No matter how hard you train and prepare, the one factor that you cannot totally control in your singing is your health.  I’m writing this today sick in bed with bronchitis and laryngitis- lovely.  All my students had to be cancelled this week, there is no singing for me, not to mention my energy level… blahh.

My brain is still working though…since it is not quite a head cold, so  I am able to write about it .

This moment reminds me of the MANY times in my life when my health has failed me during a crucial singing moment and all the emotions and pressures that came with those times.  I know I have blogged about these types of things before, but it is a huge part of a singer’s world, psyche, and life.  -And it can be very frustrating if not crazy making.

Since I am not due to be recording or preforming this week, all it is costing me is quite a bit of  my income from my teaching. (Which can be problematic as well- but definitely much more tolerable than dealing with missing important performances or performing mediocre or even badly when the show must go on.)

It really is just something that happens.  For singers, more than any other artist, I believe it is the most difficult, since our performing is a direct result of what is happening in our throats and bodies.

All I can say to this is it is a part of our lives as singers.  We can do our best to stay healthy, save our voices, not yell, use humidifiers, stay hydrated, wash our hands, and stay out of crowds.  But the truth is, sometimes we will just get sick.  And maybe once a year we may just not be able to sing well for a week or two.

Rather than live crazed about this, my advice to all is just to learn to live with it.  Directors, composers, and producers also get sick.  Audiences get sick. They all need to accept that we are not super human.  Sometimes we have to cancel, step out, or just say no.  Do it respectfully, and hopefully not too often, and let it go.  Don’t spend your time feeling guilty or pressured by it.  It is part of what you signed up for – using your body for  a career.  And it is a risk that anyone who hires you has to take.  That is why they invented the understudy.

There will be moments that are crucial that your voice will just not be there for you in life.  And it will be very hard to accept.  But it is all a part of the journey.  Whether it is  a MET final, an American Idol performance, or your senior recital, there are always health risks that can be devastating in a moment of opportunity.

The odds are always in your favor though.  We tend to be healthy most of the time.  Enjoy those moments and sing gloriously through them.

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

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I was thrown into an improvisatory singing situation last week that I was not prepared for, or familiar with.

A friend of mine surprised a group of us last week with a drum circle.  We were all there to celebrate her birthday and she had hired these women to come in with lots of drums for us to play together. How neat…

It was of course very interesting.  I was enjoying being a part of this circle and looking forward to the leaders she hired running it, but they were not singers.  I guess in a drum circle it is the time in which to have someone lead chants and singing while everyone drums.

So my friend, the birthday girl, said to me in the middle of the beat, “You sing Ariella, you lead us”.  (Of course this opera-singing voice teacher was totally trained to pull out an American-Indian style chant to lead in front of 10 women hat she did not know, right…? ha ha)

So as I always try to sing when asked, I did, (not warmed up or prepared in any way).

It was very uncomfortable for me.  First of all I had to lead all these women in a “repeat after me type of thing”, so I started with some “tribally” chest voice sounds.  I was completely out of my element and extremely uncomfortable with the imposed improv.  Everyone was relieved that I was doing it (since no one else wanted to).  I personally had not improvised melody in front of people like that for MANY years and was quite jarred by the experience.

So then I stopped at some point and we kept on drumming.  I was hoping someone would take over, but no one did.  So we kept drumming and it became clear to me that I should continue with my leading.  This time, I dropped the whole repeat after me concept and went into my head voice where I am most comfortable and just improvised melody- still “a la” tribal/opera (if there is such a thing).

I really sang out, sang high, and improvised right in front of all these women.

Needless to say it was quite an experience for me.

Kind of horrible, but invigorating as well.

What was horrible about it was that I was not AT ALL in my comfort zone and felt a lot of pressure.  The improviser in me, who was quite free in her guitar playing high school days, was all pent up.  I knew I had the ability to really let go and have a spiritually freeing musical experience, but I had to fight a huge battle within myself to get through it and look casual doing so.

The invigorating thing about it was that I let go.  I felt like a linebacker running through the pack, but I did it.  I got that voice out and free.

I’m not sure if I felt sick, or charged after all of it.  But what I do know is that in music as singers, we don’t always have opportunities to be creative. (If you are writing your own songs for a band it is one thing), but if you are singing opera or musical theater, you cannot often just break out into your own melody on stage as you feel it.  It is really a wonderful thing to get to do when you are tapped into it on a regular basis.  It takes a lot of trust.

