Whether we like it or not, we are all entrepreneurs. Getting a college degree in voice hopefully qualifies us to sing nicely, but no one is waiting to hire us just because we’ve finished our studies. By comparison, other professions enjoy a certain linear quality from their training to their careers. Education degree plus certification equals schoolteacher. Law school plus bar exam equals lawyer. Can you think of a similar tried-and-true road to success that works for all singers?
You might know one singer who made a career by starting out on the traditional Young Artist Program path and another who never sings opera but travels the country singing oratorio and contemporary music. So, which wagon should you hitch your horse to?
While it is tempting to compete for the same gigs that other people pursue, and you may find yourself coveting the opportunities your colleagues have received, what your competitors succeed in doing might have no relation to your own strengths. To best determine your strategy for success, take some time periodically to evaluate who you are and where your talents and interests lie.
At any level of your career—whether you are in high school and contemplating a college voice major or several years past your degree and strategizing about the next steps—afford yourself at least an annual self-assessment. The end of the year is a terrific time for this. Think about the performing opportunities you have had over the past year and ask yourself these questions:
• How did I feel during this project?
• Was the quality of my work up to my own standards?
• Are there any patterns to my performance or audition experiences?
• Based on these experiences, what are my best next steps?
How Did I Feel?
Singers are sometimes surprised to achieve a career goal only to find that they were disappointed with the experience. Winning a coveted spot in a Young Artist Program can mean performance opportunities—but also an unhappy year spent away from family and friends. A performance opportunity that sounded great at the time might have ended up being music that didn’t really hold your interest.
All career considerations aside, think about how you liked working with a particular company, artist, or group of people. Did you enjoy your role in the project—no matter how small—and would you willingly do it again? Was the music exciting to you, and do you like the idea of singing a lot more of it? If the answers are no or maybe, you might consider letting this kind of opportunity pass by the next time in order to focus on projects that interest you more.
Also consider if this project or repertoire will lead to something else or if it basically felt like a job. For example, some church jobs tap you into a network of freelancing professionals; some just help you cover your grocery bill. You may have good cause to stick with the job for either reason, but if the work feels like drudgery, it likely will not energize you in other aspects of your singing. To the extent you are willing, cut back on performing what doesn’t interest you or doesn’t nurture your strengths and, instead, make room for opportunities that do.
How Was the Quality of My Performance?
If you can see a video or listen to audio of one of your performances, get yourself a copy and sit down and watch or listen to it. No one likes doing this—we always notice the faults—but nothing is more revelatory. Before you start cataloging your flaws, try to put some distance between who you are and what the performance is like. Writer Anne Lamott suggests that when you edit your own work, it’s helpful to pretend that you’re giving comments not to yourself but to someone else, someone you might actually like.
Note the room for improvement, but also the good parts as well. What went right? Also ask yourself if you would hire the singer on the recording. If not, identify the specific elements you would like to improve. Maybe it’s intonation—or maybe you notice that you still do that weird thing with your neck.
Honestly assessing your own work takes some effort, but it pays off through a constant improvement of your abilities. This in turn improves your chances to advance your career. It will also show you where your greatest abilities lie, helping you decide where to focus your efforts.
What Patterns Are There?
Take note of the kind of music and projects you are getting asked to do, especially the ones you really enjoyed. That’s likely where your current strengths lie and is the best indication for your next plans. Also think about things that didn’t work out too well—auditions that were not successful or performances that could have been better. Are there any common themes? Maybe there’s one aria in your mix that is just not as impressive as you’d like it to be, and it happens to have come up for all the places you’ve tried. Maybe you’ve been given some performing opportunities, but the repertoire just isn’t working for you. Write down what you notice and ask a trusted teacher or coach for guidance—you might only need to switch out your audition package, or you may need to consider bigger changes.
What Are My Next Steps?
Here’s where the entrepreneurial part comes in. Once you’ve assessed your feelings, the quality of your work, and any patterns, you then can make a decision about which direction you would like to move your career in.
Say you’ve spent a year singing in opera choruses. You’ve loved your colleagues and being on stage, but the music hasn’t interested you as much as you had expected. Even if you liked the experience, if doing more of the same won’t advance your career, make the tough decision to turn it down the next time and aggressively seek the next step. Your choral skills would translate well to oratorio work, or maybe your time onstage has inspired an idea to produce your own staged creation.
By periodically considering where you’ve been in your career and how you’ve felt about it, you can make an educated decision about your plans. Your performance experiences one year inform your decisions for the next—and after a while, you have enough information to guide your career to the best place for it to be.
This article was published in the December 2012 issue of Classical Singer magazine and written by Amanda Keil. Amanda freelances as a fundraiser; writes for Classical Singer, OPERA America, Bachtrack, and her blog, thousandfoldecho.com; and performs with her Baroque company, Musica Nuova. amandakeil.com.
