Expertise I am a professional vocal coach in San Francisco. In addition to answers from a previous web site (Askme.com - where my "tag" was "VocalCoach") I have published over 2000 responses related to vocal training - particularly as it relates to Musical Theatre and Opera. I have 24 years of experience as Personal Trainer to singers and actors in the San Francisco Bay Area. I sang professionally for 20 years and know what it means to live the life of a musician. I can determine your voice category, i.e., Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Alto Belter, etc., and how to broaden and strengthen your range. Need an audition song for a Broadway Musical? I will give you suggestions that are appropriate to your vocal category and to requirements specified in the audition notice. I have also created a vocal methodology, "The Belter`s Method". It will enable those in Musical Theatre to practice more efficiently because it focuses on the demands of professional performers as well as to those auditioning for school and community productions, and as University and Conservatory performing arts majors. If what you want is a better voice and more control over your career moves and choices, contact me. Also, as the Fine Arts Critic for SanFranciscoSentinel.com, it is my privilege to review productions at the San Francisco Opera, Ballet and Symphony, as well as Broadway National Tours booked into San Francisco's Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theatres. I also review works by A.C.T (the American Conservatory Theatre) and Magic Theatre. I cover select films, tributes and retrospects, and various international film festivals – particulary those booked into The City's opulent Castro Theatre – including both the San Francisco International and Silent Film Festivals. For private vocal instruction, I can be contacted through craigslist.com. Look under Musicians, then keyword: Martinfield.
Experience Distinctive celebrity voices and how they are used and promoted by the Entertainment Industry have always fascinated me. Drawing from all eras of film and animation, television, radio, Broadway plays and musicals, opera and a few politicians ? a huge bounty of actors and singers have had a profound effect upon my life, influencing all the choices I made with respect to my education and my dual careers as a professional singer and vocal coach. I am curious about what is promoted and, consequently, the competitive aspects of the Performing Arts.
I am a Theatre Arts Graduate from San Francisco State University. During the years of my attendance, the school enjoyed the reputation for having the best Theatre Department on the West Coast. My academic training equipped me as an actor, enabling me to prepare for professional auditions and to compete successfully. I learned how to take direction and to apply my skills during the rehearsal process. Along the way I learned to identify my assets as a performer, to market my particular abilities and to find the audiences interested in my particular product.
During my freshman year, I also began studying opera. For the next eight years, I trained as a baritone, learning the classical vocal methodology known as "Bel Canto" with well-respected coaches including Mr. James Schwabacher, then head of the San Francisco Opera's Marla Training Program. Because mastering the technique of Bel Canto is absolutely dependent upon its application to Italian opera and, consequently, perfect pronunciation of the language, I studied Italian as well as French and German with private coaches. I have performed the roles of ?Guglielmo" (COSI FAN TUTTE), "Marcello" (LA BOHEME), "Valentin" (FAUST), "Enrico" (LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR), "Dr. Miracle", (THE TALES OF HOFFMANN), "Top" (THE TENDER LAND), " Mr. Gedge, the Vicar" (ALBERT HERRING) and "Dr. Caius" (THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR). During these ten years, I also appeared in many classical recitals singing the standard classical Baritone repertoire. It was Mr. Schwabacher's training that expanded my upper range, turning me into a working tenor. My last appearances as a classical tenor were with conductor and pianist Robin Kay, performing Schubert's DIE SCHÖNE MULLERIN.
I then re-trained my voice, dropped the Bel Canto methodology, and went on to sustain another 10 years doing standard American repertoire including Broadway, Jazz, Blues and Standards. Throughout this period I appeared regularly on the San Francisco cabaret circuit and was a featured soloist with Bay Area bands, orchestras and choruses. I continued producing my own solo concerts, the last being at the New Conservatory Theatre.
As a vocal coach, I work primarily with singers and actors throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. My clientele ranges from absolute beginners to working professionals, from pre-schoolers to retired Senior Citizens. The vast majority of them come to me through recommendation. I know how to identify any singer's vocal category, i.e., soprano, tenor, alto, baritone, etc. I know how to muscle-up every singer's vocal range and to expand it beyond conventional definitions. I have developed a vocal methodology for those who want to know how to belt, THE BELTER'S METHOD. As a singer who spent half of his career doing Bel Canto, I know for certain that classical or Italian methodologies do not work in Standard American music. Bel Canto cannot be "adapted" to meet the needs of contemporary American music, including the demands of the Musical Theatre.
