I was a voice major and learned, the hard way, how to navigate the waters! I hope these ideas will help you.
1. Learning how to learn music quickly will help you more than anything else.
Find efficient techniques for learning and memorizing music.
Most music schools and conservatories have repertoire requirements for each semester’s jury. In addition, they require voice majors to memorize roles, opera scenes, and other music within a quick time frame each semester.
Generally, singers are the bottom feeders in the food chain of musical adeptness. Unlike freshman violinists, who have been reading and memorizing music for 10-14 years by the time they get to college, freshman singers may have been studying singing for only two to five years—and often that training may have been focused on vocal production, rather than musicianship. And singers often have no instrumental skills.
The majority of the collegiate singers I associated with struggled with the basics of musicianship and with teaching themselves to learn music. Time and time again, I saw them try the “fast and easy way” to learn a song.
Inevitably, when their voice teachers assigned them to learn a song, they headed for the music library, found a CD containing the song and listened to it for hours. Armed now with aural familiarity, they sequestered themselves in the practice room and, after a week of practicing, returned to his next lesson with the song memorized.
This method for learning a song is one of the least efficient a singer can use. Wrong pitches, rhythms, and pronunciations are inevitable. The singer then has to rely completely on outside sources to fix everything he has learned incorrectly, spending entire voice lessons re-hashing musical, textual, and vocal problems all at once. The result is far more unfortunate then wasted lesson time: the singer becomes a well-trained parrot, mimicking everything his coaches and voice teachers tell him. Unfortunately, some singers manage to go into their careers as parrots, never discovering that they have the tools to be independent learners.
The most effective, error-proof method I have found for memorizing music quickly and accurately is to study separately each of three major components of vocal music: text, rhythm, and pitch. (At first glance, this method may seem to take longer than the aforementioned “fast easy way.” Re-learning music, however, is much harder than learning it correctly in the first place—and takes twice as long.)
• First, translate the text. (Even if the text is in your native language, poetic language often requires time with a dictionary.) Look up every word in a reliable language dictionary and make a word-for-word translation. (A great translation resource is www. recmusic.org/lieder). Then, create a poetic translation of your own. Do not rely on editions that publish an English text beneath the original text. These are usually not direct translations; they are designed either to line up with the notes and rhythms of the music, or altered to rhyme so they can be sung in lieu of the original language.
After you finish the translation, use the International Phonetic Alphabet to write a phonetic translation. (Thanks to Nico Castel and others, it is possible to find very accurate books containing the above information.) Now speak through each phrase, carefully pronouncing each word until you can speak through the entire piece using dramatic inflection.
• Next, learn the rhythm of the piece, by using a metronome, or tapping a foot while you speak the text in rhythm. Do this phrase by phrase, until you can get through the entire song without rhythmic error. Separating rhythm from the other elements of singing is one of the most helpful steps in the process. The most frequent mistakes singers make involve rhythm. From personal experience, I can testify that rhythmical errors are some of the most difficult and frustrating errors to relearn.
• Finally, play the pitches for yourself on the instrument of your choice and sing through each phrase—like a vocalise on your favorite vowels—until you can sing through the entire piece with the correct pitches and rhythms. Now you are ready to glue your components together and add the text to the rhythms and pitches. (After going through all these steps, there is no harm in listening to several recordings to get ideas.)
Everyone has his or her own unique way of learning. I offer this as one approach that you can easily modify.
2. Spend the majority of your practice time refining your middle-voice.
I submit that a listener could walk along any practice room hallway at any music school or conservatory and hear a soprano screeching away, mainly in her highest register. (This phenomenon plagues other voice types as well). It is thrilling to discover new notes in your range or to sing an aria containing your first high C (or low F). Often, teachers spend the majority of lesson time on these difficult areas, which unintentionally reinforces the notion that hammering away at high notes improves them.
Most singers spend minimal practice time working on the middle voice. The immediate result may be vocal fatigue or injury. The eventual result is an unbalanced voice. The middle voice is the anchor to the rest of the voice. Developing a top-heavy or bottom-heavy voice is the vocal equivalent of the young man at the gym who spends all of his time doing curls, and winds up with very nice biceps—and a flabby abdomen.
