I will be teaching a ONE DAY WORKSHOP in NYC
THE ACTORS VOICE
CnCStudios, with Jagger Kaye
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 11th, 2010
1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
only $49!!
Here's the link - registering NOW!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
One Voice Lesson and You are Ready for What?
Wednesday musings...
Why is the discipline of voice often disregarded?
Would it occur to you that an hour in the dance studio would make you a dancer? Or an hour in acting school would make you a Shakespearean classical actor?
Then why would one assume you would only need ONE voice lesson and be ready to take on the business? Or never studying and expecting within a month to be ready to audition for a major international show?
These are some of the "interesting" experiences and questions as a singer and as a voice teacher we are often faced with.
One voice lesson isn't going to make you proficient. Many years of study doesn't necessarily make you a singer either - but that's ANOTHER blog!
Voice study and development doesn't just happen. Vocal ability isn't a trick. Technique is not a circus act nor a party trick.
As my husband has always said "Can you summon your talent at will?"
No matter WHAT your discipline - your talent is a raw energy that needs harnessing. That is discipline and craft. One hour of study does not create discipline or craft. One hour of study does not "make" anything.
If you believe one voice lesson is all you need - then I suggest you give your head a hard shake and perhaps find a job that you can learn in an hour. Whatever that might be.
Real vocal discipline isn't a quick fix, or a band aid, or a trick, or a delusion. Real craft is about time, and dedication, and practice, and discipline and research, and attention and consistency of study and practice.
So, now that we have established that you will not learn to sing in one lesson - what WILL you learn? What COULD you find in that hour?
You MIGHT learn, in that hour, whether you can work with with the teacher you stand in front of. Trust your gut. You MIGHT learn you are not going to get it all in an hour. You MIGHT learn there is a myriad of muscular and athletic components to your instrument that need time and development. You MIGHT learn what needs to be addressed FIRST for your instrument. You MIGHT learn what needs to be focused on primarily, not what will be the final result.
"I want to be a singer" might simply be met with "Great, let's introduce you to the beginning of a singer's body".
"I have to learn to sing" might simply be met with "Do you WANT to sing?"
That first hour might be a simple INTRODUCTION to a POSSIBILITY. You MAY begin to realize that this is truly something that excites you and you want to pursue it; You may begin to realize that singing is not a trick and it may take more time than you thought; You may begin to realize that it is way too much discipline than you are willing or able to give it; You may begin to realize that your goals may take a little more time and effort than you thought.
Whatever your realizations in that initial hour (and I hope you have some!) there should be realizations!
Either you are ready, able, willing to dedicate yourself to this discipline or you are not. Either you are ready to make the commitment and the step to explore your singing voice and the craft of singing, or you are not. There is no gray or shading here. You either DO it or you DO NOT.
In that first hour - you MIGHT discover that there is work to be done! You should have a sense of what you need to begin with, how to initiate it, what it will do and how it will benefit. You should know WHY these things are important and WHAT it will do.
In that first hour - you and the teacher you stand in front of, MIGHT begin to discover vocabulary and what you know and what you do not know. What your organic language seems to be; What your physicality is able to do initially and what it might be able to discover over time and discipline.
The art of singing is a discovery and honing of craft that is athletic, organic, physical, acoustic, and places demands on all levels of understanding and all levels of intelligence. You will not find all of this in a hour, or a day, or a week. In that first hour, it may be revealed to you that this discovery takes experience, time and attention!
In that first hour - you might get a sense of POSSIBILITY. With time, discipline, patience, dedication and practice, what might I find about ME? about the craft of singing as it pertains to my physicality, my athleticism, my instrument?
In that first hour - you might get a sense of RESPONSIBILITY. What is yours? What is the teacher's?
In that first hour - you might recognize there are issues to work out before the building of the voice can begin;
In that first hour - you simply might have walked in thinking you were going to be told how to sing, and now discover you are humbled and NEED to LEARN how to sing!
If you walk away from that hour energized and humbled, excited and inspired - then yes, begin that journey of discovery and see what your voice reveals as you begin the discipline of voice.
If you walk away from that hour thinking you don't need anything more - then you sadly just weren't listening. And no, you still are not a singer. You have not achieved a trick, a discipline, a craft nor an artistry. You just wasted that hour.
Discipline of craft - singing, dancing, acting - EVEN LIFE - shows us that the more we study, the more we discover, the more we develop the more we realize that there is so much MORE to learn!
If you don't take that discipline into EACH aspect of your life - you will waste a lot more than an hour...
Why is the discipline of voice often disregarded?
