There are different roads for different people - every singer I know has a different story of how he or she started a career. There is NO ONE sure-fire way, and I have by no means outlined every possibility here, just some ideas. I know plenty of people that did all the big deal apprentice programs, won all the young artist awards and contests, who are now languishing in bad regional opera houses, or have since given up on singing. So much is luck, but someone once told me that luck is "where preparedness meets opportunity." I would add that DRIVE plays a huge role in who "makes it" or not.
Graduate school can sometimes be spinning your wheels. It is in schools' best interests to encourage you to go to more school! They're feathering their own nests!! I didn't go to grad school, and I think I'm extremely well-prepared. ;-) Don't expect a school or a program to prepare you for the road ahead. Find out what you need to work on the most to reach your potential, and do what will allow you to hone in on that. Listen to people - are you getting the exact same feedback from different people? Even if it's something you don't want to hear, knowing yourself and your voice - strengths and weaknesses - is the first step.
Perhaps a grad school or program will provide exactly the atmosphere you need to prepare. Always have your goals and needs in the forefront. If you're going to have to spend most of your grad program working on projects that have nothing to do with what you need to work on, then that program is not for you. But if something is going to further your base of culture and your knowledge of life, it can't but help you as a performer. How can you mirror life and culture if you don't KNOW it??
I have some friends who took their education into their own hands - they knew they just needed some work on their voices, so they took private lessons, while coaching with people they trusted. This takes a lot of self-knowledge, discipline and dedication, besides concentration! There are grants to be had (Rotary, Fulbright etc....) for this kind of private study. Check out Musical America for study grants and scholarships. You must be highly motivated to do something like this, otherwise, you may just waste your time and money. Some people NEED deadlines and tests set up for them; others don't. Some people just need to work on repertoire, some just technique, some just acting or movement. EVERYONE needs lots and lots of coaching, classes, experience, workshops, whatever in acting - - acting is not just a small little "add-on" to your singing, it is a necessary cornerstone to an operatic career. You don't necessarily need to do a "program" to learn these skills. Get to know yourself and what you need, or what you don't need! But, maybe a well-balanced program is exactly what you need. Do your homework.
The first thing you look for always should be your teacher. Try her/him out, see if he/she hones in on what you KNOW are your problems, offers you some sound advice (works on breath and tension, because that's almost always the root of all our problems as singers) but doesn't give you a "quick fix." Some people can give you a "miraculous" quick fix, which only deals with a problem on a surface level, but tends to impress impressionable young singers and do nothing for them in the long run. Remember: most problems will take time and muscle memory to overcome - not just one lesson. Also, see other students of this teacher, and see what they feel they've learned from him/her. There may be a teacher that has made huge strides with students that started off singing horribly! Some teachers have gained their reputations from students who naturally had great voices, and then they tend to get all the best students! Of course they have good results! They get the pick of the crop.
Don't pick a school for its program. Pick a school for a teacher, and then make sure the program's for you! More easily said than done, I know, but you must be tenacious about getting the best vocal and musical education possible. Do not accept to do a program at a school if you can not study with the teacher you want. And DO NOT hesitate to change teachers at your school, or even to change schools if you feel you are not making the progress you need. You are not there to stroke some teacher's ego, and you should not have to worry about how you leaving a studio will affect your teacher. If you aren't making progress with your teacher, he/she should be honest enough to realize that and wish you well with someone else.
A teacher should also be recommending appropriate repertoire to you - not just repertoire that will win local competitions, etc... and give THEM glory. Do not ignore if two or more outside, unrelated sources give you the exact same feedback about repertoire or vocal problems!
Picking a teacher depends on chemistry and the teacher's "way" with you - - some fabulous teachers do not work well with some students. It is all about who gives you the combination of technique with imagery that helps you get the right sound coming out of your mouth.
