It’s no secret any more that singers must be both business and artistically minded. But figuring out the business part of your singing career can be overwhelming. To recall last month’s column, it’s almost like being dropped off in the jungle, à la Survivor, with nothing but your audition outfit and a copy of Musical America. You need help. You need a map.
Last month, we began “packing for the journey” by establishing your mission and getting a handle on your schedule, and identifying your resources. We established that you are now a businessperson as well as an artist. Now it’s time to gather information that will help you advance your mission. You must be proactive in seeking out opportunities. If you’re not looking further than the bulletin board outside your voice teacher’s studio door, you’re missing out on a great deal! It’s time to figure out where you want to go.
Where Do You Want to Go?
Start by figuring out what’s available in your own community. If you are at a university or conservatory, take advantage of what’s right under your nose. My colleagues who teach repeatedly mention how shocked and frustrated they are at how rarely students attend concerts and masterclasses on their own campuses. Chances are there are some amazing musicians in your midst already, and you can not only learn from them, but can also make connections that will serve you throughout your career. Make it a priority to check your school’s arts calendar as well as those of other schools in the vicinity. And while you’re at it, take advantage of cross-discipline offerings as well! A good artist must be a well-rounded, curious person hungry for knowledge on a variety of subjects.
There are a lot of great arts organizations that don’t have much of a budget for advertising, so do some investigating. Check arts listings in your local mainstream and alternative newspapers and online resources. Sign up for mailings (you might want to create an e-mail address just for this) so you can keep on top of their offerings.
Look for organizations such as the following:
• Choruses which may do larger works and use soloists from within the group or hire locally
• Large church music programs which may present concerts and oratorio
• Community orchestras which may do vocal works
• Gilbert & Sullivan societies and community theater groups which may also do musical theatre
• Chamber groups and early music ensembles
• Ethnic ensembles that specialize in the music of particular regions
• Community opera companies and training programs
• Professional companies which may use students in choruses, small roles, and covers
• Educational institutions that produce masterclasses, workshops, recitals, concerts, and operas
These are places that may offer performance opportunities for you to grow your résumé (and your wallet), classes or workshops, scholarships and, perhaps most importantly, valuable connections. They are stepping stones to the larger musical community you hope to become a part of.
Other stepping stones include the many various training programs and workshops available—often in the summer, but also year-round. In my last article, I asked, “Is the experience and training you’re getting, or that you got, at school enough?” The answer to that, in my experience, is almost always “no”—and this is not necessarily an indictment of your institution. Any organization has its limitations, including a finite number of available performance experiences. And, sometimes, institutions have explicit teaching philosophies which guide curricula and the overall experience. These may be excellent, but make no mistake: you need exposure to a wide range of information and ideas. By all means, take advantage of all your school has to offer, but don’t expect it to be able to offer you everything.
Summer programs are one of the very best resources for capitalizing on your study during the school year, and they are also of great value to post-grads who need to gain experience or simply want to learn and perform a role in a safe environment before they have to do it professionally. I strongly encourage preprofessional singers and emerging artists to participate in carefully researched programs as much as is feasible. You get an intensive experience without the distractions of your everyday schedule, specialized training, performance experience, and connections.
These programs, however, must be researched well to make sure they suit your current needs. If you have little stage experience, for example, you might want to start with a program where you’ll be doing opera excerpts. If you’ve done opera roles with piano ad nauseum, maybe it’s time to seek an opportunity that allows you to perform with orchestra. If your languages need work, a foreign program offering cultural and language immersion may be just the ticket. Visit program websites, read reports in Classical Singer and, above all, try to communicate directly with alumni of the programs to get an insider perspective.
Pick a Direction
So, you’re all organized and armed with research and your mission statement, but deciding among a myriad of promising opportunities can still be overwhelming. How do you decide which will yield the best return of your investment of time and money? Here are some questions to help you decide.
1. Am I available for this opportunity? If not, what would it take to become available? For example, would I have to rearrange my work or teaching schedule, cancel a previous engagement, etc.? How much trouble would it be, and is it worth it?