Would it occur to you that an hour in the dance studio would make you a dancer? Or an hour in acting school would make you a Shakespearean classical actor?
Then why would one assume you would only need ONE voice lesson and be ready to take on the business? Or never studying and expecting within a month to be ready to audition for a major international show?
These are some of the "interesting" experiences and questions as a singer and as a voice teacher we are often faced with.
One voice lesson isn't going to make you proficient. Many years of study doesn't necessarily make you a singer either - but that's ANOTHER blog!
Voice study and development doesn't just happen. Vocal ability isn't a trick. Technique is not a circus act nor a party trick.
As my husband has always said "Can you summon your talent at will?"
No matter WHAT your discipline - your talent is a raw energy that needs harnessing. That is discipline and craft. One hour of study does not create discipline or craft. One hour of study does not "make" anything.
If you believe one voice lesson is all you need - then I suggest you give your head a hard shake and perhaps find a job that you can learn in an hour. Whatever that might be.
Real vocal discipline isn't a quick fix, or a band aid, or a trick, or a delusion. Real craft is about time, and dedication, and practice, and discipline and research, and attention and consistency of study and practice.
So, now that we have established that you will not learn to sing in one lesson - what WILL you learn? What COULD you find in that hour?
You MIGHT learn, in that hour, whether you can work with with the teacher you stand in front of. Trust your gut. You MIGHT learn you are not going to get it all in an hour. You MIGHT learn there is a myriad of muscular and athletic components to your instrument that need time and development. You MIGHT learn what needs to be addressed FIRST for your instrument. You MIGHT learn what needs to be focused on primarily, not what will be the final result.
"I want to be a singer" might simply be met with "Great, let's introduce you to the beginning of a singer's body".
"I have to learn to sing" might simply be met with "Do you WANT to sing?"
That first hour might be a simple INTRODUCTION to a POSSIBILITY. You MAY begin to realize that this is truly something that excites you and you want to pursue it; You may begin to realize that singing is not a trick and it may take more time than you thought; You may begin to realize that it is way too much discipline than you are willing or able to give it; You may begin to realize that your goals may take a little more time and effort than you thought.
Whatever your realizations in that initial hour (and I hope you have some!) there should be realizations!
Either you are ready, able, willing to dedicate yourself to this discipline or you are not. Either you are ready to make the commitment and the step to explore your singing voice and the craft of singing, or you are not. There is no gray or shading here. You either DO it or you DO NOT.
In that first hour - you MIGHT discover that there is work to be done! You should have a sense of what you need to begin with, how to initiate it, what it will do and how it will benefit. You should know WHY these things are important and WHAT it will do.
In that first hour - you and the teacher you stand in front of, MIGHT begin to discover vocabulary and what you know and what you do not know. What your organic language seems to be; What your physicality is able to do initially and what it might be able to discover over time and discipline.
The art of singing is a discovery and honing of craft that is athletic, organic, physical, acoustic, and places demands on all levels of understanding and all levels of intelligence. You will not find all of this in a hour, or a day, or a week. In that first hour, it may be revealed to you that this discovery takes experience, time and attention!
In that first hour - you might get a sense of POSSIBILITY. With time, discipline, patience, dedication and practice, what might I find about ME? about the craft of singing as it pertains to my physicality, my athleticism, my instrument?
In that first hour - you might get a sense of RESPONSIBILITY. What is yours? What is the teacher's?
In that first hour - you might recognize there are issues to work out before the building of the voice can begin;
In that first hour - you simply might have walked in thinking you were going to be told how to sing, and now discover you are humbled and NEED to LEARN how to sing!
If you walk away from that hour energized and humbled, excited and inspired - then yes, begin that journey of discovery and see what your voice reveals as you begin the discipline of voice.
If you walk away from that hour thinking you don't need anything more - then you sadly just weren't listening. And no, you still are not a singer. You have not achieved a trick, a discipline, a craft nor an artistry. You just wasted that hour.
Discipline of craft - singing, dancing, acting - EVEN LIFE - shows us that the more we study, the more we discover, the more we develop the more we realize that there is so much MORE to learn!
If you don't take that discipline into EACH aspect of your life - you will waste a lot more than an hour...
Friday, August 6, 2010
The Irony of Getting a Job!
Friday musings...
Discussion with a singer yesterday who is ready to rejoin a tour got me thinking...
The irony of working in the business, is how do you keep your creativity alive when you DO get a job?
We work on craft, on discipline, on technique in all aspects of what is required of us as a working artist. Then we get work. Now what?