If you feel it's not working out with your teacher, try to ask as neutral an outside opinion as possible about your singing, maybe get them to come listen to a lesson, and most of all, trust your own gut feelings. Do as much research as possible into your teacher and his/her students. Ask the students what exactly the teacher has worked on with them and how, how they feel they have improved, what the teacher's strengths AND weaknesses are (We're all only human!) and try him/her out before deciding he/she is the one for you! See what recommending people's reservations are about this teacher - it is often good to see what the negative sides are about a teacher, too... Watch someone else's lesson, to see if the teacher has some "stock" problems/answers for all his/her students. It is not impertinent to request a lesson with a teacher - the teacher needs to see if he/she gets along with YOU, too! Be careful of school politics - - i.e. teachers telling you that you aren't making the kind of progress with your teacher that you would if you were studying with THEM.
Find coaches you trust. They will be your ears throughout your career. You can never hear what you sound like from the outside, and a coach (or conductor) can tell you if what you think sounds fabulous even carries to the first row! A good coach is someone you feel comfortable with, that you feel improves your singing, interpretation, etc..., and doesn't play mind games with you. A good coach helps you find the interpretation that YOU want to bring forward within the framework of the music - he/she doesn't just say "this is how it's done." Style is a guideline, not a straightjacket. A good coach will tell you in a supportive way that you're not doing something right, or if you're developing bad habits. A good coach will not feel the need to say something just to have something to say. If it's good, he/she will just leave it. A good coach is NOT just a fine pianist, but a fine musician who can tell you about style, language, nuance, and help you learn more about yourself in the meantime. Only problem is that the really good ones often become conductors and then don't have much time to coach!
A good vocal program should include coaching at least once a week. Don't blow your coachings on just pounding out notes - prepare as for a voice lesson, so you can work on style and "pulling it together" during your coaching.
With conductors, you need to learn how to follow a STICK. Most choir directors direct with their hands, even when they are in front of an orchestra with a baton in their hands. Following a conductor with a baton, who is used to directing orchestras, can be a daunting task. Your breath needs to be prepared before he's even done his/her upbeat so that the sound (usually your vowel) can start directly on the downbeat. You should try and learn to start your consonants before the beat, so the vowel starts directly on the downbeat. I would recommend doing some of your song or aria repertoire (where possible) with a metronome, to get used to being rhythmically accountable to something outside of yourself. Since in school, most of us sing with piano, and the pianists are desperately trying to follow us, we are not so used to being held accountable to SOMEONE ELSE'S BEAT. You have to learn how to keep with the baton (and to be able to use your peripheral vision to stay with the baton) while acting your life out onstage. As the musicians who were onstage with me in Giulio Cesare recently can attest, it's a lot harder than you think! You can not be listening to the orchestra in the pit - you need to follow the baton. If you are just listening for your music, by the time the sound waves from the orchestra go out in the hall and wash back up onto the stage, you could be a beat behind them or worse already. The acoustic of halls is different, but your best bet is to WATCH the conductor and not listen.
It is a great idea to stay informed about people that you meet, or people that show an interest in your singing or career. Besides being nice to everyone, (not just people you think will be useful - - how tacky!), show an interest in what other people are doing. If a conductor or director or small-time festival director says "stay in touch!" - DO! Sounds simple, but some people think that if someone isn't already a big deal, he/she never will be! WRONG! Lots of people who were kind and interesting and supportive of me when I was an apprentice, have gone on to doing very exciting things in the world of opera, and have turned into great contacts. I hope I've been the same for them! Even people that you think will never do anything but their current job may surprise you in 5 years when they're casting for a major opera company! Publicity takes many guises - the more contacts you have, the more people might be talking about you! So much goes on word of mouth in this business; someone personally saying - "oh, I heard her sing Gilda divinely last year...." can mean much more sometimes than the best resume and reviews. This is also reciprocal. If someone interests you a lot artistically, by all means, stay in touch with him/her! Tell everyone how fabulous he/she is! It never hurts to bring someone up with you, if you're being successful!! There are so many good people out there that so much of "success" comes from networking and exposure, not necessarily just talent or merit. People aren't willing to take a chance on someone they've never heard of; but if they keep hearing this person's name from the likes of YOU, then that might just sweeten their ear enough to give your friend a chance.