There are two major components to my job. The first is to teach basic musical skills such as reading music, counting, breathing techniques, development and expansion of the vocal range, phonetics and diction ? specifically as it applies to Standard American English. The second is about presentation ? that is, everything involved with the client's audition and/or actual performance. In short, for any person relying upon their vocal endurance and performance skills to earn a living, my job is to enable them to compete for a job and, when hired, to maintain that job.
Over the years my clients have appeared in all of the available Broadway musicals produced in virtually every theater throughout the Bay Area. Some have worked in New York and gone on National Tours. Most recently, my clients have been praised for their work in AIDA and WICKED.
So, if you want to prepare for "American Idol" or the Broadway stage, contact me through http://www.geocities.com/broadwaybelters
Q: i need a duet for a baritone and a mezzo/soprano, though it needs to be under 4 minutes. Ive been ... A: Hey, Daniel – Thank you for the question. Outside of “Carmen”, consider any of the following: Old ...
Q: My theater company is doing Into the Woods this year and I really want the role of Little Red ... A: Cate – Thank you for the question. I will coach the presentation of your monologue, but you have to ...
Q: My situation is pretty bad. I'm pretty much a beginner at singing, and I'm in a hard rock band, and ... A: Hey, Daniel! Thank you for the posting. Daniel, my friend, the best advice I can give you is to ...
Q: I am a seventeen year old singer, and I am very confused about my "voice type." My teacher ... A: Jasmine – Thank you for your question and all the information. I’m sure you understand that it’s ...
Q: One i want to know am i to young to become a singer,Two i want to know where i can go to audition ... A: Selena – Thank you for your questions. You are not too young to become a singer. There are kids ...
Q: I am almost 14. I caught the performing arts bug when I had the priveledge to perform in the ... A: Alaina – Thank you for the question. When I was 14 I wanted the same thing and was in a situation ...
Q: I have been trying to strenghten my belt for a while now because I can only belt up to a fourth line ... A: Becca – Thank you for the question. Speaking in treble clef, your range spans from Low F to High ...
Q: I'm auditioning for a community theatre production or reefer madness next month and i must prepare ... A: Hey, Sam – Thank you for the question. Do your research on the original film and musical score. ...
Q: I'm 17 and going into my senior year of high school. I am a triple threat, and I love to be involved ... A: Emily – Consider these songs by Cole Porter: From This Moment On – LEAVE IT TO ME Most Gentlemen ...
Q: I have been around music playing guitar, sax, and other instruments. I sing from time to time, but ... A: Hans – Thank you for the question. You know how to play chords on a guitar and sax. You must learn ...
Q: Can you recommend charaters to audition for (I sing baritone...tenor) and audition songs as well? A: Noel – Thank you for the question. Maury Yeston’s TITANIC is a dreary musical. You cannot be both ...
Q: I'm a 25 yo countertenor with a very broad range, can you please adise on what are the countertenor ... A: Nicolas – Thank you for the question. There is one countertenor role that everyone is aware of in ...
Q: John, My names Brooke, I'm 14 years old, soon to be 15. I am very interested in acting, it has ... A: Brooke, My advice to you right now is to enjoy your summer. You are only 14. You have your whole ...
Q: Tenor 1 and Tenor 2. What's the difference between both sections? What are their ranges? A: Carlos – Thank you for the question. It all depends on the situation and the material involved. ...
Q: I want to become a country singer. I love country music. Every country singer I met I sing to them, ... A: Kaitlyn – Thank you for the question. As you know – there’s lots more ahead of you before securing ...
Q: Mr. Martinfield. I'm 16 years old and would consider myself a Baritone or Bass-Baritone. My range ... A: Michael – Thank you for the question. There are far worse things than not being available for ...
Q: I'm 17 and going into my senior year of high school. I am a triple threat, and I love to be involved ... A: Emily – Thank you for the question. Which character do you want? I’m going to assume it’s “Reno”. ...
Q: My name is Michael. I'm a 21 year old college student getting ready to audition for West Side ... A: Michael Hello, Michael – Thank you for the question. As you know, WEST SIDE STORY is a work that ...