It is so easy when we book that show or that tour to fall into the complacency of "going to work" every day. Or in some cases, twice or even (god forbid) 3 times a day!!!
As artists, it is even more important once we have booked a show and are working regularly to keep the creativity and study and the discovery alive!!!
I see too often artists/performers who, once booked, don't study regularly or discover regularly.
This is so sad.
It is even more important to keep your craft vivid and your muscles active while working.
It's like going to the gym: you start doing the same thing day after day for too long, and after awhile, your body just gets used to it and there is no growth/development or change.
Our artistic life and our technical behavior life is the same.
We work to be able to sing/act/dance the roles we are hired to do. If that is ALL we do, we get stuck. There is no growth.
If you are in a city that allows you an opportunity to stretch your voice with a teacher - DO IT. Even if it's not every week, it is so crucial to work with a professional REGULARLY in order to make sure you aren't falling into bad habits by repetition and fatigue.
Are you discovering the other passions in your life while you work? Are you reading? Going to museums or galleries? Are you writing? Are you listening to music outside of the realm you are performing? Are you stretching your creative muscles by cooking or tasting? By painting or drawing? By writing songs? What passions and creative outlets are you ALLOWING for yourself WHILE you work and create a character night after night?
Are you looking after your physical instrument? Do you claim the gym or yoga or pilates or martial arts or a dance class for fun or something to keep your body strong?
Are you looking after and feeding your spiritual instrument? Your emotional instrument?
ALL aspects of you need to be fed, as you feed your job of creating a character for others.
If you are on the road and changing locations frequently, you need to be creative in discovering your creativity!!! You need to bring your creative outlets with you and find ways to explore the artistic-ness of the places you visit. Get out of your comfort zone and see what's out there - and who!!
As a singer, do you have your teacher with you? What do I mean? Do you have practice CDs or recordings so you hear your teacher's voice and work with her/him via recording? Do you stay in touch with them via email/skype/ichat while on the road to keep you fresh?
Do you have creative ways of keeping your space YOURS while on the road? Do you bring with you those things that give you comfort, give you energy, give you grounding? Do you bring "home" with you?
Do you allow time for yourself each day to create? To breathe? To stretch? To sing because you WANT to and NEED to, not because it's a job and you HAVE to?
Do not let the job get in the way of your creative spirit!! That spirit needs nurturing each day in order for you to feel as if you infuse your job with integrity. Do not assume that just because you are working that is enough.
Journal, write, read, sing, stretch, laugh, taste, smell - keep studying!!! Keep re-studying! Keep realizing! Keep discovering and growing!!!
Do not allow the JOB to stop you from being a developing artist!!! It is more important NOW than ever to discover what else you can DO so when the "next" reveals itself, you are READY.
Discussion with a singer yesterday who is ready to rejoin a tour got me thinking...
The irony of working in the business, is how do you keep your creativity alive when you DO get a job?
We work on craft, on discipline, on technique in all aspects of what is required of us as a working artist. Then we get work. Now what?
It is so easy when we book that show or that tour to fall into the complacency of "going to work" every day. Or in some cases, twice or even (god forbid) 3 times a day!!!
As artists, it is even more important once we have booked a show and are working regularly to keep the creativity and study and the discovery alive!!!
I see too often artists/performers who, once booked, don't study regularly or discover regularly.
This is so sad.
It is even more important to keep your craft vivid and your muscles active while working.
It's like going to the gym: you start doing the same thing day after day for too long, and after awhile, your body just gets used to it and there is no growth/development or change.
Our artistic life and our technical behavior life is the same.
We work to be able to sing/act/dance the roles we are hired to do. If that is ALL we do, we get stuck. There is no growth.
If you are in a city that allows you an opportunity to stretch your voice with a teacher - DO IT. Even if it's not every week, it is so crucial to work with a professional REGULARLY in order to make sure you aren't falling into bad habits by repetition and fatigue.
Are you discovering the other passions in your life while you work? Are you reading? Going to museums or galleries? Are you writing? Are you listening to music outside of the realm you are performing? Are you stretching your creative muscles by cooking or tasting? By painting or drawing? By writing songs? What passions and creative outlets are you ALLOWING for yourself WHILE you work and create a character night after night?
Are you looking after your physical instrument? Do you claim the gym or yoga or pilates or martial arts or a dance class for fun or something to keep your body strong?
Are you looking after and feeding your spiritual instrument? Your emotional instrument?
ALL aspects of you need to be fed, as you feed your job of creating a character for others.
