As I say for my business (Voice Lessons To GO) as well as for my singing, there is no use thinking about your competition. What is the point?  You really never know what it is that is going to make a judge, casting agent, or directer pick you out of an audition “line up” for the part. So don’t sweat it.

The gorgeous woman who just sang before you like a Siren may have reminded the judge of an ex-girlfriend he didn’t like.

– or-

You might be amazing but the moment they see you they know you won’t be a match for the short tenor they have to play your husband.

Because I am not only a singer/voice teacher but I am also a business woman, I may have a bit of a different perspective on all of this.  I can use my CDs as an example.  So many people have asked me – “Aren’t you worried about your competition?,  or  ”Aren’t there other voice lesson CDs out there?”  My answer has always been: “So what, there are millions of people out there, I’ll just keep doing my best at what I am doing.  There is room enough for everybody.  Everyone can have their niche.”

I don’t spend my time looking at or considering the competition.  I need to be strong enough to stand on my own as a business woman no matter how many others are around me.  I’m not sure which helped me more the entrepreneurial woman to my musician or the musician to my entrepreneurial self.  But the combo together has helped me to see the world a bit differently.  I also think I view opportunities a bit out of the box.

If I didn’t think like that, there probably would be no Voice Lessons To Go.  You might be thinking, I thought this blog was about the competition, why is she talking about herself? That is my whole point.  The competition doesn’t matter.  You are what matters. Put the energy into evolving yourself instead of thinking about the others.

Think on a grander scale as a singer beyond your single auditions.  You need to know who you are, be confident, work on being and bringing out your best, and then marketing yourself.

The competition will there no matter what- trust me.  People will like you over them and them over you no matter what. That is the business.  There are no guarantees.  But it sure will help you get that part a lot more often if you are fully realized as a singer.

Click here to view a past blog post that will give you 10 ideas to work on when becoming a complete singer: http://voicelessonstogo.com/blog/so-my-voice-isnt-fabulous-can-i-have-success-as-a-singer (don’t worry about the title, the information is what you need).

What you do need to concentrate on is how YOU can be the best singer you can be.  Work on all the areas that make you a great artist and performer. Develop the whole you and the whole package.  Then walk into your auditions with pride knowing that you are a complete performer.  If they sign you or cast you- awesome.  That is ideal but no matter the competition unless you are amazing yourself, none of it matters anyway.  Don’t sweat the competition, sweat what you can do do be your best instead.

Happy evolving!  Sing well!

Ariella Vaccarino

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

***Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for myVocal 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 feedback right away.***

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Sometimes it is good to just slow down and concentrate on doing something of high quality in our vocal warm up rather than just singing through a lot of exercises, (a lot of exercises is also good for different reasons of course- try Voice Lessons To Go).  To help fine tune your voice and your ear, I created the attached video.  Keep in mind what is key in this exercise is to take your time through it and really be sure that you are matching the pitches you sing to the pitches on the instrument you are playing along to.

click here to watch the video:   singing voice lesson- ear training

Sing in the center of the pitch is something I say in this video.  It becomes especially evident when singing something like a Major scale filled with both half and whole steps that precise pitch is imperative.  Think of each pitch as a bullseye- you want to hit the center target point.  Don’t let your sound go under or over the central point.  That is what people refer to as singing flat or sharp.

Other then centered pitch, pay attention to the sound quality of each tone of the scale.  Is it to far back, to swallowed, to bright, to breathy?  Work on your sound quality with each tone through the scale.

Something as simple and common as a Major scale is a great way to work on your tuning and improve your vocal quality.

By the way, expect regular new instructional short videos from me in the future!- Please pass them on.

Happy tuning!

Ariella Vaccarino

Thank you for subscribing to my blogs!  I am working hard to bring you great content and free singing advice.  Please take a moment to spread the words via the social book marking links below to help me build my readership.  Thank you!

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

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  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 feedback right away.

Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:http://www.twitter.com/singingvltg (I love a good retweet!)

Can you improve your singing voice? Absolutely.

Everyone can learn to sing better.  Talent and improvement are two different things.  As far as talent goes, you only have what you have been given.  Some are given diamond and others- not so precious metals… but everyone can improve singing.  Anyone can grow to be a better singer.

