Acting & Singing Tips: Video Series

To sell song lyrics, join a union specifically for musicians, such as VMI or ASCAP, and meet with other musicians and composers to develop a full song to sell. Pitch song lyrics with a Sonic Bids account, where major labels look for material, with help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on song lyrics.

Find movie casting calls through the Actor's Access Web site, on Craigslist.com, through the Screen Actor's Guild or on Backstage.com. Post a resume and head shots on a variety of acting gig Web sites with advice from a professional musician and actress in this free video on acting.

To make a music demo, find a producer to record the music or learn how to use music recording software on the computer to record and mix demo songs. Make a demo with three to five songs using help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on music careers.

Make a singer biography that is around a page long and describes your unique qualities, performance experience and interesting life facts. Include contact information and style of music in a singer bio with help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on music careers.

Get free sheet music by photocopying music from the library or by visiting a variety of Web sites that offer sheet music, such as freesheetmusic.com or AZchords.com. Do an Internet search to find different sites with free sheet music using information from a professional musician and actress in this free video on music careers.

Reading bass clef music requires identifying line notes or space notes by using a helpful sentence to determine which notes are which. Use the sentence "Great ballerinas dance fast around" to remember line notes and "All cows eat grass" to remember space notes with help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on music.

When reading music, the treble clef represents the higher notes and the bass clef represents the lower notes, with notes occurring in a line, space, line pattern. Discover helpful mnemonic devices to remember the notes of the staff with help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on music.

When teaching young learners how to read piano notes, help them find the middle C note on the piano and then number each finger and note. Make reading music easier by using numbers on the sheet music to correspond to the fingers with advice from a professional musician and actress in this free video on reading music.

Learning to sight read piano music requires lots of practice and can be aided by a series of books from Bartok, a composer, designed to teach people to play the piano. Start with simple sight-reading exercises and then move to more advanced work with help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on reading music.

When buying a musical keyboard, look at the number of keys, the weight, whether the keys are weighted and whether the keyboard is a quality brand. Purchase a keyboard case, speakers, a stand and a sustained pedal if performing professionally with advice from a professional musician and actress in this free video on music.

In singing, the fundamentals include gaining energy from breath to power the voice and learning how to properly use the diaphragm. Perform vocal breathing exercises to improve singing and create different sounds in different parts of the body with help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on singing.

The singing voice works through the vibration of the vocal chords resonating in different parts of the throat and chest. Change the opening of the throat and the muscles around the vocal chords to affect the sound of a singing voice with instructions from a professional musician and actress in this free video on singing.

To become a kid singer, get singing lessons, practice scales daily, listen to a lot of music and try to join a choir. Join the chorus at school and be prepared to practice singing all the time to become a child singer with help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on singing.

Become a musician by getting a music teacher, determining what instrument to play and performing at open mic nights in order to meet other musicians. Listen to a lot of music and pay attention to the individual roles of each band member in order to get ideas as a musician with help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on music.

Start a band by picking a genre of music, looking for other musicians on Craigslist and starting a MySpace page to showcase talents. Contact friends interested in starting a band and go out and perform with tips from a professional musician and actress in this free video on music.

To read guitar tabs, learn how to correspond each line of the tab with the strings on the guitar and the numbers with the frets on the guitar. Use guitar tabs to learn how to play songs with help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on playing guitar.

When reading chords in music, a letter on its own represents a major chord, while a letter followed by a lower case "m" represents a minor chord. Find out how to read dominant and diminished chords with information from a professional musician and actress in this free video on reading chords.

Improve a singing voice by taking care of your body, getting a singing teacher and practicing scales on a daily basis. Learn to sing while walking or moving around to improve singing with help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on singing.

Singing with a head voice refers to singing with sounds that resonate in the head, as opposed to resonating in the chest. Identify head voice singing, which is breathier and higher than regular singing, with help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on singing.

The normal length of a pop song that will be played on the radio is in the three minute range, which four minutes being a little bit too long. Ignore the standard length of a song when playing music outside of popular genres with advice from a professional musician and actress in this free video on music.

The parts of the body used for singing include the breath, lungs, diaphragm, larynx, soft palate and vocal chords. Use the muscles in the back of the throat to manipulate the singing voice with advice from a professional musician and actress in this free video on singing.

Project your voice by using strong breaths from the diaphragm and creating more resonance of the voice in your head and throat. Belt out acting lines or a singing voice by projecting your voice with help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on voice exercises.

To harmonize in singing, sing different notes in the same chord by bringing the voice above or below the other person who is singing. Harmonize by singing with another person in different major or minor chords with instructions from a professional musician and actress in this free video on singing.

When entering the dramatic acting world, read books about drama, get a professional head shot with a resume on the back and go to conferences to network with other actors and casting directors. Find a place to perform where directors will see your work with help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on acting.

To fake cry in acting, think of a situation that makes you cry and focus on all of your senses to remind yourself of that situation. Consider holding your eyes open for a long time to create tears in an external way with help from a professional musician and actress in this free video on acting.