If you are on the road and changing locations frequently, you need to be creative in discovering your creativity!!! You need to bring your creative outlets with you and find ways to explore the artistic-ness of the places you visit. Get out of your comfort zone and see what's out there - and who!!
As a singer, do you have your teacher with you? What do I mean? Do you have practice CDs or recordings so you hear your teacher's voice and work with her/him via recording? Do you stay in touch with them via email/skype/ichat while on the road to keep you fresh?
Do you have creative ways of keeping your space YOURS while on the road? Do you bring with you those things that give you comfort, give you energy, give you grounding? Do you bring "home" with you?
Do you allow time for yourself each day to create? To breathe? To stretch? To sing because you WANT to and NEED to, not because it's a job and you HAVE to?
Do not let the job get in the way of your creative spirit!! That spirit needs nurturing each day in order for you to feel as if you infuse your job with integrity. Do not assume that just because you are working that is enough.
Journal, write, read, sing, stretch, laugh, taste, smell - keep studying!!! Keep re-studying! Keep realizing! Keep discovering and growing!!!
Do not allow the JOB to stop you from being a developing artist!!! It is more important NOW than ever to discover what else you can DO so when the "next" reveals itself, you are READY.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Attire for MEN! Audition/Masterclass/Performance OH MY!
okay boys - here it comes!!!
What do you wear for that audition?!??! For that performance?!?!?
There are some marvellous sites about formal attire for men - the history, the etiquette, the explanation of evening wear vs morning wear within a formal setting - just google it and see what you find!
Let's start with some basics though:
FIT!!!! Make sure whatever you wear, fits you. Audition, masterclass, performance...nothing worse than seeing a man in a jacket that is too big in the shoulders, too short in the arms...
SHOES!!! no scuffs, and dress for the outfit and the occasion! Again, you want to create length and the shoes are a part of that!!
A TOUCH OF YOURSELF!!! Get creative with colour and texture and pattern and cut and something uniquely YOU.
My personal pet peeve - the white man's business casual - khakis and a blue button down dress shirt. This might be what the corporates call interesting (!) but for an artist in an audition - HELL NO. WALK AWAY FROM THAT RIGHT NOW.
Okay - back on track...
Formal wear - for PERFORMANCE ONLY please. You don't wear a tux for an audition or for a masterclass in opera or in music theatre. Generally, and traditionally, it is EVENING wear, so the tuxedo doesn't have to show itself during the day. Obviously if you are performing with an orchestra in an afternoon concert you may want to use a dinner jacket tuxedo, and maybe a long tie, or monochromatic colour scheme instead of a traditional look. Your choice.
Tails - evening only gentlemen. Especially the full white shirt/white vest attire. After 8 p.m. ONLY.
Let your body type determine jacket type - single button, double button, double breasted...
When you perform, you should be buttoned up!
Vest OR cumberbund - not both.
If you perform regularly you should have summer weight and winter weight fabrics - as well as dark formal wear and light formal wear.
Men's formal wear has shown traditional, contemporary, corporate, trendy classifications. This has to do with cut, fabric, sheen, etc.
You can discover different lapel types to add to your individuality - traditional, shawl, mandarin - several to choose from. Daytime can be the same fabric as the body of the formal wear, evening could be a different fabric and texture.
Here are a few possibilities:
The Classic Tux - vest, tipped lapels, bow-tie:
2nd with cumberbund and studs:
COLOUR can do so much - whether it's a full tuxedo, a smoking jacket, tie, cumberbund, vest - explore the possibilities to shake it up a little!!!
Here are some more contemporary aspects of the tuxedo that might appeal - again EVENING wear...
If you are auditioning for opera or taking a masterclass during the day or into the evening - a suit or suit jacket or even sports jacket is completely fine!!
For MUSIC THEATRE auditions - which are much less formal than a classical masterclass or audition - you need to dress for TYPE as well as body!
A suit jacket or sports jacket may work for you - if that is the type you wish to be seen as. You can also try a less formal and more trendy look in how you pair it with jeans, more casual shirt etc:
What do you wear for that audition?!??! For that performance?!?!?
There are some marvellous sites about formal attire for men - the history, the etiquette, the explanation of evening wear vs morning wear within a formal setting - just google it and see what you find!
Let's start with some basics though:
FIT!!!! Make sure whatever you wear, fits you. Audition, masterclass, performance...nothing worse than seeing a man in a jacket that is too big in the shoulders, too short in the arms...
SHOES!!! no scuffs, and dress for the outfit and the occasion! Again, you want to create length and the shoes are a part of that!!