There are so many areas in singing that can make a difference.  All those areas can be worked on and improved.  Here is a list of the many areas to work on when looking to improve your voice:

1. Develop your ear.- This can be done in a variety of ways: Listening to a lot of good singing and trying to learn form it is great for you,  doing ear training exercises – check out Voice Lessons To go v.2 Do Re Mi Ear and Pitch training for this, and learning about music-how to sing and hear solfedge (Do Re Mi), hearing intervals (the space between notes), learning how to sing and hear scales and different types of chords.  All these things can help to open your ears to music. Better hearing and understanding of sound will lead to better singing.

2. The tone, vocal timbre of your voice.- It is important to find the natural sound of your voice.  Many people try and imitate sounds they hear on the radio.  If you are trying to imitate Brittany Spears remember she is singing through a processor which is electronically effecting the sound of her voice.  You need to find your sound.  Strip down your voice to your natural sound and then build it where it needs help from there by adding qualities such as: warmth, brightness, hollow, depth, and ping.

3. Your musicality when approaching a song.  There is more to singing a song then just repeating notes with words.  Music needs to flow, have lines and variation.  Releasing your notes properly at the end of long phrases, and swelling your sound up and down while holding a long note are examples of the many areas of musicality that can be developed.  Play with tempo- (speed of a piece), dynamics (loud to soft), phrasing (legato- smooth, staccato- choppy) etc…

4. Emotive expression (your acting through a song).  Not only do you need to sing well, you need to move people through your performance.  This is where you acting ability comes in.  Practice your lyrics as monologues.  Find the beats to the words and phrasing.  Find the variation to repeating choruses.  For example one time you may be timid, the next resolved.  Use your whole body to express yourself.  Be totally engaged and committed to the performance of your song.  Your eyes should be bright and alive with expression.

5. Charisma- Some people are born with it.  But other can develop it.   You want to be the person on that stage that people just HAVE to look at.  Open yourself up fully when on stage.  You want to seem approachable.  Be an interesting person and reveal it. Use humour freely with an audience.  Don’t be afraid to really be you in front of people.  Take an improv acting class to help you be totally raw on stage.  This is very attractive to people who will “wish” that they could be free like you in front of people. Don’t be afraid to take risks and never hold back.  This will make you exciting to watch.

6. Your vocal range- Get practicing with great vocal warm ups regularly. Voice Lessons TO GO will help you to do the trick if you can not get to a good private teacher.  Never strain!  Take your time to properly develop that range by not pushing and practicing regularly.  The stronger you get get your body to support your voice, the easier it will be to reach down or up in your range.

7. Your vocal stamina- This happens by doing a few things regularly: Breathing exercises, Vocal exercises, singing through repertoire, and physical body exercises.  Doing all these things regularly will make a you as fit as you can be as a singer.  The more you practice the better you will be and the more you will be able to count on your voice for a good performance.

8.  Your appearance on stage- Sorry to say it, but it is very important.  Not saying you have to have the perfect body and perfect face.  But you do have to know what your look is.  Having a bit of your own developed style will help you to stand out and be remembered.  Try and be in good physical shape- it will only help you in your singing anyway.  Think about it.  You want to be attractive to look at on the stage.  Be confident in your posture and be well put together well.

9. Your song choice and repertoire- Don’t sing audition and performance pieces outside of your comfort zone.  Sing what you do well.  If you have a great 5 note range for now- then find a song that does not challenge that.  If you can’t belt- don’t sing something from Wicked, if your voice is high and sweet but not strong- pick a pretty folk tune, if you are funny don’t sing a ballad.  Find the right type of music to show you  off rather then show off your faults.

10. Your work ethic and dependability as an artist.- Always be someone that people can count on as a singer.  Show up memorized, well rehearsed, and well behaved.  this can go far in the business.

Get working singers, there is lots to do!

Ariella Vaccarino

Thank you for subscribing to my blogs!  I am working hard to bring you great content and free singing advice.  Please take a moment to spread the words via the social book marking links below to help me build my readership.  Thank you!

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

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  Sign up for myVocal 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 feedback right away.

Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

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People have been asking, technology has made it simple, so now I am giving online singing lessons.  If you would like to work me via Skype for online singing lessons on your own voice that is now available! It is pretty amazing to think that we could work together from any two places in the world that have internet.  (If you live in Los Angeles, California you are still welcomed to come in for an old fashioned  live lesson )

No longer do I need to be limited to “that voice teacher on my Voice Lesson To Go CDs”.  I actually am a live person and love working one on one with students to help them become the best singers they can be. Don’t think you are too unprofessional or not talented enough.  I so much enjoy to help all types of students no matter their level or vocal style as long as they have an interest in improving their own voice.  I have been teaching over 18 years and have worked with so many wonderful different types of students. (That is what inspired me to make Voice Lessons To Go in the first place).

If you have a Skype account and are looking to study privately one time or ongoing let’s arrange it.   If you don’t have a Skype account get one, they are free!  I will charge $50 for a half hour lesson that you can pay through paypal.  We will set the time (and the time zone) and can meet through our computers.  Of course I am sure you know this but you will need a video camera on your computer so we can see and hear each other.  I will have it all set up by my piano so that we can work with it.  You bring the voice, questions, and the songs.  Whether you want me to help you pick your audition piece, answer specific questions,  work on technique, or advise you on your best suited genre or repertoire- I am game.  We can also discuss your career strategies and options.

If you are looking to work with me or get some direct advice from me about your own singing, and Skype lessons are not for you due to cost or lack of technology- *Remember you can send me your voice with your questions for a Vocal Assessment.  I turn these around real fast so you will receive my Assessment within a couple of days.  The way to send me your voice is to send a link of you singing on youtube, or other site, or you can send me an mp3 attachment. Please don’t worry about making perfect recordings for me.  I know a lot of you are at different levels.  Whether the recording was professionally mastered or not, I can still hear your voice and what you are working with.  If you want an Assessment from me, just sing something and send it.  I have 4 different Vocal Assessments available from 9.99-39.99 depending on the amount of questions and insight you are looking for.  Also I have ongoing packages you can purchase at reduced rates for regular  ongoing Vocal Assessments from me.

My Assessments you can buy directly off of my site: http://voicelessonstogo.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3

To purchase online singing lessons via skype, just write me: ariella@voicelessonstogo.com and I will tell you what you need to do, essentially we’ll set up a time and I will bill you through paypal. Easy.

These should help you get the help you need!

Sing well people and thanks for all you support and great feedback!

Thank you for subscribing to my blogs!  I am working hard to bring you great content and free singing advice.  Please take a moment to spread the words via the social book marking links below to help me build my readership.  Thanks you!

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

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  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 feedback right away.

Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:http://www.twitter.com/singingvltg (I love a good retweet!)

It is something all of us singers consider when putting together the performance of a song.  Should we be adding in some high notes to show “what we can do” and impress the audience?  I say if you have them all the time, then go for it.  But if you are not consistent with your high notes, why should you put the stress on yourself and the audience of getting them done right?  They will put your whole performance in jeopardy and it is not worth it.

Shania Twain said it recently on American Idol- “go with the note that is comfortable”.

I say,  if you can only get something right 50% of the time, don’t risk it in your performance.  The last thing you want to be worrying about in a stressful performance situation is whether or not you can reach your high note.  And as an audience member it is one of the worst, most uncomfortable things you can put us through. No one wants to hear strain. —-     So if you can’t do it don’t risk it.

Where you should be going for the high notes is in rehearsal and in your vocal warm ups.  That I completely encourage.  They are something that you need to practice in a healthy safe environment for your vocal chords.  Once you really get them “in your body”, then you can start bringing them to the actual stage.  And remember, often times when we sing out our nerves can get in the way of how well we perform.  So your body really needs to have memorized the exact execution and success of those high notes before you take them out for a walk or you may find that your body will clam up due to nerves and cause you a “bad reach”.

Singing should never feel like a reach rather a rooted or anchored stretch.

When approaching a high note in your vocal practice, imagine that you have set an anchor down through the middle of your body straight into the earth that is heavy.  This anchor is your muscle support, don’t let it go. Now open your mouth to sing and stretch your mind to make space around the height of your high note. You should be grounded in your sound but stretched through the back of your head, top of your head, through your upper palate, and straight through your eyes to let the space free to release your sound.

