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Leontine Hass - one of London's top vocal coaches and Director of The Associated Studios and the Advanced Performers Studio, London - talks here about the importance of vocal training.
Having worked with aspiring as well as professional singers and taught West End performers and recording artists, Leontine cannot overstate the importance of good vocal training. Singers, like athletes, need a solid foundation.
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Getting by on talent can last for a while; however, the time will surely come when more is required. She also advises all singers to learn their craft. This means having a solid technical foundation as well as training as a musician. There is so much competition that singers who want a career cannot afford to function like amateurs. It is vital to be able to read music, to have basic keyboard skills, to be able to read rhythms and understand basic harmony, at least enough to understand how to transpose a song and read a tune.
Training like an athlete
"As a singer who wants to train in order to perform professionally, it is vital to find a good vocal coach or performing arts school that will teach you the fundamentals of your instrument, give you an understanding of physiology and essential voice craft. Be it in the musical theatre world, where a singer has to perform at their best for 8 shows a week, or the classical world of opera where voices are required to perform great feats of athleticism, a professional singer's voice needs to be strong, flexible and healthy.
Training a voice is very much like training as an athlete. The muscles need to be built up over time and used in the correct way. Lack of training as well as bad training can lead to vocal problems that can take years to fix. Look out for a teacher or an institution who have a good understanding of the FACTS about the voice. There are as many vocal methods as there are singing teachers, but a good singing teacher or college/course will work with you as an individual. If you work with someone and your tone becomes limited in range and unclear or breathy and forced, then you are not at the right place. Good vocal training will show results very quickly. Your voice will increase in range, it will have a more even and reliable tone, it will be flexible and not limited to only one voice quality. All untrained singers, both male and female, will find that there is a part in the voice where there is 'a break'. A good singing teacher will show you how to negotiate this part of your range and how to use your voice in different ways, with a clean and healthy tone that is warm, rich and unforced."
Training for a long career
"As I teach many West End singers this highlights the importance of adequate vocal training. One of my students is currently covering the role of Maria in The Sound of Music. She is required to 'swing', which means to cover several roles. Vocally she needs to sound like a choirboy one minute, then like an operatic nun the next, and then like a young girl with a free, innocent tone. She would not be able to withstand the rigours of 8 shows a week singing in different styles, without having had several years of training and weekly lessons. Another one of my singers is currently playing the part of Michael Jackson in Thriller Live in the West End. It is an enormously difficult role, and as he is only 14, I have advised him to do a 6-month run of the show and then take some time out to really learn his craft and give his voice the time it needs to develop safely. In this way he will have a much longer and better career."
Being professional
"Any aspiring young singer should be vocalising on a daily basis, building up strength and flexibility over time under the guidance of a professional. The musical directors who work with our singers at the Advanced Performers Studio are mostly West End MDs, so rate professional conduct very highly. Singers should be taught how to behave professionally. This includes having their music neatly presented in a black display book. Audition songs should be cut to be no longer than 3 minutes in length and cuts should be clearly marked. Songs need to be in the right key as accompanists should not be expected to transpose songs on sight. Singers should also have a repertoire folder which contains a varied selection of songs which have been memorised and practised. Performance practice is also vital, which is why the Advanced Performers Studio has weekly Singers' Performance Classes, so that young and even older singers can practise performing, which is a skill in itself. All good music and drama colleges and courses offer this type of training, and singers should come out as more confident performers with the skills, the vocal stamina, the work ethos and the knowledge to support them in a career path that will be less reliable and harder than most, but also full of joy and magic."
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