Make sure that you go and meet the conductor or director after a show that you liked, and introduce yourself. This could be the perfect entree to sing for them, or have them at least put a face on the request for an audition later. And you can also show that you are interested in THEM, not just their name, because you know their work live. Make an effort to remember people's names - write down the people's names you met during the day before you go to bed. Make a note of the director's name of operas you've seen so you can remember them later.
Try to see as much opera and concerts as possible. So many times, as singers, we want to sing with someone because they're famous and we know the name. But do you really know their work? Go to see different conductors and trust your own nose. No conductor or director wants to work with a singer because the singer knows the conductor's name and thinks he's 'famous.' ....And yet the singer has no idea what kind of work he does... Do your research and see who really does interest you. Don't just depend on your agent to find you work, but find out with whom you're dying to work, and try to make it happen then! If you've been to 5 concerts or theirs and gone back afterwards to say how much you loved it, don't you think it will mean more when you finally do sing for them?
I have tried to send a little note to people every year (Christmas is a good excuse, or when you change address), just to remind them that I'm alive and keep their interest in me. A personal note, saying briefly what I've been up to (not a biography or a resume - this is a personal note, not a business letter) and wishing them well is all that is needed. Even if this is a business, it is customarily not run in the guise of a business! Plus, it's nice to stay in touch and know what people are up to.
Biography and PR
When I get to an engagement, I try and make sure I "proofread" my biography -
to see if they are using the updated one that my agent has sent. Many theaters
keep old biographies, and don't check to make sure they're putting the most
recent one in the program. So don't do what I have done many times - - looked
in the program to be horrified it says things I haven't done, got cancelled, or
omits the good stuff. Make sure the important engagements are in the
BEGINNINGS of paragraphs, and towards the beginning of the biography. Most
shortened versions use the first few lines or paragraphs of your biography, so
I do not have my biography in chronological order. Otherwise, you end up with
a bio of all the dinky stuff you did forever ago, and none of the more recent
important stuff.
While you're at the PR department, it doesn't hurt to tell them that you would be willing to do any interviews they might want, and any kind of special "angle" that might help them sell a story. (A personal connection to the community, special language skills, club affiliation, etc...) and find out if any videos or recordings might be available for personal use after the show is finished. Sometimes theaters make a video or recording for posterity that you can get a copy of - you can use this as a promotional material to send to opera companies or whatever as long as you are discreet. You should also be able to go check out the pictures that they make at the piano dress rehearsal or dress rehearsal, and buy a few copies. You can send these out with your publicity stuff to agents, venues, or opera houses so they can see you "in action." As long as you use it only for promotional or personal uses, and not commercial uses, this seems to be ok. Make sure you get the photographer's name so you can give credit next to the pictures. Write it on the back of your originals so you won't forget down the road. Photographers appreciate the credit, and even more appreciate you asking them if you want to use their photos on a website - - PLEASE offer to pay them something for the rights, don't just use the photos because you bought one copy! It is their work and their intellectual property. Ask them if you can have a contact number or address for them, so you can refer work to them from your pictures, as well. I have found that most photographers do not mind you using their work on a website, as long as you ask and have a clear credit to them for their work. I have gladly paid many photographers to be able to use the pictures on my website.
ALSO - Here is one reason to care about your costume, shoes or hair looking "right" for the piano dress - many theaters use this rehearsal to make pictures for the press, so don't let the costumer or hair or makeup person tell you it's "OK for tonight's rehearsal" if it's not. Insist that things look perfect if the rehearsal is being photographed. You do NOT want a lot of stinky photos of you wandering around!
other stuff
Go to library, read publications and books - see below for list
Listen to your friends - see who's casting & when & where - get friend's
opinions of where it's nice to work, and with whom.
Audition!
ClassicalSinger.com
(formerly The New York Opera Newsletter) - has great articles, tells of
auditions... check it out!!
See what's going on in the world of opera and music (who is where as musical director, general director, etc...) what people are saying about different directors and conductors, etc... Opera America online .
Sunday, May 20, 2007