Also, practicing hitting your desired notes from different directions so that you are used to getting them out no matter what is a great strategy.  Sing the note just below and then that note.  Sing the note just above and then that note.  Practice coming from the octave below, fifth below etc…  In your vocalizing focus on getting up to that note well and then pass it getting up well to higher notes so that you know the note you want will be a sure thing every time, even in a performance.

Please check out a recent post I wrote on achieving success with your high notes.

We all love the wow factor of an incredible high note.  But that is only for an Incredible one.  No one wants to hear you screeching.  Many times the safer choice of not adding in the high note is better.  You want people to remember having an enjoyable experience watching you.  Don’t fixate on the importance of particular notes. Overall you must have a good show with out any negative drama.  Keep practicing!

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

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  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 feedback right away.

Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

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If you are a younger reader who still has freedom in your summers off from school, then summer is a great time to build your experience and training in music with the right singing program.

Depending on your genre their are many different types of summer programs, classes, workshops, and camps to suit your musical passions.

What is great about these summer programs is that they are an opportunity for you to get some personal attention with your craft by working on stage or in the studio, with teachers, directors, and coaches.

These professionals on an hourly basis would be very expensive, so even though you are usually paying for the program, you are getting so much for your money.  The connections that you build as a young artist with the professionals in the business you are interested in are very important down the line.  If they have a few weeks to really get to know you and what you can do, your chances of working with them for real in the future are so much stronger.  The teachers have an opportunity to get to know you not only as artists, but as a person, which there is no time for in the “regular world”.  This is a great benefit for you when you walk into an audition that they are holding in the future!

Socially, you will have  a fabulous time, because you will be working and getting to know new people who share the same passions as you.  This may lead to collaborations in the future as well as great friendships and connections down the line.

Take the time to find the right types of program for yourself.  I will say that once you are out of college you will probably not get to take advantage of leisure summers filled with music training because you will have to be working at some job, and most job except for teaching, do not receive full summer vacation.

I grew up doing summer stock which was a program I paid for to do musicals with other kids my age, then as I got older I did Opera programs in Europe that I had to audition and then pay for.  These were great experiences, training, and connections for me that I look back on with fond vibrant memories.

There are all types of music camps and summer music program; from musical theater summer stock, song writing workshops, to rock-n-roll boot-camps.  Find the right thing for yourself and go for it.  Many times, there are scholarships available for those with need.

There is nothing like doing music every day with others around you.  These programs tend to be in cool or beautiful settings as well, which heightens the experience.  (So you can walk out into the forest behind the cabins with Voice Lessons To Go on your Ipod and warm-up your voice freely into the red woods!)

Often times you will come out of your program with some sort of tangible copy such as a demo,  or video reel which is a great bonus for you.  These are great things to add to your kit of promotional materials and are expensive to pay for so take advantage of them.  The programs are also important for building your resume.  As a young artist you can add all the teachers you work with into your training experience.

It is so easy with the web to find the right program for you.  Just start Googling.  Here are a couple I found on a fast search:

http://www.thebusinessofsinging.com/sr_resources/topics/summerprograms.htmhttp://www.campresource.com/summer-camps/performing-fine-arts-camps.cfm/music-camps

I hope you young singers fill your summer with music and inspiration!

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

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  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 feedback right away.

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Spring is here which means summer is coming.  May I, as a voice teacher, recommend getting yourself in a bathing suit and going for a swim?  Swimming is the most amazing workout you can get when it comes to targeting the needs of a singer, (OK Yoga is pretty close to it).  Singing opens up the back and develops your low breathing.  You build stamina in your breath and strength in all the right muscles to support a glowing free voice when you swim on a regular basis.

So start off slow, but get in the pool.  Try and do swim three times a week.  Change up your stroke since each one works on different parts of the back.  Back stroke is great at opening and expanding the chest while freestyle does the same for the back.  Breast stroke strengthens and widens the side of your rib cage and lower abdominals.  Couldn’t be better.

Your legs will get stronger which helps you to “grip to the earth” and connect your voice all the way down. Plus of course, swimming will make your body fabulous which will make you more confident on stage and more attractive to your audience!

