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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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!

Looking for some professional feedback on your own singing?  Sign up for my Vocal Assessment.  Send me a link to your voice with your questions and I will get back to you right away.

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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!

Want to test your voice out on an unbiased empathetic professional?  Sign up for my Your Vocal Assessment where you send me a link or mp3 of your voice with your questions, and I get back to you right away with my assessment.

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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.

Ooohh, this is an awkward one.  Have you ever been put into a production or performance with people who just weren’t as strong as you were; whether it was their vocal technique, volume, acting skills, or musicianship?  I have and it is not ideal.  Unfortunately, it does tend to bring down the level of the production which can bring down your own performance.

My advice on this one, have a great attitude, befriend your comrade and try and help them out as much as you can.  Offer yourself up for extra rehearsals or to run lyrics.  As long as that person is trying, it is not their fault that there talent or skill set does not match yours.  Be a pro, take them under your wing.   As a result you will help the performance and people will feel your kindness if they see you holding up your fellow performers.

Be proud of your production what ever level it is.  It is hard to get work as a singer and everyone has to start somewhere.     You never know what may be your “break”, so treat every performance with respect and professionalism.

And remember, you may find yourself in the opposite situation at some point.  So spread that good Karma so it comes back around.  With positive reinforcement, you may be surprised as to how much you can pull up another singer.

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

Need some professional feedback on your singing voice?  Sign up for Your Vocal Assessment on my site. Send me a link to or mp3 of your voice with your questions and I will promptly give you an assessment.

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It is one thing to sing  your line to a piano part or to a CD.  Often when we sing to other music we are able to sing freer because we can loose our inhibitions somewhat in the accompaniment, but we can also be using the accompaniment as a crutch for our ear…

I was hit by this the other day when I was at a rehearsal for an upcoming concert of new music.  The piece I am singing is new to my voice and I have been learning it by playing the piano part of the voice out on the piano and singing to it.  Since the piece was so new I hadn’t had much time to look at the orchestration to see what everyone else was going to be playing while I was to be singing my line.

I really felt insecure on my part at the rehearsal.  My vocal line was no where to be heard except coming out of my mouth.  Nothing in the accompaniment played or really supported my part.  My part had been written like one of the instruments in the chamber ensemble, standing completely on its own like the flute, violin, or viola.

I hadn’t sung something like this in a while and honestly I had forgotten to prepare correctly for it.  Often I am singing to orchestration or piano accompaniment that is supporting my voice part, playing predictable chords underneath and giving me a real cushion to the melody.

I was able to pull off the rehearsal, but I was not secure on my line.  I immediately came home and “re-practiced” the piece singing out my lines acapella and playing the piano parts of the other instruments learning their cues. It was not a completely pitch centered line when I first started and I kept having to check my starting notes, but after a bit, I was prepared.

So don’t forget, not only should you learn your music with accompaniment,  you should turn off the accompaniment and sing through your lines making sure that you are secure on your intervals in your phrases and your starting notes on new ones.  This will give your line more beauty as you are more confident to sing them correctly without any sort of crutch.  (I forgot to head my own advice on this one, but I am glad I got through it so I can be prepared better next rehearsal, and hoping help you all avoid the same situation!)

A practiced singer is a professional one!

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

Want to find out what you need to work on before your next audition? Sign up for my Your Vocal Assessment, where you send me a link or mp3 to your voice with your questions and I get back to you with my professional feedback right away.

www.voicelessonstogo.com

www.voicelessonstogo.com

The Importance of being a physically fit singer.

While you all know the importance of healthy singing warm ups like Voice Lessons TO GO, and building stamina vocally in a regular practice schedule for your singing, it is also important to keep our bodies in good physical shape as singers.  This is for a variety of reasons:

1. The obvious, you will look better and be more attractive to people you want to be hiring, casting and booking you.  This will also give you more confidence when you step out in front of people which we could all use to get us through performing.

2. The stronger you are in your body the more stamina you will have as a singer.  The stronger your legs are to support your abdominal muscles which support your laryngal muscles, the freer your vocal mechanism will be to create beautiful flowing sounds without strain, or fatigue.

3.  You never know what you may be asked to do while singing on stage, whether it be dancing, walking around a set (up and down stairs), jumping around in a band etc…  The stronger, and healthier you are as a person the easier you will find it to do these things as a singer. – I saw The Pussy Cat Dolls in concert and was absolutely amazed at the shape they were in.  They were practically doing cardio aerobics the whole concert in their damce moves as they sang and never once did they sound out of breath.  There are few singers that can claim that.  Whether you like their music or not, the fact that these women were not lipsinking and still singing well through all of there moves was crazy amazing.

4. Breath Control-  Doing cardio such as swimming, increases your breathing stamina which is so important in good singing.  In other words as you increase your breath support you will be able to sustain notes and phrases longer.  Taking less breaths during phrases will give you more control over your choices in singing lines and will make you sound more professional. (another reason not to smoke as a singer)

So think about it this year as you follow through with your new years resolutions.  If you are serious about singing, here is one more reason to tend to your physical body and get in shape.  Your breath support will thank you!!

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

www.voicelessonstogo.com

The more professional you come off, the more of a good impression you will make as a singer and performer.  One thing you can do for yourself as a singer is to get yourself organized by creating a polished Repertoire Folder.

Top 10 tips when creating a singing repertoire folder.

1. Your Repertoire folder should be a nondescript plain three ring binder filled with the sheet music of your top songs for auditions and performances.  You can also include a CD with pre-recorded accompaniment if appropriate (say you sing to a rock band).

2. Have a table of contents listing your pieces and their composers.  You may also include song length for reference.

3. Have your sheet music put in front to back with the pages taped together so that the pianist can easily get through your songs with as little page turns as possible.   Some people go as far as to slide their music in plastic protective sheets, I actually do not recommend that because you risk having a glare on the music from whatever lights are provided for your piano.  Make sure your copies are fresh and well printed on a nice paper stock.

4.  Have tabs labeling and separating each piece for easy access.

5.  If appropriate, print the lyrics on a sole page and have that placed before each corresponding piece.  This is great for quick review when sitting at an audition.  Also, you can pull out just the lyric page to sing from for reference if your piece is not yet memorized leaving the sheet music free for the pianist.

6.  If your piece is in a foreign language, your lyric page should include three lines.

1. Lyrics

2. under the lyrics write the  I P A, or pronunciation of the foreign language  written out so you can     read it like english.  Example- Baccio in italian would be written Bach-oh, (break up the syllables as well for an easier read)

3. the actual English.- make sure that you write out the exact English word under the foreign text, not just English lyrics that may have been written to fit the piece.

7. Label the inside of the folder with your name and contact info if you leave it somewhere.  You do not want to put any labels or words on the outside of the folder.  If you are holding the folder when singing you don’t want people finding themselves straining to read what it may say and thus be distrated from your performance.

8. Have a few copies of your picture and resume in the pockets.

9. Make sure to have your top three songs that are ready to go placed first in your book.  These should be memorized and consist of a ballad, an uptempo , and a wild card selection.

10.  Finally, have this book on you at all times.  (Having two is not the worst idea.)  If there is one always in your car or music bag, there will never be an excuse to miss a singing opportunity.  -We never know when these singing they will find us and what they will bring us!

Sing well!

written by:

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

www.voicelessonstogo.com