easier to use). It’ll go quicker if you get a audiophile friend to walk you through the basics of recording since there are no tutorials, but once you get the basic idea, you’ll be on your way to recording your album in no time. Burn your songs on a CD and give, give give!

Filed Under: Blog, Get Out There, Perform Better Tagged With: Christmas, get booked, holidays, performing opportunities, places to sing

Pt. 1 How to Support Your Kids Without Becoming a Stage Mom (or Dad)

September 25, 2009 By voiceclubcoach 1 Comment

Last time I gave you the Top 10 Signs You Might Be a Stage Mom (or dad). If you saw yourself at all in any of them, don’t worry. Unless you’re bedazzling their microphone as you read this, there is still hope.

The Urban Dictionary defines stage moms as “Pushy, obnoxious, crazy mothers who force their kids to act, model, or enter beauty contests, usually turning them into emotionally scared adults who hate their parents.” And while I can’t imagine any parent goes down that road with any great intention, you and both know there are plenty who have arrived there, or at least are visiting one of the rest stops along the way right now.

Hey, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with supporting, even promoting your kids. In fact I think there are way more parents who ignore or discourage their kids talent or dreams then there are true stage parents. But the supportive type tend to fall into two distinct categories;

1. Over zealous stage parents you want to run away from, or,
2. Parents who are afraid of becoming over zealous stage parents you want to run away from.

The truth is that neither really offers the best support for your kid. Like all great things in life, there must be a balance; except in yoga where I’m convinced it’s always safest to keep limbs near the floor at all times. Speaking from experience, here. So how do you find balance in supporting your kids creative side?

In the next few posts we’ll hash it all out in practical ways you can start using right away, including how to praise your kids accomplishments in the way that helps them most, how to lead them to and through opportunities and just how involved you should really get.

Got a comment or a story? Love to hear it. Click the comments button and share away!

Filed Under: Blog, Just for Kids, Promote Better Tagged With: managing kid stars, promoting kid singers, stage mom

Top 10 Signs You Might Be a Stage Mom (or Dad)

September 23, 2009 By voiceclubcoach 1 Comment

With a whole new season of talent based reality shows ahead, parents of talented kids everywhere are looking at how to support their kids dreams of doing more with their talent. But SOME of them will inevitably take it too far. Are you one of

them? You might be, if…..

You purse/wallet includes your kid’s business card
You’ve bookmarked the casting process to every talent show on television
You introduce yourself as manager, voice and acting coach, photographer and choreographer.
You’ve never met a family vacation that didn’t include a performing opportunity.
You have your kids resume committed to memory and find it the perfect icebreaker at parties.
Your christmas cards include your kids website address.
When your kid finishes singing you take a little bow inside.
You only joined Facebook to join your kids fan page, which you also started.
For Christmas your kid got a karaoke machine with their name neatly bedazzled on the microphone.
You’re online right now looking for ways to promote your kid.

Got one to add to the list? Click on ‘Comments’ above.

Next time we’ll take a look at how to support your kids withOUT becoming a stage mom (or dad).

Filed Under: Blog, Just for Kids, Perform Better, Promote Better Tagged With: kids, promoting kids, stage mom, stage mom from hell, young singers

Turn Passing Listeners into Loyal Fans

September 21, 2009 By voiceclubcoach 2 Comments

Why is it that some artists have an exploding fan base and others struggle to get anyone to sign up on their mailing lists? Is it just that they had more friends to begin with? Some of them did. But once you go beyond family and friends, there is one thing you can do that will either severely limit or greatly expand how many audience members you turn into serious fans. Want to know what it is? Good. The key is how well you make your audience a part of your world.

Here’s an example. In the hyper competitive world of tv talk shows, Ellen Degeneres has skyrocketed above the competition. What is she doing differently? She is not just entertaining, she is involving her audience in her own world. O.k. To be fair, other talk shows use the whole ‘interaction’ model too. They solicit questions and responses or let a lucky audience member read from the teleprompter. And while there are interactive parts of her show too, Ellen does something unique that immediately establishes who she is (let’s the audience know what they’re getting) and involves every member of her audience (and welcomes them into her world).

How does she do it? She starts every show with a freestyle dance. And once she’s got everyone getting down, laughing and feeling good, she can talk about just about anything and have them all on her team. That’s loyalty gold. And it’s something you can do too.

Many artists think of audience involvement as the part in the show where you get people to do the wave or clap on cue. That’s not what I’m talking about here. Anyone can do the ‘trained monkey show’ as I always think of it. But in a world filled with prerecorded, lip synced performances, what people want more than ever is authenticity. They want to know who you really are and why they should buy into you.

So maybe you’re not a zany comedian who has a crazy dance for any song known to man. It’s not about copying what someone else does, it’s about applying the concept to who you really are. Are you a nerd down deep? A skater? A dancer? A gamer? If you had to describe yourself in ten words, what would they be?

Now answer this; what are the top ten things that make you crazy happy? Now how can you channel the most universally popular thing on your list into an interactive part of your show so people get a sense of who you are and are welcomed along for the ride?

I know. I know. Some of you are thinking, “But what if what I like doesn’t appeal to some of my audience?” It won’t. You can’t be all things to all people. And that’s really a beautiful thing because if you water down who you are to appeal to the masses, your audience will never really connect with you deeply enough to become true fans. On the other end, if you’ll take the risk to be distinctly you, you will connect immediately with those who dig what you dig and they will tell others who share similar personalities or interests and on and on it goes. You’ll find it easier to get and keep fans because all you have to do is be you and they’ve already signed on for that. And soon YOU’LL be the one with the exploding fan base.

What ‘one thing’ sets you a part? How are you welcoming your audience into your world and how is it working? Leave a comments and let everyone know.

Filed Under: Blog, Promote Better Tagged With: Ellen Degeneres, Haley Berry, loyal fans, performance