Trust me on this as someone with a strong personality who has always been crazed for justice to the innocent and meek.  I’ve sung for many years and have learned sometimes the hard way how important it is to be easy to deal with, no matter the situation or injustice you encounter.

The impression you give once, will always be remembered and assigned to you by all who witnessed it, no matter how many years have passed.  And, impressions are spread from person to person and easily skewed in our business.

You never know who knows who, what director may work with the tenor you just fought with (whether he showed up drunk or without his lines no one will ever know), or which producer may be dating a wardrobe person you gave hell to (whether she tried to make you fit in a size 5 when you where a 9 or gave you an impossible costume change that would make you miss a cue) again, no one will ever know.

I understand for you the singer, it is so hard not to  take things personally in this business.  Often we are put working for people with really tough personalities rehearsing for long hours and not getting paid at that.  Their is a whole lot of injustice that singers/performers encounter.  You will deal with a lot of stupid and mean people who you know should not “have the right” to be telling you what to do.  And, whether you are right or not… I recommend keeping things neutral on your part.

Be known as the person who is easy going and easy to deal with.  Don’t talk behind people’s backs, you never know who you can trust in this business.  Your chorus mate may seem like your best friend now while the conductor is going on a rant, but that same person may use any bait to score a solo from him next performance.

I can just feel emotions running through me as I write this of the different situations where I may have given a negative impression whether I thought I was standing for the greater good or not.  Now years later, the “injustices” I was dealt on stage, or back stage are all gone,  but the impressions I left are all still there for people.

The Riotous Fight

I did La Traviata for a small opera house.  I was quite seasoned all ready singing the lead, but needed the performance opportunity to “get the role under my belt”.  I got into a situation there fighting for the volunteer opera chorus behind me that the idiot director (who should never have been hired) was constantly verbally abusing.

This may have been riotous of me (having been a teacher for years all ready I was overcome with how awful she was to these poor volunteers.-  It still makes my blood boil to think of that witch).  But, after the production, she continued to work as an opera director (God only knows how), and I was never hired for that company again.  Also, the people who really liked me and hired me in the first place became oddly cold to me after because that director had their ear.  Who knows how many other people that may have spread to and how the story may have been altered.

Now am I saying if I went back and could do a “do-over”, I would change my actions?  Phew, tough question.  I think I would have learned that no one can be trusted or confided in.  I probably would have spent more of my energy encouraging the chorus with positive feedback, and less of my energy against the monster director.  I think I would have also done some reverse psychology with that director.  Tried to “find the good in her” etc… to hopefully get her to calm down with the chorus through some reverse psychology.  I guess I would have been smarter about it, and more careful about my impression.  That is always hard to do when you are in the middle of it.

Easier to say but: Find a way to vent your frustrations to loved ones who are not involved and pose no threat to you.

When dealing with terrible personalities, know that they are going to be terrible no matter what you do, so you may as well find a way for them to like you by being that one easy person who doesn’t attack them.  Often times fighting them will only effect you in a negative way.  Your attitude should always be gleaming and easy as a performer.  People remember your impression forever, what they won’t remember are the details that created the impression they have of you.

So, that’s a little advice for all you singers out there.  Try and keep the slate clean.  At least, try…

I’d love to hear some of your stories on this one!

written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD) and author of Vocalize!

Want to receive immediate feedback on how you are singing from me?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my advice right away.

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You know how there are certain passages of songs that just always sound fabulous in your voice no matter what?  Or, a specific area in your vocal warm up that always rings freely? This can be referred to as you”sweet spot”, where your voice just works, sounds fabulous, has the best tone, projection, everything.  Some people have a sweet spot of just 3 notes, others 5 or so.  The musical term for this is Tessitura.

When you pick your song, make sure that a lot of it lays in your “sweet spot”.  For me there is a lot of music that I can sing well after all my years of training, but there are some songs that just pop when I perform them, as a result, they have become my old standbys.  I know that they are just always going to work for me even on a bad day.  That is because these songs sit in my tessitura.  The place that is most natural and easy for me to be singing.

It is one thing to have your “sweet spot notes” in a piece.  It is another for a song to be sitting in them.  That is what you need to look for in selecting a piece.  Often times we have some great notes in a song that we can really belt out, but the rest of the song may not be sitting in a good tessitura.  It all may be a bit to low or high to show off the brilliance in your voice.  Make sure your song choice has a good deal of singing throughout your tessitura so that people experience the best of you for the longest possible.

This is important when picking a key, or selecting a  starting note for a song.  If you do have a key choice (a dreamy function on a karaoke machine or most keyboards), try singing your song on different starting notes. (Each different note that you start on will set your song into a different key).