I invite you to try some improv for fun, or for some challenge.  It helps to free you no matter if you enjoy the process or not.  Whether it be singing or even acting.  I can only imagine how good it is for your brain to be “in the grey”, (as they used to call it in my comic, improv days).

And no matter what it will help you on stage, because unplanned things always happen.  And you need to react appropriately to them.

It was good for me in an awful way, that drum circle.

Ah, the life of a singer.

Ariella Vaccarino

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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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http://www.youtube.com/voicelessonstogo

Listen to my weekly podcasts on iTunes:

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We as singers will ALL encounter people that do NOT like us in our business.  Even worse we will ALL encounter bad people in our singing business who will try to sabotage our careers; tell us the wrong call times, spread nasty rumors to directors about us, give us the worst songs to sing, the latest time slots for auditions, say mean things to us before we have to perform or even worse- during performing(I have a horrible story for that one which I’ll tell in a bit).

This point of this blog is this:

We will ALL encounter people who do NOT like us in our business, bad people even.

(Did she just say that again?)- Yes, I did.  I want it to sink in.  As soon as you accept it as a part of your singing career the easier it will be for you NOT to allow these people to cripple you emotionally when they cross your path.

They are probably unhappy people who feel threatened by what you have going on.  So take it as a compliment.  If you are threatening them with your talent, you must be good.

There is not too much for me to say here.  It is just a warning or reminder about the people you will be encountering along your path.  Try and divorce yourself from the drama of it.  Let them be the drama, you be the professional.

As for the story regarding having bad people say bad things to me WHILE performing.  I was in a show years ago, and one of the characters did not like me because I was offended by the graphic statements he  used to say all the time in rehearsal and had told him, (I was 16 doing the rest of the cast was much older).  Perhaps I was a bit to righteous at that age, but I thought it was ok to stand up for yourself, as long as you were polite about it.

Anyway, he went from loving me, to HATING me (amazing how some people can turn so fast like that).  He decided in a very immature way to remind me regularly how much her HATED me.  We had a table scene in our show where we would all sit and eat and sing our respective lines and then freeze.  While frozen he would quietly say AWEFUL things to me while looking at me every night.  Then he would continue his lines to the audience then freeze and say terrible things to me again while staring at me with a smile.  It was unbelievably awful as I think of it now.   The whole show for me was extremely difficult because of him.  Once he decided not to like me, he made sure to tell everyone bad things about me.  -A nice cozy warm loving experience it WAS NOT for me.

The sad truth is, I lost it one night back stage after all the abuse.  I screamed that I hated him on the top of my lungs and kicked him with all my might in his butt like a psycho.  My shoes were very soft china doll shoes and as a result, I BROKE MY TOE!!!!  Right there in between acts.  I never let on to anyone fear my pride- the pain was insane.  I continued the run with a broken toe still being verbally abused every show.

I was never hired by that organization again because of him.

All very unfair.  He was a complete jerk, (talented though).

But you know what?  There really should be no surprise.  I encountered people like him over and over again throughout my career.  They are always out there.  Just be strong, remove yourself from all of the drama.  Be a professional.

Make friends outside of your career so that you have people to talk to.  Don’t be surprised by the bad people, be prepared for them!

Now heads up, and sing well!

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.

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http://www.youtube.com/voicelessonstogo

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I probably talk about it a lot.  But it is a huge issue with our business.  The singing business.  You just want to get on the stage and sing your heart out, I know.  I was the same, I just wanted the job so I could work hard and sing my best for people- no politics.  Unfortunately, the steps to get there can be quite ugly.  It is very hard to avoid the yuck, as hard as you may try.

I am inspired to write this after a lesson I had last week a student of mine who is fabulous.  She is 11 years old and is truly an insanely good little singer.  Not only can she sing, she is professional and way beyond the normal maturity of an 11 year old girl- a thrill to teach.  (every voice teacher should be blessed with one of these in their studio).

She is a working singer.  Meaning she is regularly getting gigs and being paid to perform which I think is amazing at her age.  Unfortunately, she is all ready at this young age being put into a lot of yucky situations.  And I feel for her.  Because, I too experienced very similar yuck in my own singing career all to often.

I don’t want to get into the details of her situation, but essentially she was banned from an audition which she definitely was made to be cast in  because of some disgruntled person who took something she did negatively a few years ago and spread their dislike and and contempt for her in a poisonous way to to her people in the industry.  As a result she was turned down for an audition by a director who NEVER EVEN MET HER.  That’s right, turned down to be heard for an audition (she is 11), not turned down for the part after being heard at the audition.

