When we listen to recordings of famous singers, we recognize their unique sound characteristics. We recognize these characteristics whether we are listening to operatic legends like Pavarotti and Callas or musical theatre icons like Kristin Chenoweth and Audra McDonald because these voices are instantly recognizable.
Singers have an extraordinary ability to hone their own unique sound, and we begin training to do this from the very first voice lesson. The technical expertise needed to sing classical music is an arduous journey for even the most naturally gifted singer. Young voice majors have a particularly daunting challenge: to find their own sound while developing technique and learning the repertoire.
How do you do it? There are many ways to begin—but one of them is not by imitating a video on YouTube.
Side Effects of Learning Your Song on YouTube
Each semester YouTube.com is the first and last stop for approximately 2.5 billion students learning a new song or aria (data for this number has been unofficially, yet scientifically approximated after many years of NATS auditions). This is dangerously close to the death of creativity. YouTube is like a slot machine—it takes many tries to find a winning recording. Anyone who uses “YouTubing” as a verb can attest to the fact that it contains far more amateur than professional recordings and the number of views does not always differentiate between the two categories.
First, if you are new to the art of classical singing, you might not know many recognizable names of great singers. Second, even industry-recognized recordings might not be 100 percent accurate. Singers that learn by listening to recordings are at risk of imitating sound and accumulating bad habits that include mistakes in the music, text, diction, and style.
Enjoy YouTube for quick introductions to new songs, but consult your teacher for a professionally recommended dosage of singers per aria.
You Are Better than YouTube
Listening to YouTube can be a lifesaver for many students in need of a convenient and instant introduction to a song. Voice teachers often recommend listening to legendary recordings to hear a beautiful example of a new style or excellent diction. Quick story: I once asked a student to listen to Susan Graham’s recording of a Reynaldo Hahn song because Graham’s French is spot-on and her sound is insanely beautiful. The student came to her next lesson and said, “I just have to come to grips with the fact that I am not Susan Graham.” I used that quote as a Facebook status and a friend shared it with Graham herself, who encouraged the young singer to keep at it. Small world, much?
The warnings listed above are “Voice Teacher Approved” to prevent singers from prioritizing their obsession with a famous voice over their own personal progress. The printed music and the practice room are far better for your voice than singing along with a recording. Read the notes for yourself and take time to speak your texts separately from singing the line. Both your native language and foreign languages require study time to find the primary vowel and the natural stress that will work within the musical style.
Once you are comfortable with the melody, the rhythm, and the diction, then you can find “your” sound in the music. As Julie Andrews sang to us in the classic musical The Sound of Music:
I’ll do better than my best.
I have confidence
They’ll put me to the test!
But I’ll make them see
I have confidence in me.
How do you gain the confidence to find your own sound?
-Take lessons with the best teacher you can find.
-Sing repertoire that is suited for your voice.
-Practice daily.
-Let your personality guide you.
Quality Lessons
Your voice teacher listens to you sing and guides you as you learn to make consistent sounds. Being consistent throughout your range is one of the most important factors in finding your own sound. I have had many a well-meaning parent ask, “How many lessons will my child need to learn how to sing?” Ummmm, a million?
Most professional singers agree that even after developing a solid technique (let’s assume that process takes 10 years), as long as they are performing, they need a teacher or coach to listen to them periodically to maintain consistent, style-appropriate singing. You might have noted the word “consistent” has been repeated ad nauseam in this short paragraph. Well, that’s the crux of finding your own sound. Learn how to sing well and do that consistently. You’ll sound good and you will sound like yourself.
Suitable Repertoire
You will not find your true sound in an aria that is beyond your current vocal capability. I have often written about the phenomenon of rookie singers choosing flashy arias that unfortunately display techniques they have not yet mastered.
The savvy singer presents a song or aria
that they can sing perfectly at 6 a.m. with a cold. Performing “Ah! mes amis” when you’ve never successfully sung all of those high Cs in the practice room but with the hope of hitting them in public is tenor suicide. Be smart: listen to your teacher and sing your specialized repertoire as well as you can.
Daily Practice
Make your mistakes loud and then fix them. My colleague Catherine Allard often says, “Today’s squeak is tomorrow’s tone.” Music majors are encouraged, cajoled, pressured, and forced to practice daily. The importance of the music major’s time in the practice room is equal to the importance of both your degree and your career. You must first make the squeak in order to find the tone—and wouldn’t we all prefer to do that behind a closed door rather than in front of an audience?
Mindful practice leads to success onstage, and practice includes performing. Universities hold studio classes and convocations and your area or region holds regular NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) auditions. These opportunities are geared to get you on a stage in front of other live humans to practice singing your repertoire from memory. Preparation can get you an A- at the very least, and with attention to detail and presentation, you can earn an A+.
Just Be You
We’ve all heard recordings or performances of Pavarotti but we have not all heard you. The world wants to hear your unique sound—save your imitations of other singers for your stand-up comedy routine. Let your personality shine in your charming songs and let your heart break in your sad songs. You can bring something completely new to your music by owning that magical something that makes you tick. Own it. Find the music you love and you will reveal yourself in your voice.
OK, can we be real for a moment? This business is crazy hard. Your competition is fierce and paid performance opportunities are few and far between. Your only chance for success comes with the real you—practiced, polished, and served on a silver platter.
You Can Make YouTube Better
Upload excellent videos of your recitals. Every single day that I teach university students, I am unable to find an example of a given song on YouTube. So as I preach to you that YouTube is not your last-call chance for practice, I can also attest that there is room for your senior recital video out there!
When you know you are singing an obscure song, you should work the hardest to perfect it, record it, and share it with young singers coming up after you. Specializing in specific repertoire has made many a career. Singing unknown rep can garner thousands of viewings. We have new and uncharted territory in front of us as YouTube grows. Sponsorship opportunities and prospective employers are just a few positive options among many.
Anyone with a smartphone and Wi-Fi can access music online everywhere from airplanes to bathtubs. As with so many technological advances, we must be careful to maintain privacy and find a balance in our “plugged-in” lifestyle.
With our classical art form, attending live performances is the life force of music. The convenience of listening to music online could turn classic arias into McClassics if you, the listener, cannot compare it to watching an artist sing it onstage. The consistency that singers need for their voice is also necessary for uplifting listening habits. Just as we know we should avoid too much fast food, we should avoid fast fixes in music.
Listen to your songs carefully, monitor your vocal progress, and when you are ready to make YouTube better, work worthily to improve the quality and add to the quantity of repertoire choices on YouTube.com.