Q: Martinfield. My name is Amber Iman. I have 3 auditions in NYC the week of June 22. I'm audtioning ... A: Amber – Thank you for the question. The only thing these three musicals have in common is your ...
Q: It is difficult to describe my issue, but I really need help, so I'll do my best. If something is ... A: Jonas – Thank you for the question. All answers to questions involving the vocal range start with ...
Q: So I have read a lot of the other questions that people have asked you and you give such great song ... A: Jasmine – Thank you for the question. The musical RAGTIME is all about “Music Hall”. Do your ...
Q: Hey, I'm in high school and have been doing plays since forever. Ever since 6th grade, I've been a ... A: Good question! And the answer is: it depends. In the history of musical theatre, there have been ...
Q: I am a twenty-one year old woman who used to be able to sing in the high soprano range. As of late, ... A: Nicole – Thank you for the question. I never give pharmaceutical advice. However, if you have ...
Q: I am auditioning for Chicago. I need a song that fits this show perfectly. I have a very "jazzy" ... A: Hannah – Thank you for the question. The perfect-fitting song is in relationship to the character ...
Q: I'm 19 years old and seriously want to pursue a career in musical theatre. But I'm really concerned ... A: Monica – Thank you for the question. As a private vocal coach it is my privilege to work with ...
Q: I am a 24 year old girl with a powerful mezzo/belt auditioning for a production of Batboy next week. ... A: Victoria – Thank you for the question. Consider “Acid Queen” (TOMMY) and Pat Benatar’s ...
Q: My name is Alex and i have a serious problem that has been bothering me for a while. I act and sing ... A: Hey, Alex – Thank you for the follow-through and for linking me to your video. The most ...
Q: I am 22 years old, and I am a mezzo-soprano. I'm going to be auditioning for the Sound of Music in a ... A: Ashley – Thank you for the question. The role of “Maria” in SOUND OF MUSIC is always described as ...
Q: My high school is performing "Grease" this next school year. I will be a sophomore, but my school is ... A: Kara – Thank you for the question. GREASE is a musical that will never go away. I recently saw the ...
Q: I have been training in voice for a year. My range is G below middle C (though it makes my throat ... A: Katie – Thank you for the question. Laryngitis does not come from practicing too much. But ...
Q: I'm looking for a song to audition with for Cats. I'm auditioning as a dancer, but may be called ... A: Jen – Thank you for the question. Ideally, you want to sing a song by the same composer. Start by ...
Q: I'm auditioning for Into the Woods in a few days. I'm trying to decide which song to sing to ... A: Aimee – Thank you for the question. Don’t sing “If I Loved You”. It’s not in the same style and ...
Q: I have two questions my first question is how can I loosen up and not be so tense the higher note I ... A: Hey, Kyle – Thank you for the question. My job as a professional vocal coach is to demonstrate how ...
Q: I have an audition for a solo in September and the theme is broadway. I sing Soprano I and I would ... A: Shelley – Thank you for the question. Very nice photo. The early Broadway repertoire is loaded ...
Q: Do you think it would be possible to give me lessons or do you know a good vocal coach to give ... A: Aaron – Thank you for your question. All you have to do is contact me. My studio is in San ...
Q: I am taking voice lessons with a teacher that I have worked with for most of the year. Instead of ... A: Emily – Thank you for the question. I agree with your teacher. You should be picking songs for ...
Q: My college is auditioning for their fall theatre season in a couple of months, and Jane Eyre and ... A: Deirdre – Thank you for the question. If you are a true soprano with a lot of coloratura-type ...
Q: im a alto-second soprano sometimes im put at tenor sometimes first soprano. and i can belt but i ... A: Ashley – Thank you for the question. Lucy in JEKYLL AND HYDE is an entertainer. Her song, “Good ...
Q: I am a baritone, and I want to play the role of Tevye in my High School's production of Fiddler. I ... A: Aleks – Thank you for the question. Consider any of the following songs for your audition as Tevye ...
Q: I have been doing theatre -- mostly musicals -- for about 10 years, starting in college, and for the ... A: Allison – Thank you for the question. Unless stated otherwise in the audition notice, it is common ...