- An older blog I wrote on selecting your key: The old happy birthday mistake

The starting note that sets the song in your “sweet spot” the most, is the key for you.

You don’t always have this choice.  When purchasing sheet music for example, most songs are written out in only one key (maybe 2-3 versions if you’re lucky).  So you need to make sure that that key is going to work for you or don’t be performing that song.  Most pianists cannot just sight read a piece and transpose it for you on the spot (transposing means changing the starting note of a piece and playing the whole thing in that new key).  Do not ever put that on an accompanist without verifying that they can do that first.

Find the brilliance in your sound and sing all over it.  Also, finding the notes in your voice that work for you the best is a great way to develop more notes like them.  If your “e” for example is fabulous then you have a good chance of matching the next note up or down from it because you have such a great example right next to it.

Use your tessitura to help you with your whole sound. Does your tessitura have a brilliant ping to it, is it fuller, darker, louder, freer, more open, less strained, brighter?   Figure out what is so good about it and try to implement that all over your voice.

So, if a song is dull in your voice except for a few good notes, “can” it,  or try it out in a different key.  Don’t waste your singing opportunities on a song that doesn’t show your best sound.  We only get so many of those singing opportunities in a lifetime.

Happy Tessitura hunting!

written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD) and author of Vocalize!

Want to receive immediate feedback on how you are singing from me?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment. Then send me a link or mp3 of you singing (audio/or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my advice right away.

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At a certain level of singing, there will be a lot of good people auditioning for your role/band, or trying to get that same record contract.  When everyone is talented, prepared, professional, and looking good what can make some singers pop from the pool of others?

Your sound.  Your unique sound.  Your vocal timbre. No imitations allowed.

Can you force a unique sound?  Not in my opinion.  To me it is the difference between the great choral soprano as opposed to the Diva soloist.  You are born with a unique sound which you hope not many other people have.  I am not saying this is your only route in , so if you are a great singer with a more “common” voice don’t fret, there is still much to be done and conquered for you. such as vocal styling, image, good song writing, personality, stage presence etc…

But, if you are someone who possesses that unique timbre you are a lucky one.  If you are unclear as to what I mean by Vocal Timbre, please refer to a past blog I wrote:   Vocal Timbre Blog

When you posses a truly unique sound, the minute you open your mouth to sing people know its you without looking.  Think of Tom Waits, Frank Sinatra, Bjork, Maria Callas, Barbara Streisand, Edith Piaf, Maria Carey, Pavarotti, Paul Simon, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen- just to name a few.  They are all identifiable by the first note they sing.  That is something truly great to posses.  If you have it, congratulations.

You can’t force it though, it never sounds genuine when you do.  Singing is not about impersonating a sound that you like, rather freeing your own unique sound.  Make sure when you sing that you are being true to yourself, not following Brittany Spears or Miley Sirus on the radio.  Take song, sound, and tone, and make it your own. Let your voice out.

This can be more complicated then it sounds.  I often spend a lot of time peeling back layers of “impersonating sound” off of my students till we found their own true voice.  I can understand how it happens, you receive so much audio input over time that you may not even know you are imitating someone.

So think about it the next time you warm up and sing.  Go bare of other influences and let your own natural tone release.  You may just find that you have your own unique one of a kind gem in your own larynx!

written by: Ariella Vaccarino creator of Voice Lessons TO GO (singing lessons on CD), and author of Vocalize!

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First of all, I’d like to thank American Idol for giving me such fuel for my blogs.  They are really helping to make my job easy!

Last night watching the men again, I was ignited by Aaron Kelly’s performance of ” My Girl” .  I am not going to be commenting specifically on him, he did a good job and is only 16 so perhaps he did an amazing job.  But what I did notice first and foremost about his performance was that he performed the first two verses of his song exactly the same.  And that is an improvement he needs to work on and a great subject to blog and discuss for all singers who are going to do any type of performing.

Making a song interesting to listen to.

In general a song is made up of verse and chorus repeating.  So what can you do to make that verse or chorus pop from a repeating one?  There are several things to think about when approaching your song such as: intention, dynamics, emotion, and melody variation.

Like an actor a singer needs to perform a song like a monologue, finding the beats and the intention to each phrase.  Consider this is type of blocking that you need to do in your mind before you sing the piece.

