Who's in Charge of YOUR Career?

Wow! After I read this article in the New York Times, all I could say was "It's about time someone recognizes what's going on." This article asks the questions:

• What is wrong with our training system for young singers?
• When did it stop being about art and start being about money?
• Why has the industry ceased to cultivate the "big voiced" singer?
• What is being done to changed that?

I have to tell you, it's been a LONG and ARDUOUS road thus far. I have come across more opposition because of the size of my voice than I care to discuss. My favorite are the people who have told me to stop singing all together. The few times I have heard that, my immediate thought has been, "I will make sure we never work together again." And I haven't!

I could write a dissertation about this article, but instead, I will bgvgive my fellow singers some advice:

1) Know your voice: This took me a while to do. Though I am still learning, I now know what certain things SHOULD and SHOULDN'T feel like. I can tell if my tongue is in the way. I know when I am supporting with my larynx instead of my support (though it was an old habit, I broke it FAST). I'm telling you, NOT EVERY VOICE TEACHER KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING! You have to know what works for your voice!

2) Create a Support team for YOURSELF: In school, we become "people pleasers." Everyone has an opinion and everyone wants to pick away at your technique and your artistry. That is why it is a GREAT idea to take 2 or 3 people that you trust and have them constantly in your corner. I am more resilient than most singers I know and I still need my support team near me. Even if it's to tell me where my voice is headed in a year or two, I know that these people BELIEVE IN ME!!!!!!

3) Know when Enough is Enough: I know people that have made a career of young artist programs. They thought that if they had gone through enough programs, they would eventually be "discovered." Instead, they missed out on the opportunity to get their careers off the ground. You need to know when you're done being a "young artist" and you begin being a"young professional." Though it's nice to have your team tell you that you're ready, ONLY YOU know when YOU'RE ready! Just don't wait forever!

Love ya!

Nae