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.

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

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.

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

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.

Follow me on Twitter:  singingvltg

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