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.

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