This to me is unbelievably disgusting.  To black list an 11 year old girl from hearsay is so sad.   Her resume is huge, she has since then been requested to fly out for a BROADWAY audition because she is so good and professional, but yet, this director who never met her, won’t see her because of hearsay.

But you know what?  It does not surprise me.  This singing professional is filled with stories like this.  There is an ugliness, (or for this blog) YUCK , that will not go away, no matter how hard you try to be nice, do your job, and show up with a smile.  There is always someone who you will cross who will not like you and will spread poisonous words about you.

It is a small business in the sense that so many people know each other.  As a result a simple ugly incident with one person can spread like a flame onto your reputation for many to hear and judge you about for years to follow, without you ever being able to explain your side of the story.

Ahhhh, you may be thinking, Ariella is so dismal today, where is the hope if this is so true?

The hope my readers/singers, is inside you.  Know who you are.  Know why you sing.  Sing for yourself. Find joy in what you are doing outside of what others think.  There are absolutely breaks to be had and wonderful experiences to enjoy in this singing business.  But the dark side is there Jedis (really geeky I know), you need to face it and know what it is so that you are not caught off guard when it hits.  Be prepared.

This student of mine is amazing, she is able to just push a ahead.  She is in New York right now to audition for a Broadway show.  Who knows if she will get it but what an opportunity for an 11 year old.  And on the bright side and something to hold on to, is that her Broadway audition was given to her for the same reason that the other audition wasn’t, it was hearsay from another director who loved her and recommended her. So just goes to show you.  How crazy this business can be.

I wish I could put a glass bubble around all you singers to protect you from the ugliness in this business and allow you to just sing. Unfortunately, I can’t, but you can.  Here’s an older blog I wrote on that subject for further insight:

http://voicelessonstogo.com/blog/singers-build-a-magic-bubble-seal-it-tight-make-sure-your-inside-singing-can-hurt-the-ego

Be strong singers.  Know who you are.  Try and stay neutral, you never know which one you meet may turn out NOT to be your friend.

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.

Check out my instructional videos on my YOUTUBE Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/voicelessonstogo

Listen to my Weekly Podcasts on Itunes:

My Itunes Podcast

Friend me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/voicelessonstogo

Follow me on twitter:

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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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I’ve blogged a lot about vocal health, how to take care of your voice, what to do if you are sick, when not to sing etc…  But then there is a certain reality, sometimes you have to sing anyway, whether your voice is healthy or not and that is what happened to Paige Miles, and due to that unlucky course of events, she has been voted off the show.  Unfortunately, everyone has short term memory in show business.

She started off the show strong with Simon Cowell telling her she had the best voice of the bunch.  Two weeks ago she got laryngitis.  Now just imagine this.  You are there for a chance of a lifetime and you laryngitis.  Under any other point in her life she would have been commanded to vocal rest by a doctor so that her chords could heal and recover properly.  This really takes a couple of weeks with laryngitis.

But, due to the circumstance she had to produce, this was her opportunity and moment, she had to sing. She probably was under doctors care and had some sort of steroid shot to get through her performance, (I’ve had to have that done).  I will tell you from personal experience, that it can get you through an important sing but you don’t get 100% out and it takes much longer to recover your voice long term then it would have without it.

Considering all that, I think she was able to do quite well last week.  But, unfortunately she paid for it with her voice this week.  It was so unstable and off.  Her poor chords sounded pretty fragile and abused.  They were just not “themselves”.

And sadly, she had to be judged anyway- “the show must go on”, as they say.  Everybody just judged her pitchy voice and was forgetting what they were going through.  Very sad for her.  It was just a stroke of bad luck, and sadly that happens in life.  You break your leg before a sports event, get sick on vacation, or laryngitis on American Idol- luck is just luck good or bad.

I just wish they could have given her more credit and have been clearer about why her voice was not producing.  They gave her compassion for her voice when she sang well the week before with the laryngitis, but acted like there was no excuse this week, 1 week later.

People always support you when you do well through a tough period, but sometimes things are tough and you can’t do well.  I am frustrated that they don’t have someone on that panel standing up for the “voice”.  You’ll find that the “people in charge” just want you to sing well, no excuses, not even the excuse of laryngitus. Excuses, to them are problem people- no matter the circumstance, no matter how unfair.

This business is tough and can be pretty ugly sometimes.   Thank God the singing can be so satisfying to balance it out.   Get yourselves a good support team around you of family and friends.  Be strong Paige Miles you are very talented.

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

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