A TOUCH OF YOURSELF!!! Get creative with colour and texture and pattern and cut and something uniquely YOU.
My personal pet peeve - the white man's business casual - khakis and a blue button down dress shirt. This might be what the corporates call interesting (!) but for an artist in an audition - HELL NO. WALK AWAY FROM THAT RIGHT NOW.
Okay - back on track...
Formal wear - for PERFORMANCE ONLY please. You don't wear a tux for an audition or for a masterclass in opera or in music theatre. Generally, and traditionally, it is EVENING wear, so the tuxedo doesn't have to show itself during the day. Obviously if you are performing with an orchestra in an afternoon concert you may want to use a dinner jacket tuxedo, and maybe a long tie, or monochromatic colour scheme instead of a traditional look. Your choice.
Tails - evening only gentlemen. Especially the full white shirt/white vest attire. After 8 p.m. ONLY.
Let your body type determine jacket type - single button, double button, double breasted...
When you perform, you should be buttoned up!
Vest OR cumberbund - not both.
If you perform regularly you should have summer weight and winter weight fabrics - as well as dark formal wear and light formal wear.
Men's formal wear has shown traditional, contemporary, corporate, trendy classifications. This has to do with cut, fabric, sheen, etc.
You can discover different lapel types to add to your individuality - traditional, shawl, mandarin - several to choose from. Daytime can be the same fabric as the body of the formal wear, evening could be a different fabric and texture.
Here are a few possibilities:
The Classic Tux - vest, tipped lapels, bow-tie:
2nd with cumberbund and studs:
 |
| the formal white jacket - for warmer weather performance |
 |
| Classic Smoking Jacket - Velvet Formal in a COLOUR (!) for a Classic Look |
 |
| Single breasted Smoking Jacket - Velvet |
Here are some more contemporary aspects of the tuxedo that might appeal - again EVENING wear...
 |
| 3 button tux - centre button fastened for performance |
 |
| Nero/Mandarin collar |
 |
| double breasted |
 |
| Frock Coat |
If you are auditioning for opera or taking a masterclass during the day or into the evening - a suit or suit jacket or even sports jacket is completely fine!!
Again, cut, colour, fabric and your personal tastes and personality can influence this greatly!
How you accessorize a great suit - through shirt of tie colour and texture and pattern, shoes etc can really make an outfit pop.
Here are a few possibilities that would work for masterclass/audition during the day:
For MUSIC THEATRE auditions - which are much less formal than a classical masterclass or audition - you need to dress for TYPE as well as body!
A suit jacket or sports jacket may work for you - if that is the type you wish to be seen as. You can also try a less formal and more trendy look in how you pair it with jeans, more casual shirt etc:
Again - REAL SHOES GUYS!!! No flip flops and such. Make sure they are clean and polished, not scuffed, not broken...
Invest in some audition shoes guys, that are NOT dance shoes.
Boots are great too depending on your type.
Even if you are auditioning for a contemporary jeans and tshirt show - pull yourself together!! Don't look like you just rolled out of bed. Make sure your clothes are CLEAN and FIT YOU!
Don't wear shorts. You are not at the park or at the beach, you are at the audition!!!
Give it some respect with your presentation!
Don't wear Tshirts that distract from YOU - with slogans or pictures...
Your theatrical type and your personality can infuse your look in that audition room.
Take some time to enjoy that and develop that.
If you are a leading man type - then you can enjoy a more classic look, even with a suit or shirt and tie, or sports coat.
If you are the guy next door - a more casual look is possible, but still pulled together.
If you are the bad boy - let it EVOKE that not lock it in...
If you are the poet, the dreamer - EVOKE it...with colour and fabric
Here are some ideas - I purposely picked neutral colours so you can infuse your OWN look on the idea!
Guys, decide what your best features are and play them up through colour and fabric and cut!
Create LONG lines
Draw colour and texture and pattern to evoke a type and to intensify your assets!
Example: Bring out your eyes with a complementary colour from a tie, or a shirt
Ultimately, you need to be comfortable in your own skin and then in your own clothes!
This is your BUSINESS and your attention to it reflects in how you present yourself.
Pull your pants up over your ass! Make sure your clothes fit and aren't ripped up or falling off!
What you wear to hang out in shouldn't be what we see in the audition room!
WE SEE YOU FIRST. Whether you like it or not, we make a value judgement immediately. Let it be a positive one! Look like it matters to you that you are there.
Let this simply be a jumping off place of possibilities and ENJOY the creativity of YOU.
This is JUST the beginning!
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