How to Become a Singer in a Band

Do you dream of being a professional singer? Do you feel that you have excellent vocals, hang out in karaoke bars, but you'd like to get compensated for your ability to belt out a tune? Well, here's how I did it!!!!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• some initial ability you are born with
• an ear for music
• lots of practice
• ability to be in front of a crowd
• a great demo cd
• motivation

1. The first step in become a profressional singer is to be sure you have the ability to sing! This means, your friends don't cover their ears when they hear you, and the dogs aren't howling outside your front door when you're singing to your favorite song on the radio. If this does happen to you, and you really have your heart set on being a singer, then you may want to take vocal lessons. At that point, the professionals can help you decide if this is really for you. As for me, I never took lessons, but I was very shy when I was younger. I stated singing as a career late in life, because I had to come out of my shell and be comfortable in front of small groups of people, and eventually larger ones. It took time, but it happened. I taught public school after graduating college, and being in front of a classroom on a daily basis helped me to be more comfortable in front of people in general.
2. The next step is to practice, practice, practice! Go to as many karaoke shows as you can. Learn as many songs and lyrics as you can, and expose yourself to all different types and styles of music. Be sure to develop your own style of singing, and not to copy any particular artist. This will make your more marketable in terms of singing with various agencies at a later date, because they look for versatility, and someone that can sing a wide variety of musics.
3. The third step is to be sure you can take any criticisms in a positive manner (no, I don't mean the rudeness of Simon Powell on American Idol!), but, you know, just be open to ideas and opinions of others. After all, they are the ones listening, and possibly your future audience. Of course, be motivated no matter what, to pursue your dream, if it is what you really want to do. There are plenty of singers out there, but if you want to be compensated for it, you must be very good at it.
4. The next step is to record a really good demo. This does not have to be one in which you sing original music. However, what I did was choose around ten karaoke songs, went to a professional studio, and recorded the songs. Then, about 10 ten second clips were recorded of each song and these were combined on the demo. I was sure to select only the best part of each song to put on the demo. After all, most agents and band leaders won't listen to your entire CD. They can tell right away in the first minute or so if you have the potential to be a professional and join them. Sometimes, they don't even listen to the entire CD. YOu may even want to consider making a short video clip. Many bands and agencies like this even better because they don't have to read anything.
5. Next, go ahead and get some professional photis taken of yourself..and I don't mean your friend's brother who is a an amateur photographer down the block! These really need to be natural looking, professional pictures that show different aspects of your personality. The person that will hire you will not only be listening to your voice, but will also be looking at your appearance. When you are ultimately performing, your stage presence will be very important, so you will need to think about this during all of your practices. WHat I did quite often was use my living room mirror!!! Believe it or not...it helps!!!
6. Finally, when you are ready to seek a singing job with a band to be compensated, there are different ways you can go about it. You can mail out your demo package (your demo, photograph, and a short biography of yourself), to differnt agencies in your local area (you can check this out in yo9ur phone book or on the comouter under the entertainment section). You can also go to various websites to search for different bands or musicians seeking singers. A few websites for this purpuse are: www.musicianhunter.com, www.bandmix.com, and www.ragmagazine.com. You can also drop by one of your local recording studios. They usually have magazines lying around on a weekly basis that will list classifieds for musicians, or they will have a buylletin board. Your locals music shop will have this also. Another avenue it to check www.craigslist.com frequently. That is how I found my current band. I went onto craigslist, posted my own ad, and they actually found me. I received a phone call, sent them my cd, and then was called in for an audition. I made it!!!

Tips & Warnings

• The best advice I can give you is for you to stay positive. If you know you've got the talent, hang in there. Don't be afraid of rejection. You will get it from time to time!!! Don't give up. Not everyone will like your style of singing, but others will.