2. Can I afford this opportunity? If not, how far below goal are you? What would it take to meet that fundraising goal?
3. Do I have the time to adequately prepare for this opportunity? Can you budget the time to fundraise, apply, prepare an audition, travel to and do the audition, and/or prepare repertoire for the opportunity itself? If not, it might be better to reserve your resources for another time.
4. Does this opportunity support my mission? Refer to your list of skills and experiences that you need to build. Does this opportunity offer you the chance to develop or refine? Does it offer you a connection you need to make? Money? A résumé credit? If it doesn’t fit your stated goals exactly, does it offer enough of interest and value to make it worthwhile?
5. Will I enjoy this opportunity? Hopefully, you’ll get something besides experience, education, or a paycheck—and just as hopefully, you’ll have fun and make new friends! If, for whatever reason, you dread an aspect of the opportunity so much that it will hinder your enjoyment of it, you should carefully assess whether its benefits outweigh its detriments.
A final note: keep track of how often you consider career-building activities and how often you take or decline them, and for what reason. If you find yourself constantly declining important experiences, your current mission may not be what you think it is—or, at least, it may not be the priority you think it is. It’s important to be honest with yourself about this, lest you spend years of your life and thousands of your dollars in pursuit of what turns out to be the wrong dream.
Don’t be afraid to dream big, but ground that dream in practicality and realism. That way, you’ve paved the way for a smoother, more enjoyable and rewarding journey—even if it ends up taking you someplace you didn’t plan to go.
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Need More Help?
Here’s a guide to help you assess your current level and the specific opportunities you may want to seek.
If You’re in High School
When it comes to college and careers, most high school students aren’t thinking too far ahead—nor should they be. High school is a time to explore your interests, get the basics down and, yes, to have fun! But if you’re a serious musician and you think singing is something you’d like to pursue past high school either as a hobby or a possible career, it’s not too soon for you to learn more about what that entails.
You should seek out the following experiences:
• Voice lessons with a qualified teacher: Seek a teacher who does more than warm you up and work with you on learning songs—you want someone who is working with you on specifics of vocal technique. Among the things you should be learning are warming yourself up properly, vocal anatomy, and breath and support. And these should be addressed thoroughly, in more than just a few sentences. They should come up in every lesson—legato, easy production of vowels and consonants, resonance, how to practice and how to learn music, diction, and interpretation. (Run away from any teacher who tells you to “breathe from the diaphragm;” they have no idea what they’re talking about.) You’re not going to get that in a 30-minute lesson; you should be taking an hour lesson every week.
• Competitions: Preparing for a competition is a good experience that gives you a goal to work toward and helps you learn other life skills such as organizing your time, addressing audiences, and meeting deadlines. Many schools participate in Solo & Ensemble, and if your teacher is a member of NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing), you can enter your local competitions as well. Of course, there is the Classical Singer Competition as well as many others open to high school students. Check the competition listings here in CS and also Google “high school singing competitions”.
• Music camps: Spending a few weeks at a summer music camp can be a fun, rewarding, intensive experience! You’ll be challenged and learn a great deal, and chances are you’ll get some stage experience. If you’re thinking about majoring in music in college, summer music camps can be a great way to connect with potential teachers and get input from current students. Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in Massachusetts, and the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado are just a few of the best-known institutes. There are many others; many universities have their own summer programs. There may be one right in your town! Check out the Classical Singer program listings online or Google “summer high school music programs.”
• Masterclasses: The typical masterclass is rather like a short public voice lesson in which you get to work with the master teacher, usually on one outstanding detail of your performance. Masterclasses are very valuable to observe, too. In fact, you may learn more when you’re not the one in the spotlight!
If you’re really serious: In addition to voice lessons, take piano and language classes. Start with Italian if your school offers it. If it doesn’t, consider taking Italian privately. If that’s not an option, take French or German. I suggest beginning with French because, like Italian, it is a Romance language and will encourage the proper use of legato in your speaking as well as singing voice.