Intention-

Who are you singing to?  What is the difference in your intention from the first time you deliver a verse and the second.  For example:  the first time you may want to be getting their attention with your words, the second time you may want them to really be listening.  Or, the first time you may be just opening up and the second you may be singing from your whole heart with resolve.  These different intentions need to show themselves and they can do so in a few different ways:

Dynamics- Simply, your volume.  For a love song a quiet intro may be a sign of your vulnerability and a louder repeat a sign of your resolve.  For a “you hurt me song”  starting on a sorrowful quiet and switching to an angry loud “fed up” verse can show growth in your song journey.

Emotions- Your first verse may be timid, the second, holding nothing back out of desperation.  The first first may be coy, the second down right sexy, etc…

Body Language- You can start sitting on a stool, then stand for the second verse, or start standing at a microphone then hold it for verse two.

Melody- You can play with one verse over the other, adding runs, holding out a note, or changing up the line.

There are many things that you can do to a song.  But you need to plan for it like an actor.  That will take you to a higher step then just someone who can sing pretty.  We as singers need to tell stories.  Use your resources of dynamics, emotions, body language and melody to help you do so.

Sing well people!

written by Ariella Vaccarino creatof of Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD) and author of Vocalize!

-want to receive immediate feedback on how you are singing from me?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment.  Then send me a link or mp3 of  you singing (audio/ or audio visual) with your questions and I will get back to you with my advice right away.

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Correct singing posture is three told fold: first- It makes you look appealing, second- you need it to set your body up so that the voice sails out freely, and third- it sets you up to ground yourself so that your free voice is deeply rooted and grounded in sound giving you more color, projection, and volume.

Singing posture for looking good:

Nobody wants to look at a slouching singer.  Your posture should give off an air of confidence that is warm and friendly.  Think of three strings.  The first pulls you straight up from your sternum, the second pulls up from the back of the head, and the third pulls down from the tail bone. You are long and tall.

The aligned singer:

We are not standing to up like a ballerina, rather “a proud tree”.  Think of your feet “the roots” rooted in the ground, your body the truck is the support for your head which should be free to release the sound like leaves free in the wind- your voice just sails out free.

The grounded singer:

Now that you are confident and aligned beautifully, you need to add some grub and oomph to that sound. Think of yourself (not letting go of the previous ideas rather adding to them), as a prize fighter.  Add a little bend in your knee feel tough- no one should be able to to knock you down physically.  Your muscles in you feet and legs are strong and alert so that when you hit a note, you hit it with the support of all of your body as well as the ground beneath.

Sing strong!

Ariella Vaccarino creator of Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD), and aulthor of Vocalize!

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Ahhhhh! It is hard to be a singer.  The ups and downs can be so extreme on your emotions and ego.  You put yourself out there for people with an “exposed voice” for people to love, and some just don’t. Then they judge, and they say their harsh words, or write their pointed critics without hesitation.

The thing is they see us as these objects, these “singing objects” that they can just compare, cut down, ignore.  But we as people make up that singer.  We are inside that singer.

You sing because you love to sing, feel that you have been given this gift to share.  You need to find a way to protect the innocence of that.  Think of some of our top singers, people grossing millions from some and laughs from others.  There is no black and white taste of what is good in the singing world once you reach a high level.  Take Celine Dion- she is an amazing vocalist, but some people don’t like her music or find her cheesy so they dismiss her as an artist all together even making fun of her when that woman is an awesome talent.  So what if you don’t like what she sings, there is a distinction between talent and taste.

I am inspired to write this after coming out of a rehearsal myself.  I sang so well, and am at such a high level, but one comment made to me that was negative went stab right into my EGO.  My immediate internal reaction to that was that I just wanted to shut down and walk away from the craft.  I even feel shame and embarrassment at times when I hear a negative comment about my singing.  - ridiculous Ariella!

Well folks, this is crap.  Singers have to be strong.  We need to build a crazy strong suit of armor around ourselves and disconnect our emotional reaction to peoples commentary.  This is a job you are doing, don’t take yourself to seriously.  If you can hear something constructive in their words than grow from the comment, if not throw it out, and I mean really throw it out and hold on to all the great comments you received instead.

Why is it we can here 20 great things and the 1 negative keeps us up at night?  I’m with you people, easier said than done, what can you do to protect yourselves?

Create a Magic Super sonic bubble around yourself and bounce the negativity off like a super hero!–seriously.

Also, find a safe place to sing where you are not judged, but rather appreciated. Don’t loose the love for your art.  Sing for that circle of friends, church, or family that makes you feel great. Go sing for a retirement home and fill your heart with appreciation for your gift.  Don’t let the poison in.

The negative comments will always be there.  You have to nourish your ego so that it is able to have a healthy reaction to it all.