The beauty of swimming is that the whole time you are strengthening you are also doing the most incredible breathing exercises.  (I emulate some of them on my first volume of Voice Lessons To Go- Vocalize and Breath).  Developing your breathing capacity will strengthen and lengthen your ability to hold notes and keep beautiful lines.  This will give you more control and power as a singer to convey your styling.

Also, swimming is a great body warm up in the morning before you do your singing vocal warm-ups.  After you swim and you go to sing you will find that all your muscles are already alert and working for you from your first note on.

I know it requires getting wet, time, showering after etc… but it is a great thing for your body as a whole and your voice.

I find when I am swimming laps, I often run through music in my head and practice my memorization of lines.  (There’s not much else to do while going back and forth in a pool ).

You will feel GREAT afterwards that’s a guarantee!

Give it a thought!   

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

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  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 feedback right away.

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UGHHHHH….Pathos….You feel it in your bones when they relay their pain to you on stage.  How can you be someone who does that?  The conveyor of depth and raw emotion.  How can you make it real for your audience?  Maria Callas is my Idol for this.  She moves me theatrically more then anyone I have ever heard.

Take a moment and watch her perform this aria Vissi D’arte from Verdi’s Tosca.  The first moment you see her, before she has even opened her mouth to sing, you know that she is consumed with the emotion of the character.  You can’t even imagine that she is a character and not just unlocking her true self in front of the audience.  She is so vulnerable in her expression.  She is the ultimate conveyor of Pathos.

How can you learn from her?  Well what she was Raw.  Raw in her emotion, no matter what your genre of singing that is something you should try and tap into.  Whether you are singing about love, bliss, or heart ache.

Maria Callas was a Genius performer and could make anyone feel her Pathos within seconds of seeing her face.  Please enjoy Callas and learn from from her:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZXwz0gj5fY

Pathos is a term from Greek mythology.  As quoted from wikipedia “Pathos is often associated with emotional appeal. But a better equivalent might be appeal to the audience’s sympathies and imagination. An appeal to pathos causes an audience not just to respond emotionally but to identify with the writer’s point of view – to feel what the writer feels. In this sense, pathos evokes a meaning implicit in the verb ‘to suffer’ – to feel pain imaginatively. Perhaps the most common way of conveying a pathetic appeal is through narrative or story, which can turn the abstractions of logic into something palpable and present. The values, beliefs, and understandings of the writer are implicit in the story and conveyed imaginatively to the reader. Pathos thus refers to both the emotional and the imaginative impact of the message on an audience, the power with which the writer’s message moves the audience to decision or action.”

For more in depth study of the term Pathos please check out:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathos

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

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  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 feedback right away.

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So you can sing, you love to sing, perform, be on stage and you have talent.  Now what?  What type of music should you be singing?  What is your range?  If you are facing these questions for the first time, they can be tough ones that you may have to live with once you make them so really think them out.

As much as I would like to think that everyone can sing everything: pop, country, rock, opera, jazz etc….  I don’t.  I believe that we are all probably suited for specific styles more than others.  But, sometimes there is a clear choice that has to be made at a young age concerning what direction you are going to take your voice and that can be difficult.

I’ll give you my own story for example.  I was a girl with the biggest voice of the group from the youngest age you can imagine.  I have been told that when I was at a birthday party at age 5 and all the kids were singing Happy Birthday (myself included), all the parents just stared at me because of how much my voice was different and developed compared to the other kids.

I had an “adult” voice at a very young age.  And by adult I mean full vibrato and mature sounding.  But you couldn’t tell at age 5 that I was suited for Opera.  I could sing everything well throughout my childhood that was on the radio, (I remember a mean “Stop in the Name of Love” I used to do for anyone who would listen). I had a great belt voice as well (not that I understood what it was).

So I was always singing because I loved it.  Volunteering to stand up and sing at school, from my elementary days on.  I also would help lead religious services every time I could.  I craved it and couldn’t wait to do it.  I felt most at home when I was singing.  Not just singing by myself, but leading song, and singing for an audience and an event.