If You’re in College
As a college student, chances are you already have a pretty full plate. But if you’re in it to win it, you need to make learning all about your craft and the business you’re entering a top priority. Try to add in a few extras each semester and, if at all possible, summer training.
Beginners
You’re concentrating on basics of vocal technique and acquiring skills like stagecraft and languages, have mainly sung art songs, most performance credits are in choruses and studio recitals with piano, and have little stage experience. These are good opportunities for you to include:
• Any and all masterclasses, either as a singer or an observer
• Studio class
• Art song programs that give you a chance to really study the literature
• Programs that concentrate on languages
• Basic acting courses that teach you how to research your materials and translate that knowledge to stage
• Opera chorus and programs that give you the opportunity to learn and perform small roles or excerpts, with piano or even with orchestra
• Competitions
• Church jobs that give you a chance to earn a little money, sing some solos, and practice performing in front of people
Intermediate
You continue to focus on vocal technique and develop mastery of languages and acting skills, have a few arias in your repertoire, have performed at least one solo recital in addition to chorus work (staged or unstaged) and studio recitals, and have some stage experience (perhaps in an opera chorus or scenes program). These are good opportunities for you to include:
• Masterclasses
• Studio class
• Competitions, especially ones that can earn you a little money or provide other prizes such as performances
• Continued language and diction study
• Programs that offer performance opportunities, such as larger scenes programs and small opera roles with piano or orchestra as well as language and stagecraft
• Workshops that give you a broader picture of the business and connections to those who work in it
• Church jobs as described above
Advanced
Your vocal technique may not yet be perfect, but it’s solid enough that you can confidently assay a full role. You have a full complement of arias in your audition repertoire and you’ve done several recitals, opera chorus, and maybe some roles. These are good opportunities for you to include:
• Masterclasses (sing on all you can and continue to observe all you can)
• Studio class (sing all you can)
• Competitions
• Advanced language study, perhaps overseas
• Programs that offer performance opportunities such as full roles with piano or orchestra, as well as business of singing training and connections with singers, teachers, directors, conductors, and administrators who know their way around the industry.
If You’re Post-Grad
Now you’re out in the wild world, testing your years of preparation and training—and, chances are, it’s pretty overwhelming. Now is the time to buckle down and stick to your plan. Remember, you’re running a business, so keep your priorities straight and review your plan often. If it’s not working, get input from those in the know and revise it accordingly.
Young Artists
If you’re in a YAP, you’re likely getting a lot of performance and training already. Don’t spread yourself too thin; instead, focus on the program and give it your all. Make every connection and suck up every bit of learning and experience at your fingertips. If you’re still trying to get into an apprenticeship, it’s even more important that you continue to reach out for professional and career-building opportunities. These are good experiences for you to include:
• Masterclasses, especially those featuring teachers who know your repertoire well or have business knowledge to impart
• As much performance experience as you can handle, preferably paid
• Competitions—if you’re good at them and are seeing a payoff
• Any training which helps you perfect your auditions and repertoire choices
• Continue to seek out programs, especially those which offer good connections and performance opportunities for roles you need to add on your résumé, as well as any specialty training you need
• If you want to work in Europe, now would be a good time to do an overseas program if you haven’t already
Emerging Artists
You’ve done your apprenticeships—or not. Regardless, you’ve done a few professional gigs and you’re working on building your career and getting to that next step. Unless you have an area that needs special attention or you’re heading in a new direction, it’s less about training now than it is adding to the résumé, networking, and gaining momentum. These are good experiences for you to include:
• Masterclasses, if they offer the opportunity to work with an artist you’re particularly interested in
• A pay-to-sing workshop that offers you the opportunity to learn and sing a role you’d really like to add to your résumé, to work with instructors you have an interest in, to travel to an interesting place and enjoy it as a sort of working vacation, or to keep your performance chops going when you’re in a lull between gigs or feel the need for a little renewal
• Any and all professional development opportunities, such as lectures and courses offered by NATS or OPERA America and the Classical Singer Convention