Singers, stand tall and strong!

written by: Ariella Vaccarino - creator of Voice Lessons TO GO (singing lessons on CD), and author of Vocalize!

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Watching Idol last night - third episode of Hollywood week, I was inspired to write after watching Jessica Furney’s rejection from the judges along with her plea to them.  She had lost her voice from over singing during the group rehearsals and had to battle that throughout the competition.  As a result she pleaded with the judges to keep her saying that she didn’t have a fair opportunity to show herself since she was battling with her voice and it was not fair to compare her to others who weren’t dealing with that.

Well, whether I felt her plea to them was too dramatic or not, I do feel for her.  It is one thing to be rejected after showing your best performance, at least then you know they made a choice after seeing the best you.  But to have to perform sub par and then to be rejected leaves you filled with regret and frustration, if only they saw what I can really do…

I would imagine that if they were crazed about her from the beginning they would have found a way to keep her fighting vocal strain or not, but it still has got to be a harsh reality for her when she looks back at that group rehearsal and the strain “she allowed ” to be put onto her voice.

Did I say “she allowed” the strain to be put on her voice?  - (that’s pretty harsh Ariella Vaccarino the empathetic voice teacher that you are…)

Maybe it is harsh but it is true.  We need to protect ourselves as singers.  No one will do it for us, no one knows our limitations except us.  It is so important singers that you save the juice for the right moment. Like any athlete, we can only use our correct muscles for so long before we strain and thus compromise them.  Singing has its limitations, you as a good singer need to learn to feel them and to listen to them, no matter the circumstance.

“Marking“ is a term that we use when not singing out.  Some people are better at it than others.  Essentially you sing down the octave, or with half a voice, or speak gently in tempo to mark the vocals while learning the harmonies, dance moves, blocking, or trying to memorize lyrics. I am not referring to whispering which is very harsh on the voice, rather, gentle singing- no powerhouse sound.

This is what you need to do in a situation when you are repeating a song to get through a rehearsal. Especially when you have a lot of important solo singing coming up.  I am not saying you should be marking your chior rehearsals.  If you are rehearsing to work on the sound then by all means sing.  But, when a performance is pending you have to be protective and only give when the judges are listening.

I am sure that was a hard thing to do for the singers during group rehearsals on American Idol- they want to be impressing everyone around them, make their mark, stand out to be filmed etc… but, like Jessica Furley, they needed to weigh the whole week of singing- not just the moment of singing.

As a professional singer, you need to learn how to “mark”, but like everything, it takes practice.  If you don’t do it right you could strain your voice.  So practice it every once in a while by singing light, half voiced, with no pressure on any muscles when learning or going through your own music.

I feel for Jessica Furney because she will never have peace in her mind that she was rejected for a fair reason-”if only they knew what I could really do...”  That will play in her mind for a long time- a really horrible feeling that I am sure most of us performers have had.  Hopefully she will find a way to take the experience as a positive for all her exposer and be dignified about the results.

written by:  Ariella Vaccarino creator of Voice Lessons To GO (singing lessons on CD) and author of Vocalize!

Need help with your own voice?  Sign up for Your Vocal Assessment through my site to get professional feedback on your own voice.  Send me a link to or mp3 of your voice with your questions and I will get right back to you with my Assessment.

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Do you have it, the “drive” to sing? The internal programing that you did not choose for yourself, but was chosen for you.  Is it the ultimate experience for you, beyond anything.  Is this a good thing?  A blessing or a sentence? Can you not experience full joy without it?  Are you in pain to see others do it when you can not?

Are we addicts to this singing?  Sentenced to a life filled with highs and lows depending on if we have a gig or don’t, if they applaud us or they reject us?  Is anything more important than singing to you?  Can you live without it?  Does the desire for it hold you back from normal routine and happiness?

If you are one of these people:

Why are we like this?  How can we live the day to day like everyone else with the burden or blessing of the “drive “to sing?  How can we commit to a life other than one filled with our truest desire?

It is a hard line to walk.  The desire to sing is something that is only understood by someone else who shares your “drive”.  It sets you apart.  I am not always sure whether it is a good or bad thing.  It would be an easier life without this “drive”, but would you experience anything close to the high of singing without it?

I wonder if it is like a drug in a way; taking us to a place like nothing else can in our bodies.  When we are connected, the sound is resonating through us, and an audience is emerged in it, it is really like nothing else.  But, it does come with a price, and it does cause a lot of pain as well as joy.

