SING LIKE A STAR BLOG

At what age is your singing voice fully developed? The answer depends on whether you’re male or female, whether you train your voice (or not), the type of music you perform, and how often (or not) you practice technique (vocal exercises) rather than just trying to sing songs.

Interestingly, your singing voice will actually change at several predictable points during your lifetime, due to physical changes in the body and hormonal fluctuations:  adolescence, early adulthood, and later in life.

However, at any time of life the more effort you put into developing good vocal technique, the more vocal stamina and power you will develop and retain. The time you spend practicing vocal exercises (technique) will undoubtedly influence your singing ability and overall performance.

Okay, but you want to know what specific age should you expect to have your singing voice fully developed, right?

Generally, it happens during early adulthood-- so, your late teens and early 20s for m...

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With over 600 recorded exercises, including Riffs and Runs- Style, you don't need to be a great pianist or vocal stylist...

“Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.”
Lao Tzu

The massive success of shows such as The Voice, America’s Got Talent, The X-Factor, and the Idol shows worldwide has done a great thing for young singers: it has given them hope. Hope that no matter where you come from, if you have talent and drive, you might get to stand in front of an audience of millions, as David Archuleta, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and my student Angelica Hale did, to initiate a career doing what you love to do most: SING!

What most people who audition for American Idol, The Voice, America's Got Talent, or other such shows don't realize, however, is that for the vast majority of singers a solid foundation in vocal technique is required in order to have the vocal stamina to make it to the end of a very challenging and grueling competition. It's one thing to sound good in your bedroom, at a party, or in your high school musical, and another thing entirely to have the consistency required for ...

AUDITIONING

“Care about what other people think, and you will always be their prisoner.”
Lao Tzu

“Because one believes in oneself, one doesn't try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn't need others' approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.”
Lao Tzu

Every large city has local theater companies as well as professional theaters that cast for their shows. Many cities have auditions called Unified Auditions. These are annual professional auditions that allow Equity, qualifying non-Equity, and Emerging Artists 18 years and older to audition before fifty or more local and regional theater companies. This is a great way to be seen and considered for many projects at the same time.

You will need 16-32 bars of a musical theatre song, a prepared monologue, and a professional headshot and resume. Many auditions will contain a dance component as well. Be sure to read the audition requirements and know what is expected of you;...

LAURA SUZANNE WRIGHT, student of Tricia Grey

“Act without expectation.”
-Lao Tzu

There are many ways to find streams of income in the music business while you are actively looking for the big break that will make you a star. Many of the singers you are familiar with such as Sheryl Crow, Jennifer Lopez, and Mariah Carey started out as backup singers for more famous artists. Jennifer Hudson sang on cruise ships.

Breaking into the session singer world means you might be doing backup work for more well-known artists who may choose to help your career along if they like you. Being professional and likable is the personality combination that will result in referrals to other jobs.

Here are some of the avenues that can provide income for you as a professional singer, and what you might need to do to prepare yourself for those gigs.

Party Bands: When I was doing this circuit in Los Angeles these gigs were called casuals. They are generally reasonably lucrative. Sometimes if you are ...

“At the center of your being, you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”
Lao Tzu

Now that your voice is in tip-top shape and you have formed good practice routines that will keep it that way, you are ready to start getting yourself out there and taking the steps that will lead to a career in music. The music business is not like most other businesses: there is no one-and-only way to make it in the music business. It’s not like going to medical or law school, where you can be confident that you will work in your field once you graduate.

Working your way up the ladder requires networking and a reputation of being professional and reliable, along with excellence at your craft. A lot of the paid jobs are word-of-mouth referral only, so every job you do can potentially be a bridge to more employment- if you make a good impression.

I spent over 25 years in Los Angeles as the lead singer and keyboard player in numerous bands of all kinds: rock, blues, j...

AUDITIONING FOR MUSICAL THEATRE DEGREE PROGRAMS

“If you understand others you are smart.
If you understand yourself, you are illuminated".
Lao Tzu

Deciding to pursue a degree in musical theater means you are serious about making performing your job after graduation. These programs are highly selective; only a few spots are available, and there are over 5000 applicants for around 300 spots each year. The competition to be accepted is fierce (as it is in the real world of performing). The sooner you start preparing by taking weekly voice and dance lessons and preparing your audition material, the more you increase your chances of being accepted.

MOST of the students who audition for these programs will not be accepted, simply because they are not well-prepared. That preparation takes years of study, not just a few weeks before audition season. It involves making choices about how you spend your time, all through middle school and high school.

Good grades and ACT/ SAT scores are...

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
Lao Tzu

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Lao Tzu

Many years ago, I got a call from one of my students. Knowing I have a propensity for collecting abandoned animals (especially beagles), she told me a small and frightened beagle had been found in her Atlanta neighborhood.

He was rail thin, had a broken tooth, worms, ticks, fleas, and rope burns around his neck. He was terrified of people and was only captured when befriended by her dog.

He was obviously fleeing a terrible life.

He had no tags, and no one had ever claimed him.

I took one look in his soulful brown eyes and knew I had to help even though I already had three dogs at the time. I was struck by the idea that he was doing the only thing he knew to do.

He was taking action to escape an obviously abusive situation. I was humbled by his courage in striking out into the unknown, even though he was terrified.

I took him home.

He spent the...

“Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear, and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions, and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.”
Lao Tzu

Stage fright is an overpowering feeling of nervousness that hits you when you are either about to go onstage or when you are performing. It can show up as anything from butterflies in the stomach and a pounding heart to a full-scale anxiety attack and meltdown when simple nervousness is allowed to turn into anxiety.

The physical symptoms of anxiety include a racing heart, a dry mouth, a shaky voice, blushing, trembling, sweating, A feeling of lightheadedness, and nausea.

These occur because anxiety triggers the body to activate the sympathetic nervous system when adrenaline is released into the bloodstream. The bodily res...

“Stop thinking, and end your problems.”
Lao Tzu

“Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habit. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”
Lao Tau

These powerful words by Lao Tzu, the author of the Tao Te Ching hold, I believe, the key to all success and failure in life. Everything begins with the way in which we choose to think. By extension, our self-talk-the ways in which we think about and then talk to ourselves- can have a considerable impact on the success or failure of our careers and our lives.

Our self-talk or the ways in which we talk to and think about ourselves can have a huge impact on the success or failure of our careers and lives.

As we go about our daily lives, we are constantly interpreting each situation we find ourselves in and reacting to that situation either positively or negatively. Our inner commentator is called self-talk. It includes bo...