A glance through the majority of standard opera roles and art songs will reveal that most repertoire stays in the middle voice most of the time, with occasional excursions to the highest and lowest tessituras. Being able to sing well in this part of the voice is essential. Even the Queen of the Night and Baron Ochs must have facility in their middle voices. It may not be thrilling, but spending adequate time on the middle voice strengthens the extremities of your range, and creates a voice that is balanced from top to bottom.
3. Begin research on summer and graduate programs early.
It is never too early to start finding out about programs. You will lose wonderful opportunities if you miss deadlines. Give your voice teacher or other mentors ample time to write those crucial letters of recommendation. Most summer programs and graduate programs have application deadlines throughout the late fall and winter.
Begin research on the Internet about a year in advance. Many summer programs have applications you can download directly from their Web sites. Classical Singer’s online forums are a tremendous resource when you are considering different schools or programs. You can post questions about different schools, summer programs, and teachers, and receive answers in an anonymous format. US News publishes an annual ranking of graduate programs that also is available on the Internet. [Editor: Use the search engine on the CS archives to look up reports on summer programs you are interested in. Be very careful. CS has reported on several scam programs in Europe. Read before you go.]
No matter how prestigious a program is, unless you can study with a teacher who fosters good technique, it is not worth attending. Thus, you need to find out who is teaching at the program you are interested in. Your education is a major investment of both time and money. Invest in programs that prepare you for a career and allow you to be mentored by respected professionals.
With good planning, it is possible to budget the costs for application fees and travel far in advance. Another advantage (especially if you live far away from major audition cities) is that you can strategically apply for all the auditions have been scheduled for the same weekend in the same location, saving on airfare and lodgings. The only way to get better at auditioning is to do it. The more auditions you can do, the better.
4. Do not let a lack of money prevent you from educational opportunities.
During my undergraduate studies, colleagues regularly told me they could not afford to audition for certain summer programs, or take advantage of other educational opportunities, because of the cost. I came from a large middle-class family, and I was required to pay for my education. This meant that I took out some student loans and worked during school. I still managed to audition for all the programs I wanted to audition for, and I was able to attend two pay-to-sing summer programs. [Editor’s note: check out pay-to-sing summer programs in the January issue of CS magazine. Use the online archives at http://www.classicalsinger.com as well as the summer program forums where singers have left comments.]
Most vocal performance majors cannot work while they’re in school. I do not recommend sacrificing valuable practice time to work at a menial student job, but it is an option. Students have other options to help pay for such things are scholarships, student loans, and fundraising. Apply for every scholarship for which you are eligible. Actively search all of your options. It is possible to take a slightly higher loan each semester and put money aside for your summer pursuits.
Keep in mind that every penny you borrow will have to be paid back. Student loans can be wonderful when they help fund opportunities that build your career. Just remember that if you are like most singers fresh out of their undergraduate programs, you will not be getting paid huge amounts to sing.
Fund raising is perhaps one of the best ways to fund your summer programs. Fund raising takes creativity, hard work, and advance planning. One idea: Prepare a recital to be performed in your home town. Many community venues and churches will host a fund-raising recital free or at low cost. Research venues in your area and reserve one in advance. You can craft a form letter describing the program you have been accepted into, how it will help you in your career as a singer, and how much it is going to cost. Send out letters and invitations to everyone you know and love. Asking for donations at the door or suggesting an amount per ticket are both good options. For the recital, program things you love to sing, and things that are familiar to a broad audience—and have fun.
5. Be intelligent about your health.
Singers are stereotypically neurotic about their upper-respiratory health. Any tickle in the throat can send us into a regimen of humidification, lozenges, and very careful monitoring, especially if the tickle shows up anywhere near a performance date. Many singers do not address other health areas in such a fastidious manner, however. We tend to forget that the entire body is our instrument. Problems such as acid reflux, depression, bad nutrition, eating disorders, substance abuse, and other conditions often plague singers and affect the long-term health of the voice.
Singers don’t need to be hypochondriacs—but we need to be smart and watch out for our own health and the longevity of our voices. Eat a well-balanced diet, get enough sleep, take your vitamins, and get rid of unhealthy habits.