So how again, did I pick my genre?  Well, it was kind of faith for me.  My 7th grade choir teacher told my parents I was full of talent and should take voice lessons.  So I did from her.  She happened to have been an Opera Singer trained at Julliard.  (How I happened upon this in my suburban town is really amazing, talk about fate). I could take all her vocalizes up as high as her, and sounded like a young version of her.  And there it was.  I was an Opera singer.

Had my first voice teacher been a Broadway, pop, rock or Jazz artist I may have gone another direction.

Opera worked for me.  I loved it and was good at it.  But there were somethings about opera that were not so satisfying.  First of all no one really knew anything about Opera, or had much interest in it.  That was always hard for me.  There is also an audience connect that you get from being a rock singer on a stage that you can’t achieve in Opera.  Also, as a creative person I was not satisfied.  Since Opera is about singing things perfectly and not writing your own thoughts and emotions into a song.

Outside of that, I loved Opera and was highly respected for pursuing the art form of it since it takes so much education and discipline.- And that “admiration” of my craft, whether people understood it or not, was always fun.

So that was my story.

So what about you?  How do you decide?  Will you have regrets on the decision you make in the future? -Probably some it may never be the perfect decision, but you can try and make the “best” decision.

Some things to consider when choosing your vocal genre:

Try and really listen to your sound and think about what kind of music is exciting to you.   And what kind of music will be exciting to you long term.

The window to “make it” as a pop, rock, or rap singer is specifically for the young while an opera or Jazz artist has more time.

Classical music takes a lot of expensive education.  With no guarantee of success at the end.

Who are you as a singer?

Are you a song writer who has something to say when you pick up your guitar or play the piano.

Do you feel most connected to music when you are singing through something religious?

Do you love to strive for perfection on a classical art form?

Does there need to be acting involved such as Broadway style for you to be satisfied?

Do you like to scream (rock singer).

Get some good opinions from people you trust.  I’d be happy to give you mine through my service Your Vocal Assessment.  Also, you can record yourself singing a few different genres you are considering and listen back.  Does one stand out to you or your family as fitting perfectly.  Are you the next Disney ingenue?

Just some things to think about for you.

Sing well people!- and don’t forget to warm up!

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

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  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 feedback right away.

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

As I have watched American Idol for some added blog inspiration this season, I am really feeling for the singers during their judgement from the panelists.  It brings back a lot of memories for me as a singer when it comes to receiving conflicting advice from your mentors.  It can be extremely confusing to the “green” and even not so “green” singer.  What do you take to heart, what do you learn from, and what do you ignore?

When 4 people are giving you conflicting advice, or even 2 people what do you do?

It is a very hard position to be in as a singer because we want so much to please the people in charge.  We need the job, we want to keep the job, and we have to get the next job.  Think of all the pressure and opinions one singing gig may have:  your teacher, any opposing teachers on your technique, your conductor, your coach, your pianist, your band members, or director, or choreographer, your producer, your agent, your parent, your boyfriend, the music critic, the audience…

Everyone has an opinion on how you should sing and what you should do to make yourself better.  Whether they are talking about your technique, your song choice, your fach (vocal category), your personal style, or your genre of choice.

This is a really tough position to be in.  For example on American Idol last night Randy told Katie Stevens that she was singing perfectly in her R&B genre while Simon Cowell said she was a country singer.  This is a young girl who is very talented who needs to find her way receiving conflicting advice by two highly acclaimed professionals.  How is she supposed to deal with that?

That is a lot of pressure.  All you can do singers is pick a few people to trust who have a great record of experience that you respect and listen to them.  Then take it all in and listen to your gut.  The truth is, it is you standing up there, being judged.  You need to feel 100% true to how you are presenting what you’ve got inside from the truest voice to the most honest emotions conveyed.  You have to be happy with your outfit and your own hair style.  You need to feel connected to your song choice and cozy in your genre selection.

At the end of the day, when the lights come down, the answer is in your gut and instinct. Use a few wise people to help guide you to that true place.  You are the one to receive the acclaim or critique of your performance no matter who told you to do what.  So own your decisions and choices, but make sure you do so with a professional positive attitude.

-I can guarantee you that you will be judged for them.

Sing well people!

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

Want a professional opinion of how you sound?  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 feedback right away.

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

I LOVE receiving and posting your comments.  Please let me know what you think