While watching Hollywood Week on American Idol recently, I was struck by how poorly prepared some of these singers are. Honestly, one guy complained "I don't do groups!" Hello, haven't you watched the show? If you make it that far (and with that kind of attitude, I doubt it), singing in a group is mandatory.
So, as a long-time watcher of the show, here are some armchair hints from the audience for would-be Idol auditioners.
Hint #1: Ask for criticism long before you audition. Find a music teacher to critique your singing and take lessons if you have to. However, if several teachers have said you can't carry a tune in a bucket, believe them and forget singing as a career choice. Your friends and family may be saying you are wonderful either because they don't want to hurt your feelings or because they can't hear flat, off-key notes either! If you feel that music is your life but you learn that your singing is beyond help, then maybe you were meant to play an instrument instead.
Hint #2: join a choir. You must be able to sing with and get along with other singers and do harmony, or Group Week will stop you in your tracks. And the best way to learn that is in a choir of some kind. It doesn't matter whether it's a church group or barbershoppers or the school glee club, and it doesn't matter whether the music being sung is "your style". The whole point is to learn how to sing with other people.
Hint #3: learn to sing different kinds of music from different eras. If you are a country singer, you can't just sing country, or you haven't got a prayer of advancing. You need to be versatile to move forward on this show.
Hint #4 find places to sing in front of audiences and on stage as much as you can, even if you have to do it for free! If you panic in front of a crowd or when you are up on a stage looking down, you won't make it through, no matter how good your voice is.
Hint #5: lose the attitude. Confidence is one thing. Snootiness and a know-it-all attitude will get you nowhere. For proof watch Group Week and see how many people have trouble finding a group. (See also Hints #2 and 3.)
Hint #6: don't diss the judges and the program and the show's staff, especially if you plan to try out again next year. They have long memories for bad behaviour.
Hint #7: leave the funny costumes at home. They may get you noticed, but not in a good way!
Hint #8: if at some point you are sent home, don't beg. That looks really immature, and it won't change anyone's mind. Professionals don't beg, and you want to be professional, otherwise you wouldn't be auditioning, would you?
Hint #9: you will sing better if you are rested. If you stay up all night rehearsing, you could A. get so tired that you get sick; B. over-use your voice and lose it; or C. forget the words to the song because your brain is on overdrive and your body is exhausted from little or no sleep.
Hint #10: don't pin all your hopes and dreams on American Idol! There are many ways to break into the music business. If you make it to Hollywood Week, you know that you have a real shot at success if you work hard. Take advantage of all the training and experience the show gives you. Even if you go home in the first cut, look at the bright side: you have been seen, you have been heard, and you have learned a lot of new skills to help you make a career in music.
Showing posts with label competition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label competition. Show all posts
Friday, February 10, 2012
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Dancing With the Stars is Setting a Shining Example
That's right. The popular TV show "Dancing With the stars" is indeed setting a shining example, and I am not referring to the bling of the costumes or the mirror ball trophy.
It's because this show has proven that the ability to succeed, to strive and to achieve your goals has nothing to do with race, colour, ethnic background, physical shortcomings or sexual orientation. It shows that a goal does not always involve winning. It's an example to everyone that there is more to a person than what is on the outside.
Just think about it. DWTS has featured a wide assortment of folks whose only common denominator is that, for some reason, they have become famous for doing something. The show has featured actors, singers, Olympic athletes, comedians, models, politicians, entrepreneurs, television personalities and advocates for various causes. There was even a bull rider, a lawyer, a female boxer, a chef, a magician, a snowboarder, an astronaut and a race car driver. Ages have ranged from 16 to 70-something.
Not many shows can claim to have featured people who were very tall or short, fat people, skinny people, straight, gay and transgendered people, plus those who are American, Canadian, British, European, South American, Asian and Australian. The show has included people with backgrounds that are Japanese, Chinese, African, Hawaiian, Caucasian and probably a few more I can't recall, plus people with mixed racial heritage. One competitor was deaf, one had an artificial leg, some were cancer survivors, at least one was a victim of childhood abuse and one was disfigured. Some had metal plates and screws holding bones together from injuries suffered long before they began to dance, but none of them let that stop them from trying.
Does it matter?
Yes, but not for the reasons one might think. It matters because the audience found out who these competitors really were and learned to see them as real people. We saw J.R. Martinez as the person he is inside, not just the veteran with the burned face. We learned that a person can be beautiful regardless of physical appearance. We found out that a deaf person can dance well, that a victim of abuse can overcome a terrible start to life and become successful, and that dreams can come true, as they did for Jane Seymour, robbed of a ballet career by an injury while in her teens. We discovered that people can step outside their comfort zone and discover more about themselves than they ever dreamed possible. Who would have thought that a football player or a WWE wrestler could have a dancer hidden inside him?
I guess the bottom line is that DWTS celebrates both our differences and our similarities. It shows that, underneath, people share many of the same joys and sorrows, fears and courage, regardless of background or social standing. And it has shown us that, yes, Chaz Bono is a different kind of man, and Carson is outrageously gay, and J.R.'s face looks different, and that none of that really matters.
So kudos to Dancing With the Stars. You've entertained us, but you've also taught us to took past the outside of a person and to take on challenges without letting a fear of failure stop us from trying.
It's because this show has proven that the ability to succeed, to strive and to achieve your goals has nothing to do with race, colour, ethnic background, physical shortcomings or sexual orientation. It shows that a goal does not always involve winning. It's an example to everyone that there is more to a person than what is on the outside.
Just think about it. DWTS has featured a wide assortment of folks whose only common denominator is that, for some reason, they have become famous for doing something. The show has featured actors, singers, Olympic athletes, comedians, models, politicians, entrepreneurs, television personalities and advocates for various causes. There was even a bull rider, a lawyer, a female boxer, a chef, a magician, a snowboarder, an astronaut and a race car driver. Ages have ranged from 16 to 70-something.
Not many shows can claim to have featured people who were very tall or short, fat people, skinny people, straight, gay and transgendered people, plus those who are American, Canadian, British, European, South American, Asian and Australian. The show has included people with backgrounds that are Japanese, Chinese, African, Hawaiian, Caucasian and probably a few more I can't recall, plus people with mixed racial heritage. One competitor was deaf, one had an artificial leg, some were cancer survivors, at least one was a victim of childhood abuse and one was disfigured. Some had metal plates and screws holding bones together from injuries suffered long before they began to dance, but none of them let that stop them from trying.
Does it matter?
Yes, but not for the reasons one might think. It matters because the audience found out who these competitors really were and learned to see them as real people. We saw J.R. Martinez as the person he is inside, not just the veteran with the burned face. We learned that a person can be beautiful regardless of physical appearance. We found out that a deaf person can dance well, that a victim of abuse can overcome a terrible start to life and become successful, and that dreams can come true, as they did for Jane Seymour, robbed of a ballet career by an injury while in her teens. We discovered that people can step outside their comfort zone and discover more about themselves than they ever dreamed possible. Who would have thought that a football player or a WWE wrestler could have a dancer hidden inside him?
I guess the bottom line is that DWTS celebrates both our differences and our similarities. It shows that, underneath, people share many of the same joys and sorrows, fears and courage, regardless of background or social standing. And it has shown us that, yes, Chaz Bono is a different kind of man, and Carson is outrageously gay, and J.R.'s face looks different, and that none of that really matters.
So kudos to Dancing With the Stars. You've entertained us, but you've also taught us to took past the outside of a person and to take on challenges without letting a fear of failure stop us from trying.
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