6. Get to know your library and use it.
Most voice majors can’t afford to buy all of the recordings and scores they would like to own while they’re in school. Surprisingly, many do not take advantage of the library. Most school libraries own the repertoire you will need during study.
Gaining a broad knowledge of the standard repertoire is very important. You can do this by spending time in your university, conservatory, or public library. Listen to recordings, read the liner notes, and follow along with a score. Interlibrary loan is also a wonderful asset for those attending schools whose resources are lacking the essentials, and for those who are searching for a rare score.
7. Be creative in finding opportunities to sing in public.
When you are an 18-year-old singer, it is highly unlikely that your phone is going to be ringing off the hook with offers to sing at the Met or La Scala. Chances are, not many people know you are a budding Placido Domingo or Maria Callas. Find creative ways to sing in public. Schedule non-required community recitals. Get a job singing at an Italian restaurant. Get a church job. Perform at care facilities. Organize an opera scenes program to be performed at local public schools. Market yourself as a classical wedding singer. Singing small gigs helps you pay the bills. It also opens doors for you to meet people who are interested in your art and helping you meet your artistic goals.
8. Take acting and movement classes.
If acting and/or movement classes are not a part of your required curriculum, find a way to take or audit these classes through the theater and dance departments. Taking Acting 101 or modern dance is more than a nice repose from the rigors of your musical training. The skills you gain from such classes are inestimable in value. Moving gracefully and being physically fit will serve you well for obvious reasons. If you can’t fit an acting or movement class into your school schedule, other classes—such as Alexander technique, Pilates, or yoga—are often offered within your community. A singer who can act well and is comfortable with his or her body on stage is extremely valuable.
9. Begin a network of musical colleagues now.
Networking starts in small ways. As a music student, you will be surrounded by instrumentalists and vocalists for the duration of your college career. Get to know as many people as possible and be willing to collaborate. Some of my most valuable and fun experiences came from simply knowing other musicians.
Be the singer who the composition majors ask to perform their new works. Be available to sing on instrumental recitals. Be the kind of colleague who is musically prepared and pleasant to be around.
You do not know where any of your colleagues will be in the future. Some will be in the position to offer you jobs or to introduce you to important contacts. If you waste time being self-centered or jealous of your colleagues now, you nullify important future contacts.
10. Invest in attractive, well-fitting concert and audition attire.
How many times in your life have you been so distracted by someone’s wrinkled pants or tight fitting dress that you were unable to truly listen to them? You put yourself at an immediate disadvantage when you don’t look your best. Those who attend your performances, judge your competitions, or audition you cannot help being influenced by your appearance.
Finding appropriate performing and audition attire is less complicated if you are male. Men’s fashions tend to stay static longer than women’s. Men should purchase both a well-fitting tuxedo and an audition suit. Make an investment in high-quality items that will last you years. Chances are, your tuxedo will still be in style years down the road. Get your tux and suit tailored.
Women should own a basic black concert dress in addition to an audition suit or other outfits that are flattering and classic. Pants suits are great for auditioning for pants roles if you’re a mezzo. A good performing/auditioning outfit meets the following criteria: It draws attention to your face; it is not too tight, especially over your torso; it is not too short; it travels well (think of how it will look when you unpack it the morning of your audition); it looks professional; it is composed of colors that people tell you that you look great in; and it boosts your self confidence.
If you have any doubts about your abilities to choose such attire, take a fashion-savvy singer friend along with you when you go shopping.
Both men and women should also own performing shoes that are comfortable and attractive. When eyeing those sexy 4.5-inch high heels, keep in mind that you might be wearing them for the duration of a recital. Purchase shoes that don’t fight your posture and if you tend to shake from nerves, shoes that will keep you grounded. Doing a rehearsal in your performing shoes will save you from discovering mid-concert or mid-audition that your posture has been thrown out of whack, or that the circulation to your toes has been completely cut off. It is a good idea to set aside performing shoes and wear them only while performing or auditioning.
As a voice major, you have chosen a challenging, demanding, but potentially very rewarding path. These 10 tips may help you avoid stumbling along the way.
