Choose To … Not Have To…..

Because the New Year is almost here, I thought I’d give you something to think about perhaps as a new years resolution…. I think this can really be applied to life in general, but lets look at it as it relates to singing and fitness. (You may think singing and fitness are an odd combination to keep talking about. … I happen to look at singers as an athlete not just a singer, performing is it’s own kind of sport!)

To be a great singer or to be in top shape it requires what… your time… right. Well, the number one thing I hear from both types of clients is that they don’t have enough time to practice everyday or to workout “like they should.”

I would suggest to you that this is all about choice. Unless you are a minor and someone is making you practice or workout, go to dance class etc… YOU have the authority to make those decisions and YOU will be held accountable for your choices. You will be held accountable by how well you sing and perform and by how you look and feel. Do you have the stamina or endurance for your task… whether it’s a show or just playing with your kids? YOU are the one responsible for making the choice. Being responsible means that YOU have the choice. YOU are deciding what’s really important to you and what isn’t.

If you aren’t practicing like you should to get wherever it is you want to go, then it would seem like something else is really more important wouldn’t you say? Free time, friends, video games… something. Otherwise your practice would come first. If you can’t find the time to workout then again, something else is more important… your job, your spouse or significant other, your charity work…. Again, whatever it is, and I’m not saying those other things aren’t important, I’m sure they are, but are they really are more important than your health or practicing for your career … maybe, maybe not… it depends on your priorities…

So the question is where do these things, taking time for your health and practicing for your career, fall in line of priority for you. What may help you decide is to look at what the consequences of your choices will be if you don’t practice and take care of your body.

First I think you have to be honest with yourself and get really clear and focused on what you want out of your life… Then, as you think about where these things fall on your priority list, ask yourself what will be the consequences in a year, five years, and even 10 years and beyond if I say these things are important and don’t follow thru. Get some leverage on yourself… really FEEL what it will feel like…What will it cost me professionally, in my health, for my family, for my career, and for my life? Will I keep getting more jobs or lose them, will I learn new things, will I expand my talent and grow as an artist and be able to do new and different things or will I just get by and eventually just have to stop singing or have to continue singing as I am now forever … will I be able to physically stay strong as I age or will healthy problems take over my life and stop me from being there for family and friends, will I miss out on great vacations or events because I am too tired or can’t physically do what’s required…. I would suggest to you that your health, preventing or reversing disease in your body and giving yourself a better quality of life should be at the top of your list no matter what you do… if you aren’t around…. Or aren’t healthy enough to do anything… what have you accomplished… what do you gain….


Remember YOU are responsible because YOU have the choice to do what you need to do or not…. YOU have the authority and YOU are the one accountable for those choices. Being able to do all you want to do, whatever it is, all boils down to choice… remember it’s all about you and the choices you make. No one does anything to you that you don’t allow. So take some time, get clear about what you want… (write it down), get your priorities in line and then make the choices that support them. Keep doing what you know you should, stay with it… staying with something is not always the easy thing to do… but if you do, watch and see how the quality of your life and career will grow and improve.

You have the choice and deserve the very best life has to offer!

It’s all about you… Your time is NOW!

But I might look stupid!

I was talking recently with a colleague about young singers and their performance skills and abilities. With the state of today’s record industry you have to be able to put on a great performance in order to keep your fan’s coming back… remember “frequency”… They have to keep coming back for you to have longevity in this career…and if you don’t know how to put on a great show, you may lose fans not keep or gain them.

A lot of time young artists tell me they are afraid of “looking stupid” or saying something silly. My thoughts on this are if you are being real, being who you are things won’t ever come out wrong. I think it’s when artists are “trying to be something” or someone they think they should be that things come out wrong and don’t look natural.

Fans want to get to know you. They want to see you being exactly who you are. If that is silly and goofy, let it show… if it’s serious and moody.. Be moody… if you’re a type A personality… take command of that stage (it will feel normal to you)…

Remember, performance involves some sort of emotional connection with the song, when you put the emotion on your face and in your body, you will sing completely authentically.

Here’s a big thing to get your head wrapped around. The perception of the audience is reality to them. But I thought what I was doing was what’s real… Nope.. Get this into you…. “The perception of the audience is their reality.” What they think of your performance is true to them, and determines if they will follow you and your career or not.

Now, there’s no way to guess and give every member of the audience what you think they want, right… I mean can you imagine looking out at a sea of people and trying to be everything you think they might want… That doesn’t work… You need to be yourself and they will enjoy your performance because it is from the heart, authentic. You will feel more confident and comfortable on the stage and you will sing better because you’re not stressing yourself out trying to do things that may not be natural to you. If you sing with confidence and handle the occasional mistake like a professional, most of your audience will be convinced that you meant to sing it that way. I heard this and thought this was a great way to think about handling mistakes… “Professionals sing creatively, amateurs make mistakes”

Please remember that wishing your voice and stage show was pro, won’t get it there. If any of you have any doubts about how much preparation it takes to put on a show, you should go and watch “This is it” MJ’s rehearsal footage… I think you’ll find it interesting! You’d be surprised what one-hour of specific vocal practice five days a week can do.

And this doesn’t mean singing your favorite songs in your car or singing the same song over and over again in your bedroom. You may make some improvement this way, but making a practice vocal schedule would be much better for you and you’d make much faster progress.

So many singers avoid doing vocal exercises they say they can warm up by singing their favorite songs. While some professionals will do this occasionally, most of them train their voice using exercises and warm up before every performance. Professional singers know that warm ups will take your cords through muscle movements that singing a song could never do. Practicing correct vocal exercises and warm ups will help you develop necessary muscle memory for difficult passages that you will run into in songs that you sing.

So be prepared and be yourself… if you do those two things you will ALWAYS have a great show!