I am not talking about the hobbyist singer.  Those people are blessed with a joy for something that they can have fun with, not something they can’t live without.  I am talking about the driven, born stuffed with talent, singer.  I know many of them.  I am one of them- have always been.  We all suffer through our craft at very high costs.  Very few of us ever hit a secure outlet for it and most of us are left wandering for the outlet at a loss, leaving most other pleasures waned for what they are.

I don’t know why we were chosen.  With talent comes responsibility.  The responsibility to share it with others who can only touch it through us.  There is a lot of drama that goes along with all of this.  Your task is to find a healthy balance in life. To find peace in the normal without the singing and extra pleasure with the singing.   Not necessary pleasure, but extra pleasure, there is a difference.

I know a lot of amazing singers who put everything else on hold such as marriage and families because they are all encompassed and “driven” to sing.  A lot of singers think they will do all those other things “after” they have reached a certain level of success through their singing.

My advice to you:  There are no guarantees of fame, fortune or even regular work as a singer, but there is the guarantee that life will go on whether you make it or not.  You will age every day, and time passes whether or not you can fill an auditorium, or amphitheater.

Find joy in life outside of singing. Find peace in yourself without singing success, or you may very well end up living a life full of painful angst.

Why so dark from a voice teacher who sells voice lesson CDs and books?  –I’ve just seen a lot and want to pass on all that I can to you singer hopefuls.  Not only do I want to help people better their voices in their singing pursuits, I want people (singers) to have a chance at happiness and fulfillment no matter what.  I’ve been “around the singing pursuit block” if you will, and have a lot to share with you.

It takes a lot to sing and be a singer.  You can not control your success.  You are not an aspiring lawyer who studies hard goes to school and then practices law.  Don’t base your complete worth on whether you get that lucky break someday.  By all means sing, work hard and go after it, but find out what else makes you happy and fill yourself with those things as well.

Sing well, and find balance.

Ariella Vaccarino creator of Voice Lessons To Go (singing lessons on CD), and author of Vocalize!

Need an professional ear to hear your voice and give you feedback?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment.  Then send me a  link to or mp3 of your voice with your questions and I will get right back to you!

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I am inspired to write this after watching the guy last night with the thick rimmed glasses who was in a group that had all kinds of issues be cut.  He then asked the judges to give him another chance due to everything they went through… they didn’t care, their decision was made.  He had his shot.  That was it.  Judges don’t have time to hold your hand through an audition experience.  Time is money.

So sad and cold singers, but it is true there are NO EXCUSES when it comes to your performances and auditions.  Nobody cares until you are famous if you have a valid excuse or not, especially not at an audition when you are a complete unknown.

Judges are looking at you as a “singer”- someone who can pull off a note, song, job.  Not as a person with a soul, needs,  and feelings.  They honestly don’t have time to care as cruel as that sounds.  It is is the truth.

It also is not anything personal.  It is just the business of singing. All they care about is that you CAN pull it off, no matter the circumstances. Remember your impression will last with them, no matter what excuse may be behind it.

So like the guy on American Idol who was stuck in a tough group.  You just have to make things work, no matter what when it comes to crunch time. It is easy now to advise him.  I wasn’t up all night in a high pressure once in a life time situation stuck in a group filled with drama.

But as a “seasoned” professional I would say what would have been most important for him and any of them to do, is to stay emotionally detached from all the drama.  Get through the rehearsal and then no matter what for the performance be a professional.  He needed to Sing His Butt off like there would never be another opportunity, walk the routine proud, and commit to the harmonies bad- or good.  Judges are looking for professionalism and confidence from a positive person, not someone who is battered down by pressure.

It may not have been a fair hand dealt to him or anyone else cut from group night (not my favorite of the auditions they do, but good for ratings), but is was dealt.  And in life as singers we are constantly dealt things that aren’t fair: Songs that are boring, in the wrong genre, wrong tessitura, dumb directing, bad partners, ugly costumes, late night rehearsals, no rehearsals, bad pianists, cold dressing rooms, dry ice surrounding us when we sing, bad acoustics, no water back stage, empty audiences…. I could go on and on.

Again though, there are no excuses.  You will make an impression no matter what.  So own it-  you can go home after and pour all your excuses to your family and friends that is what they are for.

And feel free to write me about them, I am happy to help you work through them and help you to figure out how to prevent them your voice teacher is a great resource for empathy!

written by Ariella Vaccarino creator of Voice Lessons TO GO (singing lessons on CD), and author of Vocalize!

follow me on twitter:http://www.twitter.com/singingvltg

Want feedback on your own voice?  Sign up for Your Vocal Assessment on my site, then send me a link to or mp3 of your voice with your questions and I will give you my professional assessment right away.