How to Sign Up for a Singing Career
Singing for a living is something that most people dream of at some stage in their lives. The first steps for a classical singer are often your local church choir, which offers excellent training in breathing techniques, sight reading and musical repertoire. Regardless of your religion, this is where many opera singers hone their singing skills as children. If it's soul, jazz or pop you're after then your best option is to join a community jazz choir and take singing lessons. Like any career, you can improve your chances with a good dollop of practice, motivation and willpower.
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Things You'll Need
- Voice coach
- Recording studio
- YouTube and social networking accounts
- Video camera or webcam
Instructions
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Take lessons: Some people are born with the voice of an angel, while others hone their skills with the help of a voice coach. Whether your singing skills are good or mediocre, you can never go wrong with a little extra help. Ask about good teachers in your local music store or check for adverts in the local paper or online. A good singing teacher will teach you about breathing techniques, sheet music reading and those all-important vocal skills like vibrato that will make you sound like a superstar.
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Try and try again: Unless you enter a talent show like Pop Idol or X-Factor, it is unlikely that you will be an overnight smash. Most singers put in years of hard graft before becoming successful. Singing is a popular career choice so you will have to demonstrate skill, willpower and a real "get up again and brush yourself off" type of personality if you want to see off the competition.
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Start small: MTV won't beckon overnight, so you can start your career by singing in nightclubs and small local concert venues. Join a band or go along to an open mic night as a solo artist and see how the crowd takes to you. This is a great way of improving your performance skills, which are essential for any singer. Singing isn't just about technique, it's also about stage presence and confidence. If you can show that you are comfortable performing in front of a crowd, your chances of landing a record deal are greatly improved. Get involved with your local music scene and get to know other musicians so that you have a grounding of contacts and people who you can organize concerts with.
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Get yourself out there: The Internet provides all sorts of opportunities for singers and songwriters who might otherwise have struggled to get their voices heard--just think of Lilly Allen and the Arctic Monkeys who were discovered on Myspace and went on to become some of the UK's biggest selling recording artists of recent years. Other singers are gaining recognition thanks to YouTube. If you can't be on MTV, then creating your own 15 minutes of YouTube fame can work like a dream if you have a good face for television, a great voice and some great songs. Set up your own page, post some good covers that will come up in the search engines and remember to keep your page updated regularly.
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Make a demo tape: Hire a recording studio and some helpers and make a demo tape to show the world what you are capable of. Send your tape to record labels, managers, producers and radio stations to get your name known and hopefully bag a record deal or professional representation.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit serious singer image by Ricardo Verde Costa from Fotolia.com
